St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-12-06
An Interesting Story Told by
a Cavalryman Who Was
on the Ground.
Sixty-Mile Charge Across the
Deadly Sand Plains Of
the Reservation.
Sitting Bulls Head Broken In
With a Pole by a Po-
liceman.

may in the centuries to come afford an
opportunity for his canonization. Those
who stoned Stephen have not yet been
so honored, but it is possible. There
are strange things happening every day,
and we of this day may not have seen
the strangest.
l met an old cavalry trooper of the
regular army the other night. who, as it
happened, was in at the death of the
Bull-an actor in the farce-comedy that
left the old chieftain dead by the waters
of the Grand. The old trooper told me
the story, just as his eyes had seen the
death and his ears had heard the last
groan of the brave. As contribution
to history past it is worthy of preserva-
ton. II any one wishes to meet the old
trooper 1 will be most pleased to intro
duce them. He served three years in
the German army and three in what we
call ours. His tale ran as follows:
cit is year ago this mOnth-the 18th
that we rode down to the death of Sit
ting Bull. There were two troops of us
F and G, of the old Eighth cavalry,
army Of the United States. We were
not as famous as the Seventh, and the
newspapers paid but little atteation to
us-where we went and where we came
frOm-but it was we who were in at the
last fox hunt and the finish at the death.
The Seventh would have forfeited
mess and a half years pay to have
seen what we saw: TO have been OH the
Grand river that cold morning when the
Bull died.
1--WE have been stationed at Yates on
the Missouri The fort is located in as
blank and sad a hole as any trooper
ever slept in. 1t is unhappy living to
be where there is never q tree nor a
blade of grass nothing buta dirty river
and hills that look, i'll their barrennesS,
like the funeral mounds of barbarians.
The men of the line were blue. The
Pine Ridge campaign was blooming on
paper, but at the seat of war the pros
poets for hill-chasing of the Indians
during the winter were brilliant. Not
one of us had lost faith in Daddy
Miles, but there were TOO many at the.
front who thought that we had ball
room affair on our hands. They wished
to eat well, drink strong and swagger
big in the adjutant'S Office while
telegraph operators put down the
revolt. We were blue. SaberS and
pistols are cherries comforterS in win
try weather; To saddle an unwelcome
sound. Add to this, poor rations, not
fit for fighting stomach, and you un-
derstand our woes. The snow was yet
backward, but Assinniboine and DAP
pelle were sending bitter blasts to rid
die our blankets and make our great
coats seem like busters.
Hatch. who was corporal of f, was
wont to go out of quarters to look at
the bleak hills and everlasting sandi-
ness of their fronts. He would come
back with the remark:
"'We are not on earth, we are in
Hades. The StyX rolls darkly by us
and the wind whistles in the caves of
PlutO.'
Hatch was literary and we had to
stand him. Early in December word
passed along the barracks rooms that
somebody, somehow, was to- capture
Sitting Bull and bring him into Yates,
dead or alive. That seemed an easy
matter to the privates. We knew
where he was and we had no epauletS
nor wire pulling to sacrifice by getting
hold of him at the wrong time. Buffalo
Bill came, with q red-headed neWspa-
per correspondent, and both made
masterful retreat. No one seemed to
think that the privateS or his own race
were of value III securing the Bull. We
went on with our wood chOpping. horse
when pay day had passed. December
was half gone when we had definite news
that the Bull must be captured and
brought 10 Yates. 1t was the evening
of the 18th of>December that they called
out the Indian scouts and police and
started them under the command of Red
Tomahawk for the Grand river. Their
orders were to secure the Bull at all
hazards. His camp was on the Grand
river, where the ghost dance had its
sway, and, according to the braves, mir
acleS were worked.
"Red TOmakawk never liked the Bull.
He was more than pleased to receive
the orders given to him. He marshaled
his party rapidly, and shortly after in
the evening they left Yates and rode
away over the hills. We returned to our
quarters and made many wagerS as to the
outcome of the expedition. The weather
was bitterly cold, and the ride cross cOun-
try hard sixty miles. 1t was up hill
and down hill, and little chance for open
fighting if need be. Then there was
the speculation as to what would hap
pen when the camp was reached. We
went to bed little thinking of the part
we were to play before morning.
ut was midnight when the bugles
routed us out. Old Yates never seemed
as cold as it did at that moment. We
were cavalry. and to mount at that hour
in freezing weather was awkward busi-
ness. The full moon seemed unearthly
big and white. Our orders were simple.
We were to follow the Indian police to
the camp on the Grand. Once clear of
the fort, the order came, 'Trot," and
away the eighty odd of us went,
and never pulled rein until we were
on the hills above Bulls camp. Our
commander was Capt. Fechet, of G,now
major Of the Sixth. He was big and
fat, but rode like trooper. His horse
was dark bay, with white foot, and
a swinging gait that was killing on the
weaker horses. Lieut.. SlOcum was act
ing captain of Z, and there was Lieut.
CrOwder, an old West Pointer. The first
sergeant of F was man by the name of
Kennedy.
'Such six hours as that was in the
saddlei The men did little talking or
chatting. We felt certain that we were
going into action. Piel. one of the
troopers, looked as if he were riding to
short time and his bride was back
at the fort, waiting and praying.
Even at the gait we were go
ing our feet became numb and
hands chilled until an ambuscade would
have been a relief-anvthing for
warmth. With G there was a gatling
gun, and with f a wicked Hotchkiss.
Corporal Hatch had charge of the latter,
which was pulled by single horse. We
carried no colors, but Bugler Hutton
was In line.
A cavalry charge in the heat of action,
when the troopers, fresh. are hurled
from their forest retreat on to the hot
| flushed line of advance, is sublime to
| troopers and spectators alike. Action
| is too quick for serious reflection as to
how that charge will end. About and
above and underneath is that intoxicat-
| ing song of battle which inspires men
and horses until they are as gods
mounted on demons. Before the
walls of Paris, twenty years ago.
1 rode with 1900 troopers in
one charge. We were playing cards,