The Sunday morning news., 1891-06-14
A REFORM SCHOOL BOY.
He Joins the Army and Gives An
Account Of His Adventures.

Harvey H. Thomas, former member
of the Number Three Family of the Re-
form School, at Jamesburg, who is now a
soldier ia the q. S. Army. having enlisted
last October, recently wrote letters to the
superintendent. from which are taken the
following extracts
When the Indians broke out in South
Dakota last fall, I was sent out with de-
tachment and assigned to the Seventh
Cavalry at Pine Ridge Agency, South
Dakota.
was one of the wounded, having been
shot through the left chest. the ball en-
tering nearly in the middle of the back
and coming out Just below the edge OF
the collar-bone. / am still in the hospi-
tai ] have not much use of my left
shoulder and arm, but l hope will come
ont all right.
Ii is nearly three months since the
battle OF Wounded Knee, December 30,
1890
We were carnped at Pine Ridge Agency
about month, with Indians all around
us, who appeared very friendly. One day
there came telegram that Big Foot's
band had qo5 away from Colonel Sum
iper and were coming toward us, and
then the order rang out, boots and sad
dIeH.n We started aE one O'clock D. M
AS we had no horses, myself and sixty
one others had to walk eighteen miles,
over hills, plains and ravines. When we
reached the fatal spot every one was tired
and hungry. We began tearing down a
fence that was there to build fire.
When had cooked some bacon and some
coffee for the officers they retired, while
the boys sat around the fire and told
stories and laughed.
On the morning OF December 30 an In
dian scout who was with us was offered
SIS to locate the hostile Indian camp, and
at eleven o'clock a. m. we saw him com
ing over the hill at great SPEED He re-
ported the camp eight miles away on
Porcupine Butts, and ''boots and sad
dlesn again rang out. Myself and sixty
other men were left to guard the camp.
One Of the scouts captured one OF the In
dian chiefs and brought him into camp.
and he was guarded until the command
came in and then turned loose with the
rest OF them. At two O'Clock we saw the
boys coming with the Indians.
They We're three miles off, coming
slowly and hiding things away. and when
they came in the Indians were sight to
see. Some we're painted green. and
others red with yellow stripes around the
eyes to represent the sun. That night
everybody stood guard, and things were
still uatiI morning. Then The Indians
were ordered to give up their arms. We
surroundered their camp. and my bat
talon dfsmountea, while the other SOL
diers remained mounted Tho Colonel
called for their arms, and twenty Indians
came out and surrendered two old worth
less guns. A searching party went out
and found forty three guns. Then pistol
cracked.
| stood about ten feet from the main
body Of the Indians, and as soon as the
shot was fired the Indians made a mad
rush for the tents that were in the rear,
and where the guns were.
/ could not fire, for my comrades were
ON the opposite side, and / made for the
heap of guns. They fired two shots
at me. One went through me, and the
other struck on the top of my head and
glanced off. I walked about fifty yards
after I was shot to where the artillery
was, and that was as far as could get.
The battle ragged with fury until late in
the afternoon, and then they loaded the
wounded up in farm wagons. and started
for the agency, eighteen miles distant.
There were two in each wagon, and the
man who was with me died on the way
in, and then he rolled against me. The
Indians set the prairie on fire ahead of us,
but we took another route, and got into
the agency safely. In the battle there
were thirty soldiers killed and thirty-six
wounded.