Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-04-14
AWAITING TRIAL.
And How Fritz Improved His Opportunity
 During the Interval.


 forgetful, slovehly and without pride that was Fritz of Troop E, ----th regi- ment. Sized upeas a man, he would have come under the head of a vagabo sized up as a soldier, he was declared nuisance. His only redeeming feature was his hon est, gentle disposition. Fritz never swore ; he never hurt any ones feelings; he took the rakings down the officers gave him ev
 cry day of his life with that good natured grin on his face which no one had ever seen fade out for q moment. even when he was assisting to bury comrade. We liked Fritz, and yet he was always q source nf annoyance and anxiety and sometimes of positive danger. In one year he killed two horses and wounded a comrade while carelessly handling his carbine. Put him on guard, and he might stay awake or go to sleep. If left to himself, he would have fed his horse six times ill one day and then left him unfed for the next three. Asked one day why he enlisted, he took five long minutes to think it over and then replied:
 "Vhell, by golly, but I must be some where, don't I?''
 Fritz had more black marks than he could have counted in day. He was ill the guardhouse over half the time. He was hustled by the men, cursed by the sergeants and given blue blazes by the officers, but he stuck right there. As he was the 11th day of January, when he joined the regiment, so he was the 11th of January, two years later, when he fell asleep on sentry duty and had his ears frozen. Next day the colonel sent for him and gave hin raking down which ended Up with:
 "And now you mark my words! Before the year is out, if you don't do a great deal better, court martial will sentence you to be shot for the good of the service!'
 "Vhell, if vhas sentenced to be shot, den I vhas shot" calmly replied Fritz as he saluted with his left hand and walked out
 In the spring we were sent out against the hostiles and took post on the extreme frontier Odds was the difference to Fritz whether we were in camp or garrison. He heard a great deal of talk about the In dians, but he didn't do any himself. Some of his comrades thought he would fight, while others were sure an Indian war whoop would scare him half to death. One night when Fritz was put on guard and warned that the safety of the camp might depend on his vigilance he was found fast asleep. Moreover, there was an Indian arrow sticking in the cape of his overcoat, fired at him probably as he lay snoring He was at once put under arrest to be seI1 to the nearest fort and there stand trial. The guardhouse was an old tent in which were some hospital stores. Fritz never changed countenance when told that he would be found guilty and shot. He thought it over for awhile and then placid ly replied:
 "Vhell, if I vhas shot, dot ends me up, don't she:''
 For three or four days matters had been very quiet. It was understood that the Indians had tired of war and were suing for peace. Not ign of one had been seen about the camp, and the peace rumors caused relaxation of vigilance. Our colonel was an old Indian fighter. He was a widower, but had his only daughter, girl of IS, at the camp. It was only tenn porarily, however, as the stage route would soon be opened again, and she with others would go forward to the nearest fort. If her father thought it safe for her to ride out with the major, we must hold our peace At 3 o'clock in the afternoon they galloped away to get look at the country from Pine Hill, two miles away. Half an hour later we heard the reports of firearms and Indian warwhoops. Just at the base of the hill they had been fired on by small body of Cheyennes. The major top pied out of his saddle, hit by five bullets, and the colonel's daughter wheeled her horse and made for camp.
 The alarm brought confusion, and con fusion was delay. It seemed an age be- fore troop got out Fritz sat in the door of the guard tent, facing the west. He saw the couple ride away, and he saw the girl returning and the Indians in pursuit They were gaining on her and would have her captive before q horse could be sad dled The horse of q government scout was hitched about 80 feet from the tent. While the bugles were sounding Fritz was nov ing On his way to the horse he stopped and seized naked saber from tent. As soon as he gained the saddle he headed straight for the Indians, yelling and whooping like mad. He was yet 20 rods from her when an Indian warrior seized her and tried to drag her off her saddle. Fritz rode right at him with uplifted sa- Der held in both hands. The girl had bro ken his hold, but he was snatching at her skirts when the saber came down on his head and split it to the chin. At the same moment the three horses collided and fell in a heap. The Indians could have made | two prisoners had not the hubbu b In camp ! frightened them off. One sent an arrow | the girls hat, and another fired a bullet which burned Fritz's left cheek, | but they were content with that. When | half dozen of us finally got out of camp, | closely followed by a troop, the horses had come in, and Fritz and Miss Jennie were | following, hand in hand. The Indian DO ny was Iimping about with broken hip, l and on the grass lay his master, the dead | est warrior of the year. When Fritz was | lionized by officers and men and told that | there would be no court martial he made | no reply for a long time. Then he quietly ! said
 "Vhell, don't fali asleep on my post l again onless vhas shleepy, und mehbe ] | wake oop before l was found oudt, by l M. QUAD.