The Old Santa Fe Trail

go Treaty," the Utes, one of the most powerful tribes of mountain Indians, inaugurated a bloody and relentless war against the civilized in

cord a chapter of history whose pages are deluged with blood, unt

nd their depredations and atrocities were very numerous; they attacked fearlessly freight car

one of its regular trips across the plains. It had its full complement of passengers, amon

ind and crossed the Range into New Mexico. Just about dawn, as the unsuspecting travellers were entering the "canyon of the Canadian,"30 and p

en awaiting the arrival of the coach from the East; the very hour it was due was well known to them, and they had secreted

pulled open the doors of the coach and, mercilessly dragging its helpless and surprised inmates to the ground, immediately began their butchery. They scalpe

g the coach from the road and destroying it by fire or other means, the story of the murders committed in the deep canyon might never have been known; but they le

ter hour passed, and at last they began to suspect that something serious had occurred; they sat up all through the night listening for the familiar rumbling of wheels, but still no stage. At daylight next

ed the ghastly remains of twelve mutilated bodies. These were gathered up a

, as it would have a list of those carried by its predecessor; but it would not be due for several day

rdered had passed, and there learned the exact number of passengers it had contained. Now they knew that Mrs. White, her child, and the colo

k nearly a fortnight for the terrible story to reach there. The Major acted promptly when appealed to to go after and punish the savages concerned in the outrage, but several days more were lost in getting an expedition ready for the field. It was still stormy

he principal scouts and guides accompanying the expedition, having vo

uously ever since, the ground was deeply covered, making it almost impossible to find the trail of the savages leading out of the gorge. No

d in savage lore are capable, were rewarded by discovering certain signs, unintelligible to the ordinary individual31-that the murderers had gone sou

f his blankets at dawn, which was sufficient indication to him that an Indian camp was located somewhere in the vicinity; for that ominous bird is always to be found in the region where the savages take up an abode, feeding upon the carcasses of the many varieties of game killed for food. He had not proceeded more than half a mile from the camp when he discovere

find the exact location of the savages. These scouts came back in less than half an

ng them time to mount their ponies, as the gallant Custer rode, at the head of his famous troopers of the Seventh Cavalry, int

s proximity; but at this moment Major Greer was seized with an idea that he ought to have a parley with the Indians before he

oux, whose naturally hot blood was roused, swore at the Major in a curious mixture of bad French and worse mountain dialect, and it appeared as if the battl

r ponies, and get down into deep ravines, where the soldiers could not follow them. While the Major was trying to convince his subordinates that his course was the proper one, the Indian

the incentive the troopers wanted, and without waiting for the sound of the trumpet, they spur

e circumstances; so the command turned back and returned to Taos. In the village was found the body of Mrs. White still warm, with three arrows in her breast. Had the charge been made as originally expected by the troopers, her life would ha

Fort Union, New Mexico, having about thirty men with him, and when near the canyon of the Canadian they met about the same number of Indians. A parley was in order at once, probably desired by the savages, who were confronted with an equal number of troopers. Bell had assigned the baggage-mules to the care of five or six of his command, and held a mounted interview with t

and the impending duel was arranged,

The warriors, or nearly all of them, threw themselves on the ground, and several vertical wounds were received by horse and rider. The dragoons turned short about, and again charged through and over their enemies, the fire being continuous. As they turned for a third charge,

not hit, but four or five of his men were killed or wounded. He had shot White Wolf several times, and so did others a

dern times; certainly nothing like it ever o

robbed a stage-coach or wrenched off the hair of a helpless woman. After serving a dozen or more years with a record for hellish atroci

arauding savages, when they suddenly came across the village and completely took the Kiowas by surprise. Seeing the soldiers almost upon them, Satank and other warriors jumped on their ponies and made good their escape. Had they remained, all of them would have been killed or at least captured; consequently Satank, think

consisted in selling whiskey to the Indians, and consequently the United States troops were always after him. He was obliged to cache his liquor in every conceivable manner so tha

s of most villanous liquor, Satank said to Peacock: "Peacock, I want you to write me a letter; a real nice one, that I can show to the wagon-bosses

