Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1892-05-30
1 Scouts Adventures.

During the Indian trouble which fol-
lowed the close of the civil war was
attached to various western forts and
camps as scout and dispatch rider, and
in that capacity had my full share Of
adventures. 1t was my fortune or
misfortune almost at the outset of my
career to strike the Sioux a blow
which made them ever after hunger
for my life. This was in 1885, while
they were pretending to be at peace,
but actually killing every white man
that was found outside the forts. I
was then at Fort Mcpherson, and
while carrying q dispatch to a small
body Of troops stationed on the Saline
fork OF. the Kansas river, I encounter
ed small band Of Indians. This was
about ten o'clock in the forenoon. I
saw them emerge from a dry ravine
and head TO cut me off, and at once
halted and dismounted. I was then
on the crest of a ridge, and close to a
natural sink which would make a good
rife pit 1t was big enough TO shell
ter my horse rs well, and was al
ready for the redskins before they
knew I had taken the alarm.
While not in war paint they showed
every other sign Of hostility, and I
knew that if I fell into their hands my
scalp would change owners within
five minutes. There wasn't a Win
chester rife among the Indians at
thai time and not one in ten had seen
one. 1 had one, while the nine red
skins before me had old muzzle load
ing rifles, and believed could sur
prise them. They were led by a sub
chief named Little Feather and among
the nine were two others named
White Water and Running Bear.
These three sub chiefs were warriors
of renown and were then on their way
to attend a council and war dance.
It was Little Feather who summon
ed me to surrender on pain of being
burned at the stake, and he was the
one who directed affairs when I shout
ed my refusal. The nine spread out,
mounted on their ponies, until they
half encircled my refuge then, at a
signal, they came charging up the
slope, each one yelling enough to
split his throat. Lying on my face,
with a dead rest for my rife, [ tum-
bled Little Feather and White Water
out of their saddles, and that stopped
the charge. AS they checked up
killed Running Bear, and before they
got out of range I wounded one of the
warriors. The living galloped off
and carried two ponies and all the
accoutrements Of the dead chiefs safe
~ into the fort. In a work entitled
''The Pioneers of Nebraska" pages
$685., is an account of this fight, bu1
not a very accurate one. The mum
Der of killed is there put down at five
and the name of Running Bear is Civ
en- as Yellow Bear.
It soon became known among the
Sioux what had happened, and every
branch of the great tribe swore to
have my life. A reward of ten ponies
was offered to anyone who should xii
me, and twenty if I were taken alive
was advised by everybody to clea,
out Of that locality, but 1 refused tt
go until the long expected war finall.
broke out and l was attached to
moving column. The threats of tn,
Indians had not greatly disturbed me
as I knew they would always be try
ing their best to capture a scout, n,
matter if they had never heard 0
him. Those were days when ever.
white man on the plains lived yea
in every week and never forgot for