By ELMO SCOTT WATSON
UT In plans are
under way erect a
marker ‘where once stood
Fort Aubrey and to pre-
serve its site as a memori-
al to a thrilling chapter
in the history ef the Sun-
flower state, Fort Aubrey
was named im honor of
Col. ¥. X. Aubrey. who
found springs of
7 fresh there and
suggested it as a good place for a
fort, Although the outpost which
once hore his name Ras long
passed away, the fame of Felix Xav-
fer Aubrey, French-Canadian by birth
but an Ameritan hunter, trapper and
trader by occupation, has endured be-
‘ause he was the hero of one of the
greatest long distance rides in history
—from Santa Fe, N. M.,, to Independ-
ence, Mo, a of than
800 miles, in days sixteen
hours,
Kansas
to
several
water
since
more
and
distance
five
Early is the morning of September
12, 1846, Aubrey rode out of Santa Fe
for the start of this of the
plains. From the morning of the start
until Independence he
stopped neither to and
aon at
ride narrowly
death the hands
ate while riding,
morning out
saddle and
times,
Late at niglt on September 17,
days and sixt after leaving
Santa Fe, Aubrey up to the old
Noland House in Independence. He
had traversed S00 miles by horseback
In that length 136 ho
of continuous riding and traveling 140
miles each 24 hours.
Fort Aubrey 1
September, 1850. about four miles east
of the Kan
During its brief career it was an im
portant post on the historic Santis
Trail, for it was the only
wagon trains, by Ind
tack, in the 150-mile stretehh between
Fort Dodge, Kan, and Fort Lyon.
Colo. It was garrisoned by United
States troops for a time and then, the
necessity for its being there having
apparently passed away, it was sg
doned. At least it passed out of the
army records about 1858 or 1850.
Interesting as Fort Aubrey was as
a haven for those who traversed the
Santa Fe Trail by stage coach, cov.
ered wagon or pack train when the
savage tribesmen swooped down, it is
even more interesting
the scene tragedy of the plains
which is still one of the unsolved mys
teries of the Old West. For here one
day in December, 1863 a party of 22
Missourt militiamen froze to death in
a fierce blizzard which swept
western Kansas, What thelr names
were and just how they met their
death no one knows. Loeal tradition
has preserved part of the story and
the military records throw some light
on the tragedy, but there is’ still
enough left untold to make Jt a true
“mystery of the plains.”
The local tradition part of it has
been preserved by a Syracuse mer.
chant, H. Helfrich, a pioneer home
steader and the Socialist eandidaie
for governor of Kansas In 1026, whose
hobby the history of his county.
He got the story from R. T.
who was a member of the party
aught in the blizzard and who as
sisted in the burial of the dead.
Mr. Goans told Mr, Helfrich three
companies of cavalry, an escort of
Governor Goodwin of Arizona, left
Fort Leavenworth in the fall of 15863
to accompany the governor to Fort
Union, N*M. He said they arrived
safely at their destination, but were
separated on their way back and that,
while camping In the ruins of Fort
Aubrey, 22 men of Company I froze
to death.
Records of Fort Leavenworth and
the Arizona Historical society show
Governor Goodwin, the first governor
of Arizona, left Fort Leavenworth
September 205, 1863, escorted by Com-
panies A and H of the regular eav.
alry, and Company I of the Fourth
Missouri militia, The expedition was
in charge of Maj. James A. Phillips
of Kansas, with Lieut, Peter F. Clark,
Capt. John H. Butcher and Capt. Dan-
fel Rice in command of the ‘com-
panies. They arrived at Fort Union,
N. M., November 9 and left November
11. They reached Fort Lyons, Colo.
November 23, in a snowstorm. On
Als part of the trip they lost several
horses and some of the men were
frostbitten. The party remained at
Fort Lyons eight days and from that
time there are no more records of
Company I.
Mr. Helfrich believes that a dis
agreement among the soldiers at Fort
Lyon caused Company 1 to aplit from
the rest of the command. Companies
A and H reported at Fort Riley on
December 23, having lost one by freez-
ing. They also reported much suffer.
