Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1890-04-17
CAMPFIRE STORIES.
HEROIC JOHNNY CLARK.
Remini>cence Of the Campaign 81 tn
Powder I.iKs.r lomnfrN.

Powder River Country.
Right away after Lees surrender the
Government sent the cavalry brigade TO
which | was attached 10 Laramie and
Julesburg. and from these points COM
mands were sent out into the Powder
River country The Indian vas III his
best in those days. defiant independents
and aggressive, and the Powder river
expedition was in danger of attack
every hour Of the day OF night When
we left Laramie a boy fifteen wears old,
who gave MS name as Johnny lark. got
permission To 90 with Us. wear before
that his father and mother had been
killed in one Of the frontier raids. and
his sister Mary. girl 81 ten years, had
been carried OF prisoner II was in hopes
TO learI some hing Of her that he went
along. lie was thin in flesh. ragged and
bare-handed, and ii was pitiful 10 think
Of boy like that starting out on such
an errand. His ease touched the hearts
Of the rough men, and before the day
Of starting We had provided him with
new shit Of clothes. Winches-
ter rifle. revolver and horse
The latter was furnished him
on tho quiet by thu quartermaster, and
when we got started every man feltthat
one OF the objects Of the expedition was
to help Johnny Clark learn the fate Of
his sister. From the day OF our start
the Indians kept MS in sight and at
every favorable opportunity they made
an attack. We had lost nine or ten men
when the order was given 10 bout face
for Laramie. the command having pene-
trated as far into the unknown country
as required by orders. We took up the
line of march early one morning, and
had scarcely moved out Of camp when it
was seen that the redskins had gathered
in force and meant to attack us. We
closed up, threw out hankers and kept
moving, but at eleven o'clock they APP
peared in such numbers and seemed SO
determined go attack. that we halted in
a natural dip and made preparations for
a fight We had then less than two
hundred men. ana the force of Indians
was estimated at tally two thousand
They encirred q, as soon as we dis
mounted, and fot two Or three hours We
fought them an loug range They had /
some long range rifles among them,
and several 81 our men were killed or
wounded while We waited for them to
close in.
At three O'Clock in the afternoon
band OF twenty hunters and trappers APP /
peared ia the distance. having been at
tracted bg the tring. ana a. portion Of /
the Indians rode 81 10 hold this rein /
a
mount and get ready To charge that
which remained We we're an anxious /
enough, knowing this was our only way
out, and presently Ne got the word and |
dashed away, riding straight at the spot /
whore the Indians we're lhickest and /
depending ON the saber alone They /
gave way At our approach, but not TO re- /
treat, and We charged time and again |
before We finally started panic which /
routed them. dou'tbelieye one Indian
in twenty bad ever seena cavalry charge I
or a saber before our blades were |
sharply ground. and Whenever We rot to |
them their heads had 20 suffer Our /
horses knocked their light ponies head I
over heels whenever they stood for us.
and as We were constantly on the move,
we escaped most Of the bullets fred bv /
their hauhers
Just as We got The whole force - In
dams ON the run some one cried oat that +
Johnny Carl, was missing A quarter /
of an hoae latcr, when gathering up our /
dead and wounded we found he boy in I
the dip whore he bad first taken refuge |
lie was dead and scalped For some |
reason Ire had not been ready to mount /
when We did, and his horse had gone OF I
in the charge and left him there on foot |
and alone While we We're charging to [
and fro d mile away, a gang OF redskins /
had set out TO capture the boy, One. 10 /
look at his big blue eyes and girlish |
face would have doubted II he had the
courage TO shoot a. An Indian The boy
realized his helpless situation. rolled four
or five loose rocks together used some OF
the camp baggage 70 strengthen the posi-
ton. and then waited am telling you
what has been officially reported when
/ say that he killed seven Indians be-
fore they got his life and the last two
he killed with his revolver within ten
feet Of his body The seven were lying
within rifle shot Of him, and there were
two dead ponies besides. The poor boy
had been shot through the neck and
recognizing in him a brave and worthy
foe. the Indians had simply taken the
scalp This we found al the girdle of
warrior killed ON another part Of the
field Detroit Free Pres,