The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1877-09-14

An Old Indian Fighters Description of n
Hattie.
Delos G.. Sanber,son, who lives In
Monroe County, N. ", Is IN old Indian
fighter, and one Of few persons who
have been scalped, and live 10 tell how
Il felt On the top 81 his head il flat,
red, bare spot, the size ~ a mans hand,
showing where his scalp was cut and
torn or. Although several years have
rasscd, the spot Il still tender and looks
raw.
"That bald spot N never lei me for
get the last battle | was in with the In
dams, reckon" he says, ia relating
the circumstances connected with his
scalping. ~ was with Custer IN go, in
the infantry. We'd been expectin' 10
come on 10 some o. old Black kittle's
gang o. red devils fur some days. We
knowed they was camped somewhere in
the Big Horn valley. Early one morn
ing--it was just gettin' light--wc got
sight Of 'em In the valley, from quite a
high pitch o. ground. The car'lry we
had with Us was more'n mile in the
rear. Some Of our troops was sent
round 10 come down and attack the
lniins from to'ther side. We want
morch eighty rod from the cussed
snakes. and BY full daylight was ready
10 pitch into EN-.
The firm commenced on both sides
of 'ern. and, comm from both ways, it
kind % mixed 'em up for mint ortwo
But when ole Black kittle came tearin'
down To the front from some place in the
rock, yellin' and givin' orders, they
soon rallied and commenced Citing i'm
their fayorite positions. kin see him
now, his face painted with red and yeller
streaks, lengthways and crossways, a
long string % feathers hanging down his
greasy bare back, and him tearin' up
and down on his Injin pony, whoopin'
and yellin' and givin' his orders.
~ don't think them cusses was bit
more'n two minits huntin' places be-
hind rocks an trees Ia fire from, and
then You couldn see more n three inches
Of anInjin anywhere. They was camped
in the spot with their women and pa
pooscs. We put ball wherever we
could see head or any piece of an lnjin.
There was plenty o. squaws and young
devils, and we didn't make any choice
'twixt them and the men. We
shot q squaw or apapoose jest as soon
~ we would any other red thief If
they wasn't any squaws they wouldn't
be any papooses. and the papooses make
hoss-thieyes and scalpers. So good
Injin tighter III always 20 in for cleanin'
out the whole gang, an don't know age
nor sex. You'd kill she rattlcsnakc
an a young rattlesnake rs quick rs you
would an old he fellow with twelve rat
ties. wouldn't youP Well, rattlesnakes is
angels long side o. Injins.
after firm this way for spell. we
got order 70 charge down the hill right
into The Injin camp. We tore down,
every one 81 us yellin' As bad as any
Of the devils we was fightin'. Their
tents was all standin', an there was
plenty % Injins 'round them an in
'em. We scooted along the alleys on
the double-quick, peggin away an usin'
the bagnct. Poorly soon II got to be a
general free fight. Ole Black Kittle
held his red thieves right to the spot,
an our charge on 'epl only brought US
right 'mong 'em. Soldiers, Injins,
squaws, and papooses all was mixed up
in the fight, an the yellin' was heerd
fur two mile by the cav'lry that was
comm on behind US. II was in the win
ter You know, an the snow was bout
two foot deep. Ii want long fore they
was good many dead soldiers and dead
women and dead young ones from a
year old up, layin' about i'm that snow,
piomiscus like, and mebbe you've
heerd ~ red snow. Well, this snow was
red. bat not the kind o. red that you've
heerd 81.
"Well, me an another soldier
named Wagner was fightin' in one edge
o the thickcst part o'lthc village, in a
narrow alley. All Of q suddint whangl
went a gun from behind tent. an
Wagner had killed his last Injin. The
red devil who fired the shot sprang out
right IN front o. me with his tomahawk
raised. I'D sent mE bay'nct clean
through his greasy carcass in another
second. bat An Internal squaw kctched
me around the neck, and Topped me as
quick ~ lightnin' on my back in the
snow My gun fell cut o. my hands,
an there were morc'n twenty squaws
and papooses jumpin' an yellin' around
me IN leSs'n no time. l made a spring
to e. up, but she-dsvil grabbed me
~ the hair and yanked me back quicker.
The lnjin what had shot Wag cr, who
laid dead not more'n foot k.om me,
ketched up any gun, and clubbin' IL,
whackcd me over the head. II he
hadn't been 2cusscd fool he cud list rs
wen stuck the bay net through me. If
you think clip over the head with the
put 81 heavy army musket, 10 the
hands Of Injin as big ~ two D. you,
an who loves YEN SO that he wo,Gin't
IKE any better fun than cliawin' your
heart out say II you think 1t wen Z
make you feel sick, mcbbe you better
nave tried on yon once. II didE Z
MAKE me senasless, bur fdf
AZ over like mans Eoot doex
when it's asleep Even If the |
sqlaw hadn't been holdin' me down .by ,
AA.. A.