The explosion of the Morning Star
The Morning Star steamboat attack occurred in 1880 when renegade US Army troops under Reverend Josiah Reed attacked the Morning Star steamboat on the Missouri River. The attackers, dressed as Native Americans, massacred the passengers and scalped them, and only Colton White survived; he killed several of the attackers and received a token to the Alhambra brothel in Dodge City from his father Ned White. The steamboat exploded after running aground and catching fire, killing Ned White and the rest of the attackers. The attack appeared to be a simple act of madness, but it was actually ordered by railroad magnate Tom Magruder, who sought to capture a rare artifact that was hidden in a safe on the steamboat; he cut off Reed's ear to warn him.