The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-07-09

Row. As he passed an army officer
stepped forward and shook hands with
him cordially and then rejoined his CON-
panions.
do you know who that isl" said the
military man. Nor Well, that's ex-
Special Agent Cooper, of the Indian Of
tice. Everybody in the far west knows
Jim Cooper. He has nerve enough TO sup
ply whole family OF mountain lions, aud
have enough left TO equip several compa-
MES of hard-riding Indian fighters. Dur
mg the stormy times at Pine Ridge
agency several years ago Cooper was
strong factor in settling matters with the
Indians, being present there as a civilian
representative of the government. His
fame had preceded him to Pine Ridge
from the Tongue river reservation of the
Northern Cheyennes, up in Montana,
where he followed a career that was full
Of exciting adventures
"One incident occurred that may give
you some idea as to the character of the
reservation in the latter part of the sos,
when Cooper was temporarily acting as
AGENT there Two Indian boys, as young,
unmarried Indians are called, about 10 or
20 years Of age respectively, had MUIR
dered white man Cooper called the
Cheyennes to ether, and they numberld
about 400 warriors at that time and
near as good warriors when it comes 10
ructjon, and told them that the boys
would have to be brought in and deliv-
cred up to answer for their crime
The Indians said they didn't know
where the boys were, and Cooper very
plainly told them that they were lying
Then they asked him how many ponies he
would take to let up in the prosecution Of
the criminals, and Cooper said that he
"a M
but that what he wanted was the boys,
and that he wanted them brought in
without any further palavering or sub
terfuge or delay. The father of one of
the boys grew very indignant at Cooper's
determined stand and said that the boys
would come in all right, but that Cooper
was TOO big coward to meet them.
This was the Indian way of challeng-
ing Cooper TO fight. He never WINGED,
but got mad in turn. He told the gather
ing that the whole Cheyenne tribe couldn't
scare him, and that he proposed to get
those boys in spite of all of them and see
that justice was done, and dared the
father TO let the murderers know what he
said. Then he rammed a few handfuls Of
ammunition into his pocket. took up his
rite and started out. The Cheyennes
ranged themselves round on the bluffs
and waited for the fun to begin, ready to
take hand in an instant, if necessary.
Cooper knew that If he showed
the slightest signs of nervousness or fear
the Indians would make short work of
him, burn e erything in sight and go ca
vorting OF the reservation. But he grew
mighty lonesome, for all the white EN-
ployes of the reservation had become
scared and gone to hiding. He called on
the six or seven Indian police that were
on duty at the TT servation TO stand by
him. however, and took the precaution to
send one OF them alter cavalry troop,
think it was Troop A, of the First, that
was camped down on the Lame Deer.
Pretty soon Cooper saw a couple Of
Cheyennes in full war paint and regalia
riding like mad down the trail toward the
agency. They were the boys who had
murdered the old man. AS they came
within range the agent raised his rife and
plugged one of them so good and hard
that he rolled off his pony and gave up
the ghost without a single kick. The
other one began circling around and
around for little while as Indians do,
getting ready for a rush, and Cooper
awaited his opportunity TO get good
shot at him, when the cavalry troop APP
peared. Then came the strangest part of
the proceeding. That young Indian
charged directly at the line OF United
States soldiers and went right through
il, wounding four horses 0 s he did so. But
when he had gone throu n somebody
whirled That troop around. and the result
was that in less than three wars of a
sleeps tail, Mr. Indian boy was as full of
holes as any piece OF houeycomb you ever
saw in your life.
There was no more trouble at the
Tongue river reservation while Cooper
was there. and The Cheyennes respected
him. You mustn't imagine from this that
the northern Cheyenne is a weak speci-
men of the Indian. Those fellows at
Tongue river were the very same who
were taken down to Indian territory
many years ago and escaped and were not
overhauled or stopped until they had gone
north TO within nifty or sixty miles Of
Pine Ridge, and the government didn't
try to get them to go back any more.
They are fierce To a degree, and the best
fighters that live to day, but still they
are upright in their dealings. and the
character OF their lives may be appre-
ciated when the fact is known that there
is not woman among the northern Chey-
ennes who is not perfectly virtuous.n