The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1894-12-20
THE EARL DAYS
The Movements of the Pioneers
of this Section Of Min
neSotd.
Sensational Narrative Relating to
Chasing the Sioux In
dams.

Vb0ulSs f
Copyrighted. All rights reserved by the
Author Charles E. Flandrau)
When we arrived at the hill, those
of us who we're mounted of course
went to the top of it. There we found
An-pe- tu-tok-cha, or Mr.. Other Day,
whom Brown had sent down to escort
us to the camp of Ink-pa-du-ta. This
was the same man who had formed
one of the expedition which ransomed
Miss Gardner. He was seated on the
summit with his pipe in his mouth,
and, Indian like, did not show the
slightest sign of recognition or inter-
est, but waited to be spoken. He in
formed us that there were some of
Ink-pa-du-ta's people at the Yellow
Medicine. How many he did not
know, but he knew where the camp
was that held them. He described
it as a camp of six lodges, standing
separate from all the others, and up
the river about five miles from the
Agency. How, l asked him, are we
to distinguish the people we are after,
from the rest? His answer was, you
charge down on the camp, and when
they see the soldiers, they will know
who they are after, and any of Ink
pa-du-ta's people that are there, will
run or show fight, the rest will remain
passive" Joe Campbell confirmed
this view, and we decided to seize or
kill any one who fled, and take the
chances of their being the right ones.
With this plan, we started for the
Yellow Medicine under the guidance
OF Other Day. We reached the river
at point where we proposed to cross,
just in the gray of the morning. The
camp we were after was in plain view
on the north side of the river, on a
high plateau of land, and about one
mile up stream from the point where
we we're to ford. In approaching the
river, we had exercised the utmost
stealth-creeping noiselessly along,
and keeping between us and the
enemy a roll of the prairie. The in
tense earnestness and nervous anxiety
exhibited by Other Day, and his
snake like movements, were study.
I had seen a good deal of Indian life,
but this was the first time I had ever
been on the war-path with them, and
I saw an exhibition of skill that has
furnished me with key to all the
Indian ambucades I have since read
of, and explained those mysterious ap-
pearances and disappearance of In
dams, that all frontiersmen are so
familiar with. No panther ever stole
upon it's prey with more deadly silence
and certainty, than we did on this &C.
casion, under the conduct of this saw
age.
The six lodges we're upon the open
prairie, about a quarter of mile from
the bank of the river. To get to the
river from the camp, this distance had
to be traversed and the river lay about
forty or fifty feet below the level of
the prairie by precipitous descent.
The banks of the river we're covered
with a dense chapparral, forming an
excellent cover. We knew that if any
Indian ran, they would make for the
river. Lieutenant Murray was to
command the military part of the af-
fair, and the plan of operation was as
follows: The soldiers were to take
double-quick up the river on the
prairie in the direction of the camp,
and endeavor to cut off retreat to
the river, while the mounted men we're
to take the open prairie outside of
the camp, and virtually make sur
round. As soon as all was ready, the
word of command was given, and off
we went. The night had been a hot
one, and the lodges we're rolled up at
the bottom SO as to admit circula-
ton of air, which also gave a person
inside an opportunity of seeing what
was going on, on the outside. It was
not long before our presence was
made known to the inmates of the
camp. The unusual spectacle of a
dozen horsemen furiously charging
over the prairie, and a squad of SOL
diers Logging it as fast as they could
after them, could not remain long un-
noticed. When we had arrived with
in about half a mile of the camp an