Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1890-03-20


with the means It hand, and then retired
70 the dug-out in company with the others.
Zach of us had p0rt-hole, int more than
five hundred bullets had been fred by the
Indians before we fred our frs, Then.
inside of ten minutes We killed seven and
wounded three. There was about 80 In
dlans IN the party. As soon as mat fire
SlaCkened we knew what to expect, and we
got ready for IT, 4 band rs large rs that
would be certain 10 charge us before CIV
ing up the fight This dug-out was in the
form of an outdoor cellar, having q bullet
proof door. while the top was covered
with two feet of earth The door had two
/ portfolios. and the only way the Indians
/ could get us was 10 enscnnce themselves In
the barn. thirty feet in front of us, and
then keep up FIRE on the door until thirst
and hunger drove us to surrender In this
case we were fixed for a week but, of
course they knew nothing of our coudi-
/ ton, and had wrongly Judged our nuns
/ bers. Had they divided their forces a
( cf Mge must have been successful, hut the
/ Indian always charges in body or not
at all.
The force had to approach over open
ground and at the first sight of the charge
we sprang out OF our dug-out, ranged in
! line, and began TO blaze away. The mob
! was checked before it had half recovered
! the distance, but before ii could return
| 10 shelter we killed thirteen warriors and
wounded three or four more Ten
minutes after the charge was made all the
/ living was galloping to the west, not even
making an effort to recover the bodies Of
/ their dead I'm afteryea | met a warrior
! who was there and he explained that his
/ band got the idea that forty or fifty sol
/ diers We're concealed In the dugout and
stables. and that he himself counted over
/ twenty of rs.
/ One cloudy afternoon left a post of
/ the Seventh Calvary of the South Platte to
carry a dispatch TO headquarters. No In
/ dams had been seen for four days and as
/ the first fifteen miles of the route was full
/ of wash0uts and gulles wanted daylight
( to make anything like decent progress
1 had gone twelve miles and was riding at
/ a walk along q sunken way when an In
/ dian on horseback crossed it not over 100
/ feet ahead of me- lie had come out of
another gully which intersected it. While
[ ! was going north he crossed from east 10
west halted the instant saw him, and
sat there on my horse while seventeen
mounted warriors followed each other in
single file across the gully, which was
/ there fully fifteen feet wide. ANY one of
| them had only To turn his head half way to
I the right to see me, and yet all passed and
/ left me undiscovered / ascertained the
reason as moved mp 30 the crossing.
They We're following the trail of a cavalry
horse which had escaped from tine camp ON
| the Platte three or four days before, he
! lieving he carried a rider
In the latter part of the summer when
the stage route had been partially re-estab-
/ lished, | set out on night to carry orders to
the officer at one of the stations ! was
two miles off the trail and travelling par
/ allel to It, and my horse was going at %
| gallop when he suddenly came to a stand
still. This was the signal that danger
menaced and as ! sat quietly in the sad
! die and peered about me ! heard white
man cough ! dismounted and crept for
ward and found two white men wrapped in
| their blankets and asleep ON the earth, l
! awoke them to learn that
THEY WERE DEsERTERs
| from the Seventh. They had left camp
three nights before, got lost, and were so
| glad to see me that they shed tears Each
| had his carbine and revolver and plenty
of ammunition but they had had nothing
TO eat for two days They had seen Indians
all around them that day, and it was the
! greatest wonder in the world than they
! had not been discovered.
As the men were determined TO go ON
with me, had to proceed at a walk, and
! thus when daylight came we We're still
FIVE miles from our point of destination.
! Luckily for us we were In broken ground.
and as soon as the day had fully broken
/ left the men aud my horse IN gully and
assembled a ridge 10 look about me To
/ the left was the stage route Two cly-
! ilians, named Arnold and Webber, had
! left the station five miles away before day
( light to push on to the fort. As day came
! they almost rode into ambush of Indians
| in a hugh washout commanding the road.
! The accidental discharge of gun In the
/ hands Of one of The concealed Indians dis
covered their presence, and the civilians
, turned short 10 tine left and broke across
! the country hoping to find cover and q
| place to make a stand These men were
| only half a mile away as ! assembled the
ridge, and q quarter of mile behind
| them were tweuty-three Indians. all on
| horseback. called TO the men, and 1T
took but word to place rs in position.
The two men who We're riding for their
/ lives. came straight at as, aiming 10 get
the cover Of the gullies, and they went
over the ridge and down into the gully all
most upon my horse. They caught on in
an instant, and before the per-uing ln-
dians were mp the strengers had crept up
/ beside Ms with their rifles heard but
/ did net see Them. Not a word was spoken
as the Indians came sweeping up They
were spread out on a line about ten
rods long. and while the pace was astit
was not furious they doubtless believing
their long 'hase was before them. The
/ line was within 100 feet Of 'us when we
/ fired and as werose up we had to dodge
I the horses. The redskins We're paraIyzed
/ by the -uddenness Of the attack. and three
or four Of their ponies fell and rolled into
| the gulch with their riders Their only
anxiety from the first was to get away.
! Five succeeded in this, although two Of
I them were wounded The others were
: killed inside Of four or FIVE minutes, and
| that without the least hazard 10 our
selves. We had them right abcie us in
/ the gully. as in their excitement they
! blocked the only waj ont, and when we
came to investigate we could not find