Sharp County record., 1890-01-23

You can also take this blanket and the
rest of my meat and crackers. i shall
make for this spot as Ireturn, and /
hope to find YOU
No Indian viii 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 incredull-
tv. 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. had not only succored him
whom / 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 duplicity on my part,
until 1 turned and rode away. did not
look back at him, but I knew that he
was on his feet and following my prog
ress with wondering eyes.
10 was three o'clock in the afternoon
Of the third day when returned to the
water hole. and failed to find my young
warrior there. / waited for a full hour,
but he did not show up. / was going
away feeling very bitter toward him,
when discovered a trail showing that
large war party had passed there the
dav before, and / knew then .hathe had
either Joined it or been driven away
The scene Of war was shifting every day
and by the next spring had almost for
gotten the incident The facts leaked
out in one way and another, and for a
time was the butt Of ridicue Of all the
officers and scouts. My greenness IN
supposing an Indian had any gratitude
was bad enough they said, but the idea
of my giving him food and weapon
brought down the house.
During the early part Of summer OF
the next year was detailed as one OF
the guards to accompany the stages over
a certain distance on the Smoky HllI
route. There we're from three to six Of
us with each stage, according to the de-
meanOr Of the indians, who, at times
seemed determined prevent all travel
A sllirmish of some sort was an every
day occurrence, but one afternoon, as
three of us were riding ahead of stage
in which were three civilians, we We're
ambushed from a cut or ravine. The
party of Indians numbered twenty-one,
and they did a very singular
thing. My two companions were
shot dead at the first volley while
nv horse was killed. They did
not molest the stage at all, although it
could have been easily captured but le5
it 90 and turned their attention to me.
When my horse went down / took his
BODY for breastwOrll and opened d
rapid fire on the advancing Indians,
while the stage driver whipped up his
horses and was soon out Of sight No
one man, no mattHr how brave and well
armed. could be expected to stand OIL
such a band of indians very long. / killed
one and wounded another, and then they
scattered and circled me. This deprived
me of the protection Of my breastworK'
and. knowing that I had no show what
ever of rescue, I stood up and signaled
the fact Of my surrender. twas taking
a chance, but it was the only thing left
+ had reason 10 believe that they would
hold me a prisoner for a few days before
disposing of me, and it was between sui
eide or hoping for an opportunity to es-
cape
The band came crowding up as I sur
rendered, and my first reception was bet
ter than had hoped for. They did not,
as a rule, feel as bitter against the stage
people and guards as they did against
the soldiers. I handed outmy weapons,
submitted to be bound without word,
and was then mounted on a pony and
stationed in the center of the band as
il rode off to the northwest.
This was about two hours be-
fore sundown. After riding for an
hour, during which several Indians ques-
toned me in regard to the soldiers, we
united with another band Of eighteen,
who were hidden away in dry run
about three miles Off the stage route.
We had scarcely come mp when ! recog-
nized in one Of the warriors the young
buck whom had cared for at the water
hole the year previous. He gave me
sign Of recognition and with it signal
chat we were to be strangers. He was
one of the first to declare my identity
as a Government scout, and to argue
that ought to be put to the torture at
once. Several other young men agreed
with him, but the older heads would not
listen to any thing Of the kind. I was
greatly shocked to find that this second
band held as prisoners white man
named Cooper and boy named Peters.
They had been captured together thirty
miles away while hunting for a lost
horse. The man seemed dull-witted,
and did not apparently realize what was
in store for him. The boy on the con-
trary. keenly appreciated his danger
and was all unnerved. He was only six
teen years old pale and sickly, and
when saw him in tears ! could not re-
proach him, although warned him that
he would subject himself to the con-
tempt Of the indians and provoke them
to administer greater punishment
At dusk we all set off together in a
northwesterly direction and after rid
ing a distance of eighteen or twsnty
miles we reached an Indian camp On a
creek running into the Solomons river.