The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-08
INDIAN SCALPlNG STORIES.
plAINSHEN WHO WERE SCALPED
AND STILL LIVED.

An Indian tribes with which / am 40
.,,ointed scalp their enemies killed in battle
NJ the origin of scalp taking but little Is
Lrovn, and that vague and indefinite.
Toorlv every tribe has some wild, weird
.aord +, account for the custom, but these
,rsdi,iors vary widely as to the cause,
That raising the hair" Of an enemy is OF
great antiquity there is no doubt Tor IN
,be RIFLE it il related how the soldiers tore
.ho sLiu from the heads Of their vanquished
foes,
Win the North American savage there
.,,oara to he some close affliation between
,he departcd and his hair. / have often
ssLod many a blood begrimed warrior why
=. sbo,lJ care for a dead mans hair, says
ran, Henry Imam in the Kansas Guy
c,1r and invariably a number OF reasons
t,s baan assigned. 1t is an evidence to
Via ,eoplc that he has ~triumphed over his
onemy, Tho scalps are very prominent
factors in the incantations OF the "Medl-
oinn Lodge a feature OF religious rites.
Tbe .ayarc believes there is a wonderfully
inberenr power in the scalp Of an enemy;
ii ,ho excellent qualities Of the victim go
9TH his hair the moment 1t is wrenched
,-or his head. If the victim is a renowned
xsrrior. 80 much greater is the anxiety
n nroClre his scalp, for the fortunate
nossessor then inherits all the bravery
and prowesS of its original owner.
I never knew of hut one instance in all
my experience among the Indians, cover
mo n period Of more than the third Of a
nantury. where a white man, taken pris-
amer in battle. escaped death. 1t was a
great many years ago; the party, a dear
friend, still living, a grand old mountaineer
hut the homeliest man on earth, probably.
Ha was red faced, wrinkled and pock-
marked. with a mouth az large and full of
hair on his head han there is on a billiard
He was captured in a prolonged fight
and taken to the village Of the tribe where
the principal chief resided. That digni-
tary gave. one Disguised look at the pris-
oner and said that he was Bad Medicine,
And if not the Evil Spirit" himself, closely
related to it. The chief ordered his sub
ordinate to furnish the prisoner with a
ponv, loaded him with provisio ms, pro-
yyided him with a rife and told him to go
back TO his people.
For the reasons stated the Indian of the
great plains and Rocky Mountains would
rainier TAKE one SCdlp u q ldilOuH BCOut
or army officer who has successfully has
tised them-for example, Custer, Sully,
Miles or Crook-than a dozen scalps of
ordinary white men.
There are many instances on record where
men have been scalped and yet survived
the terrible ordeal, but In every case the
aalrer supposed his victim dead, the latter
taking good care that his foeman should
not be disabused of the supposed fact.
In 1897 a party of Indians took up a rail
on the Union Pacific Railway and laid OBJ
structions on the track. After dark a
freight train ran into the trap and was
wrecked. The engineer and fireman were
Instantly killed. The conductor and brake
men jumped of to find themselves beset
by a band of yelling sayages. They ran
into the darkness and all escaped except
one, who was pursued, shot and fell. The
Indian who had fired dismounted from
bis pony, and s%traddling that unlucky
mans body. scalped him, stripped him
Of all clothing but shirt and shoes and
pde away.
Early in the morning another freight
rain was tagged by n hideous looking OBJ
isct, which turned out to be the brakeman
Who had been shot through the body and
salped! He had recovered his senses,
and knowing that the train was due, walked
some distance down the track to ave 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,
saw the unfortunate man some months
afterward. He was perfectly recovered but
with a horrible looking head. He stated
that the bullet. although knocking him
down, had notsmade him unconscious, and
the greatest trial during that awful night
was the necessity of shamming dead, he
not daring even to groan while the Indian
was saving at his scalp with a very dull
knife.
The other instance which has come under
my own observation is that of Robert
Mciee. InlS8i MCGEE, a slender STRIPPING
ola lad, came to Leavenworth, Kan, SEEK
Ing emrl0yment. That town was the base
OF Government supplies for all the frontier
military posts even as far away as arizona.
I A freight caravan was at that time load
ing for Fort Union, n. NJ. The wagons
and whole outfit were owned by a contractor
named H.. c. Barrett, out he would not take
the chances Of the long and perilous trip
Of more than seven hundred miles through
he lndlaninfested plains unless the Govern
nent leased the train outright, or gave him
lnindemnifying bond and assurance against
oSs. The bond was given and Barrett pro-
eeded to hire teamsters, a hard task on
lecount Of the danger attending the journey.
loung Melee was among the numbe en-
gagged, and the caravan started July /,
1861.
1t took the old Santa Fe trail, striking
The Arkansas River at the Great Bend OF
that strealn, near it's coniuenc CO 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 vera perpetrated there.
Some insignificant skirmishes with the
indians had taken plaoe, but nothing to
cause any serious alarm, and now, as the
caravan was approaching the vicinity
OF Fort Larned, its proximity was beloved
70 DO sufficient protection from further
possible danger.
On the afternoon of July ls-it had been
an excessively hot day-the caravan went
INTO camp at an carly hour. The escorting
troops stacked arms about half a mile dis
uht, but in full view OF tho train. The
men should have kent a good lookout for
surprises, probably did in a way, but there
vas a feeling Of security in the knowledge
nat a regular attack by savages is rarely
nade until the early hours Of the morning
Wien sleep is heayiest.
sADout I O'Clock, hoToTeT, q pdad OF Brul
aouG under the lead OF Littio Turtle. do
nShded from the sand hills IN all the fury
aS tornado ,~uttering heir wild war whoopJ.
ttn1 OF all the small army OF mon employed
Y the caravan young Robers McGea
Sohe came out alive TO tell the story OF the
Massacre. Every individual was shot dead
va soa!L 81 as he lay or sat a. the mesJ
| HHoe' The mules, of course. went to swell
we nerd Of the savagcs, but the wagons
ssre DESTROYED by fire, their canvas covers
wi up INTO breech clouts snd the -four with
NulDl 'lg fI FlNFn ~ una lnaHaT nmnflnH