The Saint Paul globe., 1899-03-05
TROOPER TALES-RED BRENNAN
OF THE SEVENTH.

vi l1lL OENEIN Ill.
Dad Evans told the tale. He is an old cav
alryman, born with a saddle between his
thighs-a soldier by temperament, and mar
1nstlnctively. Old Dad has served 80 years
but he was so miserable away from the troop
tnat they took him back in spite of his
dimmed eyes and chalky joints.
Rebellion memories are rampant in Dad
Evans mind. He was tough little bow
legged cavaryman then. A dozen Indar
hghts are shown on his discharge papers
And then he was one of those bows who lef
their horses back in the States and pushed
up the sand-soaked hills in front of Santiago
the one coveted.
But there is one scene which Old Dads
eyes looked upon when they were not dim
scene Which appears again when his pipe
is lit and his bunk is conforta ble-a scene
and story, which Dad Evans does not tel
except at the canteen when his months pay
flows with his words.
Then he will tell you about Ran-in-the
Face, the ugliest of the Sioux, and the craft
est of red men, and about the deserter from
the ranks of Uncle Sans horsemen who wa:
chained to him. He will tell you how Indian:
tight, how lmpish the fury of theil
squaws, how terrible their numbers And al
cavalrymen forget the glasses in their hands
while Dad Evans tells how the field looked
when he helped to bury the dead of Custer:
band way out in Montana on that hot June
day.
ASK any old cavalryman what kind of
fellow the Michigan man whom the
Sioux called Yellow Hair. He was soldier
they will say, not an indulgent officer, bu
one who feared nothing living or dead. L
was Custer who declared:
Give me my regiment and I will lick the
whole Sioux Nation.' .,y...
Custer was tinglifg to make his name ii.
lustrous when he uttered those words He
was confident, experienced-a soldier born
He did not think that his regiment of horse
men would ever be called the "Unlucky
ant E11f y, 80
to memory by school children. Here is thu
story of Red Brennan, deserter, once in
troop of Clusters command. and long since
dead-the story which Dad Evans tells. 1t il
a true story, for Dad Evans who saw it en-
acted, says so.
Brennan was a bad man. HIS worst enc
mics were whisky and himself. His bunk wa.
deserted one morning at revelle roll call, ant
his troop was detached to hunt him UP. The
boys found him in q cave, to which they wer,
led by an Indian scout Brennan was help
lessy obfuscated. probably through the me-
dunn of unmellowed corn juice. The Indiar
scout Shuffled about the cave feeling anC
smelling things. There were puzzling cir
cumstances about. Some one had been il
the cave with Brennan, but the identity O.
this party was an Opaque mystery. Nothins
but can of bears grease was found
Squaws make their braids shiny with BEAR
grease. A soldier suggested that Kate Poso,
Water had perhaps taken Brennan for hel
paramOur.
he was chained to Rain-in- the-F Face sub
chief of the Sioux. At first he uttered a Sc
ries of CALCULATIONS that would have plunged
an army mule into Mysteries.
Kate Poison Water was a sort of De Stae
among the Sioux. She was serpent in cum
ning tisress in strength and agility;
Sioux squaw in general deviltry. 1t deveope,
that Rain-in- the-Face knew her.
Custer was in a land ridden with redmen
He had no near reserve 1t was not a tim
for courtmarshals. Red Brennan ate and slep
but did not become chummy with the risin
buck. They were together until the day
when Reno took part of the regiment an(
branched off to the south. Rain-in- the Fac
was taken with Reno, while Brennan re
Joined his troop Clusters division 1t is tn
needless to say in whose command was Da,
Evans, for had he been with Reno he woul,
never have slipped canteen beer and tolt
stories these times, nor would he have climbe,
Cuban hills under Mauser fire.
The guard in charge of the Sioux prisone
was murdered in the night 1t was done q
quietly that the sentry, walking his post :
yards away, heard no sound and saw moth
ing. Then Dad Evans told of a way the bod
mutilated-So horrible were his word
that we turned away shuddering
Only a squaw does the trick Evans ex
planned. We thought Kate Poison Waite
had made possible the escape of Rain-in-the
Face, because of the manner of the deed Thi
idea grew upon US. Meanwhile that day O
history dawned.
Clusters command was four miles from
Reno's camp Every trooper felt there wer
hordes of redmen in the surrounding foothills
Not white man guessed their numbers Th
Indian scouts were puzzled by cross trails
They Rugged the vanguard and could not b
pushed ahead. The troopers attentiv