"I'll do so." Peacock then sat do

nd thief on the plains. What he can't beg of you, he'll steal. K

m the dignified treatment and courtesy due to his exalted rank. He presented it to several caravans during t

told of his grievances. "Look here," said Satank, "I asked Peacock to write me a good letter, and he gave me this; but I don't

The savage assumed a countenance of extreme disgust, and after musing

, get up, the soldiers are coming!" It was a warning which the illicit trader quickly obeyed, and running out of the building with his field-glass in his hand, he started for his look

the day before, and who was lying in a room all by himself. He was saved by the fact that the Indian has a holy d

ation. Ever restlessly active in ordering or conducting merciless forays against an exposed frontier, he was the v

t those whom he argued with, or he could be equally pathetic when necessary. He was justly

n, maybe, from some caravan he had raided on the Trail. In that ambulance, with a trained Indian driver, the wily chief travelled, wrapped in a savage dignity that was truly laughable. In his village, too, he assumed a great deal of style. He was very courteous to his white guests, if at the time his tribe were at all friendly with the government; no

s intended winter campaign against the allied plains tribes, Satanta made frequent visits to the military posts,

r respects, when one of my men rode up and quietly informed me that Satanta had just driven his ambulance into the fort, and was getting ready to camp near the mule corral. On receiving this information, I turned to the general and sugges

o get rid of him. But he said: "That would never do; the sentimentalists in the

nd without any palliation; my excuse, however, may be found in General Washington's own motto: Exitus acta probat. If the suggest

ce Congress sent out to the central plains a commission from Washington to inquire into the causes of the continual warfare raging with the savages on the Kansas bord

s or emigrants crossing the plains, but that those who came and lived on the land of his tribe ruthlessly slaughtered the buffalo, allowing their carcasses to rot on the prairie; killing them merely for the amusement it afforded them, while the Indian only killed when necessity demanded. He also stated that the white hunters set out fires, destroying the grass, and causing the tribe's horses to starve to death as well as the buffalo; that they cut down and otherwise dest

r? Didn't I do it in fine style? Why, I drew tears from their eyes! The switch I saw on the Trail made my heart glad instead of sad; for I new there was a tenderfoot ahead of me, because an old plainsman or hunter would never have carried anything but

lly sick as well as angry. He then started for a certain officer's quarters and again begged for something to cure him of the effects of the former dose; the officer refused, but Satanta persisted in his importunities; he would not leave without it. After a while, the officer went to a closet and took a swallow of the most nauseating medicine, placing the bottle back on its shelf. Satanta watched his chance, and, as soon as the officer left the room, he snatched the bottle out of the closet and drank its cont

arious plains tribes, Satanta said in his address: "I would willingly take hold of that part of the white man's r

he old French and Indian Wars. Both were at last taken, tried, and sent to the Texas penitentiary for life. Satanta was eventually pardoned; but before he was made aware of the efforts that were being taken for his release, he attempted to escap

king Bird). He was a great warrior of the Kiowas, and was the chief actor in some

suddenly saw a village of the Kiowas, which turned out to be that of Kicking Bird, whose handsome lodge was easily distinguishable from the rest. Without waiting for his command, the general and his guide rode boldly to the lodge of the great chief, and both dismounted, holding cocked revolvers in their hands; Custer presented his at Kicking Bird's head. In the meantime, Custer's column of troopers, whom the Kiowas had good reason to remember for their bravery in many a hard-fought battle, came in ful

ing the beginning of the end of Indian sovereignty on the plains, voluntarily came in a

the noblest-looking savages ever seen on the plains. On that occasion he wore the full uniform of a major-general of the United States army. He was as correctly moulded as a statue when on horseback, and when mounted on his m

uous efforts to initiate his tribe into the idea that it was best for it to follow the white man's road. He argued with them that the time was very near when there would no longer be any region

