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Early N.W. Kansas
Reminisces
By Mr. and Mrs. Henry H. Anthony
As the years went by more families came to Decatur County. By the fall of 1878, our
neighbors were not so few and far between. We were told frequently that the Indians were coming
to make a raid on our neighborhood. We had heard it so often that we no lo longer gave it any thought. But on the morning of September 30, at about
9:00 am as
my brother Harry, than about 13 years old was looking after cattle, he saw the Indians shoot to death two of our neighbors, Mr.
Smith and Mr.
Hudson. Harry was riding a gray horse. One of the Indians started toward him. He ran the horse home, and ran into the house to tell
mother. The Indians took the horse and went back to where the others were gathering the horses and such other belongings as they desired of Mr. Smith and Mr.
Hudson. Mother was getting breakfast for a cattleman named Pat Lynch and his helper, Jimmy Kelly, a 16 year old boy. They tied their horses to the fence in front of
our dug out and had come in to eat. Mother said to Harry, “Don’t be excited. We’ve heard that many times.” he said, “But they are here. Come and see.” We went out
on the bank about 150 yards from the house, on the road was Mr. Laing and son, Freeman, driving to town. We saw the Indians ride up to the wagon, shoot the men, and
with large knives cut the harness from the horses. Eva and Lou Van Cleve were in the wagon and were held by the Indians until afternoon.
More Indians were coming. Lynch said ”Let us get to the house and get ready for these fellows. Get your guns and ammunition.” The two men, mother, and we five
children rushed into the house. Mother got the gun and three leaded shells, all the loaded ammunition we had. She gave the gun to Mr. Lynch and barred the door.
The dug-out had only one window. The Indians had turned loose the captive girls who were wandering about near our dug-out. My mother opened the door and called them
in. Mr. Lynch stood in front of the window with the gun, the hammer up, resting on the window frame. He shot and killed the first Indian who came in front of the
window. I now have the bullet which killed him. There wore about three hundred Indians on our place, on the roof and around the house. After the Indian was shot,
they left us and did not return.
Not far behind Mr. Laing on their way to town were Jr. Abernathy and Fred Walters. They were killed and their horses taken. Two men from Nebraska who had arrived
the day before (a Mr. Hull and his partner, Mr. Young) were both killed. Mr. Westfall and son, William were killed a little farther SW while building their
home. Mrs. Westfall was shot in the right shoulder with an arrow. In all, ten persons were killed within sight of our home, the only one for four miles around that
was not destroyed. And ours was the only family for miles around that did not have one or more member killed.
The Indian at our place was the only Indian killed until they reached Lamb’s draw on the North Fork where an Indian. boy was shot from his horse. The Indians headed west from our place, going about five miles, killing
R. Bridal and E.P. Humphrey and wounding John Humphrey who lived only a month after the raid.
Near the Bridal home they came upon J.J. Keifer and Will 0’Toole, who stood them off by pretending ax handles were guns. The two men
escaped by
getting into the timber
and running to the Bridal home. Getting Mrs.
Bridal, Mrs.
Humphrey and daughter,
Ada Guipe and baby Pearl who
were visiting Mrs. Bridal and ran into the timber and hid under a brush pile.
Keifer had to choke the baby to keep it from betraying their whereabouts.
Mrs. Guipe said, “It is better to loose
one life than six.” He would choke the baby then let it revive enough to cry and then choke it again when
necessary, so that no lives
were lost. The Indians burned several brush piles but did not molest the one in which they were hiding.
After
the Indians left, going NW, they started down the
creek to the
Anthony place. Arriving after dark they found the soldiers and volunteers who had killed a cow
and were preparing supper and rations to follow the Indians the
next day. The Indians had
headed northwest to the north fork of the Sappa where they killed Wm. Lang, Jr.
and John Laing, sons of the William Laing killed near our place.
The mother said
her two sons killed, The
Indians then came to the house and piled all the furniture and bedding in the middle of the floor. Stripped two children 4 and 6
years of age and put them
in the middle to burn them. The mother pleaded with the Indians and Dull Knife, the chief, took them off the pile and pushed them
and their mother outside
and said “Go,” after she had given him
$l000 she had. She
wrapped her little girls in her petticoats and started for our place knowing
Mr.
Laing would
pass there in the morning. She arrived in the night to learn that her husband had been killed. She was
seriously ill
for weeks. The Laings suffered the greatest loss. The soldiers followed the Indians and battled with them several times till they
reached Ogallala, where they captured all that remained of the 300 rebellious Cheyenne's who left the Indian territory late in September, 1878, and their chief,
Dull Knife. This was the last time the citizens of Kansas were bothered by Indians.
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