The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1897-01-15


thrusting their rifles into the straw.
"Uh, said an old buck as his rifle
found something soft in one of the
cars, and Bankers felt a hurt in his
short ribs. laying hold of the side of
the car the Indian began to pull and
strain. BY tho merest chance he had
taken hold of the car door,
and now as it opened thrust
his hideous head inside. Bankers
could have blown the top of the
Sioux's head off, but he knew that to
fire would be to attack dozen red
skins, against whom he could not
hope to hold out long. The women
scarcely brenthed. The baby, full OF
paregoric, slept as though it had al
ready entered upon its final rest. The
other two Indians had given up the
search among the empty cars, and
gone back to the station, where the
agent, having reloaded all his guns,
kept the gang hopping and dancing
about the station platform. The old
Sioux Mt the car door cooked his head
and listened. He must have fancied
he heard something breathe, for now
he put his hands upon the sill and
lcnped into the Car. lie had scarcely
| Strengthened up when Bankers rifls
barrel fell across his feathercd head,
and ho dropped like beef. The
school ma'am uttered n faint scream,
| and that was the last sound that came
from her corner for some time. The
Sioux never moved finger, and
Bankers, having removed the warri-
Or's firearms and ammunition, gave
the gun over to his wifo and then COW
cred the dead Sioux with straw. AL
ready the little frame cottage had
burned to the ground, and the rain had
nearly qucnched tho fire. Every at
tempt made by tho band to fire the
station had ended in failure and the
Sioux were now preparing to storm
the fort. 1t was hard for Bankers to
keep quiet in the car while the agent
sold his life SO bravely and SO dearly
to the Sioux, but there were his wife
and baby and the helpless school
ma'am, who had been persuaded by
the Bankerses to como to this wild
region, and he felt IL ms duty To pro-
tect them rs best he could. Presently
Bankers felt the stock car vibratc per-
ceptibly, as though it were being
rolled slowly along the rail. His first
thought was that tho Indians were
pushing the ompty cars down near the
station and that they would set fire to
the straw, and then there would be
no possible escape. Now there was n
roar as Of an approaching train, and
m instant later great dark object
hove in sight and rolled past the car.
box cars and running without head
light. The shouts Of the besiegers,
the rattle Of rifles, and the wild cry of
tho night prevented the Sioux from
feeling tho vibration or hearing the
sound OF the approaching train.
The agent, who had been severely
wounded, now crawled to the key and
called Ogallala. At the first attack
he had wired for help, and now, he
f,,l1 fhn tnr fhorn hn nnn1I hD1l
the place only n little while longer.
The agent was still Mt tho key when
tho engine, rolling up to the station,
shook the building, and he knew the
moment he felt the quiver of it that
help was at hand. Instantly the doors
of the box cars came open and a COM
pany Of Government scouts, Ell Paw
necs except the officers, leaped to the
platform just as tho band of Siuox
were making their last desperate
charge upon the station. Before they
could realize that reenforccments were
at hand the Sioux were bcset by tho
scouts, who always fought to kill. The
battle was short and decisive, and
when the Sioux fed they left more
than half their number upon the field.
Probably tho most anxious man in
tho whole party was tho conductor of
tho special train that had brought the
scouts from Ogallala. He had ridden
all the way on the locouotive, and the
moment the train stopped he had
lenpcd to the ground and gone through
n shower of bullets to where the cot