The Kevin review. [volume] (Kevin, Mont.) 1922-1929, 1923-01-18

back, and among them | 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 rimrock 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 out
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 I found two of the murdered
f~reighters, who evidently had put I'D
a hard fight before they died. Later
Colonel Shoup, Dave Woods and
Billy Price, came along with a pack
horse, some grub and a pick and
shovel. The two men 1 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 magpies flying
around up the creek and found a
fourth freighter's body beside that of
a 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 a 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
were able to talk more and
told us about the massacre. It app
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
IN the wagons. The squaws knocked
Ind emptied dozens Of cans of food
md 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
md knees and an Indian rode him
With spurs. Then the sQuaws began
o get nasty and burned sticks and
'rodded the freighters in the neck
With them. Finally Dan Combs said:
The next squaw that touches me is
'oing to get this bull whip over the
Just then one poked him in
he ear with a hot coal and he let
.er have the loaded butt end of the
over the head. She went down
Ike a beef and a general fight start
d. Hayden used his gun as a club
fter shooting once, and every one
tucked for the willows but the
All the whites but Lyons
1ere 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
18th 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.