Ing from the heavy storms which they
encountered,
As for the fate of Company I. ae
classic
was reached
eat or sleep
least three occasions during h
capture and
Indians, He
and after the second
tied
snatched
escaped
at of
he himself
bits of sleep at
en hours
rode
of time by
blis}
Wis esin
present city of Syracuse,
harassed
because it is
of a
over
is
® mt
fied the
Au-
camped
While
upon
gite of Fort
1 and
routs of the fort,
ard swept down
her In an effort
ing their wag
1 to fight off the
it was no use
morning came 22 of them were
According to Goans, they were
ail Frenchmen, naturalized citizens of
the United States, without near rela-
but if there ever
existed any record of their names that
has not yet been
tives in this country
record ise overed
From up in North Dakota comes the
story of another and similar tragedy.
What Is believed to be the first print.
ed account of It appeared recently in
Geauga at
Chardon, written by its editor,
Arthur E. Towre, Af a small
Mr. Towne went to the Dakotas with
the eighties
told
the
tepublican-Record
Ohio,
boy,
parents in this
him
which
and
of several to
in that
ne
imers country,
he written the title of
“Highlights from Days in the
West” for the Republican-Record. His
story of the mystery surrounding the
death of a whole platoon of United
States cavalry reads as follows:
“In the fall of '82 the first vin.
turesome settiers penetrated Into
Dickey county in what Is now North
Dakota, one of the most beautiful
pieces of prairie country in the James
river valley. Two chance land hunt-
ters whose names may now be lost,
unless they can be dug out of the old
files of mewspapers published at that
time in Aberdeen, were prospecting In
that region,
",
uncer
id
“One evening as they were heading
towards the river in search of a good
camping place, they passed a grass.
grown buffalo wallow. Here there
burst upon them a sight which they
probably never forgot. The ecireum-
ference of the wallow was literally
lined with bones of men and horses,
other skeletons lay within the circle.
“Although the hones had been scat.
tered some, Investigation Indicated
that the horses had been used for de-
fense in place of egrthworks. United
States army buttons and brass belt
buckles were found, also badly rusted
barrels of muzzie loading guns of the
old army musket type, with thelr
stocks rotted away or burned away
by prairie fires. Rusted bits, fron
stirrups, canteens and other metal
parts of soldiers’ equipment were also
found here—ali of which went to show
that this was a troop of United States
cavalry.
“Reports made at the time stated
that the skeletons of 28 mén and a
like number of horses were found.
but nothing was discovered that
showed to what regiment or company
this troop belonged, If this was the
result of a battle, it Is probable that
the Indians carried away anything of
the soldiers’ equipment that struck
their fancy. This would scecount for
nothing remaining that would identify
the troop,
“The bones looked as if they had
been bleaching in the sun for years
and years, Inquiry was made, some-
time after, of various members of
Drifting Goose's band of Sioux, loeat-
ed on the reservation west of the Mis
sourl, These Indians once ~lalmed the
territory in what is now Spink county
and vicinity, They had their main vil-
lage on Armdale island in the James
1"
7
river the
of thi
&8 to
The Ind
the kuhject,
sout
anus cou
throw and
3 fight occurred
fore thelr advent here,
Is
for
troop
these men ard
What gx
fact that
ed skulls
fire, were found,
perishe
ive rise to
no broken hones or perforat
the effects of gun
From this the idea
this idea was
show ing
Wak £1
The
these n
mounts did not perish in battle,
around that
of a eavalry
glory went on
were a part
at
souri, about
of
either
regiment
post along the Mis
time of the
war. That they
recruited from :
were the Sonth In
rathies, that thes deserted
in March of
river with
stationed some
the ounthreal
the Civil
were
the
with sym
some
‘61, and headed for
the {
ir way down Into the Con
time
the
working the
federate states by that route,
“The theory
safer route,
erally followed
James view o
was that this was the
the army trails gen
the Missouri ard
as
Sees Industrial Future
Center in Small Towns
The American of the future will Le a
nation of small and
prophesies 'rof. Walter B, Pitkin
Columbia university in au
the Hougehold Magazige.
