The Republican journal., 1872-04-25
Charging an Indian Camp

A correspondent of the Philadelphia
Press, out ION the plains" with the troops
hunting Indians. says
About four O'Clock in the afternoon
Lieutenant Hamilton. who had been sent
out with an advanced guard to scout the
country, discovered a small herd of buff
tao bulls, and to his surprise, saw some
men hunting them. AS it was showing
( at the time, he was able to approach quite
close unobserved and seeing the hunters
were Indians, charged them. They ran
directly north, and Lieutenant Hamilton
sent a courier back TO inform Straddle,
who, lis be heard what was up, despatch
ed Captain Ball with his company 10 the
support Of Hamilton. 1t was lively
race, the advanced guard pressing the
Indians close tor four miles, when Lieu
tenant Hamilton saw their village, and at
once charged it with five men He dash
. cd among the lodges, the women and
children having barely time to leave them
! and run into the Mills The Indians halt
ed on the bluffs above the village and
. showed fight. but before they could drive
the lieutenant and his men from their
( town, Captain Bail came laundering up,
and the s;tvages once more sought safety
{
so nasty had been the departure OF the In
dians that not a blanket or moutbui Of
TODD could he taken from the lodges The
camp-tires We're burning brightly, with
large quantities of buffalo meet cooking
over them III camp kettles, which the
>olriels finished boiling and ate heartily for
their slippers. Old Straddle declared that
these We're the most accommodating In
I, tnl l,,,,
il was seldom that they had the poiiteness
to prepare supper Tor his troops after a
hard DAYS march. The camp was full OF
articles, and / noticed piles OF wild ari-
chokes and jerked buffalo which the In
dams had gathered Tor their winters sup
! ply. In one lodge was looking glass.
combs and brushes, and on q stool lay a
! superb dress OF antelope skin, nearly
finished. The aist was beautifully small,
aud cap OF mink fur and TWO little slip
/ pefS, highly ornemented, lay beside 1t.
/ There was an air OF neatness about the
/ lodge, and all the appointments Indicated
that ii was the home of some Indian girl.
Poor creature. how rudeGy had she been
thrust forth on the bleak prairie that cold
/ December night, and even Old Straddle as
/ he looked AT the geW- gaws, said with 4
( Sigh Il wish Miss Lo had stopped long
enough 10 get her tixens and take some
bedding with her"
Lieutenant Hamilton said as he dashed
into the village several little children ran
out almost under his horses teet and he
could have captured one woman, but he
gave her time to get her child on pony
and make eli. One little girl as she ran
/ crying up the hill was pick ed up by var
! rior who flung her TO u woman on pony,
and holding the little creature By the leg
her head almost dragging on the prairie
/ There were many buffalo robes in the
camp, tin pans, buckets, kettles, bottles,
and even buckwheat flour and baking
! powders Beads, bells, red cloth, fine
! leather and colored feathers. were also
/ abundant, and III one lodge We found Il
! key OF powder and forty pounds o. Lead.
| After loading a six mule wagon with the
most useful articles, 5traGdIe ordered the
camp to be burned. By its light we en-
/ camped on the banks Of the Whiteman,
Tor ii was now long after dark and the
night bitter cold. The soldiers kinded
i huge log fires on the prairles, and details
! kept the Sibley stoves in the officers tents
/ led-hOt all night. As the wind Whistled
and roared without could not help think
| ing OF the poor Indians wandering home
less and shelteress on the prairie, and
somehow the Indian girl was uppermost
| n nv mind