The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-01-11
Near COffeyville, Lewis Seven
teen Companions Were Killed.
Veteran Tells How Usage In
dams Drove Scouting Party.
is HALE ANDJ HEARTY
Confederate, ~. Years Old, Now
a Missouri Citizen.
Father of a Former Candidate
Lives at Montgomery.

Montgomery, Mo. Jan. 11.-Colonel
Warner Lewis. father of the former
candidate for governor of Missouri,
now the only survivor of the terrible
human ragedy-massacr in the Civil
war of party of eighteen Confeder-
ate officers and soldiers by a band of
Usage Indians at a point on the YER
digris river. has just celebrated his
seventy seventh birthday anniversary,
and is well and hearty. He said to-
day:
while I am II years old. I am
healthy, cheerful and hopeful. AS to
my being the only survivor of that
great Indian massacre. which is true,
there has been some errors in history.
Very little is known of this great trag-
tdy. 1t was in 1863 that the expedi-
tion was organized in Jasper county,
Missouri, under the command of
Colonel Charles Harrison. While
travelling through the country some
where close to where Coffeyville, Kan,
is now situated, we discovered a band
of men coming up our trail at full
gallop. BY the time We were all
mounted they were in hailing dis
lance, and proved to be a body of $50
Indian warriors. To avoid a conflict
we moved off at a brisk walk, and
they followed us. We had not gone
far until some of them fred and killed
one of our men, Douglass Huffman.
We then charged vigorously and drove
them back for some distance. My
horse was killed in this charge and
! was severely wounded in the Shout
der with an arrow. l mounted the
mule from which Huffman was killed.
We had a running fight for eight or
ten miles, frequently hurting back
their advance onto the main body
with loss
Our horses were becoming ex-
hauSted, so we concluded to halt in
the bed of a small stream that lay
across our path, to give the animals
rest. The Indians surrounded US at
gunshot range and kept up an inces-
cant fire. We had only side arms and
were out of range. Here Frank Rob
erts was shot through the head and
fell from his horse. I Immediately
dismounted from the mule and mount
ed Roberts horse. This incident was
the saving of my life. Colonel B. H.
Woodson of Springfield, Mo, preferred
this mule to his own horse and mount
ed it, When our horses were rested
we made a dash for liberty. On as
cending the bank of the. stream the
saddle of Captain Park Mcclure of
ST Louis slipped back and he fell into
the hands of the savages Colonel
Harrison was shot in the face and
captured. Rule Pickerel had his arm
broken. We broke the Gordon as we
dashed out, but from then on the race
was even and our ranks much reduced
IT was about two miles to the Verdi
girls river. After we entered a tract
of timber Woodson was caught We
could not cross the stream with our
horses, owing to the steepness of the
banks on both sides. I went down tc
get drink and heard the Indians
coming to the bank below US. John
Rafferty, stood on the bank above me
and I told him to follow me. Ht
obeyed. We made our way up the
stream under cover of the bank fol
about half a mile, and. noticing smoke
fishing poles and fresh tracks. anc
hearing the barking of dogs on the
other side of the stream, we conclud.