The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1898-02-18
AN EXPERIENCE
AT PINE RIDGE.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

hTELL him." said Frazier, address
ing the calm and impassive
Yellow Bird, who was the official
interpreter for the agency, that
above all and in any event the
thing that he must do is to de-
liver messages, no matter what hap
pens. Impress that upon him with the
strongest Injun talk you know. Tell
him what great concern the Western
Union Telegraph company is. and how
utterly ruinous to its prestige would be
the failure Of messenger TO do his
duty. Go on, now, Yellow. Let's hear
you. I want to see that you instruct
him right" And he leaned back against
the table on which the little brass
sounder was pounding away merrily,
and assumed keen interest in the
gesticulations of the interpreter and
his profuse jabbering of Sioux, Vel
low Bird himself being somewhat hazy
as to the exact shade of meaning OF
some of Frazier's words, did not seek
to translate literally, but he gave Harry
Blue Horse fair conception of his du-
ties as delivery boy, inyenting for the
purpose sundry penalties which he
knew would appeal TO an Indian boy
of IA.
1t was Trazier's second day in the
agency. He had come over from Rush
vile to provide n closer communication
with the outside world, and in partlc-
ular with the newspapers of the east,
than was afforded by the slow courier
system. The telephone line connect
ing the agents office with the ware
house alongside the railroad tracks at
Rushville, 81 miles away, had been con-
verted into telegraph circuit, and now
the Western Union, SO fur as it was con-
cerned, was quite ready for Little
Wound or Short Bull or Two Strike OF
any of them to begin the threatened
slaughter, the promise of which had
brought many soldiers and almost as
many newspaper correspondents into
Pine Ridge. Frazier had tried the ex-
pertinent of himself delivering the fran
tic messages from officers wives and
the equally frantic appeals of distant
newspapers for more" and had found
1t dreadful nuisance. So he had sent
out the information that be wanted a
messenger.
When Yellow Bird came, introducing
Harry Blue Horse, Frazier first grinned
and then laughed boisterously. Down
at Omaha he had had his experience
with I'LL kinds of uniformed messen-
gers, but never had his eyes rested upon
such one as this who offered his serv-
ices. In the first place no Omaha mes
senger whom he had encountered wore
as regular garb red and gray blan-
ket which extended from his head TO his
heels. None of those civilized Mer-
curics went about with 1890 Winches-
ter over his shoulder aud belt weight
ed with cartridges nearly US big as
clothespins girdling him. Neither did
his remembrance rest upon any one of
the Bil,ies and Sans and Jacks who fol-
lowed the fashion OF painting his face
in red and yellow, like kind of Easter
egg gifted with eyes and nose and
mouth.
Harry Blue Horse was employed then
and became a representative of the
western Union. And whether or not it
was owing to his general appearance
and the unconcealed weapon it is not of
record that any man to whom a col
|lect" telegram was sent refused pay
meut or questioned the amount. And
yellow Birds instructions must have
been thorough, for Harry never re-
turned to Frazier with an undelivered
message. He followed Walker, the
United States deputy marshal, clear
over into Porcupine. On the day the
mission house was burned and one of
the employees was slain-the day when
everybody in the shadow of the reserva-
|tioa buildings. from friendly Indians
10 the white special commissioner, was
liz terror OF the expected attack-Harry
Iset out for a 3o-mile ride through
chill December wind, seeking Ray, a
\ Chadron city official to whom some
body down in Omaha had sentan urgent
reouest for accurate information" He
look the so-mile ride because Bill Web
her. who was Rays known friend, in n
humorous mood told the boy that Ray
vas out ut Mousseau's, although, in
Tact. the Chadron man was sitting ut
The fire in wcbber's own shack. twas