The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-06-29
THE RIDE OF jim BELL.
A Perllous Journey brought the
Sioux War to an End.

A PerIIous Journey brought the
Sioux War to an End.
lChicago Tribune.l
There was certain man named Paul
Revere, who took famous ride in days
gone by. He went skurrying past Md
deadly dangers of barking dogs and
Growing cocks. Longfellow has sung
him in rhyme that school children are
given to recite. Perhaps it was brave
and noteworthy thing. But out in the
west men rate heroism by different
standard.
Some day or other western poet shall
sing the song Of Jim Bell, for he is
hero, fine, grizzled hero. There was
western matter of fact sort of tinge to
his daring act, but if one goes deep
enough one shall find touch of the old
knightly heroism of other days.
In one of the anterooms of General
Miles Offices in the Pullman building
sits grim, young-old man with grizzled,
close cut hair, brown, luxuriant mus
tache, and hard braced military shout
ders. Messenger James Bell, if you
please. A little chap in blue sailor
suit, REFER and cap complete, is perched
ON his knee, said youth of seven being
tho son and heir of General Miles, and
wearing worthily the patriotic 11a11le of
Sherman Miles.
There the little chap sat securely and
tugged at the old soldiers mustaches.
while reporter put questions and got
answers.
"You want to hear the story of my
ride2' continued the old scout. Then he
told the story of his epic ride, bearing
dispatches from General Terry to Gen
eral Crook. This was in 1875. Custer
had just been slain; it was absolutely
necessary to get the two generals in
touch. Terry was on the Big Horn;
Crook was at the headwaters of the
Great Goose creek. In the tangled in
terland the Indians swarmed. Bands of
reds were lurking here and there curled
about General Terry's camp. Scouts
had been sent out. One after another
drifted back to camp; they had met In
dams; they had lost their horses in
swimming the Yellowstone.
June 8 Colonel Gibbons, of the Sew
enth infantry, posted a call for volun-
teers to run the desperate race from, the
Big Horn to the camp on the Great
Goose. There was momentary hold
ing back. Then three men stepped for
ward and answered the call.
James Bell, private.
Benjamin F. Stewart, private.
- Evans, private.
Evans is still in the service and has
won his stripes. He is stationed in the
west.
They expected to have Indian ponies,
but this proved an impossibility. So at
o'clock in the afternoon they set off
mounted on cavalry horses. Each was
in full uniform; each of the three carried
an infantry rife; no other arms were
worn. Captain Hamilton, of the Sec
ond cavalry, who is now in the recruit
ing service in New York, commanded
an escort that led the adventurous three
to the lines. By this time it had gone
dark, so the three chaps turned their
horses heads up hill and journeyed on
like Dumas three guardsmen.
cit was the meanest country ever
white man put foot on" explained Jim
Bell; "a mountainous, quilted. hill coun-
try, with scrubby bushes and sinking
boys. We had watch horse ahead all
the time to try the ground, and far ahead
of him we sent one of the gang to keep
weather eye Ou0 49, r-,1;sns Tho ~
dogs were cringing in the bushes to right
and left, and lurking in the gulches and
the broken ground. There was no chance
for a fight. 1t was simply case of
dodge and hedge all night"
So this night wore away, scout
ahead piercing from the high peaks, the
other two following with the blunder-
ing, jaded cavalry horses. The night
drifted by, and the next day there was
nothing of Importance. No fire was
lighted. In those days and in those
places the raising of fire smoke might
have meant the raising of scalp.
So the second night darkened down.
The three thought of camping for the
night at the Rosebud. 1t was after mid
night; the horses were "staked OUT" the
three men fell asleep under the equine
feet. Of sudden there was stampede,
and the horses were out in the brush,
mad with terror.
Here the infantile General Sherman
Miles broke in, as he tugged at the old
soldiers mustaches:
"But didn't you sleep?'
"Not just them" Jim Bell laughed;
1--WE chased the horses"
Indians" suggested young General
Miles.
mo, bear-a bear had stampeded our
horses, and after we caught them we de-
cided that sleep was luxury. So we
rode ON again"
Little Master Miles was gTievously
disappointed that it was not Indians, but
finally agreed to accept bear. Then the
square shouldered scout went on:
Three nights and two days, and the
last night was the worst of all. We
sighted blue column of smoke spindling
up into the air. This was shortly after
midnight, when we caught the dawn
glimmer from the hills.
Indians?
Friends or foes?
'sWe lay there, with the horses thrown
and blindfolded, crouched in the grass.
The hours went by, Dut it seemed that
every hour was generation long.
Should we succeed in our mission and
put the two armies in connection, or die
at the red and tortured stake?
The hours crept ON until the dawn
frightened and broadened. Five o'clock
Than of sudden we heard the bugfes
blowing-the falling in-the roll call
and, thank God, the word from Terry
to Crook was delivered"
Now that was good bit of work. Jim
Bell gave General Terry his first au-
thentio news of the Custer massacre;
Jim Ben put Terry in touch with Crook;
Jim Bell ended the war.
You don't think much of it? The west
Is waiting for the poet who shall sing
that ride -