New-York Times / November 20, 1854
MORE INDIAN MURDERS.
Correspondence of the St. Louis Republican.
CAMP ON THE BANKS OF THE PLATTE RIVER,
Monday, October 23, 1854.
Another massacre occurred night before last. Our party, composed of eight, camped, on the evening of the 21st inst., at an old camping place of the emigrants, about 200 miles above Fort Kerney, south side of Platte. During the day of the 21st instant, three Indians came and seemed anxious to trade, but were informed by a young man by the name of Wolfe that it was not our object to trade at that time, but he would give them some tobacco, which he did. Then they left, and seemed contented.
We were congratulating ourselves on the success of this plan of making the Indians leave without giving them something more valuable, when the crack of a rifle changed our joy into sadness; for by my side fell a promising young man. We grabbed our rifles, and soon reached the wagon; we there had time to ascertain the strength of our enemy; fifteen composed their company. Half naked, half starved, and well armed, they seemed ready for any kind of hellish work. I ordered every man to pick his man, and when I gave the word every rifle told, for seven fell to the ground; and the rest retired for a time in the woods.
We thought that they had left, but Wolfe said that he would go and see; so he went slowly and cautiously toward them; hardly had he advanced twenty paces when eight of them ran toward him. We fired and killed or wounded two, but in turn they killed three of ours, and wounded Mr. Wolfe in the ankle. We ran toward them, and they ran toward the woods. We had the extreme pleasure of seeing them land on the other side of Platte, but not without many a ball passing near their heads or bodies. We then returned to camp. I will give you the names of our company:
UDOLPHO WOLFE, New-York, wounded; HARVEY WICKOFF, New-York; BENJAMIN WOODS, St. Louis; SAUL MANTEL, St. Louis; SILAS NODWAY, killed; WILLIAM NODWAY, killed; HIRAM WOODRUFF, killed; HENRY LAW, killed.
