Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-03-07
Charging an Indian Camp.

A correspondent of the Philadelphia Press.
out ION the plains with the troops hunting In.
dams, SAYS:
"About four o'clock in the afternoon Lieu
tenant Hamilton, who had been sent out with
an advanced guard to scout the country, dis
covered small herd Of buffalo bulls, and, to
ms surprise, saw some men hunting them.
AS 1t was showing at the time, he was able to
approach quite close unobserved, and, seeing
the hunters were Iadans, charged them
lhey ran directly north, and Lieutenant Ham
llton sent a courier back to inform Stradde,
VINO, as soon as he heard what was up, des-
patched Captain Ball with his company to the
support Of Hamilton. 1t was lively race, the
advance guard pressing the Indians close for
four miles, when Lieutenant Hamilton saw
their village, and at once charged il with five
men. He dashed among the lodges, the
women and children having barely time to
leave them and run into the hills. The Indians
halted on the bluffs above the village and
showed fight, but before they could drive the
lieutenant and his men from their town Can
tam Ban came laundering no. and the saYages
once more sought safety in flight The sur
prise was complete, and so hasty had been the
departure of the Indians that not a blanket or
a m0utlfnl of food could be taken from the
led!es. The camp-fres were burning brightly
win large quantities of buffalo meat cooking
over them IN camp kettles, which the soldiers
nhisned boiling and ate heartily for their sup
poo C'h otlduulG tltCldIeu LildI these were the
most accommodating Indians he HAD ever met on
the plains, and it was seldom they had the Do
llteness 10 prepare supper for his ttoops after a
hard days march. The camp was full of arti-
cles, and notices piles Of wild attichokes and
Jerked buffalo, which the Indians had gathered
Tor their winters supply. In one lodge was n
looEing-giass, combs and brushes, and on a stool
lay superb dress of antelope skin, nearly fin
lShed. The waist was beautifully small, and
DAINTY cap OF mink fur, and two little slippers,
highly ornamented, lay beside it. There wa
an alr OF neatness about the lodge, and all the
appointments indicated that it was the home of
some Indian girl. Poor creature, how rudelv
nad she been thrust forth on the bleak prairie
mat cold December night and even old Straddle
as ne looked al the gew-gaws, said with sigh {:
,i WISH Miss 10 had stopped long enough 10 get
her lXeus, and take some bedding with her
Lieutenant Hamilton SAID as he dashed into
the Village several little children ran out almost
under his horses feet, and he could have can
tured one woman, but he gave her time to oct
her chlld on pony and make off One little
glr' as she ran crying up the hill was picked up
ny warrior, who flung her to woman ON a
pony, and the woman rode Off at a gallon. hold
M rue little creature by the leg her head almost
dragging on the prairie.
" There were many buffalo robes in the ca.np.
IN pans, buckets, kettles, bottles, and even
Duckwheat -four and baking powders. Reads
Dells red cloth, fine leather and colored feathers
were also abundant, and in one lodge we found
a KEY OF powder and forty pounds of lead
AFTER loading a six mule wagon with the most
useiul articles, Straddle ordered the camp 70 be
burned; BY its light we encamped on the banks
OF the Whiteman, for it was now long after dark
ana tne nlght bitter cold. The soldiers kinaled
huge ioS nres on the praries and details kent
the Slbley stoves in the officers tents red-hot Mi
night. AS the wind whistled and roared without
could not help thinking of the poor indians
wandering homeless and shelteriess on the
prairie, and somehow the indian girl was all
ways uppermost in my mind"