St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-10-17

use clubs and sticks and tomahawk
handles. When looked down the line
/ felt that there was no show for me to
make the run, and yet / must make the
attempt. You may ask why | did not
obStinately refuse, and let them do their
worst then and there. Because was
hoping for them to show me little
mercy. They would torture me, but
not So cruelty as if | refused to run.
l got as good a ready as l could. and
when the signal came | sprang away at
the top of my speed. Blow after blow
fell upon me while the savages shouted
their pleasure, and to my great sur
prise | at Tenth reach the end of the
lines. There | fell in heap and they
gave me about ten minutes in which to
brace up for the run back. ] made
only half the distance this time, being
struck such blow over tue head with
a club that l sank down unconscious.
When l had recovered my senses they
returned me to the lodge. where L lay
for many hours expecting to be taken
out any moment for torture. They
would have finished me but for the
fact that the wife of Little Feather,
who was in another village fifty miles
away, had notlyet arrived. She wanted
to be in at the death, and so further
proceedings were declared Off for the
day.
The squaw arrived soon after mid
night. My ankles were tightly lashed
and could not sleep. She was for haV-
ing me out at once, and came and looked
into the lodge to see if | was safe; but
she was told that | was to be put to the
torture after breakfast in the morning,
and long after she had turned away |
heard my guards gioating over the pros
poets. 1t was agreed among them that
L was game man and would hold out
for several hours and give them lots of
amusement.
Half an hour after daylight the vii
lage was aStir, and at sunrise squaw
brought me some breakfast, and the
lashlngs around my ankles were cast off.
| learned several years after that it was
intended TO oblige me to run the gauntlet
again. L was eating the meal the SquaW
had brought when a sudden excitement
arose outside. There was great shoot
ing, followed by cheers ana the report
OF firearms, and the next minute the
200 frOntlerSmen who had been raised
i'll Kansas and Nebraska as an indie
pendent force charged into the village.
1t was complete surprise to the In
dams, but not for long. 1t wasn't five
minutes before the fleeing warriors raj
lied for defense, but before that time |
was safe.
AT the first alarm 1 leaped up and
sprang out of the lodge full against one
of the guards, and as | ran | was fired
at TWO or three times. | was among the
horsemen in minute or two, and after
a bit got rife and took an active
part in the hot fight going on. We were
driven off after a couple of hours, but
we got every pony IN the herd and
burned all the lodges, and they had
many dead warrior to mourn over.
1t was singular thing that in after
years l should meet the Squaw of Little
Feather on the reservation and have
long talk with her. So it happened, and
she calmly told me that she had been
promised my scalp as a keepsake, and
that it would have been her hand which
would have ended my agonies after /
had amused the warriors to their fill as
q prisoner at the stake.