The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1889-09-14
THE CAMP OF DEATH.

The Indians OF the west were never 40 Ierce
and vindictive as after the close OF the civil
war. Beginning with the spring OF 1866,
there was rush Of emigrants into the new
states and territories, and about this time
came reports of gold and silver in several lo-
calties. The government pushed troops into
new districts established additional posts,
and the red man saw the handwriting on the
wall. He realized that he would he overrun
unless the movement could be checked, and
the various tribes buried their differences for
the time being, and united all their energies
on the one object of driving the white man
back The number of emigrantS, land brok-
ers. prospectors and scouts killed between
May, 1868, and the campaign which closed
with Clusters death will never be known. IL
was impossible for any one TO secure figures.
Men were butchered singly, In pairs and by
fves aud tens along a frontier thousand
miles in length, and not one case in ten was
ever recorded in the public prints. 1t was
the beginning of the end, and five years ago
the power Of the red man was broken and he
was compelled to yield TO the inevitable.
was sent to Fort Laramie, in Wyoming
territory, early in the summer OF 1860, hav-
ing accepted the position OF government
scout and ! held that position all through
the troubles of the next four years. IL may
be Inferred therefore, that | had my full
share Of close calls and narrow escapes. AS
soon as fresh troops arrived at that and other
forts, ana the work Of subduing the Indians
began in earnest, every redskln who could
handle a gun was put into the field, Indeed,
BOYS no more than II years of age, armed
with bows and arrows, had the opportunity
20 show their mettle, and knew Of several
fights in which the younger squaws took
part. IL was u case of do or die with the In
dian, and he sacrificed his pride and his
legends that he might hold his own against
the white soldiers. ! carried dispatches be-
tween Julesburg and Laramie, and between
Laramie and Fort Fetterman, and outside of
this accompanied detached bodies on expedi-
tions or secuted on my own account. There
was never n day Of rest, and never a day
when one felt sure that he would live to see
the sun go down. Soldiers were killed within
mile of the gates OF the fort, and the place
was so constantly under surveillance that 1t
was hardly possible to get In or out without
being fired upon.
The strangest adventure Of the whole war
befell me in July 1866, and there was mys-
terry connected with it which has not been
solved to this day. | had been out with a
detached command Of 100 cavalry, which
had secuted along the north fork of the
Platte east from Laramie To the Cooper
mountains. These mountains are the begin
ming of the Black Hills chain. On the east
side of the mountains we turned to the north,
rode for two days and the cavalry then
made halt for day and retired TO jules
burg. The object was to cover ms much ter
ritory as possible and give the Indians To I'M
derstand that we were aggressive. had to
report TO the commander of Fort Laramie,
and instead OF returning and ascending the
Platte, decided to try for a pass through
the Copper mountains, my fellow scouts hay
ing told NE that several existed. | left the
cavalry camp soon after dark, it being about
twenty miles east Of the mountains. We had
been logged by Indians for two days, and I
made my start at night to throw them Off
the scent had jet black horse, speedy
and intelligent, and the risk was not so great
providing did not run into a small band by
accident
For the first two miles out of camp
walked my horse, both Of us watching and
listening. His senses were sharper than
mine, and all of sudden he CANE TO dead
halt and pointed his nose to the vest, like a
dog flushing bird. That meant danger. He
had been trained down fine before got him.
and was to be depended on rs much as if he
could speak. was no sooner off his back
than he lay down, and l had scarcely
crouched beside him when three Indians,
mounted on ponies and heading TO the east,
passed us TO the right on walk. The near
est one was not over ten feet away, and |
plainly scented the tobacco from his pipe
The ground was broken, with masses Of rock
outcropping here and there, and it would have
taken sharp eyes to detect Us even at that
short distance. / heard them humble and
mutter as they passed on, and not until ten
minutes after the footsteps Of the ponies
died away in the distance did we rise and
proceed. Had my horse been on the gallop,
or had hs been ten seconds later in discover
ing the redskins, might not have got away.
Half an hour after daylight, having met
with no further adventure, i was at the
base of the mountains, striking the range
seventeen miles from its southern end, and at
q place which has since been named Crook Is
Pass had little fear Of finding Indians in
the mountains, unless It was q body passing
through the gap. As soon as / was secure