The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1879-10-30
A Fight Similar to Capt. Payne's.

One OF the most remarKaDfe ilgntS III
the annalstof IIndian warfare took place
IL years ago when, Congress having au-
thorized the employment of frontiers
men against the Indians, then very
troublesome, Gsnl Eesg A. Forsyth, then
and still upon Sheridan's staff, was Sc
lected to head an expedition Of 5Opicked
men from the Kansas border,
At 5 o'c1e& 1ef THE evening of the
eighth day out the he-command went into
camp on the A,ickarne force of the Re-
publicany which just at this point diyid-
! ed and hiiffdddhded "a Sort Of island-a
strip of sand and gravel about hundred
yards long, found which flowed the
6 river,n if that name came be applied
| to, a stream, then some eight feet and
two or three inches deep; There was
ONLY one sday's provisions left, but For
! syth, feeling that heswas within striking
distance of the hostiles, resolved to 60
on next day! Atdawn of the morrow
theEguard gave the alarm, Indians
Forsyth instantly ordered his men to
| lead their horses to the island " and
| tie them! to the. few bushes that grew
there in circle, and lying on the sand
/ within the line Of animals sell their lives
| as, dearly as possible. Thus began the
fight, the Indians in turn dismounting
| and crawling in the sand up to within
short distance of the island to open al
! most at point blank range a Calling fire
4 on thespaf from Spencer and Henry
| rifles. So soon as, it was daylight and
/ the Indians could. be distinguished, 1t
was found that they were surrounded by
nearly sa,y thousand warriors, Brules,
Sioux, Cheyennes and Dog Soldiers.
| -fhe first esaresof ofNtheabesieged was to
4 intregch, themselves bythrowing up with
! their knives little mounds in the form OF a
4 circle. Ere this work was accomplished.
4 two men had Been killed and several
woundaiJ JBmsyth among them.
I On the fourth day the main body OF
Indiansdeparted, ;, leaving asmaH invest.
i ing force. The wounds OF the injured
4 we're fhdely dressed, shelters were con-
4 stineted,. and soup made from horse
flesh. On the sixth day, however, the
first traces Of gafigrene set in, and the
entire party was almost oyerpowered by
1 the, intolerable stencil from the carcass
4 es of the dead Horses. Food there was
none. III Bossyth assembled the men, and
bade those who would go and leave the
4 wounded, and those who preferred stay
!, ingsir the camp and taking their chances
Y of aid coming from the fort. All voted
to stay together till the end. They lived
on putrid hgrse=fesh rubbed with gum
\ powder funtwosmore days. On the 10Th,
Col. Garpenter, with the cavalry, came
4 M from Fort Wallace, which Trudesu
n and Stiliwelfl had reached in safety.
ssWhen he reached the island he found
! the tdefehdefs IN the most pitiable. con-
i tlitigny ovet. the survivors were deter
mined to be e-alalcky-to the last. Forsyth
himself. with rather Indifferent success,
affected to be reading an old novel that
II ltethid discovered in "a saddle-bag; but
Colonel Carpenter said his voice. was q
= little unsteady and his eyes were some
Il i nvbakY dim ewhenU he held out his hand
to Carpenter and bade him welcome to
Reechers island a name that has
7 since been given to the battle-ground. =
OF the 54-saeA who went into the fight
:, eight were killed, eight were disabled e
] ! for life and 12 others were wounded;
Y The indians, ,whe were ~ to a, admitted
4 subsequently, loss Of % killed I--Nsenf Nsef
YORK World.
u Il E,HRE6lDENf 81 Ant OhD, ,s VI eno
Q, Paciific 70 Railroad, intfnates, in his re
7 Nporu,e etiadt the railroad cpmpany vii
y contestthe right of the Commissioners
e Elected 'by it1e State Of California, t.
: oreseeand regulate fares and freight
p on the RAILROAD ~ He assumes that th
s Constitution of California conflicts witt
d ailasIef Congress, and expresses the be
A lief that the State Constitution is uncon
= s1;tnlfinII;;.arsA I;;.arsA III saEesl : 1id0358 Ss+
,r Isei1T97iJt Tu7 s'7'-zry T77inad ~,
/. MANY, coal-mine explosions whlc
have BEEN thought mysterious probabl
re resulted hem the sudden. burning OF d.
Z, coal-dust in the air. Cotton gins al
q frequently set on fire by tfeignitinn
K fine particles of cotton in the air