The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1906-11-16

scalp, for the fortunate poSScSSor then
inherits all the bravery and proves of
its original owner.
| never knew of but one instance in
all my experience among the Indians
covering Il period of more than Il third
of n century where Il white man taken
prisoner i'll battle escaped death. 1t
was Il great many years ago; the party,
Il dear friend, is still living, grand old
mountaineer, but the homelieSt man on
earth probably. He was red faced,
wrinkled and pockmarkcd, with
mouth as large and full Of teeth as a
gorilla, and there was no more hair on
his head than there is on Il billiard ball.
He was captured in prolonged
fight and taken to the village Of the
tribe, where the principal chief resided.
That dignitary gave one disguised
look at the prisoner and said that
he was bad medicine" and, if not
the "evil spirit himself, closely re-
lated to it. The chief ordered his
subordinates to furnish the prisoner
with pony, loaded with provisions,
provided him with a rifle and told him
to so back to his people.
For the reasons stated the Indian Of
the great plains and Rocky mountains
would rather take one scalp of a ia
nous scout or army officer who had
successfully chastised them-for OK
ample, Custer, Sully, Miles or Crook
than dozen scalps of ordinary white
men.
There arc many instances on record
where men have been scalped and yet
survived the terrible ordeal, butin every
case the scalper supposed his victim
tcad. the latter taking good care that
his f0cman should not be disabused
Of the supposed fact.
IL 1867 q party of Indians took up
Il rail on the Union Pacific railroad and
laid Instructions on the track. After
dark a freight train ran into the trap
and was wrecked. The engine driver
and firemcn were instantly killed. The
conductor and brakeman jumped off,
to find themselves beset by n band
of yelling savages. The engineer es-
capped in the darkness, but the luck
less brakeman was shot and fell. The
Indian who had fired dismounted from
his pony, scalpcd him, stripped him
Of his clothing and rode away.
Early il the morning another freight
train was tagged by n hidcous looking
object. which turned out to be the
brakeman, who had been shot through
the body and scalped. He had re-
covered his senses, and. knowing that
the train was due, walked some dis
lance down the track to save it from
being wrecked. He was taken on
board, and the train moved up to the
wreck, which, after plundering it, the
Indians left just as it was thrown over
through their devilish act.
l saw the unfortunate man some
months afterward. He was perfectly
recovered, but with a horrible looking
head. He stated that the bullet, al
though knocking him down, had not
made him unconscious, and the
greatest trial during the awful night
was the necessity of shamming dead,
he not daring to even groan while the
Indian was saving at his scalp with
Il very dull knife.
The other instance which has come
under my own observation is that of
Robert McGeo. In 1861 MCGEE, q
slender STRIPPING of Il lad, came to
Leavenworth, Kan, seeking employ
ment. That town was the base of gov.
ernment supplies for all the frontier
military posts, even as far away as
~
that time loading for Fort Union, n.
NJ. The wagons and whole outfit were
owned by contractor named II. G..
Barrett, but he would not take the
chances of the long and perilous trip
OF more than 100 miles through the
Indian infested plains unless the
government leased the train outright
or gave him an indcElnifying bond or
assurance against loss. The bond was
given and Barret proceeded to hire
teamsters-a hard task on account of
the danger attending the journey
Young MCGEE was among the number
engaged, and the caravan started on
July 1, 1864.
1t took the old Santa Fe trail, strik-
ing the Arkansas river at the great
bend of that stream near its con-
lucnce with the Walnut. The region
was very rough and called the dark
and bloody ground" for some of the
worst Indian masSacres in the history
Of the plains were perpetrated theirs.
Some insignificant skirmishes with til,
Indians had taken place, but nothing
to cause any serious alarm, and now,
as the caravan was approaching the vt
cinity OF Fort Larned, its proximity
was believed to be sufficient protection
from further possible danger.
On the afternoon of July 1S-it had
been an excessively hot day-the cara
van went into camp at an early hour.
The eScorting troops stacked arms
about half Il mile distant, but in full
view of the train. The men should
have kept n good lookout for sur
prises-probably did in a way--but
there was 4 feeling of security in the
knowledge that n regular attack by
Eavagas is rarely made until the early
hours of the morning, when sleep is
heaviest.
About o'clock, however, a band of
Brule Sioux, under the lead of Little
Turtle, descended from the sand hills
in all the fury of a tornado, uttering
their wild war whoops, and of all the
small army of men employed by the
caravan young Robert Niece alone
came out alive to tell the story of the
massacre. Every individual was shot
dead and scalped as he lay or sat at
the mess table. The mules, of course,
went to swell the herd of the savages,
but the wagons were destroyed by fire,
Their canvas covers cut up into breech-
cloth and the flour with which the car
avian was loaded emptied from its
sacks on the prairie.
Young MCGEE was attacked by Little
Turtle himself and knocked to the
ground by one blow of his tomahawk.
As he lay there, partially stunned and
bleeding, Little Turtle fired two ar
rows into his body, pinning him to the
earth Then, in a transport Of fiend-
ishness, he took Roberts own pistol
and shot him, the bullet lodging In his