Telegram-herald., 1891-08-31
a LEGEND or CAMP HORROR.
A Terrible Incident of n BivouAc In the
Country Of the Sioux Indians


Yoa will wonder, Of course. why a sol
dier's camp should have received such a
name, but il 4, on the military records,
and no man will ever attempt to explain it
10 you without gricving over the recollec-
tions aroused thereby.
II was out In the Indian country, on the
Kansas frontier, when the red men were
making s1ch fight against the troops
sent out after the close OF the rebellion.
They had swooped down on the smoky
I'LL stage routs and scalped and slaugh-
tered right aud left, and our command
had been hurried forward 10 protect such
settlers IA migat have escaped and TO open
the route again. Day after day the red
men hovered on our fanks, and night
after niEht they crept upon us like ser
pents and sent their silent arrows into
camp 70 End living targets.
One night. W hen the day had been full OF
excitement. and when 10 seemed IA IL the
Sioux had determined TO retreat no fur
ther, the seut.neis were warned 10 extra
vigilance. We knew that peril ncnaced
va. and we who stood sentry after midnight
pee-ed into the darkness with bated breath
and were ready 20 fire at the first suspicious
sound At I o'clock I thought | heard n
light footstep on the grass. 1t was dark
night. with now aud then gust OF wind
sweeping up with lonesome sound, and
could not he sure l heard Alright
waited. with hnger on ths trigger,
ready 10 Gre IL heard the footstep again,
but IL did not come to me. Scarcely ten
minutes had passed when the sentinel on
my right. who was only irty feet away,
fred into the darkness. Tho report Of his
carbins had not died away when loud,
Wild scream rang out upon the night. and
every man vino heard it knew that it was
uttered bY woman.
II il a good many years back 70 that
nizht. hut remember every incident as
well as n only week had passed. Now
and then 7 hare dreamed of IT, and that
scream he's aroused me and taken all my
nerve tooa as We could Investigate we
found an amazing thinz-s woman lying
dead on toe grass with a year-old baby In
her arulsl 'ras sentinel bad shot her dead
IN her tracks. hut he bsby 'ss still asleep,
with one ~ its mothers arms hGgzing it
T. her hresst
We looked and looked. and Il was lard
70 believe We saw arig gbt. L. was a settlers
wife. "a was aftervard known. who had
escaped = rnsssscre more than forty miles
away Shs had wandered around for five
dsTs, suffer "a with hunger and thirst, and
bod no doubt become crszed with anxiety
aud exhaustion.
There VA. uoBe but oil veterans IN thai
camp. hat there were tears IN al eyes when
TIA. poor dad boiy vas brought into
camp. and when the vasened baby cried
wish fright and hunger Nud held cut its
lttis haud. To ths very trooper Who hsd
fred upon cha mother NJ one cogh
blame hirn ia tbe isa-t, hnt be Named hin-
seif When ha realized What hs bad dome
- tnrned away from us wi-rnut a wer'i
snd wNked away a. men yak In their
sep
We has u-,Shei fli- msthsv's lfe hl0osi
cfT the baby. harris sEi me colonel h.n-
-eif vss fs-ii ng s Win she E-nei hast .r
p~psnei Elen taers came sDother shot
sn1 snri aer aisrrl TIE trooper bad Eon-
tz-T SHhngs lhe lpes - tae rz7sp aai
-s' ~sIr .rr~ ~- ~~e ~-stA H-sserFs
bai driven hIri tc .r
~ouevterr n ere wrss shaf ny nehv,
rF zrovn to nsr arrf sf trrs. nut ee
go 9rs-rs We faz a~vs morning wsrs
Tesrs tzr efeief snt ehIrerafei frrn al
fEhr ert trsf ~ -ef a. .he 'ssf srsa-
sr n@ Rre<sn be sfst -f taeir 5es.i.
-a .utl Nsv p .rk Waral