Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-02-25
BATTLE OF PIONEERS.
When Colorado Settlers Wiped Out
Band of Indians.

When Colorado Settlers Wiped Out .
Band of Indians.
George L. Shoup was a resident
of the little mining town Of Denver,
Col. more than forty-five years ago."
James ]. Miller said to Washington
Herald reporter. "On the one hand
he was denounced as an Infamous
leader of the Chivington massacre,
but among his neighbors he was laud-
ed as the hero Of the battle Of Sand
Creek.
"The surrounding country was
overrun with a band Of aborigines,
known as the Sand Creek Indians, un-
der the leadership Of White Antelope.
They were what are known as friend
ly Indians. Notwithstanding their
demonstration of affection, numerous
outrages were traced to the warriors
Of the tribe. Men were murdered,
women were outraged, children sto-
len, property purloined and stock
driven off the ranches. To all de-
mands for aid the United States off,
cials responded that the Sand Creek
Indians were friendly" and could
not be the authors Of the outrages.
One day mutilated bodies Of four set
tiers were brought into Denver. They
had been treated with nameless vio-
lence. People of what was then a
mining camp arose in indignation. A
militia regiment of 400 men was at
once organized, all trained, picked
men, familiar with Indian methods.
George L. Shoup was one Of this
body. He was not its nominal leader,
but in the vents which followed he
took virtual command and led the
fighting.
"The men who went out upon this
expedition were not noisy, blatant
ruffians. They were quiet-voiced,
gentle, but determined citizens Of a
pioneer town, nearly all with what
have been described as the inevitable
blue eyes which seem to prevail among
the heroes of the west They fol-
lowed the Indians, found their viii
lagos at nightfall and prepared for
attack at sunrise. A line of pickets
was thrown out to guard against sur
prise. During the night one Of the
friendly Indians sneaked up to one
of the watchers, killed him, scalped
him, cut out his heart, divided it in
to four quarters and laid it upon the
bleeding body. This was the spec
tacle which confronted the band of
avengers in the morning. The sight
drove them to frenzy. They fell upon
the Indians with merciless purpose,
sparing neither warrior, squaw nor
papoose. 1t was a battle of annihila-
ton. White Antelope and his people
were absolutely wiped out. Not one
lived to tell the tale. But from that
day to this, a period covering more
than forty-four years, there has never
been an Indian outbreak in Colo
RADIO.
"Col. Shoup led the men who de-
stroyed that band of Indian maraud-
ers. That the claim made for the
Indians of being friendly was mock
cry was demonstrated by the fact
that in their camp were found the
scalps Of three women, still wet with
blood, and a vast amount of plunder
which had been stolen from settlers
and from trains passing through that
region. When subsequently asked
why he permitted buchery to extend
to both women and children, Col
Shoup quietly answered: 1t was I'M
possible to control my men. The
spectacle of their comrade with his
cut-up heart upon his breast made
madmen of them. AS to the squaws
they fought us more desperately than
the warriors. They crawled on their
hands and knees in efforts to cut Us
down.
There wds not a man among us
who had not witnessed evidences OF
nameless atrocities which had been
perpetrated upon white women. The
battle was probably considering the
numbers involved, one Of the fierces'
in the history of the world. 1t was
hand -to-hand conflict from begin,
ming to end, and If we had not wiped
the Indians out Of existence they
would have destroyed us. l admit
that 1t was butchery, but necessary
one"