“The comm of the future,
writes Doctor Pitkin, “will not be the
few hundred thousand
around the old crossroads. I(t will em-
brace 50 small towns and the county
seat, There will be between 100,000
and 300000 people in this social unit,
They will not be packed together like
the Inhabitants of the typlenl modern
city of that size. They will be spread
out over two or three thousand squure
miles, each family having
home, each village having
playgrounds, pleture
and parks, will dotted
with tens of of pleasant
homes having big back yards in which
villages,
of
in
towns
article
’
unity
or people
its
its
theater,
own
own
motion
America
thousands
bee
out an indescribable variety
All the villages
of the United
come Industrial centers,
and
small
will be
und
States
better way.
of them
be surrounded by
flower
and
owners
Epacious iawns
Roads will be
fast an nfe that
fast
beds, 8a
nutos
of
villages will
=o
nrge ‘arms Veen
H man
age thelr acres
will live
bods
a well
require not
the
town outside
developed
furthest
and parts of the
Building Laws of Vital
Interest to Community
Discussing the thet
good ionusing is ok
s
question win
MONE iie
I» it
of pursuit and capture, If they tras
eled that That on
to the James they were overtaken hy
a blizzard and, being lost, and bewil.
dered in the driving snow, and In Im
minent danger of freezing, they had,
on stumbling on this buffalo wallow,
buried themselves In the snow, which
would be deeper there, In the hope
of preserving their lives until the
storm ahated. but because of the In
tense cold, they perished to a man
Not so far away was the river, with
high banks which would have afforded
some shelter, and there was plenty of
wood for fires, so that they might have
escaped had they traveled a little far
ther with their backs against the
storm,
“However, old army officers whe
had spent most of their lives on the
plains, say that they never heard of
desertion on any such a wholesale
scale, Neither had they ever heard
of a cavalry troop riding out into the
vastness of the plains and vanishing
so completely, and for go long a time,
that even the circumstances of its de
parture and the mystery of its utter
disappearance were forgotten,
“That this was a United States cav-
alry troop, however, Is practically cer
tain from the odd pieces of equipment
found. The fact that the bones were
lying on the prairie just where the
troopers gave up their lives, indicates
that this detachment was never locat-
ed by the command of which it was
a part, since the United States army
always buries its dead.
“Whether this troop belonged to
General Sully’'s army, which fought
in the Little Crow war, or a scouting
party of Minnesota troops which par
ticipated In the same conflict, Is a
matter of conjecture.
“This unknown battle of the buffalo
wallow may have been one of the
many fights which occurred along be
tween the late sixties and the Custer
massacre in 1876, when the plains In.
dians were making their st desper-
ante attempt to retain the prairies for
themselves, But who there men were,
or whether they perished In conflict
with the red warriors of the Sloux na.
tion, or with the white armies of King
Winter Is still, so far as we know,
one of the unsolved mysteries of the
plains,
way. their way
D..
better,
“The
there shoul
health laws and
frumed bs Citiz
knowledge o
and
cal difficulties
who, thougl lizant of practi
tandards that a
high and
enforeed
sound Such laws m
by wi £ ind
Teng whose
“As no
practica
standards aise
are
iw Is self-enfors
to have in each city
A continuo
needs and
of citizens to make
vey of housing
support and assistance, Beoecausg
is no such
sefice In
of
standare
medium commu
nity most cities,
fore
relatively low.”
are
Consider Value of Trees
cannot be overestinmted, om
with the grounds
and with the entire landscape. Ap
oak, a pine. a few cedars or an old
apple tree may impart the happy ef
fect of age, being settled and of
belonging to the site,
Many achitects and owners have
wisely and cleverly taken advantage
of such opportunities, thereby gaining
what could not be had by the planting
of any number of perfect
trees from a nursery, Nature
of
gpecimen
may
irregularity that art cannot achieve,
Tree-Lined Highways
A sensible agitation has been start.
ed by various bodies for the planting
of trees along the highways of the Do.
minion, :
Apart entirely from what the pro
vinces have done towards such plant.
ing. several rural municipalities hnve
shown a willingness to assist the in-
novation,
Treedined highways not only add to
the attractiveness of rural districts
themselves, hut are a magnet of at.
traction to tourists.—Montreal Family
Herald.
