The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1897-02-18

IL 10 return TO 1CS EG8tlOU, ana Win Iudt
troop, the maddest man in all Wyo-
ming, was Lieutenant Will Farrar.
Six or seven weeks previously an or
der had come to Fenton to send two
troops to scout the western slopes of the
Big Horn and keep the peace between
the settlers and the Shoshones. Time
was when these latter rarely ventured
across the Big Horn river, partly
through fear of the Sioux, who claimed
sovereignty over all the lands east of the
Shoshone preserves in the Wind river
valley, partly through regard for the or
ders of their loyal old chief, Washable,
who for long. long years of his life had
kept faith with the great white father,
held his people in check and suffered
the inevitable consequences of poverty
and neglect, the policy of the Indian
bureau being to load with favors only
those of its wards who defy it and deal
| death to the whites Settlers seldom
encroach upon the Sioux, those gentry
being abundant]y able and more than
willing to take care Of themselves, but
the Shoshones had known long years of
enervating peace and, being held in
| subsection by their chief, became the
natural prey of the whites, who mistook
| ,ubord ination for subservience, as is
natural to freeborn Americans and as
easily adopted by fellow citizens of for
eign birth and who soon began to en-
croach ON their own account, stealing
Shoshone crops and cattle and promptly
accusing the army officer on duty as
agent of cattle stealing and all around
rascality when he rescued the captured
stock.
Then, while this badgered official was
defending himself in court, the Sho-
shones had to defend themselves in the
field, and that peripatetic buffer between
the oppressor and the oppressed, the
corporations and the cranks, the law
and the lawless-the much bedeviled
army-was sent out as usual to receive
the sings and arrows of outrageous for
tune and of both parties. Finding it
/ difficult to swindle the Shohones SO long
Is their new agent-the army agent
remained in power, the obvious thing
was to down him by Misrepresentation
at Washington and, if that didn't work,
by deft manipulation Of the local law.
Of course they didn't expect to prove
him guilty of anything, but there was
no law against lying, and they could
compel him to come into court and
prove himself innocent and leave his un-
armed wards at the mercy of the settler
in the meantime, and so it happened
that there were high jinks up the Wind
river valley and along those wonderful
ranges in the wild valleys of the Gray
Bull, the Meeyero, the Meeteetsee, north
of the Owl Greek mountains, and, the
cavalry having long since been with.
drawn from that section, that was how
the detail fell On old Fort Frayne.
"1ou can straighten matters out il
month, - said the commanding Officer
to Major Wayne, who had FASTENED
back from the east to take command,
and when it came to selecting the troop:
J to go, even though it lacked less thar
two months to his wedding day, viii
: Farrar gloried in the fact that his wa:
one of them. 1t is hard to conceive of {
lot in which a spirited, soldierly fellow
of 81 could possibly be happier thai
commanding a troop Of cavalry on al
expedition through so glorious coun
try. Amory's troop and Leale's wert
designated, and, the latter captain being
still in Berlin and the senior subalter1
on staff duty in the east, Farrar was hi
: own captain and troop commander and
( despite the troubles Of the Christina
season, long since buried SO far as ht
was concerned, just about the happies
: fellow that wore the army blue.
: The expedition had proved even ion
ger than was planned, but at last, Will
Wayne, with Amory and the recapture6
cattle and rounded up Shoshones, wen
over the Owl Greek mountains to rende
l account of his stewardship at For
: Washable, Will was told to make tn
best of his way homeward with his owl
l command, and, marching leisurel,
t along in the radiant spring morning
through a country unmatched for will
2 beauty in all America, shooting, fish
: ing, plunging in mountain streams
sleeping dreamlessly in the open air b
l night, they reached the valley of tn
7 Platte toward mid-June. The blesse
g landmark of the Eagle buttes came il
t sight one peerless morning. The blu
4 SUBMITS of the Medicine Bow loomed u
: across the horizon to the southeast. Th
t flag tipped bluffs Of old Fort Frayn
$ would greet their eyes before the clos
4 of tomorrow S march, and SO they did
e but with raging torrent tearing q
q their base, and this was Monday an
: less than As hours of Willis weddin
: day.
I Meanwhile there had been partia
0 reunion within the walls Of the fort
$ and already a joyous bevy Of army fol
q had gathered in anticipation of the Jun
i wedding, with Kitty Ormsby as the eel
L ter Of attraction, since she was the colo
0 nels niece and he was to give he
It away, and Wayne was to be best ma
) by order Of the bride, provided he didn
S get things mixed in his own inimitabl
way and turn up unexpectedly at som
!, one else's affair, as he did the night {
: the Eilletts' dinner tn Canfain an