Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-11-30
sPRINTING WARRIORS.
The Indian's Ability In Retreat is One of HI,
Strongest Pointa

strongest PotntsL
From the Chicago Herald.
One Of the problems Of the soldier in the
west is to overtake the Indian when that fellow
wants TO get away. Let band OF Indians COM
init depreciation and start to run, and il is
one Of the greatest Of difficulties to catch them
No one who remembers the accounts of the
Geronimo band can forget the trials of the
army men who were sent to capture and pun
ish the redskins. Once they had reached the
mountains it was almost impossible to get near
them. They not only knew the land thoroughly.
but they could run SO rapidly that Won might
have them safely located in one place bring
your detachment up, only TO find they had
gone bag and baggage, hours and hours before.
On straight chase it lie almost equally impos-
sible to catch them. Even cavalry is useless
against them. The human. after all. is the bet
ter animal, and when an Indian band ran in
the lead Of cavalry horses the latter lost. The
only he pc was in numbers that could in time
surround and turn back the line of retreat 30
often and at such unexpected places that the
Indian would surrender more from confusion
than from fear.
1t IS no difficult thing for one Of the noun
tam Indians TO run 100 miles within ten hours.
Couriers have carried messages for army Of
hcers IN that time very often. A single mile in
n
and again. Up AT Hualpi, village of the no
qui Indians Of Arizona. there is a religious fes-
tival which Is introduced by race of five
miles, IN which the winner, on testimony that
canno. be denied, makes the distance in twenty
minutes. climbing at the conclusion of the rece
shopping height of over 200 feet ...
So proud are the Indians Of their proves as
runners that on recent occasion when COM
missioner Morgan of the Indian bureau was in
the territories looking after his wards the
NayaIoes brought runner 10 theheadquarters
OF the government men and wanted to pit him
against horse. Lieut.. Baker of the seventh
infantry and Lieut. Pierson of the engineer
corps slipped away from the commissioner and
went down where the Indians were camping
Baker said he thought the Navajo couldn't run
They were much offended and offered TO bet he
could outrun a horse
Baker" said Pierson. 'you bet them can
beat their man."
The lieutenant Of infantry made the promo
sltion, and the Indians swiftly gathered IN
their valuables and offered to stake them
They came in groups and clamored for a bet
They could not get to him quickly enough
He covered everything they offered. even to
their ponies. He had about a peck of the most
beautiful garnets heaped on a blanket before
him. and all the silver girdles they had in camp.
lhe Indian racer stripped to the skin and Pier
son took of his heavier garments Indians and
| whites agreed upon a course and the runners
| started. Pierson is a Splinter who could prob
ably beat any man IN the army, and he ran
away from the Navajo. But the Indians were
game. They were sadly disappointed in their
man, but the bets they never gave a second
thought The army men rounded up their
herd OF ponies. loaded burro with belts and val
uables. hireda boy TO carry the lighter winnings
and started away. The Indians broke Camp
and got ready to leave. As soon as the two
lieutenants had shown their plumber to the
other officers they sent for the losers and gave
everything back. 1t was quite a difficult mat
ter for them to explain TO the Indians that an
army officer could not gamble with Indians
and certainly could not justly win from them.
But 80 game were the latter that they did not
want 10 take their things back.
Commissioning Morgan had thought a great
deal OF Lieut. Baker and lie was sorely grieved
when he learned of the betting. Baker was
very careful to keep from him the knowledge
that the winnings had been restored, and lie
probably went back to Washington with a
shocked sense of the state of the army. He is
ar Indian lover, and thinks the Leatherstook-
ing tales are verities.