The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-09-11
WITH The WAGON TRAIN.
Row a Corporal Got Promoted to a
Sergeantoy.
From the Neu York Sun.


Sergeantoy.
From the NetU York Sun.
Twenty armed wagons and their drivers
fifty cavalrymen from Troop E-a pull
of ninety miles across the Indian country
Yes, we shall be attacked by the hossiles
They would not let such an opportunity
pass. They can muster four 60 one, even If
we counted in the teamsters. Col. Blank
at the new post to whicn we were bound
had written to Capt. White, who was to
command the train:
my wife is to come out with you. See
that my previous instructions are carried
out. She knows what they are.n
And we had not marched an hour when
Capt. White sent for me and said:
Corporal, you shall act as a special
guard over the third wagon"
every well, sir"
"The coloners wife is in that wagon, as
you probably know"
"Ye5 sir"
''In case the Indians are too strong for
US they must not find her alive. That's ALP
rode back to the third wagon and
placed my horse at the nigh fore wheel and
lifted my cap 20 the lady, who had been
provided with a comfortable seat by her
self. She was a little DIT OF woman, not
over Is years old and married to the colo mel
only twO years before She looked at me
Out Of hsr bi K blue eyes aud smiled, but she
could not steady her voice as she leaned
forward and inquired:
Corporal, do you-you think we shall
be attscksdp
Quite likely, maam, but we may squeeze
through"
And IL attacked aud you can't beat the
indians off, you"
as"I have the captains orders, ma'amw
YES; very we'll"
We both underst cd. had been specially
| detailed TO kill her if / saw that We were to
be wiped out The thought OF it made me
| dizzy as | rode along. Now and then l
glanced up at her to find her face white and
her eyes anxtously searching the horizon.
had my orders and was there TO obey
| them, but could l do fta Ii was the last
living man Of that train, could l raise my
earbine and become her murdererl
! At o'clock on the afternoon of the sec
| ond day out we saw q dozen mounted In
dams on ridge TO the right and closed up
| the train. To tina left were a succession OF
ridges, and If there was any force OF hos
tiles about they were hidden behind them.
| The colonel's wife was one Of the first TO
| discover the Indians at the right. She was
looking at me as l glanced up.
I'VE shall be attackedF' she queried.
Within ten minutes, ma'am.n
well, you-yOu-"
Of"
The redskins on the right now began TO
ride to and fro aud whoop and yell and
! seek to draw our attention and force the
train to halt Orders had been given the
| day before to keep moving in case of attack.
| In closing up the wagons had doubled the
line. moving two abreast. The horsemen
| fell in their places at once-twenty on a
side, five in front and five in rear. Some
| of the teamsters had carbines, while all had
revolvers. Half mile beyond where we
had seen the first Indian the attack was
| made, and it was q bold one. As we came
| opposite valley running back into the
| ridges 100 or more mounted Indians came
| charging down on US. The valley was Just
about as wide as the train was long, and
therefore the twenty of US on that side had
| a chance at the reds as they came on In a
mob, shooting, shouting and seemingly de-
termined to ride over US.
''Corporal!n
1t was the voice of the colonel's wife, Just
as we were preparing to fire.
"Yes'm, | remember" replied as l low
cred my carbine TO look up at her.
| We poured the fire OF our carbines into
| the charging mass and checked it's rush.
| The Indians then passed to our front and
rear SO as to assail US on all sides. There
were fully 800 Of them, and had the train
| halted but for q minute they would have
had US wiped out. A part OF them had been
ordered to fire only at the mules attached
to the wagons. AS they were kept moving
only three or four were struck aud none dis
ablsd.
Corporal"
There was lighting on front aud rear and
| both sides and the bullets were flying about
US in a spiLeful way. Five had passed
| through the cover of the wagon beside me-
1t was the colonels wife calling to me.
looked up into her white face aud she
gssped:
Corporal, are you going toto"
NNk Ill - 49,
| piled as | turned to open fire again.
We were gradually getting out Of the
| trep. Further on the groupd was open and
TO our advantage. The Indian always does
his best fighting at the start. Here and
there We had man wounded, but there
was no confusion-no hating. Whenever
they gathered as If TO charge we opened
fire on the spot and scattered them. Our
fire was rapid aud we'll sustained and at the
end of quarter of an hour we had them
beaten. We we're just drawing clear OF the
ridge when bullet struck the third wagon
teamster in the shoulder, and he fell tor
ward on his saddle. 1t happened right
under the eyes of the colopels wife aud she
called 10 me:
Corporal. obey your ordersw
She had her hands over her face 50 that
she might not see me as | raised my gun.
The next few seconds must have been terfls
BILE
Deg pardon, ma'am, out tne reos are
drawing of and the victory 10 ours"
She dropped her hands and stared at me
for a minute as IL she could not compre-
bend. Then she fell back in a dead faint,
aud it was a long half hour before her blue
ewes opened TO the sunshine again. A week
later at the new post, Col. Blank called me
in and asked
Corporal, weren't you ordered TO shoot
Mrs. Blaukm
Tes sirn
Then, why didn't you do it," he sternly
demanded.
IL was going to but"
but what, sira IL was gross disobedi.
ence Of orders, and you are no longer q cor
poral."
But that was the old martinet's way Of
DfOmOklnCy IN