The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-06-16

| Little Missouri and struck the head
waters of Heart river-not a full stom-
ach.
Rations were well-nigh exhausted.
We were living on quarter portions
| of bacon, bareback and sugarless coffee.
1t was the summer of the terrible
| Custer massacre (1S76), and night and
day we We're pursuing the Sioux, hop
| ing to overtake and punish them. But
they seemed to have scattered over the
face of the earth.
Sitting Bull, with a great following,
| had crossed the Yellowstone and gone
north Crazy Horse, brilliant and
daring leader, with host of Ogallallos
and Brules at his back, was known to
have made for the Businesses of the Bad
! Lands of western Dakota.
Thither Gen. Crook was now leading
us-a column strong in numbers, for
we had some forty companies of regu-
lars, as well as goodly force of scouts,
! packers and others.
Our command consisted of the entire
third cavalry, most OF the fifth, bat
talion-four troops-of the second cav
, airy, and a detachment of infantry
chosen from three regim rents. We had
men enough to overcome all the Indians
in Dakota; but with starving horses
and half starving soldiers little can be
done in the way of aggressive warfare.
Our rations practically gave out on
the 9Th Of September For several
days we lived on horse meat. The
ol,o
and as we had been scouting, tramping
and campaigning ever since the spring,
boots were worn as thin as our beasts.
About seven O'Clock in the morning
of September 9th the news flew down
the column like flash: Sioux village
big one--tfteen miles ahead!''
Col. Mills, then senior captain serv-
ing with the third cavalry, had been
sent forward by Gen. Crook two nights
before with orders to push through to
the Black Hills with his command-one
hundred and fifty picked horses and
men and pack train-load up with all
the provisions he could buy, and hasten
back to meet US. This very morning
at daybreak he had dashed into the viii
lage which his scouts had located
during the night and was now ''hang-
ing on to his prize until we could reach
him.
Well, we got there-pushing ahead
through mud, mist and rain. Being
adjutant, l happened to ride at the
head of column as we neared the scene,
and SO obtained capital view and
lasting impression of the situation.
For the time being there was lull
in the fight. Forty-one big lodges
We're scattered about the ravines in
deep amphitheater of the craggy hills
known as Slim Buttes. Mills had scat
tered the Indians just at dawn, cap
tured herd of four hundred ponies,
found several Seventh cavalry horses,
one of Clusters beautiful silken guild
ons, Capt Myles Keogh's gauntlets,
and other trophies which proved that
these fellows had been concerned in the
massacre, and that they must be part
of Crazy Horses big band. Therefore
their friends could not be far away.
Late that afternoon the whole party
came-Crazy Horse with hundreds of
his warriors-and a lively fight we had
with them; but meantime occurred
what seems to me perhaps the bravest
thing | ever saw in Indian warfare.
Look out for that ravine," said Col
Mills to me as 1 was riding in among
the lodges. There's a wounded In
dian in there, and he has killed one of
my men"
Sure enough! Out on the slopes near
the deep, brush-hidden depths of the
little gorge cavalry soldier, Wenzel.
was toppled forwasa on his knees. stone
dead, and Sergt. Hass had just got
bullet through the arm. 1t was plain
that there must be more than one In
dian in there, for two quick shots sud
denly rang out, and a couple of scouts
crossing the lowlands near the mouth
of the gully ducked their heads and
ran for shelter.
My orders required me to place the
Fifth cavalry in position facing the
bluffs TO the southeast and south of the
captured village. After this duty was
performed, and l had seen the various
troop commanders and given them the
colonel's instructions, had leisure to
look about me. | did not dream what
a living volcano there was at the head
of that little ravine.
| had found little patch of grass
down in a sheltered nook, and had
there piclzeted my poor old troop horse
and was coming back afoot toward the
big lodge of skins beside which the
colonel had unsaddled. when l caught
sight of three or four scouts and
troopers crawling toward the opening
of the ravi1e, evidently bent on getting
a shot at the occupants.
In moment those fellows were fat
tened out on the ground like a hunted
squirrel on the trunk of a tree. and the
moisture-laden air rang with shots as
the lead whizzed over their heads
Everyone seemed to wake up all at
once to the realization that there was
nest of redskins up at the head of the
gully. Presently q concerted effort
was made TO fetch them out
Half a dozen officers and several
dozen soldiers and scouts took part
and, as though by common consent, the
leadership devolved on one of the
haudsomest, bravest, manifest cavalry
men it was ever my lot to know-Phuo
Clark, then lieutenant and aide-de-camp
to Gen. Crook.
/ remember him wildly as he looked
that day. the broad brim of his scout
ing hat tossed back from his forehead.
the collar of his buckskin hunting
SKIRT loosely fastened at the throat-uo
l..
days we rarely wore the army blue on