River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1894-11-15

I
hot now for dismounting, even though
the path was so rough, or for even
stopping. except for moment or two
for water. Signs of the hostileS had
been in constant ana direct evidence
since daylig L Ponies even and sur
plus packs had already begun 10 be
abandoned. Those fellers amt so
very far ahead remarked Myers, for
getting for the instant he was a re-
cruit. and momentarily finding his
voice.
That Myers was quite correct in his
| conjecture soon became known to all.
shortly after the fringe of timber Dor
dering Black river was passed, and the
broad level mesa beyond gave an eye
a chance 10 see the dust of rapidly re-
eeding travellers, still miles ahead, was
| plainly visible. Another abandoned
pony was overtaken, and a short dis
tance beyond an aba ndoned pack was
seen, containing -four and cooking
/ utensils-precious treasures to In
dians. Other ponies and other aban-
| dOned PAGES were passed in speedy sue
/ cessiOn. The troopers were now riding
at full gallop, which was continued for
more than ten miles. The tall black
| eyed lieutenant who led X troop, a
/ pugnacious Jerseynan. forged his
/ troop out of squadron column, and
was riding over the mesa in column of
/ twos, with his leading two abreast of
| those of A troop. whereas the latter
/ troop by right should have been troop
distance and nine yards ahead. Myers
/ - h.. - A
and the boys face should have been
painted during that gallop.
But Geronimo kept the lead, aided
| by Satan and the nature of the cOun-
try. when the hither hills of Eagle
creek were reached the hostiles were
| distinctly seen, through field glasses,
crawling up the hog backs of the
| further hills beyond the creek, max
/ ing their way over exceedingly rough
( country in the direction of Blue river.
I Their distance from the cavalry by
I birds flight could then hardly e
been three miles. BY the only way
Myers and his comrades could pc sibly
get To them they were still quite ten
miles to the front. And even Myers
/ had begun to notice that hard riding
d Nv CT louE IA county ltAlc Ol llOISCSs
The tea or twelve cavilrymen riding
/ lame public animals. hurt during the
nigh, anu now ten or fifteen miles be-
/ hind. need not be considered; but of
I the horses yet in column, the forty or
( fifty amin ais showing extreme exhaus-
\ tion ma le an aggregate as 10 cavalry
e ,ticieucv Of much higher Importance.
/ Geronimo had wisely sent ahead to the
Eagle cree < hog backs. or certain of
I his ns sent ahead had there craftily
: rounded up from contiguous ranches
fresh horses. The hostiles could be
seen changing their WORKOUT steeds
. for new stock The cavalry marched
down TO Eagle creek and went into
camp.
If any mistake was made by the
( first pursuers of Geronimo, this early
camp at Eagle creek was the mistake.
But men and horses were badly eX-
hausted. Sixty miles had been COW
cred in seventeen hours, including
short halts and the two hours of rest
waiting for daylight. Men had no ra-
tiOns of any sort; and, more important,
there had been no grass and there was
no forage for the horses. Nobody was
sorry when the order was given to
I halt and unsaddle. Ard when it was
seen that sunset came before the pack
I train pulled into camp the wisdom of
7 the stop was not at that time ques-
I toned by any of the hungry men con-
cerned.
Early next morning the pursuit was
resumed MP the steep hills bordering
Eagle creek into Eagie mountains, and
camp was made towards evening on
I little stream in the heart of the noun
tains. Travel was slow, because the
I hostile trail had scattered and was hard
at first to follow. That night the men.
gathered around camp fires, told sol
T der stories and sang soldier songs; and
I Myers, seated near the big sergeant
with the fine tenor voice. felt glad he
was soldier too; and finally. wrapped
[ in his saddle blanket and lying on
J the mattress of Mother Earth only.
/ fell asleep with a heart wondrously
+ content.
\ 1t was after crossing Blue river the
4 following morning. and while heading
through Blue mountains towards the
+ San Francisco river, that the first dead
3 of the trail was found. This was
. Myers first sight of the kind, and it
was not an agreeable sight even to
veteran. The dead mana German
trumpeter of hussars, il was after
/ wards discovered, in America on fur
Tough, had evidently been attacked
while going from his ranch to Eagle
creek The hostiles had from a dis
lance spied him coming towards them,
and simply lay in wait and shot
him rs he rode by. There he
Law. on one side of the trail. and a
little above him and to his left up the
slope of the hill was his horse, also
dead The mans face and head were
badly bruised by rough stones, proba-
bly, squaw- work. and the action of the
hot sun caused the corpse to be horri-
bly, swollen. Myers was detailed as
one of the burial party. II seemed
awful to the boy that no grave was
dug, as a matter of fact, none could
be. there being no spade or shovel
anywhere at hand; merely stones were
carefully and tenderly piled over the
I body of the poor little Dutchman.
The main column, not waiting fC
the burial party, pressed on. A sr all
creek-the Little Blue-was crossed,
two more murdered men found near
by. and dusk fell upon the command
on the broad Alma mesa. where they
went into dry camp-near the body of
still another victim discovered The
party of whom Myers was one, in
overtaking tne column, rode by the
men engaged in burying two of these
other bodies found. The corpse first
met was that OF the elder brother of
the German trumpeter; and this
brother lad himself been a soldier,
discharged from TroopC, Sixth United
States cavalry, and who, with his
small savings. had taken up and
meagrely stocked a miniature COW
ranch. The two brothers had plainly
been living alone in the cabin of the
ranch, and there were signs of at
tempted improvement of the property.
New shingling of the Roof of the cabin
was almost completed. One room
showed evidence of recen mt application
l-of canvas in lieu of wallpaper. In one
of the three tiny apartments a letter
was discovered, which read-sO said
the rrizzled old German corporal who
com manded Myers burial party-that
the old mother of the two brothers
was even now on her way from West
phalia to join her sons in America