The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-06-27

was customary. they took an unbeaten
tail TO their destination.
Now, IL happened that this rowing
band Of reds. numbering fully 800 war
riors. had been laying a 1--WE days siege
TO Jack Galatians o. six-mule govern
ment supply train In the sand hills of
the Wachita river. The train was
bringing supplies from Camp Supply
down TO General Miles. 1t was sur
prised at this bad place for a fight, and
was forced to go into corral. This II done
by putting two wagons together in A
shape. stringlng the rest down the sides.
and closing them up at the other end
V way. The mules and horses are kept
comparatively safe I'm the inclosure
made by the wagons. while the team
sters and soldiers get what protection
they can from behind the wheels or by
digging rife pits beneath the wagons.
There they can shoot with little danger
of being hit. Such a corral can stand
of an army Of Indians until the water
gives out. The Indians attacked the
train for five days. killing one lieuten-
ant. two oldiers and some Of the ami
mails. Their loss was heavy. Soldiers
Of Company X. 9th cavalry. Captain
Kingsbury. from Camp supply. had APP
peared upon the scene. driven OF the
Cheyennes, and relieved the b~esieged.
Chapman and Dixon. with their lit
tie escort. had crossed the Wachita.
some three or four miles below where
the pack train had been held up, but,
Of course, knew nothing Of its presence
or that of the indian On a rolling
prairie country such as they were in IL
is a difficult matter to see any great
distance on account OF the knobs and
hollows. They were coming out OF a
small draw or anyon when suddenly
they espied the savages, who were al
most directly upon them. There was
49,. 49, sA4., I. - A. a.A tha. NvaG IN rot
out on the open prairie. where there
would be a chance to night. Temporary
protection would be afforded by getting
behind things i'm the canyon but IL
would only be n matter of a short time
when they would be surrounded and
shot at from all directions. AS expert
enced men. they know this. A dash was
made for the prairie. and they reached
81 In a shower OF shot. 1t Is impossible
TO shoot well from the back of a rapidly
moving horse.
1T was the plan TO find a buffalo wal
low. lie as fiat as possible in IL, and
shoot until dead. Before such a place
was found the scouts and soldiers dis
mounted, so as 10 shoot better and keep
the Indians from getting too close be-
fore they could get into cover. A couple
Of dead Indians will stop a hundred live
ones from coming too near. one soldier
held the bride reins OF the horses while
the rest OF the men retreated behind
them and shot at the advancing host.
The Indians likewise ~dismounted, so
that they could also shoo better and
not be such good targets. II may seem
strange that such a large body Of In
dams would not make just one charge
and overwhelm the white men by force
of numbers. but that is not the Indian
way. They viii not take a risk Is they
can help 1t. They will not trade any
where near ven with the white man
when life is at stake.
Before a buffalo wallow could be
found the soldier holding the horses was
shot and killed and the animals STAN
peded. Then there was a race for life
TO the nearest hole. Some thirty feet
from one another soldier was shot. but
not killed. He lay there and yelled in
the agony of fear and pain.
Don't let them scalp me. boys For
Gods sake, don't let them get me- he
shrieked. The rest had safely got into
the wallow.
"1t was with this appeal ringing In
his ears that m Chapman. without
a word TO his mates, but Just a yell,
I'm coming sprang up out of the wal
low. his ~x-shoote i'm hand, ran To the
wounded man. seized and sought to
drag him back. The indian fired a
volley at him and made a rush toward
him. | don't know how many shots
were fired at Chapman, but the only
place he was hit was below the left
knee. The bone was shattered To splin-
tiers. Some OF the bullets hit the dying
soldier and fastened his md. Chap
mans leg gave way under him like a
piece Of rubber. but he never weakened
or let go. Reaching ahead with his good
leg and with the knee OF the left, he
dragged the soldier along with his left
hand, piece by piece, firing his gun with
his right.
THE men in the wallow kept up a flu
sillade and the Indians were held back.
Painfully but persistently Chapman
dragged himself and the man along.
Sometimes he sought to rise. hoping
tina the leg would hold. but II doubled
under him. IL did not take many min
utes for all this to happen. Chapman
and the wounded soldier reached the
hole. where the latter died In a little
while. Now, II hat isn't an example
OF heroic bravery, then ! don know
what is. One might c~riticise his judg-
ment. but not his bravery. He could not
n would not see that soldier slaugh-
tered and scalped. and put his own life
in peril TO prevent II. Had he been
killed. the lives OF all the others would
have been placed in still greater jeOp-
ardy by the loss OF a defender. but. those
things were not thought OF. There was
but one idea, and the instant II was con-
ceived It was put into execution. Dixon
would have done the same thing had
not Chapman been quicker. When |
thlnk OF such things to-day | believe
that men like Chapman should have a
monument. He got a cork leg from the
government and a second lieutenant's
pension when he retired.
II cannot go into the details of the
uneven fight that followed, for | was
not there. and only know the sto-y
from what Dixon and Chapman after
ward told me. The ordinary buffalo
wallow. which II made by bufaloes
rolling and wallowing around in the soft
earth. is about a dozen feet in diameter
and perhaps two or three feet deep. The
men cut away the dirt from around the
edge with their knives and threw the
loose material up In front. This afforded