The star. (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1874-1875, 1875-02-02

wanted for nothing, and there were two
sets of men in the bake shop, the old anC
the new hands working side by side, al
an increase of wages, which forever Went
up steadily with the prices, perhaps o
little ahead of them even.
A Race for Lile-Iieutenant Wetm0rc's Advcn
| lures In the Texas Panhandle.
| A recent number of the Leavenworth
Commercial contains an interesting &C
count of an adventure of Lieutenant
Wetmore, of the United States SiXthCav
airy, Aide-de-camp to General Miles
commanding in the field against the III
dians, who abouttwo weeks ago was re-
ported captured and scalped by the say.
ages. From his own lips we learned the
facts in regard to his race for life IN the
Texas Panhandle, and the intense suf
fering Of himself and companions while
lost in the storm.
Itappears that on the 10th Of Novem
Lieutenant Wetmore. accompanied by {
servant, left Gen. Miles' headquarters or
the WashIta, to carry dispatches tC
Camp Supply. Reaching the Canadian
river. he concluded to leave the train and
escort nth which he had been travelling
and strike for supply, accompanied only
by his servant. This was very risky
undertaking, as the remainder OF the sto.
ry will show. Scarcely had Wetmore
and Hamilton, his servant, lett the train
before they saw signs of Indians.
But they were both full Of pluck and
anxious to reach their destination, and
SO, unmindful of the danger they were in
detianuy galloped on tow ards the north
Towards night, on the 17th, the two
reached a stream, where they determin.
ed to camp; but, on rounding q point
came suddenly on a band Of three In
dians, who, ON seeing the blue-coats
scattered like leaves before a winter
wind. Here was a nice position for the
two men, for they we'll knew that the In
dians they had met were but sLragglers o.
u still larger party in the immediate
neighborhood. And SO it proved.
Ketracing their steps they put spurs tc
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
blue-coated intruders. But Wetmore
and his companion did not take the in.
PRODUCTION SO coolly. 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 re-
|
they had good start. The wind was
blowing 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 fugi.
tives, and on came the bl0odthirsty pur-
suers. 1t was veritable race Tor lie.
None of your dime.novel tictions, but a
living, breathing, palpitating, exciting
| fact. Nine b!oodbounds Of The frontier
after two blue-coats and their scalps.
This was the exact situation, and Wet
more and his companion knew 1t. They
also knew that their horses would not
hold out long against the terrible storm
ana began to devise ways. and means to
sell their lives as dearly as possible.
| They thought Of making stand i'll the
Buffalo wailows, when the remembrah ce
! OF the terrible fate of Chapman and his
companions made them dig in the spurs
q little deeper and seek more favorable
situation.
AT last it was evident they could go no
further, and something must be done.
The trail they were making on the sleety
surface told them there was no escape by
| flight; SO unslingins their cafbines they
dropped behind small thicket and pre-.
pared for The fight. BY this time dark.
ness had set in, and the storm Of sleet
and snow was raging with unabated fury
Long and anxiously those two benumbed
and benighted men knelt on the frozen
crust and walled for the appearance OF
the savage foes, but they came not. Eli
ther the Indians had been pelted out Of
their purpose by the terrific storm, OF
else they had comet to the conclusion that
the market price of two scalps would not
justify more than one or two tS enty-mile
heats on stiff and slippery prairie. AT
all events they gave up the chase. Lieut.
the thicket all night, narrowly escaping
freezing to death, and expecting every
moment that the whoops of the savages
would be heard, and the crash of II toma.
| hawk put them out of their misery, and
end the terrible suspense.
| When the morning dawned the sayages
had disappeared, but the beleaguered
men were in another pickle. They were
lost in the prairie. Lost as effectually
as though they were in mid-ocean. The
storm howled as fierce as it did during
the night. BY nothing in the heavens
above or in the earth beneath could the
points of the compass be determined
| Weary, frozen, hungry and discouraged
the wanderers began to feel that theil
miraculous escape of the night before was
only II putting off of the inevitable. Fl.
nally, seeing that they were completely
bewildered, they struck for the nearest
stream and followed it to the mouth. II
emptied into larger one; and thus these
men kept on until after innumerable
hardships they succeeded In striking the
old trail fifty miles south of Camp Sup
ply. Forty miles from the post they met
| the cavalry out in search of them, and
were escorted to quarters, having been
nearly three days without food, and with
their clothing frozen tight to their bodies
1t was most thrilling and exciting ad
venture.
Told as it was by the bronzed lieuten
ant, still clad in his rough w0olen shirt
cavalry boots and pants, the stripes O
which proclaimed the wear and tear o.
the race through the underbrush, it only
wanted the charm of the campfire tt
finish the word picture Of 'one OF the
most exciting adventures Of the Indiar
campaign. Lieutenant Wetmore says
his hands and feet are badly frost-bitten
but otherwise he is in good health ant
spirits. Hamilton, his companion i'll the
adventure, has not yet arrived from the
| froptinr nUinu In hIs QvhunctnI nnndi