Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1881-09-15
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A HEAVY STAKE.

Ii ever there was q madman--l do
not mean a crazy man, observe, but a
man mad with rage-it was our COM
Emander, Colonel Rawle, when the two
&hundred men he had sent out on a
Especial expedition marched into the
*fort, after an absence of two weeks,
without having accomplished their mis-
ksion.
He stamped, he stormed, he swore;
he called the commanding officer dolt,
an idiot, an incapable; but we were
used to the ways of our kind-hearted
irascible colonel, so the captain held
bis peace till the storm exhausted it
Felf, and then quietly explained how,
IN spite of his forced marches and
Strenuous efforts, the tribe of Indians
he was in search of had kept out ofhis
way, so that he had had no opportuni-
ty even to speak to or demand of them
the surrender of their chief, who had
Just laid himself open to the execration
of every heart with remnant of hui
mainly in it, be it that of Indian or pale
face.
The facts in the case were these /.
Our regiment was stationed at one of
the forts that guard the frontiers of the
Indian reservation, and it was the duty
Of the commanding officer to act, when
necessary, as a sort of chief Of police,
to keep order among the nations, to
seek out and arrest any Indian who
offended against the laws, and hand
him over to the civil authorities. 1t
was in a case of this latter kind that
the unsuccessful expedition had been
sent to arrest one of the Kiowa chiefs,
who had seen fit to seize an emigrant
and his family, who had ignorantly
trespassed on his allotted domains, scalp
and burn them alive.
Leaping Panther was the name of
this wretch, and it was significant
cognomen, for he was noted as being
the fiercest and most bloodthirsty of all
his fierce nation, and an inveterate
hater of the whites.
Long before this last outrage upon
humanity, Colonel Rawle had wished
for pretext to seize upon him; for,
although he had till now been cunning
enough to keep within the bounds of
the law, yet he was known to be the
meter of many lawless act on the
part of his less crafty brethren. In
brief, he was one of those mean, con-
temptible creatures, so abundant IN
civilized life, who use Others less crafty
to work out their own evil designs,
keeping cautiously in the background
themselves-one of the "Fledgely"
race whom Dickens pen has photo.
graphed so truly.
A man of Leaping Panther's unruly
nature was like smouldering fire
brand IN the midst of a brush-heap.
The government had certain informa-
nation that his one object in life was
to incite and urge on the Indian tribes
in the nation to make open war on the
whites; but as yet, although the several
commanders of the forts along the
frontiers had strict orders to arrest him
on the first plausible pretext, no oppor-
unity had been found.
But now at last the evil passions and
brutal nature of the man had betrayed
nm INTO fearful violation of the laws
under which he held his life and do
nah; yet still, as Colonel Rawle so
utterly deplored, he remained free
and defiant.
ouentlemen," spoke the colonel, the
o og Of the, return of the unsuc-
eSslp expedition, chat brute must
~ NJ aken-by force, if need be. But |
", al 10 avoid that, as it might lead to
serSEal war-peaceable means must
y w et ;, Nausted first. Therefore, l make
cou TINS proposition. feel my honor
noaeeifned in the capture of this
lS Saeh' | am rich man, as you all
~ HnoG, and | will willingly give re-
"alu OF two thousand dollars for the
1 are, Of this human monster without
f S4g shedding of blood. If any of you
ba cl IKE undertaking the task lit is a
b; araIuous one, of course), / will give
~ t,.',l leaye Of absence, and detail twen-
men aeh to accompany him, if he likes.
Neea hardly add that if any officer of