The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-12-26
INDIAN GRATITUDE.
How the Sparing of a Life Saved a
White Captive from torture.

hn1Ie captive from torture
In the fall of 1886, while 1 was carry.
ing a dispatch between two temporary
posts on the Arkansas river, and when
midway between the posts and twenty
miles from either, at the hour of noon, I
came upon an Indian lying on the ground
between two of the monotonous ridges
on the plains. l saw him while vet forty
rods away, and ! knew that lie was
dead or unconscious. Before l got to
him I discovered pony tracks, and knew
that he had come there on horseback.
/ reached the body to find it that of a
young buck about % years old, and for
some time l believed him dead. He had
been shot through the head, ss | sup
posed, as one side of it was covered with
blood, and while / sat on my horse and
looked down on him a dozen or more
buzzards were sailing in the air aboutus,
waiting for the feast. / was rather re-
joiced that the force of hostiles was re-
dnced by even one, for every Indian was
a hostile in those days, and I was
about to ride on when the supposed dead
man uttered a groan.
| was down beside him in a moment.
l had a bottle of brandy and a canteen
of water, and when I had poured some
of the former down his throat, and used
the latter to wash off some of the blood,
he opened his eyes and looked at me in
a way to prove that he had his senses.
/ could speak the Sioux dialect like one
born in the tribe, and / presently asked:
"Who are you, and how came you to
be in this condition.
"Why don't you kill mel" he asked in
reply:
"I have no wish to harm you
"But the white man and Indian are
enemies. We kill whenever we can"
eff l found you seeking my life I
should try to take yours. AS it is, you
are almost dead, and l am willing to
aid you in any way I can"
He looked incredulous, and composed
himself for the death blow; but as /
mixed some water and brandy and hand
ed it to him, and again investigated the
nature of his wound, he finally explain
ed that he was amember of Little Crows
band. The Sioux tribe, as a tribe, was
then split up into half a dozen bands,
each under the leadership of a sub-chief.
He would not fully explain what had
occurred, but told me sufficient to enable
me to supply the rest. He had attempt
ed to run off with one of the sub-chief's
three wives, and had been pursued, ever
taken and left for dead. The bullet had
not entered his skull, but had plowed
through the scalp clear over his head,
rendering him unconscious for several
hours and making a terrible wound to
look at.
l took needle and thread from my
pack and brought the scalp together
and stitched it in half a dozen places.
1t must have hurt him terribly, for I
worked away as if mending a slit in an
army blanket, but during the whole
operation he never uttered a groan.
When | had his head in shape | divided
my luncheon with him and was amazed
to see what an appetite he had. AS we
finished / said:
"You are not able to travel, and if you
were you are defenseless. What do you
propose to dol"
81 cannot return to Little Crows band
for a time, if ever" he replied after a
moments thought; las my white brother
says, | am weak and without even a
knife. Let him tell me his plan"
81 should advise you to lie quiet near
the water hole for a day or two. | shall
return this way inside of two days, and
then you will be stronger. Here is one
ofmy revolvers to protect yourself with.
You can also take this blanket and the
rest of my meat and crackers. l shall
make for this spot as | return, and | hope
to find you"
No Indian will give his feelings away
in his face If he can possibly prevent it,
but this young fellow made no effort.
He looked his amazement and incredu-
lily, and even as he held the revolver in
his hand he stared at me as if he could
not comprehend my motive. We were
enemies. l had not only succored him
when / found him helpless, but had
placed in his hands a weapon to enable
him to take my life. He could not help
but suspect some d~uplicity on my part,
until l turned and rode away.
1t was 8 o'clock in the afternoon of the
third day when l returned to the water
hole, and failed to find my young war
rior there. / waited for a full hour, but
he did not show up. l was going away
feeling very bitter toward him, when l
discovered a trail showing that a large
wal party had passed there the day be-
fore, and I knew then that he had either
joined it or been driven away, The scene
of war was shifting every day, and by the
mex spring had almost forgotten the
incident. The facts leaked out in one
way and another, and for a time / was
the butt of ridicule of all the officers and
scouts. My g~reenness in supposing an
Indian had anygratitude was bad enough.
they said, but the idea OF my giving him
food and a weapon brought down the
house.
During the early part of summer of
the next year l was detailed rs one of
the guards to accompany the stages
over a certain distance On the Smoky
Hill route. There We're from three to
six of us with each stage, according to
the demeanor Of the Indians, who, at
times, seemed determined to prevent all
travel. A skirmish of some sort was an
every day occurrence, but one after
noon, as three of us were riding ahead