May 18, 1866; Jamestown, Kansas: By 1866 beaver trapper Lew Cassil could have been considered an anachronism. Around thirty years old, the big, rough-hewn man had ridden from Minnesota to Kansas on his black horse, Raven, and toting his blanket roll, long rifle, and beaver traps. By this time, buffalo hides were more lucrative than beaver pelts, but Cassil still worked the icy winter creeks of the middle West, making his living trapping and hunting. Over the years, he had a number of run-ins with Otoes and Cheyennes, whom he accused of tampering with his traps and stealing his catch.
In the spring of 1866, with beaver season over, Cassil joined a group of Kansas settlers for a buffalo hunt. The party--which included Walter Haynes, a Mr. Roberts, a Mr. Tallman, and two sons of William Collins--headed for Brown's Creek in Jewell County. They had reached the headwaters of Buffalo Creek when they were attacked by a band of Cheyennes. Though a few of them were wounded, the hunters were able to fight their way out and find a defensive spot near Buffalo Creek. The accuracy of the buffalo guns kept the Indians at a good distance, but the hunters were outnumbered, and reloading the weapons took time.
While the defenders made their stand, both sides took casualties. The hunters took off in a desperate running fight, trending east and south until they reached a grove of trees along Little Cheyenne Creek, just east of the Cloud County line. But the Cheyennes got ahead of them and set up an ambush. All six hunters were shot down in the grove. Several days later, a party under a Captain Brooks found their remains, scalped and horribly mutilated. Cassil still held an empty revolver. The Indians took only the horses, leaving the wagon and supplies, possibly indicating that they had suffered considerable losses themselves. Brooks transported the bodies to Clifton, in Washington County, where they were buried.
