Mad Wolf At Fort Larned, Fearful Scenes and Tragic Results.
Mad Wolf At Fort Larned
Fearful Scenes and Tragic Results.

Mad Wolf At Fort Larned
Fearful Scenes and Tragic Results

    [Special Correspondence of The Times.] Fort Larned, Kan., Aug. 5, 1868.
    A most fearful and appalling circumstance transpired at the Fort last evening, the very recollection of which chills my blood with horror.
    While a party of ladies and gentlemen were sitting in front of the beautiful quarters of Col. Ed Wynkoop, as brave, gallant and courteous a gentleman as the West can boast, and who is now Indian Superintendent or Agent of several warlike tribes, the entire party almost involuntarily commenced a beautiful song.
    While the melody was ringing in the night air, a monstrous, shaggy and rabid wolf dashed madly in the midst of the party, first attacking Lieut. Thompson, 3d, U.S. Infantry, tearing and lacerating his limbs in a most frightful manner.
    The monster then broke away, pursued by Col. Wynkoop and his chief scout, James Morrison, who had lost no time in procuring proper arms. Before either of these fearless gentlemen, however, could overtake him, the wolf had attacked the sentry at the guard house, whom he also bit savagely, the sentinel having fired, but, most unfortunately, missed his aim.
    From the guardhouse the wolf next dashed over to the hospital and made an assault upon one of the men there stationed, almost tearing his right arm from his body, after first taking off a finger entire. He then attacked and mutilated a colored soldier of the Tenth Cavalry and subsequently entered the quarters of a laundress, while she was in bed, but owing to the thickness of the bed clothes, fortunately failed to inflict any serious injury on the poor woman.
    The maddened creature next caught sight of the sentinel at the haystacks, who, almost providentally shot him dead.
    Besides Lieutenant Thompson, there are three persons badly bitten and mutilated by this ferocious monster. What the result will be, God only knows!
    Colonel Wynkoop has lately procured from the Comanches, a white female captive, eight or nine years old, whose name is Melinda Ann Caudle. She was captured in Texas last January. Her father's name is Green Wayne Caudle. A little boy, whom she calls "Temple" was captured at the same time, and her sister, with several other relatives, killed.
    It would be an act of genuine philanthropy for the papers of the West, especially those of Texas, to copy this notice, so as to give Colonel Wynkoop an opportunity of restoring the poor child to her proper protectors, although it is unnecessary to add that so long as the gallant and generous colonel has a roof or blanket no human being lives that is not welcome to a full half.
    I write in haste that you may have "the news" as soon as possible. Generally, matters here and hereabouts, are in a peaceful and prosperous condition and Indian troubles are mythical. FRONTIER (Henry M. Stanley) - Clippings, Wynkoop Scrapbook, Museum of New Mexico.

    Prospector's note: The wolf was shot by the sentry after biting a patient in the barracks hospital tent. The highly exaggerated account makes us wonder what sort of news Stanley later reported from Africa.

Source:

Happer, Alexandra, "Colorado History From Early Day Newspapers; Edward W. Wynkoop Indian Agent", Colorado Prospector, P. O. Box 6482, Denver, Colorado, Vol. 23, No. 1, (January 1992), p. 8


Note:

    While I have doubted the date of this report, it is confirmed by another article in The Conservative, Ellsworth, for July 23d, 1868 in which mention is made of the two children he rescued in Stanley's report above:

"Colonel Wynkoop found among the Kiowas a white woman and two children, who had been captured in Texas, and took them away from them, which made them very angry..." - Clippings, Wynkoop Scrapbook, Museum of New Mexico.
    See the Colorado Prospector, Vol. 23, No. 1, (January 1992), p. 10, col. 2 - chw.

  

    Ned's son, Frank M. Wynkoop, in Commemoration: Mrs. Louise M. Wynkoop, a Biographical Sketch adds the following information about this incident:

"It was here, [at Fort Larned-chw], while the Wynkoops and two officers from the post and their wives were seated on the porch of the colonel's quarters of a summer evening, that a huge, mad wolf, frothing at the mouth, leaped over the railing, tumbling the group about but causing no injury beyond bruises sustained in falling, ran across the parade ground into the barracks hospital tent, bit a patient, who later died of rabies, and was shot by a sentry on the border of the reservation as the brute ran toward him. At this time Henry M. Stanley, afterward African explorer and knighted by Queen Victoria of England, was there as correspondent covering army and Indian affairs for the New York Times. He wrote a most lurid story of the event, somewhat exaggerated, to which the newspaper added a fanciful woodcut of the scene on the porch, with the colonel pictured as wearing a trapper's fur cap."
    I'm still looking for a copy of this "woodcut". I believe this picture will be found in Harper's Weekly, Harper's Monthly or Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper for the time period of mid August to late September or early October, 1868.

    If anyone has access to a copy of this paper, and wants to help, I'd really appreciate hearing from you at [email protected].

    Many thanks,

    Chris

Created February 12, 2002; Revised September 9, 2002
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