f the northern border of Texas, in which the savages were disastrously defeated, losing a large number of their most beloved warriors. On the return of the unsuccessful expedition, a great council was held, consisting of all the chiefs and head men of the two tribes which had suffered so terr

condemnation by the council, demanded that he should do something to re-establish himself in the good graces of his tribe. He then made one of the mos

tisfied with himself. He could look into the future as well as any one, and from that time on to his tragic death he laboured most zealously and earnes

ecame very valuable to him as an assistant in controlling the savages. It was through that chief's influence that Thomas Batty, another Quaker, was allowed to take up his residence with the tribe, the first white man ever accorded that privilege. Batty was permitted to erect three tents, which were staked together, con

ing the taunts and jeers of his warriors and their threats of taking his life, for daring to allow a

n revenge for the untimely taking off of the young warrior. Of course, the most available white man at this juncture was Batty, the Quaker teacher, and he was chosen by Lone Wolf as the victim of savage revenge. Here the noble instincts of Kicking Bird developed themselves. He very plainly told Lone Wolf, who was constantly threatening and thirsting for blood, that he could no

blishment, and the stranger asked Mr. Fox who that fine-looking Indian was. He was told, and then he begged the agent to say to him that he would like to have a talk with him; for he it was who led th

th great dignity that he did not want to revive those troublous times. "Tell him, though

, and to bring with him such other influential Indians as he thought might aid

was given to Kicking Bird than to the others, that they became very jealous, particularly when the President announced to them the appointment of Kicking Bird as the head chief of the tribe.36 But Lone Wolf would never recognize his authority, constantly urging the young men to raid the settlements. Lone Wolf was a g

and of cut-throats came across the unfortunate teamster, killed him, and ran off the team. After the occurrence, Kicking Bird came into the agency at Fort Sill and told Mr. Haworth, the agent, that he had

uld never go to Florida. The savages were loaded into government wagons. Satank was inside of one with a soldier on each side of him, their legs hanging outside. Somehow the crafty villain managed to slip the handcuffs off his wrists, at the same instant seizing the rifle of one of his guards, and then shoved the two men out with his feet. He

ambush. After he became fully aware that his life was in danger, he never left his lodge without his carbine. He was as brave as a lion, fearing none of the members of Lone Wolf's band; but he often said it was

their chief being among them. At ten o'clock one Monday in June, 1876, Mr. Haworth, the agent, came in haste to the sh

mselves in a terrible manner, as is their custom when a relative dies, and were also breaking everything breakable about the lodge. Kicking Bird had always been scrupulo

lodge, and sat down to eat something, but just as he had finished a cup of coffee, he fel

the country where that timber grows to such a luxuriant extent. It was eight feet long and four feet deep, but eve

never before witnessed at the agency. A handsome fence was erected around his grave, in the cemetery at Fort Sill, a

He knew the uses of money and was a careful saver of it. A great roll of greenbacks was placed in his coffin,

he best schools that St. Louis afforded. His venerable sire, with only a limited education himself, was determined that his boy should profit by the culture and refinement of civilization, so he was not allowed to return to his mountain home at Bent's Fort, and the savage co

ls probably, has said: "Civilization has very marked effects upon an Indian. If he once learns to speak English, h

oved him, too, if such a thing were possible, as Fra Diavolo was loved by his wild followers. His band was known as the "Dog-Soldiers"; a sort of a semi-military organization, consisti

robbed ranches, attacked wagon-trains, overland coaches, and army caravans. He stole and murdered indi

ll. Feigning hunger, while his needs were being kindly furnished, he would glance around him to learn what kind of an outfit it was; its value, its destination, and how well guarded.

f off as a fellow-scout, as a deserter from some military post, or as an Indian trader, for he was a

which streams intercepted the trails running north and south between the several military posts during the Indian war, when he would seem delighted and astonishe

he was at last killed in a battle with some deputy United States marshals, and that they received the reward; but the whole

with the Kaws, near the mouth of the Walnut and not far from Fort Zarah. His "Dog-Soldier