Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1895-10-11


the other fervid hart riders OF tnil
vicinity. Its time is that OF tn
last Cheyenne war; the scene, I'M
wild, unbroken country just vest O
the Black Hills; while the chief per
former is Brig. Gen. Stanton, just
now Paymaster General of the Army.
This drama of the saddle is told
Just as it came from the lips of an
Army officer who knew all about it,
and was there at the time.
"The Fifth Cavalry; ten com
panies-this was before the day Of
stroops-under Gen. Merritt, was
keeping an eye on the Cheyennes.
"The Sioux were on the warpath,
and busy standing things civilized
on their heads over to the north,
and the Cheyennes were getting the
fever. Good judges of Indians,
with their thumbs on the Cheyenne
tribal pulse, said they were liable to
break out at any moment into a
war spirit, join the Sioux already
out, and unite their energies to Sit
ting Bulls in topping over the
paleface of the Northwest.
$50, as l have already said, Gen.
Merritt was watching the Cheyennes
with ten companies of the Fifth
Cavalry. He was to hold them in
check.
Cline went on, and the Che
yennes were still quiet. Gen. Mer-
ritt and everybody else began to be-
lieve they would remain at peace.
One morning Gen. Merritt con-
cluded that all danger from the
Cheyennes was over, and began to
move north and west with his COM
mand.
"He got as far as the War Bonnet.
when couriers overlook him with
dispatches from Gen. Sheridan-at
Chicago or Omaha Sheridan was
telling Gen. Merritt not to leave
Cheyenne vicinity until he was alb
solutely sure they quiet, and that
all danger of Cheyenne outbreak
had blown by. Sheridan's dispatch
said further that he had just re-
ceived from a worthy, trusty source
that the Cheyennes at the Red
Cloud agency were painting up fol
trouble, and about to leave the res,
ervation and join the Sioux. The
truth of this must be discovered,
and the Cheyenne uprising, were
any on the carpet, must be checked
AT all hazards the Cheyennes must
be prevented from effecting a june
tion with the Sioux.
when Merritt got this dispatch
he at once pitched camp. This
camp on the War Bonnet was Just
100 miles from the Red Cloud agency
as crows fly. Between lay a rough
country without trail or track. Yet
somebody must go to the Red Cloud
agency at once.
-" You 60, Stanton said Gen,
Merritt, to Brig. Gen. Stanton.
who had then climbed az high ur
the military ladder as the round oi
major. 'You go; you know the
country better than any man here.
"Stanton took four half breed
scouts with him and started. The
hour was noon, their horses the
pick of the Fifth Cavalry.
" This outfit of five pointed
straight for the Red Cloud agency
what a farmer would call 'cross
lots There wasn't the shadow ot
path or trail. 1t was as rough 9
stretch of country, bar some re-
gions in the Rockies, as ever slipped
from the palm of the Infinite.
"But Stanton and his half breed.
knew the direction to Red Cloud
and they kept it as straight as tn,
flight of a bullet both in the day
light and the dark.
"Down hill and up, across hol
low and over divides, they nevel
slackened or swerved., They neve
paused for food for themselves o.
fodder for their horses. Live
might be heavily staked on tn,
game, and man and mount must q,
through at any cost.
''It may be that somewhere il
the pigeon holes Of his inner con
sciousness Stanton had a conviction
filed away that Sheridan's line oil
the Cheyenne intention was cor
rect.
"And it may be for this reaso!
that he dug the incessant spurs int