New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-01-03
Lieutenant Wetmere,s Ride.

, Editor Homer Uioa
Lieutenant Wetmore's Ride.
A letter in the New York Herald fror
Camp Supply, Idaho, December 10, give
the following interesting narration:
Accompanied by servant. he left Gen
: eral Miles headquarters on the Washita t.
carry DISPATCHES to Camp Supply. Reach
ing the Canadian river, he concluded t,
leave the train and escort with which h,
had been travelling and strike for Supply
accompanied only by his servant. This wal
q very perilOus undertaking, as the nara
tive will show. Scarcely had Wetmore anG
Hamilton, his servant, left the train before
: they saw signs of the redskins. But they
were both full of pluck and anxious to reacl
their destination, and so, unmindful of the
danger they were in, detiantly gailoped on
toward the north.
| Toward night, on the seventeenth, the
two reached stream where they deter
mined to camp, but on rounding point
they came suddenly on band of three
redskins, who, on seeing the blue coats,
scattered through the brush like leaves
before winter wind. Here was hazar.
dOus position for the two men, for they well
knew that the Indians they mad met we're
but stragglers OF a still larger party in the
immediate neighbOrhOod. And so it proved
| RetraclDg their steps they put spurs to
their horses only to ride into the midst of a
| party OF nine mounted savages, who were
SO completely taken by surprise at the
| appearance of the soldier boys that they
| merely turned on their horses and gave
| one steady, prolonged stare at the
daring intruders. But Wetmore and
his companion did not take the intro
duction SO coolIy. Quickly wheeling their
horses they started down the slope and out
on the sleety and frozen prairie with the
speed Of the wind. They were in for it
now. One look behind them revealed the
savages in full pursuit. But they had
good start. The wind was blowing a gale
from the northwest, and the piercing
needles of sect drove straight into their
faces with binding fury. Bat they could
neither stop nor change their course. On
went the tugitives and on came the blood.
thirsty pursuers. 1t was a yeritabe race
for life, Zone OF your dime novel tictions,
but living, breathing, palpitating, excit-
ing fact. Nine hell hounds of the frontier
after two biuecoats and their scaips. This
was the exact situation, and Wetmore and |
his companion knew it. They also |
knew that their horses would not hold |
out long against the terrible storm |
and began to devise ways and means |
to sell their lives as dearly as |
possible. They thought of making stand
ia LILO buuGIO NdilOWS. WUbl Inc T0nl9QD Der
ance OF the terrible fate of Chapman and |
his companions made them dig in the spurs
little deeper and seek q more favorable
location. AT last it was evident that thew
could 60 no further, and something must
be done. The trail they were making on
the seety sartace told them there was no
escape by flight, SO unslinging their car
bines they dropped behind small thcket
and prepared to '.pass in their checks as
Iaup 40 R,y sol 4 |
had set IN and the storm of sleet and snow
was raging with undated fury. Long and
those two benumbed and be-
nIghted men knelt on the frozen crust and
waited Tor the appearance of their savage |
foes, but they came not.
Either the redskins had been pelted out |
Of their purpose by the terrific storm, or
else they had come to the conclusion that
The market price Of two scalps would not |
Justify more than one or two twenty.mile
heats on stiff and slipperyprairle At all
vents, they gave up the chase. Lieutenant
Netmore and Hamilton staid behind the |
jhicket all night, narrowly escaping freezing
% death, and expecting every moment that
he whoops OF the savages would be heard
md the crash Of d tomahawk put them out
II their misery and end the terrible. terri.
Die suspense.
When morning dawned the savaces had ,
disappeared, but the beleaguered men were
n another pickle. They were lost in the
'ralrie-lost as etiectually and completely
8 though they were in mid-ocean. The
torn howled as tiercely as it did during
he night. by nothing in the heavens or
he earth beneath could the points of the
ompass be determined. Weary, frozen,
ungry and discouraged, the wanderers be-
an to feel that their miraculous escape of 1
he night before was only putting off OF G
he lneyltab bic. Finally, seeing that they |
'ere completely bewildered, thew struck G
or the nearest stream and followed it to i
he mouth. 1t emptied into a larger one, a
nd thus these men kept on until, | t
tier innumerable hardships, they sue
eeded in striking the old trail fifty miles v
outh of Camp Supply. Forty miles FROM d
ne post they met the cavalry out in search a
them and were escorted TO quarters hay | t
~ been nearly three DAYS without food | s
nd with their clothing frozen tight to their p
odles 1t was most thrilling and exciting s.
overture, told as it was by the bronzed d
eutenant, still clad in his rough wooden i,
art cavalry boots and pants, the stripes '
hich proclaimed the wear and tear OF 81
le race through the underbrush 1t ONLY ii
anted the charm of a camp fire to finish
10 word picture OF one of the NEST exciting | fl
ventures of the Indian campaign Lieu a
nant Netmore says his hands and feet ii
ere badly trostbitten, but otherwise he is 8,
GOOD health and spirits. Hamilton, his ! W
in the adventure. has not VET -
rived from the frontier owing to his
,hausted condition. Sc
Ia apologizing by letter for falling to b,
Try my correspondence for the Rera}E as iii
nekly through as he expected when b,
arting. Lieutenant Wetmore writes y pi
My Ged II was the liveliest ride I've iii
d yet. was forced from the trail and III
ed as we'll as could TO regain il without
cceeding. and during all this time | had 10
ride against terrific storm. Ny horse pc
aged out and l was finally brought TO of
y. expected every minute they would tn
upon ME, and that | would have to dis. &c
'unt and fight it out to the end he
Il thought of the long-looked for ball he
the box on the right of the stage that. pa
si it seems l never was to see. Finding an
hit now impossible, l made for q small at
mp Of trees, and fastening our horses, cl,
servant and l knelt down behind them in
receive the attack. Fortunately for US an