The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1898-09-17
OCHE, THE CHICKASAW.

~ WAC Jul ouslnesS 10 OBEY orders
His mouth was straight and firm, AM
his small, gray eyes were set unusual,
close together. His chin was clear
shaver, and on either cheek he wore
q thin and formal whisker. Perhap.
it was to this severe exterior tina
Colonel Bailey owed his appointment
as deputy sheriff of Guthrie district
but be this as it may, everybody knew
him to be capable and fearless, and
so when an elusive young Chickasaw
bandit was seen in the vicinity of LIE.
high it was the colonel who was chosen
to run him down.
Colonel Bailey selected me as one
OF his associates. For the other he
picked out an unsociable fellow,
known in the community as Frozen
Pete" 1 suspect that he had no
great confidence in our ability to catch
the thief. For when we reached L.
| high and found the outlaw under lock
and key, he seemed very well satisfied.
1t merely remained for us to bring the
prisoner safely to Guthrie and lodge
him in the county Jail.
After short delay, we started
on our return journey, and so it
happened that one breezy autumn
evening we four encamped in
hollow of the Washita Hills, Okla
bona, with more than half our ride
behind US.
Our prisoners name was Oche-a
Chlckasaw word meaning call right"
Never was name less appropriate. Ex-
cept in his youth, his vigor and the
marvellous quickness of his motions,
Oche was anything but 'all right"
Though he stood five feet ten in his
moccasins, his extraordinary leanness
left his weight scarcely a hundred
pounds. He spoke little English and
was wholly without education, but his
high reputation for cunning had been
thoroughly earned. A pair of frayed
buckskln trousers and dingy blanket
made up his simple costume. He
looked typical Indian outlaw, but
his face was kind, and there were
men who said his gratitude for a favor
was keen and lasting.
AS a professional horse-thief Ocbe
had small claim upon the kindness of
honest men, and he must have ex-
pected the severest justice at official
hands. But at the outset the Indian
lad reason to be surprised, for con-
'rary to his appearance Colonel Bailey
vas generous to a fault, and his kind
for prisoner was in
'arlable. Frozen Pete and I followed
us example. We had no wish to be
llScourteous, and it seemed only nat
lraI and right to offer Oche such little
ttentlons as were within our power
o oestow. I remember in particular
nat last night when the Indian was
h1Vering beneath his scanty blanket
oW the colonel drew off his heavy
'eather-coat and spread it carefully
yer him. Oche merely raised his
cad and stared hard into the rugged
ice of the sheriff.
The hollow in which we had halted !
as a natural basin, situated on the E
est bank OF branch Of the Washita 9
yer. Eastward between us and the
ream very narrow wall of shalv ,
Irtn rose precipitously to the height \
1ull ~ feet. To the north and i
est the low hills were almost perpen- v
cular. Thus on three sides the n
'sln was entirely shut in by cliffs, 7
the fourth alone to the southwest h
Q view was open, and through the b
p we could see stretches of the H. W
nitable prairie. y y
The tall prairie grass grew abun. h
ntly on the floor of our camping y
ound, and here and there along the il
I'd, dry walls chung an occasional e.
ton OF stubbly buffalo grass or u,
KY cluster of yellow cacti. Ger
my 1t was not pretty spot, but the IL
/, banks were a rampant against the ",
III Dreeezes OF the northwest, and n
} basin had long since been favor ~ ~
battle-ground for travellers. " "
IN this night however, the wind W. W,
yeered round until it swept unre- W. W.
ted through the mouth of our three. o ~,
led fiat All night long its vic. "
CO steadily increased, and when rn
colonel wakened us by loud shouts i Ir
Rouse! Rouse!" it was blowing a ~
started up and began to draw on a no
heavy boots. The colonel was al. SSii'
dy making coffee over a GLOWING n 10,
p OF brush sticks. By chance nv HI,
5 wandered to the opposite side Of sli '
basin, where we had picketed our 60,
: 6roneos, They were gone. wa wa
4 blank amazement I pointed to hos
spot. The colonel followed the a o"'
ctlon OF my gaze and understood, the
n by common impulse we ran to to
re his overcoat lay. He snatched NC NC
9 o the ground. Beneath were O tbr
ket, piece of heavy rope and jill =
OF locked handouts. Oche had fro
}, too. ' i io
od Tho b1o,,, h. DS>