people, including one hundred
infantry soldiers, at the station; and the alarm of "Indians" being
given, the whole population turned out with such arms as they could lay
hold of. The sight of so many persons disconcerted the Indians, and
they checked their horses within a respectable distance of the station.
About two hundred shots were fired,--many of them in the wildest
manner, and mostly hurting nobody.

The Indians rode round the upper side of Sidney--_i.e._ west--after the
affray with the conductors, and attacked the section-men, circling
round and round (as usual in their mode of Indian warfare, to draw out
the fire of their enemies, till they exhaust their ammunition), till
they had killed several of the poor Irishmen at work. These men had
with them a hand-car, and the boss had a rifle with him, and only one
charge or cartridge in his gun. He did the best he could, however, by
jumping on the car and taking aim at his enemies, and keeping the gun
pointed towards them, while the men worked the hand-car safe into
Sidney Station. He escaped with his life, and several of his comrades.

These two conductors had about seven arrows shot into each of them,
several going right through their bodies, and which had to be broken
off to draw them out. One--Thomas Cahoone--was scalped twice, on the
top and back of his head. The other--William Kinney--kept his captor at
bay by a pistol he had, and thus aiming at the Indian, saved his hair.
Both were brought up carefully in the caboose-car to Cheyenne, and next
day I saw them under Dr. Latham's treatment. All thought that both
would surely die, but both got well; and the one who was scalped is now
living at a station on the Union Pacific Railroad. It is a terrible
operation to be scalped, and few survive it. But, thanks to the
surgeon's skill, these men are living, and feel very much like taking
vengeance on their tormentors,--_if they ever catch them_!

WHY DO INDIANS SCALP THEIR ENEMIES?

I have been a good deal puzzled to know the origin of this custom, of
always scalping a foe in battle, both among themselves and in fighting
white people. A negro is never scalped by the Indians. In conversing
with Major A. S. Burt, of 9th United States Infantry, at our post, who
has had much experience among the Indians on the plains, I learn some
things which give a clue to the matter, which agree with all I can
hear. He says that each Indian wears a "scalp-lock" (see engraving),