The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1877-09-07
Hoo DeIOS Lost His .ScdLD.
AN GID INDIAN FIGHTER'S DESCRIPTION CT
= BATTLE.

Delos G.. Sanbertsun, who lives in Mon
roe county, New York, is an old I,i,liau
fighter, aud one of few persons who have
been scllped, and live tc tell boy it felt.
On The top OF ljs head is 4;at, red, bare
spot, the size o: a mans hand, showing
where his scalp was cut and torn off. AL
though several years have passed, the spot
is still tender aud looks raw.
That bald spot II ueyer let NE forget
the last battle | was iu with the Iptjiaus, |
reckon" he says in relating the circum-
siances connected with his scalping. Il
was with Custer in 'G9, in the Infantry.
We'd bGsn expectin' to- come on to some
o old Black Kittle's gang o. red devils ful
some days. We knowed they was campeG
some EVIL here in the Big Horn Valley. Early
one morningv~jt was Just a gettiu' light
we got sight of 'em i'll the valley, from
quite high pitch o. ground. The cavity
we Lad with us was mOre'n mile i'll the
rear. Some of our troops ga.; sent round
to come down and attack the Iniins from
tother side. We wa mt more'n eighty rods
from the cussed snakes and by full day
light was ready tC pitch into 'crn.
The firm commenced on both sides of
'em, and, comm from both ways il kind
o mixed 'em up for a Iniuit or two. But
when Old Black kittle came tearin' down
the front from some place in the rock,
yellin' and givin' orders. they soon rallied
aud commenced Citing in their fiyorite
positions. Damn THAI old devil! | kin see
him now. his face painted with red aud
yeIler streaks, lengthways aud crossways,
a !oaS string o feathers hanging down
his greasy bare back, aud him tearin' mp
and down on his Injn pony, whoopin' and
yeilin' and givin his orders.
y don't think them cusses was a bit
more'n tHo p1inits - lunti' places behind
rocks an trees to fire from, aud then you
couldn't see mor6'n three iuches of al min
anywhere. They was camped in the spot
with Eheir women and papooses. We put
a bail whereser we could see "a head or any
piece Of an injin. There Kas plenty o.
squawS and young devils. and we didn't
make any choice 'iwiXt them and the men.
" e shot squaw or Il papooSe 3eSt as soon
as we wo3ld any other red thief. Damu
3en, if they wasn't any squaws they
wouldn't be any papooses, and tie papoo-
ses make hess thieves and scalpers in the
course of time. So good Inin fighter Il
always go in for cleanin' out 'he whole
gang, an don't know age nor seq, You'd
kill q she rati ilesnalLe an young rattle
snake as quick as you would an old he fell
low with twelve rattles. wouldn't you :?
Well rattlesnake is angels long side o H.
jns.
After firin' this way Eor spell, we got
S~i~taS 40 ,Ctdl re uD"H VIE mn 1lShb INTO
the Injin camp. We tore down. every one
of us Il yellin' as bad as any o the devile
we was figh.in' Their ten was all Il
standin, an, there plenty - lnjius
round 'em an in 'em. w scoOted along
the alleys on the duuble-quick, peggiu'
away an usin' the bay.Eer. Pooty Aonnl t
got To be general free fight. Ole Black
kittle held his led thieves right to the
spot an our charge on 'em only brought
LII. L In.
squaws, aud papooses all was mixed up in
the BXht, an the yeliin' Was heerd fnr two
miles by che cav Try that MAS comm' Oh b,-
hind us 1t was in the winter. you know.
air the snow Was bout two foot deep. 1t
want long fore they WAS a good mary
dead soldiers and dead women and dead
young cReS fiaJl: year old up, layin
about IN t2sst snow, pfomiscus like, aud
mebby you've heerd o. red snow. Well,
this snow is red, but not the kln0 o red
that you We heerd of.
well, me an another soldier named
Wagner was fiehtin' in one edge o the
thickcst part Of .he village, ina narrow al
ley. All of a srdGin whang went a gun
from behind a tent, an Wagner had killed
his last injin. The red devil who fred the
SHOT spraug right opt in troht Q me with
his tomahawk raised. I'd IA sent my bay
net clean through his greasy carcass in an
otiitI StCpi1ti. Dut All
me round the neck, and fopped as
quick iIgltnin' on my back III the SNOW
My gun fell out o. my hands, an there were
m"ie'n twenty squaHs aud papooses jump
in aud yellu' around me III less no lime.
J made spiing to get up, but a she devil
grabbed me in the hair aud yanked me
back quicker. The IEj i'm th&L had shot
Wagner, who laid dead not more'n Zoo
Gopp me, keiehea up my gun, and ciubbin'
II, whacked me over the head. If he hadn't
beer damn fool he cud Just as well stuck
the bdyonet through me. IT you uiuk q
clip over the bead with the bpit enl II .
heavy army musket, in the hands of an H.
jim as big as two q you, an who loves you
SO shat he couldn't like any better fun thar
chawilr' your heart ont-I say, if you think
it WONT make you feel sick. mebbe you bet
ter Eaye it tried on you once. Ii didu't
make me senseless, bu: | felt all over like
a mars foot does when it's asleep. Even
if the damn squaw hadn't me down by the
hair, while a lot of greasy papooses was a
pvuudin' an kicken' me in the face, all OF
'em yellin' like a crazy asylum, couldn' I
| no more a got up than could slep With