Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1898-06-02
ROUGH RIDERS A WILD LOT.
Colonies Wood and Roosevelt Anxious
to Be Off-A Dance in Camp.

10 De OU-A Dance iii camp.
The officers of "Roosev elt's
Rough Riders" have a new reason
for wanting to get TO Cuba as soon
! as possible. They are having trouble
in controlling some of the men in
the regiment. While the large
majority of the men are fine, man
ly fellows, there are 200 or 300
scraped together in the Indian and
Oklahoma territories who are pref
ty wild and very hard TO handle.
A number OF full blood and hall
breed Indians are among them.
Realizing that it would not do to
be too strict at the start, the oiflcers
have been very liberal with passes
and large crowds of the troopers
have been in the habit of coming
TO town aud getting drunk. The
passes are good only until 10 o'clock
at night, but the camp is large
one and heretofore it has been
possible to crawl over or un-
der the high fence at some unob-
served point and escape arrest.
The troopers have been arrested
by the police. but by orders of the
Mayor and Recorder the cases
against them have been dismissed.
Beginning to-day, however, the
law will be strictly enforced, and
a private named Thompson from
the Indian Territory was fined 500
this morning Tor trying to annihi-
late a negro and overturn carriage
full of people. Another man from
the Indian Territory was arrested
near the city hall to-day while
fiourishing his machete i'm a dan
gerous manner on crowded
thoroughfare. Botl Colonel RoOse-
welt and Colonel Wood are disap-
pointed in some of th-ir men, but
are determined to make the best of
the situation and will apply strict
discipline to all the rowdies in the
regiment.
A little serious diversion was
created in camp this afternoon by |
Roosevelt" mascot of the regi- |
ment, breaking his chain. Roose-
welt is a young mountain lion,
which was lassoed by one of the |
Arizona men near Prescott, Ariz..
while on his way to enlist in the
regiment. He carried the lion to
town with him after he was enlist
ed and got permission to take him
along as the squadron's mascot.
After Lieutenant Colonel Roosevelt
arrived and made such a favorable
impression on the troopers they
named their mascot Roosevelt"
The mascot got loose to day, and
when he was skipping gayly down
between the rows of tents there
was sudden hegira of brawny
troopers to another and more dis
tant part of the camp ground. |
Henry Bennington, an expert with
the lasso, happened to be near and
by a dexterous whirl of his lariat
soon had his lionship safely in Gus
tody again.
After the behavior of some of
men at the concert in the park
Tuesday night, passes were scarce
and most of the men stayed in came
last night. Various experiments
we're resorted to to pass away
.he time, the feature of the evening
being ball in the exposition hall
inside the camp. A private from
Arizona brought a wheezing accor.
non WITH MN, which. being sup
Dlemented by a banjo, played by a
Texas cowboy, furnished music
or a weird and altogeter novel
lance. Some of the troopers tied
IandkeIchiefs around their arms. ,
ountry fashion, To indicate that
hey were TO impersonate ladies in
he dance. Everybody was in
'appy humor and the fun grew fast
nd furious as the wheezy accor-
ion and the consumptive banjo ,
lied the vast building with allie
ed melody Several of the New
| ork recruits, including Will Tu-
Tor, Will Tiffany, Kennett Robin
on, Craig Wadsworth and Joseph
simpson, Joined merrily in the
ance. which lasted until taps
ounded.