The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-02-17


@. A. Forsyth and band of fifty scouts
with the terrible Cheyenne and Sioux war
riors and their bandit allies on the line of
the Kansas Pacific in 1868 In August Of
that year there was an outbreak of savage
fiendishness along the borders of Kansas,
Colorado and Nebraska east of Denver.
The tribes of the region opposed the con-
struction of the railroad, and began to raid,
ravish and kill over a widespread territory
of thriving settlements. Their deeds were
such that no white man able to handle a
weapon could stay the passion of revenge.
Among the officers at Fort Wallace was
Col. G. A. Forsyth, a civil war veteran
who had served with Sheridan. He was
on staff duty and had no followers, but in
the excitement of the hour drummed up
fifty unemployed scouts, mounted and
equipped in their own wild fashion, and
placed himself and men under military Or
ders. The second in command was hero
fitted to hold such relation to the gallant
colonel. This was Lieut.. F. h. Beecher
nephew of Henry Ward Beecher), also a
civil war veteran, and one who had been
disabled at that. He was under orders to
report for duty in Washington at later
date, and volunteered, or even begged, to
The command started for the scene of
the most recent depredations reported at
Fort Wallace, and struck a trail ON a
branch of Republican river on the 14th of
September They followed the trail two
days without seeing a redskin, but evil
dences pointed to their presence in the vicin-
ity. They were trying to mislead and am
bush the daring party. On the afternoon
r.1, l. I'll III 4 II
lished camp on Dry Fork, a stream with
but few inches of water. He was in the
center of a plain skirted with hills and
dotted with clumps of stunted trees. Late
in the afternoon a band of several hundred
Indians rushed from cover and attempted
to stampede the animals that were grazing
near the camp. They were repulsed, and
Col. Forsyth, assuming this demonstration
to be the forerunner of grand attack,
moved his force to an island in the middle
of the water course. The island bore few
low trees. On the morning of the 18th
every man was alert before daylight, and
not moment too soon. The horses were
tied in the bushes close at hand, and while
several picked marksmen kept up fire or
the nearest Indians, their companions dug
rifle pits and made circle of them so as te
receive Ule enemy ON al SlOeS.
The Indians kept UP steady fire with
their improved repeating rifles and coolly
took position in easy range, boys with bows
and arrows stealing up very close by crawl
ing on the ground A shower of bullets
and arrows soon announced the onslaught
of numbers. Col Forsyth babe his men hole
their fire and save ammunition for the try
ing moment. The elevations at a safe dis
lance were covered with non-combatan
savages, old men, women and children
and with a wild, weird whoop they begaI
TO jump and gesture as a band of mounted
warriors, numbering several hundred, Sc
out at full gallop toward the island. No
shot was fired by the scouts until tn
Savages came within easy reach Then
rapid fire was opened, sending down tn
front lines of warriors. The charge ha,
been made in solid column, as if to over
ride the brave little band in the riflepits
At the head rode the war chief of tn
Cheyennes, Roman Nose" typical say
age of the wilds. No gaudy calico, o
flower sack stuff, or cast off army blanke
corrupted his regal figure, which was @
giant build. But buckskin and beads, an
feathers of the wild wing, and robe @
the rarest fur, distinguished him over a.
his followers and above many a noted chic
of these degenerate Indian days. He wa
tawny colored war god, breathing fir
and flashing lightning from his eagle eye
But all that heather magnifcence was nc
bullet clad, nor was that noble form il
vulnerable Roman Nose" fell within
few feet of the rihepits, and the painte
bucks that survived the terrible volley c
death shrank back APPALLED, at the spectacl,