The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1875-01-08
A RACE FOR LIFE.

A RACE FOR LIFE.
A Pair OF scaIps Barely Saved--Lieut
Whetmore and His servant Find VERY
Little Choice Between Redskins and
Snoyv-storm in the Texas Pam Handle
TFrom the Leavsnworth Commercially
It appears that on the 16th ult.,
Lieut.. Whetmore, accompanied by 9
servant, left Gen. Miles headquarters
on the Washita to carry dispatches to
Camp Supply. Reaching the Canadian
river, he concluded to leave the train
and escort with which he had been
travelling AND strike for Supply. accom-
panied only by his servant. This was
very risky undertaking, as the balance
OF the story will show. Scarcely had
Whetmore and Hamilton, his servant,
LETT the train before they saw signs of
the redskins. But they were, both
full of pluck and anxious to reach their
destination and 50, unmindful of the
danger they were In, defantly galloped
on toward the north. Toward night,
on the 18th, the two reached q stream
where they determined to camp, but on
rounding a point came suddenly on q
band of three redskins who, on seeing
the blue coats, scattered through the
brush like leaves before winter wind.
Here was nice position for the two
men, for they well knew that the In.
dians they had met were but straeglers
OF still larger party in the immediate
neighborhood. And SO it proved. Re-
tracing their steps they put spurs to
their horses. only to ride into the midst
of party OF nine mounted savages.
who were so completely taken by sur
prise at the appearance of the soldier
boys that they merely turned on their
horses and gave one steady, prolonged
stare at the blue-coated intruders. But
Whetmore and his companion did not
take the introduction SO coolly. Quick
" 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 savaees
in full pursuit. But they had a good
start. The wind was blowing a gale
from the northwest and the piercing
needles of sleet drove straight into
their faces with binding fury, but they
could neither stop nor change their
course. On went the fugitives, and on
came the blood thirsty pursuers. It
was veritable race for Life. None of
your dime-novel fictions, but living,
breathing. palpitating, exciting fact.
two blue-coats and their scalps. This
was the exact situation, and Wetmore
and his compani9A 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 In the buffalo
wallows, when the remembrance of the
terrible fate of Chapman and his COM
panions made them dig in their spurs q
little deeper and seek q more favorable
location. At last it was evident that
they could go no further, and some
thing must be done.
The trail they were making on the
s1eety surface told them there was no
escape by fight, SO unslingine their
carbines, they dropped behind a small
thicket and prepared to 'fpass in their
time darkness had set in, and the storm
of sleet and snow was raging with I'M
abated fury. Long and anxiously those
two benumbed and benighted men knelt
on the frozen crust and waited for 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 con to the
conclusion that the market price of two
scalps would not justify more than one
or two twenty-mile heats on stiff and
slippery prairie. At all events they
gave up the chase. Lieut.. Whetmore
and Hamilton stayed behind the thicket
all night, narrowly escaping freezing to
death, and expecting every moment
that the whoops of the savages would
be heard and thu crash of a tomahawk
4 - \
the terrible, terrible suspense.
When morning dawned the savagee
had disappeared, but the be1eagured
men were in another pickle. They were
lost on the prairie. Lost as effectually
and completely as though they were in
mid-ocean. The storm howled as fierce
as it did durine the night. By nothing
in the heavens above or the earth be-
meath could the points of the compass
be determined. Weary, frozen, hungry
and discouraged, the wanderers began
to feel that their miraculous escape OF
the night before was only putting of
of the inevitable. Finally, seeing that
they were completely bewildered, they
struck for the nearest stream and fol
lowed it to the mouth. It emptied into
larger one, and thus these men kept or
until, after innumerable hardships
they succeeded in striking the old trai
fifty miles south of Camp Supply. Forty
miles from the post they met the caval
ry out in search for them, and were es
corted to quarters, having been nearly
three days without food, and will
their clothing frozen tight to theil
bodies.
Lieut.. Whetmore says his hands ans
feet are badly frost-bitten, but other
wise he is in good health and spirits
Hamilton his companion in the advent
ure, has not yet arrived from thu
frontier, owing to his exhausted condi
tion.
A PitiabIe Case.