Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-12-03
GOOD-FOR-NOTHING JOE,

| A Halfbreed Chased and Shot by Indians
as He Galloped Awav for Help.
'.RideP" said the colonel, there's
nothing in the world can touch an In
dian for riding. He can ride on q
pony's neck, on his side, on his flank
he can ride under pony, for hav g
seen him do il many time.
''And now that we are on the sub
jeet o. riding, I'll tell you about ride
that half-breed Indian made once.
never liked half breeds before that
any more than | liked Indians. |
don't like half breeds now, but | liked
that crittar Joe.
This was all down in Arizona
was a, nice country in those days
Your scalp was worth just about ten
cents, par value. A friend of mine,
| Will Savrin, was a lieutenant in the
, tn. He picked up half-breed, the
neanest looking half-breed | ever
saw. The whites of his eyes showed
every time you spoke to him. |
wouldn't have trusted him if my neck
had been in danger and he could have
saved it. Will found some of the SOL
diers kicking and cutting the half breed
around camp one day. The Indian
was just whining and taking it all.
Will cursed the men off the spot and
threw two or three of them over their
heels. He took the half breed, warm
ed him up and gave him something to
eat He couldn't drive the worthless
devil away then. and so made kind
of a man servant of him, naming him
Joe, but the Indian wasn't worth q
rap for any kind of work.
''Will was an awfully reckless fell
low
He didn't believe that the Indian
lived who would fight face to face with
a man. He used to say that he would
| take ten men and ride through a whole
tribe. shooting whatever man he
chose and that not one of them would
show fight if he could keep them from
closing in behind him.
He got his chance one day. He
was escorting a supply train wagon,
you know, across the plains. He had
! about twenty infantrymen with him
A swarm of Indians came down upon
| him. They fired like hail-storm
He gott wagons rounded up and then
he tried to make the Indians come in
and fight him. Not bit of it would
they have. They hung around like q
swarm 6 bees just out of range. Every
time he got the train in motion down
they came again with whoop. They
were losing mules, and Will was raw
! ing, cursing mad He couldn't make
| them fight him.
so there they stayed. That night
the red devils led them a terrible
dance, but they stuck it out. The
next day was one of those scorching
blistering days that you get on the
| plains, The sun was like q flaming
sword, ar | the wind that came over
| the bleached plain CIT the skin open.
| There was no water to drink. The
mems swollen tongues were hanging
out o. their mouths, and their carbines
were so hot they blistered the flesh on
their hands And all the while Will
was swearing and swearing, and try
| Ing to get the devils to fight him.
There was no fight in them. They
had a sure thing OF it waiting.
lin the afternoon it got so terrible
that the men could not breathe They
began to faint under the torturing sun.
VIII wanted some one to come out
and ride into camp for a cavalry
troop. Joe was lying ia the shade OF
q supply wagon and he got up and led
his pony over. The Indians were
| lying off about three miles then watt
ing for night W n they could come
in and make things lively again with
showers of rife balls.
Joe started off to the south on an
easy lope. You could see the Indians
move where they had rested like q
shadow on the plain. Then out came
9 circle like the curve of band of
blue swallows. 1t spread out widen
ing and widening, and circi3d in
again like closing fan, after Joe.
All the while Joe was Looping over the
white plain to the south. They were
after him now at hot pace and Will
| gnawed his moustache as he watched
his half breed getting smaller and
smaller. He was riding harder now
and the pursuing Indians were be-
| tween him and the train. The SOL
diers could see puffs of white where
| the Indians were sendiag balls after
the half and then the speck OF
q Joe went out Of sight and afterward
the band. only a fine cloud of alkali
dust showing where it foated over
| them.
The redskins chased the half breed
Joe for nine hours. They shot him,
too, but the boy took off sash which
he wore and tied himself to his pony's
neck when he got SO weak that he
could hold on no longer. And that's
the way the pony carried the boy into
camp in a dead faint. There was no
need to tell them what the trouble
was. 1t was after midnight then, but
In twenty minutes cavalry troop was
galloping northward. The next fore
noon the men in the train could see
their sabers flashing in the sunlight
miles away. They came over the
plain with the sound of light thunderl
and the first cries the relief heard
from the train were cheers that came
| from burning threats and shriveled
| lips for the half breed Joe.
The cavalry brushed the redskins
off the plain and sent them scurrying
In the direction that the sun went.
They pulled Joe together and got him
| on his feet again. but after he got well
he was the same lazy. good-for- nothing
half-breed that he had been before
absolutely fit for nothing. And yet,
!