rn from the garrison up
the Missouri, I stayed at Captain Cole's, who just returned from the
pursuit of some Indians that had stolen horses from the
settlement--they came in view of the Indians on the prairie, and pursued
on until night, and encamped, made fires, etc., in the woodland, and not
apprehending any danger from the Indians, lay down to sleep--some time
after midnight, they were fired upon by the Indians, and four men
killed."

What had happened was this: There is a grove about three or four miles
southwest of Morocco, in Newton County, Indiana, named Turkey Foot
grove, and another of the same name about forty miles south of it, and
two or three miles southeast of the town of Earl Park. In this region
dwelt Turkey Foot, at the head of a lawless band of the prairie
Potawatomi. They had kept the frontiers of Illinois in terror for months
and had caused considerable anxiety both to Governor Harrison and to
Governor Ninian Edwards of the Illinois Territory. In a spirit of
devilish mischief and led on by the hope of plunder, the chief and his
followers had ridden hundreds of miles across the grand prairies of
Indiana and Illinois, had forded the Mississippi, and pierced to the
outposts of Loutre island in the Missouri river, below the present town
of Hermann, and from fifty to seventy miles west of St. Louis, had
stolen a bunch of horses there, and made good their escape, after
committing one of the foulest murders recorded in the early history of
that territory.

As soon as the theft of the horses was discovered, great excitement
prevailed, as horses were very valuable to the early pioneer. A rescue
party was organized, composed of Samuel Cole, and William T. Cole,
Temple, Patton, Murdock and Gooch, and after pursuing the Indians all
day, they came in sight of them on a large prairie, but the horses of
Cole's party were so tired that Cole had to give up the chase, and an
encampment was made in a small woodland. After midnight, and when all
were in slumber, the stealthy savages returned, surrounded the camp, and
on the first attack killed Temple, Patton and Gooch. Murdock sought
shelter under the bank of a creek near by, but William T. Cole was
attacked by two savages, one in front and one in the rear. In the
rencounter Cole was stabbed in the shoulder, but wrenched a knife from
one of his assailants and killed him. The other Indian escaped in the
darkness.

This murder and larceny combined, was brought to the