Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1885-04-30
A Ride for Life.
Az EscArE FROM THE BATrLEToRD IHDiASs
A Two DAYs PURsUir.
rr,ou The w;nnipee Free Pre,s. |

Il
| CFrom the Winnipeg Free Press
| The escape of George e. AppleRarth from
the Bauleford Indians reads ike page ou
Of border romance. Appleearth was ia,u
| instructor tn Red Pheasant's band. on tne
night of Monday, March 30. ne wss makini
no his returns With the intention OF going e
Ra,,lef,,d next dsv. The Indians of his re-
serve had expressed great friendliness fol
the Wits. Like all Indiaps, they said that
since trouble had risen they might fight, on'
they vould fight on the side of the whites
| Appleaarth went to bed about Midnight Al
three o'clock in the morning he heard tap
ming at thu door. Geiting up he went TO see
| what vas the natter, when an Indian quickly
| strode in and closed the door brhnd him. Tie
| told Applegarth that the reserve was rising
| and that some of the bucks who had been 10
Battleford were after him. Almost while he
spoke the door burst open and Is rehskih.
| rushed in AppIegtrth thought his time nan
come. but luckily this was not the
war party. THY were IS in Dnmber-slx
buck. and ~ .quaws-and the friendly In
dian whispered that their mission was TO hold
him until the warriors arrived Applegarth
reused hi. wife and sister in law, little girl
about IL years old, and Indian Teacher Cum
ningham, and told them to dress. He him
self slipped out behind and hitched up hi
team. while the friendly Indian engaged the
attention OF the visitors. Like true woman.
the only article of apparel which Mrs. Apple
garth took with her as the team drove on
besides the clothes she wore, was her wedding
dress.
About half past three in the morning the
party of four set out on their race for lite to
Swift Current. 200 miles distant They hal
mi he
broke. Applegarfh had to walk. two miles
back to get 4 rail to m Ike new one out Of.
Then they few on again. plunging and gal
Looping through snow three feet deep, with
the moonlight streaming overhead.
At dawn they saw six Indians in the dis
lance They had now struck the trail, which
they left again to strike int, the coulees and
elude their pursuers They drove all dav,
and towards nightfall, caught sight of the In
dams again. This time they thought it WAS
all up with them. The Indians were certain
" following them, and We're possibly waiting
till pightfall to kill them All Applegt 9Th
could do was to tell his wife he would AK
them to make short work at the business. His
wife and little girl cried little, but k pit up
their courage we'll. They had no arms with
them. Before leaving the house AppI-garth
had been scar ched bv the squaws, and. his
arms and money taken from him The only
defence the party had against their pnrsuers
was an axe. At two O'clock on the morning
of "wednesday, they rested tor couple of
hours. The horses were nearly exhausted
But a little before morning they were put to-
gether again and driven on. When daylight
cane there were no Indians in sight. They
drove on all Wednesday, and at nightf4ll
took another rest. Applegarth never 81 s-d
his eyes, however. Sometime after midnight
they went on, and the forenoon of
Thursday, they came up with Judge
K ruleau, who had left Battlefnrd the previous
Sunday with his wife ami child, Mrs.
Rae. wife of the Indi IN agent,
hired man. the two ParkArs Of Battleford and
$ man named Foster-eight in all. This
brought up the party to II persons. When
the judge left Batteford there was no trouble,
although trouble was apprehended. Apple
garth's report hurried up their movements
Thirty miles from Swift Cur
rent they we're Overtaken by Constable
Storer and Mr. Smart. Storer had lett Bat
lief rd on Saturday. and was the bearer of
dispatches to Colonel Herchmer. The Bat
tleford garrison believed Herchmer was
within days march of Battleford. Storer
had pluckhy volunteered to go out and meet
him and tell him of the events that had trans
PRED. o his way he met Smart who was
coming in with goods, and the two 'urneyed
south together. They arrived at Swift Cur
rent on Monday morning, and the majority
of the party went east on Tuesday.
1t NAV be of interest to know that the In
dams who were bent on killing Appiegarth
were those whose rations had been stopped
by him until they consented to work
This ended flight which undoubtedly is
only sample of many occurring in the north
country now, and which illustrates the un.
happy plight of the settlers throughout all
the disatfected region.