The record-union., 1897-07-16
STARTED A WAR SCARE.
Gen. Miles Moved His Soldiers on
the Double Quick.

the Double QUICK.
sSitting Bull in all his bloodthirsty
campaigns never spread terror through
out a community to a greater degree
than did a practical joker who caused
the name of the dreaded chief to figure
in a general alarm throughout three
counties of South Dakota" said pl-
Cneer telegrapher to Record cor
respondent.
The operator had pounded brass" for
the Government during the most of the
Indian outbreaks, and especially when
Sitting Bull was in the heydey of his
deviltry on the plains.
THE Custer massacre took place on
June -. 1876" said the story-teller,
''and then came the outbreak of 1881,
when General Miles drove Sitting Bull
over the British line. Later on he was
brought back and returned to the res
erVation west of the Missouri River.
The newspapers We're full of the deeds
incident to the chase, capture and re-
turn of the Villainous redskin. AT that
time I was doing occasional service at
a station on the Jim River Division of
the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad.
For particular reasons l do not care to
mention the name under which the sta
ton was then known. It was a new
country, and it had filled up with an
intelligent, law-abiding people, little
used to the scenes of Indian warfare,
and among whom an outbreak, or re-
port of one, would occasion the greatest
excitement and concern.
Settlers We're moving in rapidly, and
1S- rn1n no 1s+i nf a
occurrence. party made up of land
men and armed guards would take a
party of homeseekers, explore the valley
and be gone sometimes a week or more.
"One day in the early SOS a COM
pany of people left Redfield for the
purpose of looking over the broad, fer
tile acres of Faulk County, in which
at that time there was scarcely a
habitation. It was noticed that the
expedition was in charge of a set of
fellows who mana ged to extract a large
measure of fun and excitement out of
this life 1t was a rollicking, jolly par
ty and they set out in high feather.
"a few mornings after the departure
of the party I was making my way
leisurely to the depot, when 1 noticed
away down the railroad track a streak
of smoke curling above the right of
way. / soon figured out in the dis
tance a train, which seemed to be a
caboose hitched TO an engine. There
was no train due at that hour, and as
specials were rarely run in those days,
/ began to wonder. / soon discovered
by a pair of green flags displayed on
the engine, that it was a wild train
AS it jolted up to the platform the first
man to alight was the Superintendent
of the division, who at once asked me
if 1 had any late news from Redfield.
No said I. What kind of news
What do you mean?'
Then the railroad official took me to
one side, telling me that he did not
wish to occasion any unnecessary
alarm, but that he had been receiving
continued reports that an expedition of
land seekers had been overtaken by
the Indians near Faulkton and had
been literally annihiIated; that the des-
perado chief, Sitting Bull, had again
broken loose, had stolen away from the
reservation, crossed the Missouri and
was making his way toward Redfield
in which it was feared he would cut a
wide and bloody swath
Now don't create any unnecessary
ALARM said the Superintendent; I ex-
pect to get at the foundation of this ru-
NOR shortly and will communicate with
YOU