Highway Made Attractive
Experts from the Missouri College
of Agriculture co-operated with state
highway officials In the beautification
of federal highway No, 40, from Kan.
gas Clty to St. Louis. The college
made a soil survey along the highway
to determine what types of grass
would grow to the best advantage
along the different sections, while high.
way officials took steps toward the
removal of all unsightly stands and
billboards and other advertising along
the right of way.
Civie Leadership Important
Good roads make most towns ae
cossible to many more outsiders than
formerly reached them. These towns
are called upon to provide facilities
for the traveling public. They also
are on exhibition. Local pride Is stim-
ulated. The town that hus a leader or
a group of leaders with vision and
persuasive powers of organization is
a fortunate town.
!
|
i
Flit is sold only
in this yellow
can with the
7 b nd,
— black ang
Flit Sprayer Today!
I The
Ugest Sell;
That Silence Is Golden
Elihu Root in :
speech York
from
“Silence
It is
“Once
said an after-dinne
in New his
Geneva:
on
is golden in
golden everywhere,
upon a tie a corps
bathing sult wag fished ot
sen and zent an undertn
rich 1 called 1!
and
ther, The
yYOUng ing
identif
ders to
expensis
ment’'s prog
the co
false
rpse
I
vert | : 1 *(1
toot hy Gropp i
Gave Telephonic Consent
ve to attend the weddis
¢ been heard
World's
Alert
¢ Insect Kile
ng : © 1920 Btanoc Ine
Contractors’ Hguipment and Conl Business,
bh RB. } r rose ¢ Pa
Venna
ng Krranged 2139,
Munsey Gidg.. Ballimore,
Plante,
s eon ou
eR
HAMBY PLANT CO.
Wanted
‘ of
Bourbon Poultry Modici
for os hick dally in drink or fs
til nu diges’
» we oe half pir
AL Gruggists or sent by ms
Bourbon Remedy Co, Box 7, Uxicgten, $e
years, Sena
Objects to Word “Necking”
Social Stimulus Needed
The highest ideal a man night
visualize d only be put inte ef
in nvironment, and
thie IW OTe f his mind re
from a social
foot
Would you like
oy cry
it should be a family laxative,
mn a habit, bu
Dr. Caldwell
Jeas ago.
armiess herbs and pure It
senna.
is mild. Delicious, , Effective. All
this famous prescription ready, in
sorite Dr. Caldwell's Syrup Pepsin,
for a free trial botile postpaid.
Men Primarily Resporsible
In condemning the vanity
women, men complain of
they themselves
Lingree.
ive,
One that can't
Or appetite
combination
starts muscular
Gently, but
druggists keep
big bottles. Or
Monticello, lil.,
oe i, BP on | ie BE
ita RY
Korean Counting Rods
made of bone were used In
computing Korean
as late as the end of the
Nineteenth century,
in
schools
LYDIA ORLOSKI
415 So. Washington Ave., Scranton, Pa.
“I took Lydia E. Pinkham’s
Vegetable Compound for run.
down condition before my
baby was born. Now I eat
better, have gained in weight
and have mores h to take
care of my four children. I can
do my housework and not get
a bit tired. My mother and my
sister, also several of my
women friends are taking your
medicine now, because I be
lieve that this medicine will
help any woman that will take
it regularly.” Mrs, Lydia Or
RR £2, Rusheiile, lotions
“When 1 started taking
Lydia E. Pinkham’s Vegetable
Compound I could hardly do
my housework. I was so nervy.
ous and weak from Change of
Life that I had to lie down very
often. I heard about the Vege
table Compound through a
pamphlet which was left at my
door. I am doing all the house
work for a family of four and
it keeps me on my feet. 1 have
taken six bottles and 1 have
ned strength and flesh." —
AYE BF I ON
Vegetable
Inkham’s
Compound