The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1895-12-17


scouts were sent out to make recon-
noissance of the condition Of affairs in
| front. They returned in about an hour,
having successfully made their way to
within few hundred yards of the gath
| ering savages. They discovered them
concentrated in the sand hills on the
south side of the Arkansas, numbering
more than 900 warriors, according to
their best judgment, and were evidently
aware Of the proximity of the paymaster
and his escort, for they, as the cavalry
man had before reported, were going
through their savage tactics usually
preparatory to an attack
Major Smith gave positive orders for
no one to fire shot at the Indians until
they committed the overt act by COM
mencing the attack. One of the ridicu-
lous provisions of the so called "peace
policy inaugurated at Washington by
the humanitarians in congress was that
no officer or enlisted man of the regular
army, under any circumstances, was to
shoot at an Indian unless the savage
himself commenced hostilities, under
the penalty of punishment by court
martial. 1t is safe to presume, however,
that the order was better observed in
the breach than in its performance, for
no one was quite fool enough to permit
an Indian to get the drop ON him, not
on the plains or in the mountains at
least
All stood ready, however, with rifles
at carry, to repel the first demonstra-
ton Of hostile intent. They did not have
to wait long. With a blood curdling yell
Satapta at the head of his warriors,
charged furionsly en- the little camp,
thinking, no doubt, they could ride over
II like herd of buffalo tumbling over
bluff. They had very poor concep-
ton, however, of the mettle of the few
determined men who stood behind that
Gordon of half a dozen wagons; men
who We're familiar with all their devil
ISL tactics, who had encountered the no.
BILE savage more than once on his own
heath.
Down they came, riding like the tor
nadO, making the usually quiet spot re-
sound with their unearthly yells-such
yells as only the plains Indians can give
utterance to. Bang, bang went their
guns. Whz-z-zl showered the arrows
around the camp, one of which stuck
right through the top of the major s am
bulance, but their efforts were in vain
They could not make those men waver
all of whom had passed eventful lives
on the plains and were perfectly at home
to such warlike demonstrations on the
part of poor Lo.
Now came the moment for them to
act. The major gave the word, and
clearly, as one discharge, rang out on tho
evening air the repeating rifles of the
besieged So effective was the result
that the savages, as quickly as they ever
did in their whole lives, threw them
selves ON the off side of their ponies and
scattered mighty lively for the friendly
shelter Of the sand dunes, out of the
reach of the unerring balls from the
magnificent weapons of the victorious
little party
1t was give and take, the paymaster's
handful of men holding the vicious
horde Of Satanta S warriors at bay, after
repeated charges, until the next morn
ing During the night Major Smith had
dispatched one of his trusty scouts to
Fort Dodge to inform the commander Of
that post of tho situation Of affairs at
Cimarron crossing, and requesting aid
Immediately. A company of the famous
Seventh cavalry-Custer regiment
was ordered ont at once, and by forced
march leaving the garrison at midnight,
arrived at the crossing at 4 o clock with
out the Indians having the slightest idea
of their coming. The latter, full of bril-.
liant hopes, " ere just making ready for
one of their daybreak charges, that hour
in which they love well to commit then
devilish deeds. But as they were in the
act of crawling stealthily toward the
watchful little camp some of their run
ners saw the cavalry approaching, and
the whole band of savages fled, afraid
to attack the boys whose flashing sabers
had done such effective work among
them on more than one occasion. So the
besieged party were relieved from their
embarrassing situation.
There is no doubt that if it had not
been for the 0pportune arrival of the
troops the paymaster and his escort to-
gether with his "strong box, = would
have fallen prey to such an over
whelming force of savages; their am
munition would have shortly become
exhausted. The Indians would have con
tinued to annoy them, and they would
have been obliged to succumb, perhaps
not one left to tell the story of their
capture and eventually terrible death
by the most refined torture. Kansas
Cify UFipoov