Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1892-02-24
SPRlNTlNG WARRIORS.

Indians Ability In Retreat is One
of His Strongest Points.
One of the problems Of the soldier
IN the west is to overtake the Indian
when that fellow wants to get away.
Let a band Of Indians commit a
, depreciation and start to run and it 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 punish
the redskins. Once they had reached
the mountains twas almost impossi-
bic to get near them. They not only
knew the land thoroughly, but they
could run so rapidly that you 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 a straight chase it is almost
equally impossible to catch them.
Gwen cavalry is useless against them.
The human, after all, is the better
animal, and when an Indian band
ran in the lead Of cavalry horses the
latter lost. The only hope was in
numbers that could in time surround
and turn back the line of retreat so
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 mountain Indians to run 100
miles within ten hours. Carriers
have carried messages for army Off
GERS in that time very often. A sin
gle mile in three minutes has been
made on a wager time and again. Up
at Hualpi, a village Of the Moqui In
dams of Arizona, there is a religious
festival which is introduced by race
of five miles, in which the winner,
on testimony that cannot be denied,
makes the distance in twenty min
utes, climbing at the conclusion of
the race a sloping height Of over ZOO
feet.
So proud are the Indians of their
proves as runners that on an occa-
sion when Commissioner Morgan, of
the Indian bureau, was in the terri
tories looking over his wards, the
Navaioes brought a runner to the
headquarters Of the government men
and wanted to pit him against a
horse. Lieutenant Baker, Of the
Seventh infantry, and Lieutenant
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 outIun a horse.
Baker" said Pierson, you bet
them | can beat their man.
The lieutenant of infantry made
the proposition and the Indians swift
ly gathered up their valuables and
offered to stake them. They came III
proups 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 garnet:
heaped on a blanket before him anC
all the silver girdles they had II
camp. The Indian racer stripped t.
the skin and Pierson took off hi
heavier garments. Indians and whites
agreed upon a course and the runner
started. Pierson is a Splinter whit
could probably beat any man in tn
army and he ran away from tn
Navajo. But the Indians were game
They were sadly disappointed in thei
man, but the bets they never gave
second thought.
The army men rounded up thel
herd of ponies, loaded a burro wit
belts and valuables, hired a boy t
carry the lighter winnings and star
ed away. The Indians broke cam
and got ready to leave. AS soon a
the two lieutenants had shown thei
thunder to the other officers they sci
for the losers and gave everythin
back It was quite a difficult matte
for them to explain to the Indian
that an army officer could not gan
BILE with Indians, and certainly coul
not Justly win from them. But
game were the latter that they dl
not want to take their things back.
Chicago Herald.