The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1889-08-16
SOALPED ALIVE.
HOW IT FEELS TO HAVE THE TOP OF
ONES HEAD TORN OFF.

The story of soldier named Delos
G. Sanbertson, of Monroe County,
Mich is the first actual description, l
b lirve, that any one has ever heard of
how it feels to be SC lped. While he
wns in the hospital at Laramie l heard
him tell the story many times, and
every time It made me shudder,
"a it does still whenever think of it,
Sanbertson belonged to the United
States infantry, which was part of
General Clusters command in his cam
paign against the Indians In 1869. He
participated in many of the engage
ments of that campaign, the most im-
portant of which was the fight with
the celebrated Black Kettles band OH
the Ouachita. 1t was in this fight
that Sanbertson was wounded and
scalped by the Indians, and l remember
that near ly all of the old frontiersmen
said that he was the only person they
ever knew up to that time who had
been thoroughly and Enthusiastically
scalped and lived to tell of it.
For some days before the meeting
W tn Black Kettle, Clusters scouts had
b en bringing in reports that the willy
chef was camped somewhere on the
Ouachita, and that he was sending out
predatory bands of his warriors to
plumber settlers and immigrant trains.
Custer decided to hunt him up and
punish him. The infantry was two
miles in advance of the cavalry, when
one day, just at daylight, it came in
sight of the enemy's camp.
"We were on high hill overlook
ing the valley" Sanbertson said, in
giving the account of the affair, 'and
the Indians were below. 1t was in the
middle of the winter and the snow was
deep. The Indian camp was in &
rocky spot, and as the women anc
cnildren we're there 1t was evidently
tn headquarters of the band. 1t wa
determined to surprise the village, anC
a portion of our command was sen
through the woods to the right Il
get in the rear of the camp, whlle thu
remainder advanced quietly down tn
mountain, from the top of which
good trail led to the valley through tn
thick woods. This maneuvering wa
successful that before our presence wa
disc 'vered by the Indians we wer
within four hundred yards of the camp
and the detachment that was sent t
open fire in the rear had arrived in pc
sition. We knew by the yells of tn
Indians and the great eommotiol
am Ing them that we were discovered
aud we began the attack. Firing be
gan on both sides of them at once
and this caused what at first promises
to be panic among the Indians tina
would make our victory an easy one
but suddenly an Iudian of enormou
stature and build, his face hideousl
sire aked in crosshars with bright We
low and vermilion paint, came dashin
into the midst of the surprised an
panic-stricken band from some plac
among the rocks, riding black pony
His yell could be heard above every
thing else as he dashed to and Fl
among his warriors, and the effect {
his presence Immediately changed tn
whole situation. In less than tw
minutes every Indian was in positio
beh nd some rock or tree, and we kne
the tight would be desperate one,
"We were in secure position, but Il
Indians We're just as secure as we wer
The only way we could hope to d
feat them was to charge upon the
stronghold, dislodge them, and sett
the affair by desperate hand
hand fight We were ordered
charge down the hill upon the er
! my, aud we rushed headlong right i
to the Indian camp, every man of
, yelling as hideously as the red dev
a themselves, As soon as we emerg
8 from the woods we were met with ri
g balls from every side, aud go
4 many poor fellows never reached t
camp. The detachment in the rear
!, the camp came into the conflict fro
n that side, and we forced the India
=. out FROM their hiding places to t
! lopeu ground, and the battle rag