The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-06-20
SIEGE OF THE wALLOw.
BATMAsrERsON,s STORY OF BRAVE
FRONTIERSMLN's DEED.

E"N-f
remarked the other day that he knew of no
parallel to the heroism Of Amos Chapman.
ITO fight Indians was bad enough" Mr..
Masterson said, but TO be oorralled by them in
a buffalo wRllow and held there by them, and
water UP to your ~neck-that IL hell with the lid
of.
II know Chapman quito we'll. He had been
on the frontier a long timo. He was from the
East He had hunted buffalo, traded with In
dians. fought with them in 1868. and finally
married a Cheyenne. lie was not moro than
80 years old. tough, sure shot, good interpreter,
fearless rider, and AZ brave as a man could be.
ut was in September. 1874, that Gen. Miles
command was cAmped on the Red River, in
the Texas Panhandle, where 1t had followed the
retreating Indians, or rather the main body of
thom. Prairie Dog Dave and 1 were selected
as the two scouts to carry dispatches from
Gen. Miles to Major Compton, whose nina
was located on McClslland Greek, about seven
ty-fve miles to tho north. Some of the de-
spatches were really intended for Camp Supply,
in the Indian Territory. still further north, but
our instructions were simply TO deliver them to
Major Compton. Dave and | hoped to be sent
on to Camp Supply with them, for we needed
some new and warmer clothes, as 1t was be-
ginning to be cold nights.
I'VE we're not clad in buckskin and beads.
as scouts are usually pictured. Our clothing
''nI'y Hoa'NS "a u 100 "a ASe SNSAS'Ao
calico shirts, soft hat, and q pair OF boots. We
had lived in them all summer, and thought it
about time to change them. We.reached.Comp-
ton b camp without incident and cursed our luck
when we received return dispatches to Miles.
while ours were turned over to Billy Dixon and
Amos Chapman to take to Camp Supply. Later
when we learned what they went through we
took II all back.
"It was known that there was a marauding
] baud 90 a.. ,nl lo,,I, ,,,,,,S,harn ~ 49, -,,;,
ity, but, like the Irishman's flea, 1t was q ditl-
i cult matter to put q finger on them. They
might be in one spot one day and fifty miles or
more away the next. 1t was considered best to
send a sergeant and Ave soldiers with the scouts
for greater security, and, as was customary,
they took an unbeaten trail to their destination.
Now, it happened that this rowing band OF
reds, numbering fully 800 warriors. had boon
laying a five days siege to Jack Galatians
twenty-five six-mule Government supply train
in the sand hills of the Wachita River. The
train was bringing supplies from Camp Supply
down to Gen. Miles. 1t was surprised at this
bad place for a fight, and was forced TO 60 into
corral. This 10 done by putting two wagons
together in A shape, s~lrinRinS the rest down
the sides, and closing them up at the other end
V way. The mules and horses are kept COM
paratively safe in the incloSure made by the
wagons, while the teamsterB and soldieFA get
what protection they can from behind the
wheels or by digging rifle pits beneath the
wagons. There they can shoot with little dan
ger of being hit. Such a corral can stand OF
an army of Indians until the water gives out.
The Indians attacked the train for i've days,
killing one Lieutenant, two soldiers, and some
Of the animals. Their loss was heavy. Sol
1iers OF Company X, Sixth Cavalry. Capt. Kings
bury. from Camp Supply, had appeared upon
the scene, driven or the Cheyennes. and 70.
lieved the besieRed.
Chapman and Dixon, with:their.ittle 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 Indians. On \ rolling prairie
country such as they were in it is a difficult mat
ter 10 see any great distance on account of the
knobs and hollows. They wero coming out Of
o small draw or canon, whom suddenly they
espied the sayages, who were almost directly
and that was TO get out ON the open prairie,
where there would be q chance to fight. Tenn
porary protection would be afforded by get
ting behind things in the canon, but it would
only be q matter Of o short time when they
would be surrounded and shot at from all direc.
lions. AS experienced men, they knew this.
A dash was made for the prairie, and they
reached 1t in a shower Of shot. 1t Is impossible
to shoot well from the back Of q rapidly moving
1T was the plan to find q buffalo wallow. lie as
fiat as possible in it, and shoot until dead. Be-
fore such Il place WAS found the scouts and sol
diers dismounted. SO as to shoot better and keep
the Indians from getting too close . before
they could get into cover. A couple of dead
Indians viii stop a hundred live ones from
coming too near. One soldier held the bride
reins OF the horses while the rest of the men re.
treated behind them and shot at the advancing
host. The Indiana likewise dismountod, 80 that
they could also shoot better and not be such
good targets. 1t may seem strange that such
a large body of Indians would not make just
force OF numbers, put that Is not Tho Indian
way; They Will not take a risk II they can help
1t. They will not trade near even
with the white man when life is at stake.
Before a buffalo Talow could DO found the
and the animals Etampededi Then there was
u race for life to the nearest hole. Some thirty
killed. He lay there and yelled in the agony OF
Don't let them scalp me-, boys! For Gods
sake don't let them get mai no shrloked. The
rest had safely got into the wallow.
1T was with this appeal ringing in his ears
mates, but just a yell. I'm coming. sprang up
out OF the wallow, his sIx-shooter in hand. ran
TO the wounded man, seized and sought to drag
him back. The Indians fired u yoiley at him
and made a rush toward, him; | don't know
only place he was hit was below tho left knee.
The bone was shattered TO splinters. Some OF
the bullets hit thedyinE soldier and FASTENED his
end. C~hapmanS leg gave way under him like
u piece of rubber, but he never weakened or let
60: Reaching ahead with his good leg and with
with his left hand, piece by piece. hrin g bis gun
IL llCu III III "hlluW k0pI up u lubllluQ6
and the Indians were held back. Painfully but
persistently Chapman dragged himself and tho
man along. Sometimes he sought TO rise, hop
ing that tho leg would hold, but it doubled un.
der him; II did not take many minutes TOR all
this to happen. Chapman and the wounded
soldier reached tho hole. where the latter died
In a little while. Now. II that isn't an eIA n
pie of heroic bravery. then ! don't know what
Is. One might Criticlse his Judgment but not
his bravery. He could not and would not see
that soldier slaughtered and scalped, and put
his own life in peril to prevent IL. Had he
been killed, the lives of all the others would
have been placed in still greater jeopardy by
tho loss of defender, but those things were
not thought of. There was but one idea, and the
instant II was conceived IL was put into eIecu-
tion. Dixon would have done the 80 III thing
had not Chapman been quicker. When | think
Of such things to-day ! believe that men like
Chapman should have IA monument. lie got
a cork leg from the Government and a Second
LieutenanLs pension when he retired.
II cannot 20 into the details Of the uneven
fight that followed, for / was not there, and
only know the story from what Dixon and Chap
man afterward told Inc. The ordinary buffalo
MaLlnA Mhlnh IL InaAn LIZ In RnlAna Enllinn and