The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1910-03-31

SIN Capt, Bill could not believe 1t gen.
uine Indian incursion. Hall county was in
the second tier from the Territory line and
the Indians would have had 10 cross Childress
county to get to IT, He did not believe that
they would undertake to do this or that they
could have undertaken II without previous
alarms. still II was his duty to investigate
He got special trnin. loaded In men horses
and pack mules. and set out on hunt for In.
dlans. II was about n hundred miles 10 Sails.
bury and they reached there early in the day.
Not soul was in sight anywhere The In.
habitants were hidden. some in duguuts some
In haystacks, some In the tall grass. Here and
there, as the train pulled in. Mcdonald saw
head stick out from n sod house far out on
the prairie, then suddenly disappear. like
prairie dog dropping into his hole. He set out
TO Interview some Of these wary settlers and
learned that the Indian alarm Ind been given
by mana new settler Just arrived in the
cOuntry-who had ridden his horse to death
and lost OF his chiIdren-havng left him
far behind somewhere-in his wild eagerness
to escape the savages who. he declared we're
burning and scalping not far away. Capt. Bill
found this man and after little talk with him
was convinced that what he had seen was
nothing more nor less than some cowboys on
a roundup, disporting themselves around their
campfire at night. Ms cowboys withdrawing
and caperng In the mad manner OF young
painsmen whose ideas OF amusement are eie.
mental and whose opportunities for social d.
versions are few The man and the neghbor
hood remained unconvinced, NJ It was decided
to visit the scene Of the disturbance
Horses, men and pack mules unloaded
themselves from the freight car and went
cling over the PRAIRIE the pack mules. as usual
plunging and braying with tail in air. their
tinware Gathering in q manner calculated to
put whole tribe OF Indians into a panic and
send them capering acruss the eastern hort
zon into their own domain hut there were no
Indians. 1t was Capt. Bill had thought: q
gang Of cowboys the night before. had round
cd up some cattle. killed a beef, carried It to
their camp nearby. where they had built a
great fire and roasted II. doing n wild war
dance of celebration and shooting on their six.
shooters In their prodigal expression OF Joy.
Viewed from a little distance. through a sort
OF mirage condition which had exaggerated
the whole effect the scene TO the newcomers
was horrifying picture OF savages about a
burning home. with the inhabitants hoe.ng for
their lives
The man who had just moved In had STAN.
peded for his own safety and started a gen.
eral alarm. which did not subside even when
the cowboys themselves came In and testified
to the truth. The panic spread throughout
that section OF the country and other reports
of Indian outbreaks were circulated, becoming
maEniHcd until II believed lfat the In.
dams had broken out and were making a gen.
eral raid on the Panhandle The inhabitants
of ono town. south of Amarillo threw up
breastworks. got behind them. and put out
pickcts IN preparation for the arrival OF the
Indians. Every man looping across the
prairie was reported an indian and all this
happened ms late 1891. when there had
been no Indian outbreaks for years and when
there was scarcely possibility OF anything of
the sort u was a big joke. of course. after
ward. but :, seemed no joke at the time and
It was Bn ncDonald's initiation rs csw8t,