. Early history of Wabaunsee County, Kansas, with stories of pioneer days and glimpses of our western . told too plainly theirblood-thirsty intentions. Mike Smith was the outrider and hisbrotlier was holding the lines. Bill Cole was taking a nap inside onthe corn sacks when he was aroused by the shot that killed youngSmith, who fell forward on the foot-board. An agonizing cry from Mike caused Bill Cole to turn his liead tliatway when a horrible sight met his gaze—the Indians were filling theconductors body with arrows. Mike with one hand was holding incheck his frightened mule and wit
. Early history of Wabaunsee County, Kansas, with stories of pioneer days and glimpses of our western . told too plainly theirblood-thirsty intentions. Mike Smith was the outrider and hisbrotlier was holding the lines. Bill Cole was taking a nap inside onthe corn sacks when he was aroused by the shot that killed youngSmith, who fell forward on the foot-board. An agonizing cry from Mike caused Bill Cole to turn his liead tliatway when a horrible sight met his gaze—the Indians were filling theconductors body with arrows. Mike with one hand was holding incheck his frightened mule and with the other (m the sliaft of an ar-row driven into his body, exclaimed: Oh, GodI Isnt tliis a hardway to dieV Reeling in his saddle, Mike fell to the ground, woundedto the death and in terrible agony. Bill Cole, after raising young Smiths body into the mail wagon,grabbed a giui and shot an Indian who was trying to stop the team bygrasping the leader by the bridle-bits. The Indian fell from his ponyand during the pow-«vow that was held over his body Cole jumped from EARLY HISTORY OF WABAUNSEE COUNTY, EARLY HISTORY OF WABAUNSEE COUNTY, KAS. 105 the wagon and hid in the grass. The team, by this time, had become thoroughly frightened andwas running at full speed across the trackless plain. Their pow-wowat an end the Indians followed expecting to find Cole and in him aneasy victim. But Cole was half a mile away and it being about duskhe crawled through the tall grass to Coon Creek and worked his wayback to Lamed, where he related his adventures. A detail of soldiers was sent out, the mail secured and the bodiesof the Smith brothers brought in for burial. At Larned the boys hadthoughtlessly covered their pistols with the sacks of corn, thus placingthemselves at the mercy of the Indians. A school house nearly midway between Larned and Garfield standsnear the spot where the Smith brothers met their death. The cliil-dren whose little legs dangle from the patent seats can hardly
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