Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1896-07-16
he FOUGHT INDIANS.

O1u ever tell you the story OF now
Buffalo Bill saved my life and the lives
of my companions back i'll 1892 asked
Sergeant Jim Mcdonnell in the central
police station one day last week.
II was raining outside like cloud
burst, and consequently there was a
goodly crowd of listeners when Ser
geant Jim asked the opening query.
Contrary to his usual custom Jim re-
manned standing while telling the story,
but he did not begin until every one
present had several times expressed a
desire to hear his experience After
putting industriously ON his cigar for a
few moments, during which time his
memory began to react, he began:
1t was back in the fall of 1869 when
was corporal in the Fifth United
States cavalry stationed out in Wyoming
territory. The Indians We're on the war
path and were giving the government
no end Of trouble, and it was safe only
where large squads of armed men were
at call. Skirmishes with the wander
ing bands Of Sioux and Cheyennes were
frequent, and we had smelt powder a
| dozen times at the period Of which |
am telling.
zone day Colonel Crittenton, our
commander, received orders to make a
foray down around the Republican river
in Colorado, and / was picked out as
one Of the squad Of 20 troopers who
were to go as the advance guard with
the sappers and miners. Attached to our
command as scouts were Buffalo Bill,
otherwise Colonel Cody, and Major
Frank North, another famous Indian
scout, who still sticks to the old calling
and localities. Bill and North were sent
out with our squad as scouts, and they
did sterling service, too, and but for
Buffalo Bills thoughtfulness and
knowledge Of the red mans methods 1
might have been six feet under the sod
instead of telling this story today.
A lieutenant was in command of
the squad, young fellow, fresh from
West Point, who knew less about Indian
fighting than he did about bicycle rid
ing, and there were no bicycles at that
time. His name was Valkman, but for
all his lack Of experience he was bright
fellow, with plenty Of grit and well
liked. There was a sergeant, and was
the corporal.
''We started with the sun one morn
ing, and everything went easy until we
began to reach that part Of the country
where we knew the Sioux and Cheyennes
were. Then we became cautious. Buff
falo Bill and Major North rode away at
daylight on the scout, and we saw them
no more until the hour of danger had
arrived. 1t was the next day about sun
down. We were just approaching
stream and loafng along as only old
cavalrymen can. The object was to go
into camp at the stream where we could
get fresh water for our horses and for
cooking. Before we reached the water,
which was glad sight to the almost
parched horses, some of the men spied
some moving objects way off in the
deep hollow Of the wavy hills 1t was
first believed that the objects We're buf-
falo running, but some one called at
tention to the fact that the objects were
suggested that they were antelope
While we were looking and specu-
lating straining our eyes to discern the
objects, pair of rapidly riding horse
men, over mile off, suddenly came
into view from the mound Of gently
sloping hill, and after getting fairly into
view began riding in circles at furious
l,.f
objects that we had been studying were
Indians. The two horsemen were Buff
falo Bill and Major North, and the sig
nal directed by riding i'll circle is only
too well known to any one who has
spent any part of his life on the plains
By this time we could make out the OBJ
jects, as the sun beat down on them.
They were redskins sure enough, and at
least so of them, while our command
numbered less than 25. They We're COM
ing at furious gait, and each one was
bending under his pony to keep out Of
sight as much as possible.
:" Ready, ordered the lieutenant
March, trot, and then March, gallop,
and we We're off III the direction of the
two scouts, who had ridden to the top Of
the hill again and were watching the
reds. When we arrived near enough,
Cody told rs that he and his partner
had been watching tho Indians all day
and keeping them i'll sight, while they
remained under cover. After consulta-
tion between the leaders, it was decided
to let every lnm go it for himself and
give the Indians all they bargained for.
This meant that every man was to get
his arms in shape and then go at them
for all he was worth, and never stop
fighting until the reds were licked or
had run away. Arms ratified as the men
adjusted them and knives were jerked
to the front of the belts and with de-
termined look on every mans face the
command to trot was received.
'"The stream i'll front Of us, that di-
vided us from the redskins, was ford
able at several points, wherever we
could find buffalo path. l struck out
for myself at once and soon found my
self separated from the others, who