The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1930-05-23

cording to the Goans story, these mi
litiamen reached the site of Fort Au-
brey about December / and camped
in the old dugouts of the fort. While
there the blizzard swept down upon
them. Huddling together in an effort
to keep warm and burning their wag-
ons they tried in vain to fight off the
deadening cold. But it was no use
When morning came % of them were
dead. According to Goans, they were
all Frenchmen, naturalized citizens of
the United States, without near rela-
tives in this country. but if there ever
existed any record of their names that
record has not yet been discovered.
From up in North Dakota comes the
story of another and similar tragedy
What is believed to be the first print
ed account of it appeared recently in
the Geauga Republican-Record at
Chardon, Ohio, written by it's editor,
Arthur E. Towre. AS small boy,
Mr.. Towne went to the Dakotas with
his parents in the eighties and this
story is one of several told to him
by old timers in that country, which
he has written under the title of
"Highlights from Old Days in the
West" for the epublican-Record His
story of the mystery surrounding the
death of whole platoon of United
States cavalry reads as follows:
"In the fall of 'S2 the first ven
turesome settlers penetrated into
Dickey county in what is now North
Dakota, one Of the most beautiful
pieces of prairie country in the James
river valley. Two chance land hunt
tiers whose names may now be lost.
unless they can be dug out of the old
files of newspapers published at that
time in Aberdeen, were prospecting in
that region.
"One evening as they were heading
towards the river in search of good
camping place, they passed a grass
grown buffalo wallow. Here there
burst upon them a sight which they
probably never forgot. The circum-
ference of the wallow was literally
lined with bones of men and horses,
other skeletons lay within the circle
although the bones had been scat
tered some, investigation indicated
that the horses had been used for de-
tense in place of earthworks. United
States army buttons and brass belt
buckles were found, also badly rusted
barrels of muzzle loading guns of the
old army musket type, with their
stocks rotted away or burned away
by prairie fires. Rusted bits, iron
stirrups, canteens and other metal
parts of soldiers equipment were also
found here-all of which went to show
that this was troop of United States
cavalry.
Reports made at the time stated
that the skeletons of % men and a
like number of horses were found,
but nothing was discovered that
showed to what regiment or company
this troop belonged. If this was the
result of a battle, it is probable that
the Indians carried away anything of
the soldiers equipment that struck
their fancy. This would account for
nothing remaining that would identify
the troop.
1.-The bones looked as if they had
been bleaching in the sun for years
and years. inquiry was made, some
time after, of various members of
Drifting Goose's band of Sioux. locat-
ed on the reservation west of the Mis-
souri,. These Indians once claimed the
territory in what is now Sphinx county
and vicinity. They had their main vii
lage on Armdale island in the James