Sunday Slaughter

Sunday August 7th 1864 and the waters of the Little Blue River ran red. From Denver to the South Platte the Sioux, angered by the building of Fort McPherson, were on the rampage. To the West of the fort Cheyanne and Arapahos joined in the attack and this was backed up to the East by bands of Oglala Sioux led by Chief Red Cloud. By he end of the day many were left dead and the Sioux has vanished with three hostages - Laura Roper and a Mrs. Eubanks and her baby William. The would survive but would spend many months bound and used as slaves for the Indians until they were exchanged for two captured Indian chiefs.

It had started when 18 year old Tom Ulig spotted two Sioux while he was out riding. The indians were armed but neither of them wore war paint. The leader of the Indians held up a hand for peace and the eighteen year old relaxed and slid his rifle into the bend of his elbow. Under the sign of peace the Indians rode towards him and then the leader of the Indians held out his hand in friendship. The Ulig boy took it but realised too late that it was a trick as the Indian's hold tightened and the other Indian's mustang galloped forward and he ran a spear through the eighteen year old's abdomen. The boys horse bolted from under him and for a moment he was held, impaled in mid air. Then he was hurled downwards and spiked to the ground. One of the Indians then scalped the still living boy and held the dripping prize up for his companion to gaze upon. Both indians then rode off leaving the young boy to die in the hot prairie sun.

At a place known as The Narrows, on the Little Blue River in Nebraska, newcomers to the area, the Eubank family, experienced first hand the terrific sight of the Sioux on the warpath. With the family was Laura Roper,a schoolteacher. When the Sioux attached Mrs. Eubanks, with her tiny infant in her arms and Laura Roper ran for cover and hid amongst the scub while bullets and arrows whined above them. There were eight more people in the Eubank family and they were all killed by the Sioux - after the battle the Sioux discovered the two women after the baby cried and they took them prisoner.

Next the Oak Grove Ranch, way station for the Russel and Waddel freight line on the Overland Trail was attacked. By the time the attack was over Marsh Kelly and Jim Butler were dead but this time the Indians were fought off and instead of regrouping and attacking the ranch again, as was expected they continued attacking homesteads up and down the Blue River.

The exact death toll on that day is not known but casualties were high among both whites and Indians. And it would take six months before Captain Palmer and his company led by Pawnee Scouts would find the missing women and the infant child. They were alive but in a dreadful state and the Captain had to exchange two captured Sioux Chiefs in order to get them back.

They had however survived the day the waters of The Little Blue ran red.