The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1923-01-19

back, and among them l recognized
several that had been driven off from
Horse Prairie creek They back
tracked with the animals, while the
rest of us pushed on till we came in
sight OF the Nez Perces' camp. We
lay in the rfmrock above till daylight
and watched them break camp. They
went back several miles looking for
their lost horses, but finally round
ed up the balance and pulled ont
down Birch creek. Then we went to
their camp and found the remains
of Colonel Shoup's wagons, which
had been burned. We found all sorts
of merchandise scattered around.
Murdered Freighters Found
Soon / found two of the murdered
freighters, who evidently had put I'D
hard fight before they died Later
Colonel Shoup, Dave Woods and
Billy Price, came along with pack
horse, some grub and a pick and
shovel. The two men found were
Jim Hayden and Dan Combs. Dave
Woods found the body of AL Green,
another freighter, in the creek,
where he evidently fell when shot.
Colonel Shoup saw magnies flying
around up the creek and found al
fourth freighter's body beside that of
dead mule. We never discovered
his identity.
Hayden's gun was broken and
bent, the barrel still gripped in his
hands. Dan Combs had his mule
whip lash wrapped around his hand,
and the shot-loaded butt was covered
with blood and hair, which showed
that he had done some work with |
it.
The only freighter unaccounted |
for was AL Lyons. We judged that |
he had escaped, and this later proved |
to be the case. We were just on the
point Of leaving when we found a |
fifth body of white man in the |
brush about ten feet from where
Green lay. He had died fighting
with an axe, which still was gripped |
in his hands and showed that he
had accounted for at least one In
dian. He was a stranger; evidently
a man working his way through with
the outfit. He had $50 in his watch
fob pocket.
After burying all of them we start
ed back to Salmon. There the
Cinnamon we're able to talk more and
told us about the massacre. 1t ap-s
peared that so Nez Perces warriors
rode onto the freight outfit and took
hem to the Indian camp, putting the
Cinnamon to work cooking the grub
n the wagons. The squaws knocked
he head out of barrel of whisky
ind emptied dozens of cans of food
and used the cans for cups.
Cinnamon Hide in Creek
The Indians then began to abuse
he Cinnamon. They made one of
he Chinks get down on his hands
Ind knees and an Indian rode him
With spurs. Then the squaws began
% get nasty and burned sticks and
orodded the freighters in the neck
With them. Finally Dan Combs said:
The next squaw that touches me is
soing to get this bull whip over the
'ars." Just then one poked him in
he ear with hot coal and he let
Ter have the loaded butt end of the
whip over the head. She went down
ike beef and a general fight start
d. Hayden used his gun as club
tucked for the willows but the
thinks. All the whites but Lyons
yere soon killed. He got away and
inally got back to the stage road at
'agle Rock, 125 miles from the mas
acre. The Cinnamon got into the
reek and hid until night in the water
nth only their noses sticking out.
he Indians, after getting over their
runk, finished burning the freight
utfit and left after mutilating the
ody of Hayden.