Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-11-07
THE OBSERVERS.
One by One They Slowly Passed Out to a
 Certain Tate.

One by One They Slowly Passed Out to a
 Certain Fate
 We went into CsI!up-lJU mCu-in a grove of cOttuuwOU'ls on ti,G' left hank of n Cr,Tk which was naiuvly~- At this point a tpc had fallen aC-,s~- the cT'ek and formed a natural hrid,c'. and beyond it, l,ylIlinS over a hill w;.- d we'll defined trail IIssd by wild animals which came down from he east Ia CuCnCi, their thirst at the cp'Vk. The line uf camp -l'uIinVlS ran clOso To the western end ut this lTi,!-,,'. We had seen Indians alnna; the t:t--C> during the afternoon. and whru hig.II CuIIC every man in that camp knew that uI,y attempt la pass lrcyund the liLC Ui >,'rtincls was fr,Iught with danger
 The fabulous tales uf the riches Ot tho Black Hills had rVachCd the ears of the troopers. Hnd a few had d,'~s'rt'Vl Most Of these, had fallen into the hands %: thc In dianS and btCn put tI tug.JJl' HUl their bodies left wbVrc N hilc m,u W,l:.I di~CuN- CT them, and the officers ra~''n--l tIat no others could bc tempted Ia >'".'I away The chain of Sen;iIlCl> was ItI'lr >tpnng, but solely on account Uf tho lnL!l:l~ The first rCliCf cam" aI ln uCluCk. -\t that hour the camp Wa~ quiet Iud all -sINC the commanding officer :;I.,I t,,. guards -nundl asleep. At hHli Ir1-t lp I;Ic sentinel Un duty at the hri,l.s,. l,.,u,,I his Car',iu,' against the fallen IuV'. >i"i' hack nuI, n; the sleeping men fer his Il.IVcrSack :IHu blanket. and when lvICh It hi~ past HE.lIu he picked up his gun. tip'U,Nl over the l": and di>appCapSl up the paih. He was d dc>crtrr who intended Ia dig for -nld.
 Ten minutes after thr first >,'ui mel hau deserted his p,I~t h,' man an his right fol lowed the same IaCti,--. He WAS only lost Ia sight in the 'l.IrkU''>S when the sentinel Un th.' left Crls~,ri th,' log SO il had h,vn
 
 At half past Iu a cnriHtIIl who had Sl'cnJ h years in the service and was booked up on by all as >t,gstl.ast and trIIsty Car'fully thr,w oil his blanket and T,tS,' up and looked about him. All was quiet, and after a m"urnt h" rvIchC'l fur fCSrd. hlan- k"ts and guns and ~lnl,' away to crU>s over the brltlls,. !I, had not yet made the cprS>iug N hen priVHl" lying near him fui!hw Cd his :l't i"n-, Iud then another and auuiiivr until n man in all had pa>~,Nl "N,r the hrid.,, and taken thu path lchCiin=: oV,r the ridge. Ih,Ir 'XCs had maTk,tl that Iath lA.Iup' darhu'-~> at in. IL lCtl iu the di0rti,n thu! W..ItVi tD gU- \Om" kIl, w N l..t wI- h y"ud the ridisr-nuuC va;,d. Each mau w"Ild halt Un tnc other side ;.i.d when Ih.' iull ! had come up Ihc corporal would take CUmnanl, and th,y would uar,h away fer the grim HlaC!. Hills anL Tivh il:!L-- Eleven well .,rllI,,! nvlI us,d defy any h-.;.i Oi Indians seeking; tn ".lNs-y thar l'r -T''>~ D'-S, r tiun meant uI>grac,' anyhow and punish uCut II caught. but -prrl tuT gold drove th,~s. lhuught~ out Uf their minds s,'Ou fnru,Si
 \ >c,.ut had s-,.ic Up ;hc path tO the Cu,>t ul the rIu,;s' It shutdown and taken q careful >UrVry tu p'IUrn Ind report no In Uian~ in sight He had not vet made his p.port when IhrV' ar (ouT redskins left GOV CT in a T.,Viu" tu CrtSp up the sun baked >IuIC and ln"k down into clinp. The fnr-C wa~ t0n >tr'nl; fnr them tO attack ThCC wCrr but 3u warriors. and the most they could hulrc for was In hang about and kill ] some vvntUu>nmv >tTasglCr or get posses ] siun uf a horse whu>, lariat pin had moi b,,cn driven d,rp enough. some were sent la thr IT Int and ~sI,:s' tn the left, but halt dozen r.Inain,1i uu the path just over the Cp'~t "t the TidG'' a. a r->s'Tv" picket. Al hnlf past lu they hear footsteps on the | path-thC f,nt~tcI'> u( truprr. The ] b,sstS arc heavy. anG them i> n jingle oi spur Like >crIrnt~ iEc Indians di>ap ! Isar tn right and left uf the path. hut even a> they move they iiI arr'w> [" their how ! strings and nlak,' r'I,iy for victim The d,~trtrr r'ICh,> th" CU'>t "f the i ridGr. turns his irICk tn the Indians and 1 luUkS down uIHpn tho ErnVC and waits l Nothing alarms or ,ii>turli> him \ min ute has Ig!>>srd awI,-, when he sUddCnl! i throws up Isis arms. uitCrs faint cry and ! sinks down. Aua arrow has IEI~>,Jl through i his lNdy. DI>ky iiEUp'S rush furwarl i and du>ky hands draw him aside into th' l dC,.p,'r darku'-~> The ~,Cnud man mCcts 1 hi> death while facing the Indians and | softly calling Ia the CuiurldC whom hS knows has gone I,rfurr. ~n with the third 1 fourth. fifth anu! iXth The last five haVC l lost time m ag,Iting away, and they CrOSs 1 thC rid-c and hurry down the path tO ovor 1 take thu>,' hO may have pushed on with 1 intention tO dC~rrt them. some of them rc 1 ccivC an arrnw, and some arc struck down 1 with a blow of the tUmahnwk. There l. 1 no dcathCry tO arOIISc the camp. no wound l Ch man rushing away into tho darkness 1 with tho TCi demons in pursuit. The i twang of A hnwsIring or tho sweep of q tonahlwk brings almost instant death. 1 The warriors count tho bOdiCs and wait 1 for other victims. They hear the alarm ir ] camp at midnight when tho Tclicf guarJi 1 IOCs nut. but no furcc is scnt out after the 1 dcScrtcrS There wcrC II in tho plot-nU | mUrC-
 And when daylight comes and we cros. the bridge and fUllIw the path WIG friEhtcr away tine low flying buZEaTIls and coms upon the bOtlics. Each trOOpcr has been scalps-l and his body cut and gashcd and mutilatcd and stripped uf its clothing ! Six cnrp>s-S tn tn" right uf the path, five tc | the left, II in all-ll dcscrtsrs. II victim. to Indian fcrUCity. II cOrpsesI We would 1 bury them if had auGht to dig with, 1 but ours l. n flying column. We place them side by side in ravinc. cover them with brush and ride away. When VIC look hack. the wolf and buzzard arc nt work. l M. QUAD Walking Fern.