crossing of Ash Creek Corporal Hicks' body was found in the road, stripped, his head, feet, and hands entirely severed, and his body mutilated in a most shocking and barbarous manner. It appears that the Indians laid in wait, concealed in the bed of the creek, and succeeded in killing Corporal Hicks immediately, and Huestis, more fortunate for the moment, made his escape and fled for the post, but was overtaken and killed after a chase of four miles. He is said to have been mounted on one of the fleetest horses in the regiment, and was an expert rider. Two messengers for Fort Dodge on the evening of the 19th were driven back by a party of eleven Indians, as will be seen by my report of yesterday, a copy of which I forward; also tri-monthly report for June 10, the originals having been lost by messengers. The number of troops reported at this post is too meager to protect the stock, do the garrison duty, and leave any for raiding purposes. The great amount of stock collected in the immediate neighborhood by the accumulation of trains outward bound awaiting escort keeps the grass short, which compels the cavalry to herd their stock a long distance from the post, making it both inconvenient and insecure, and which requires all the spare troops to protect.

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

THEO. CONKEY,

Captain, Commanding Post.

JUNE 12-JULY 5, 1865. -Expedition to the Platte and Niobrara Rivers.

Report of Colonel Robert R. Livingston, First Nebraska Cavalry, commanding East Sub-District of the Plains.

HEADQUARTERS EAST SUB-DISTRICT OF THE PLAINS,
Fort Kearny, Nebr., July 5, 1865.

CAPTAIN: I have the honor to submit the following report of my proceedings at the Pawnee Indian Village and the expedition from that point toward the Niobrara River:

Circumstances evidence tending to fasten suspicion upon the Pawnee Indians as the perpetrators of the attack on a party of unarmed soldiers of the Third Regiment U. S. Volunteers, en route from Fort Leavenworth to this post on the 18th of May last, the general commanding district directed me to proceed to their village, and if satisfied of their guilt demand the guilty parties, and in event of a refusal to render them up I was instructed to arrest five of the principal chiefs and bring them safely to Fort Kearny. Believing that the troops accompanying me to Pawnee Village could be used to advantage in scouting the country between the Platte and Niobrara Rivers, I applied to your headquarters for permission to conduct an expedition through that country, which was promptly acceded to, and in consequence I directed the commanding officer at Fort Kearny to send 150 mounted men due north from his post, to meet me on the north bank of the North Fork of Loup River, while with 100 more men I moved up the North Fork of Loup River from Pawnee Village to join them. In obedience to this programme I sent a force of seventy-five mounted men, under command of Lieutenant John P. Murphy, First Nebraska Veteran Volunteer