The Indians of the Pike's Peak Region: Including an Account of the Battle of Sand Creek, and of Occurrences in El Paso County, Colorado, during the War with the Cheyennes and Arapahoes, in 1864 and 1868Howbert, Irving
History
The Indians of the Pike's Peak Region: Including an Account of the Battle of Sand Creek, and of Occurrences in El Paso County, Colorado, during the War with the Cheyennes and Arapahoes, in 1864 and 1868
Howbert, Irving
El Paso County, Colo. -- History; Indians of North America -- Colorado; Sand Creek Massacre, Colo., 1864
After killing Everhart, the Indians saw farther down the valley, a quarter
of a mile or so away, a lone sheep herder, who was generally known as
"Judge" Baldwin, and the whole band immediately started after him. When
Baldwin saw the Indians coming, he tried to escape. Having no spurs or
whip, he took off one of his long-legged boots and used it to urge his
mount to its utmost speed. This, however, was ineffectual, as his horse
was inferior to those of the Indians, and they had no difficulty in
overtaking him before he had gone very far. They shot him, and he fell
from his horse near the site of the present Fourth Ward Schoolhouse.
The bullet struck Baldwin in the shoulder, and as he was leaning forward
at the time, it passed upward through his neck and came out through the
jaw. He dropped from his horse completely dazed, but in his delirium he
used the boot to fight off the Indians. The latter evidently thought
the wound mortal, so without wasting any more ammunition upon him one
of their number proceeded to take his scalp. The savage ran the knife
around the back part of Baldwin's head, severing the scalp from the
skull, and then discovered that he had been scalped at some previous
time. For some reason, probably superstition of some kind, the Indians
then abandoned the idea of scalping him, and the entire band rode off,
leaving their victim, as they supposed, to die on the prairie. It was
a fact that Baldwin had been scalped by Indians in South America some
years before.
After leaving Baldwin, the Indians divided into two bands, one of which
went in a northeasterly direction and crossed Shooks Run near the point
where Platte Avenue now intersects it. Near this place they were joined
by other Indians who had evidently been in concealment near by. It is
said that during all this time two or three Indians stationed on the
hill where the Deaf and Blind Institute is now located, apparently by
the use of flags, directed the movements of those doing the killing,
wigwagging in a manner similar to that in use in the army at that time,
and that these signal men fell in with the others as they came along;
after which they all rode rapidly to the eastward and soon disappeared
on the plains. The other party continued down the valley of the Fountain,
and at a point just below where the Rio Grande bridge now crosses Shooks
Run, they came upon two small boys, the sons of Thomas H. Robbins, who
lived on the south side of the Fountain, not far away. These two boys,
eight and ten years of age respectively, were looking after their father's
cattle. They had evidently seen the Indians coming when some distance
away, as they were using every possible endeavor to escape; but they had
not gone far when the savages were upon them. It is said that one of the
boys fell upon his knees and lifted up his hands, as though begging the
Indians to spare his life, but the savages never heeded such appeals.
Two Indians reached down, each seized a boy by the hair, held him up
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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