Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-01-21

Just left the palace at San Juan, Porto
Rico. with his compatriots. where Major
General Guy V. Henry, the new military
and civil governor of the island, had well
coined the committee with a mixture of
old-time courtesy and military brusqueneSs.
The members of the committee still held
in recollection the scene in the gorgeous
reception chamber; the staff of American
officers uniformed like veterans fresh from
the field. the sunlight cleaning through the
stained glass windows, the martial trap
pings of the attendant guard and that
central figure which represented to them
the majesty and might of the wonderful
republic TO the north which had freed them
from the yoke Of the Spanish opprsssors.
That figure was a slight, spare man.
attired n a rather faded uniform, and
with a lean, brown face disffgured with
marks and scars. The members of the
committee had looked with respectful Gu
riOsity at those marks and scars. and they
vaguely felt that they betokened the vet
eran, but they did not know that each
mark meant the imprint of years of serv-
ice and each scar the insignia of wound
received in honorable battle.
Generals Sunday School
Several month ago, while in Ponce, Porto
Rico, 1 saw Gen. Henry stand up in the
quaint old plaza of the city and address,
through an Interpreter, a number of natives
on the subject of good government and on
the value of becoming honest, God-fear-
ing citizens of the great republic. also
saw him hold Sunday school service in
the same plaza and, as he stood upon the
steps of the kiosk in the center, with a
Bible in his crippled hand, and told in
simple words the story of the Christ, l no.
ticed number of American soldiers
roughly uniformed and some of them in
drink. stop and listen with wondering in
terest- As the crowd dispersed after the
analr was over, / heard one old bearded
sergeant, who also bore marks of long
service in the army, turn to a comrade
and, with a slap of his orawny hand, ex-
claim:
Il fought under that man out in the
Black Hills in "a. He's a scrapper. every
inch OF him, and he's the best officer that
ever drew saber, bar none. And he
knows when good word is better than a
good bullet. too. He amt much to look at
but you can bet every scar he's got has a
story
And the sergeant was right The stories
Of those scars are written not only in the
records Of the United States but also in
the hearts of every man, officer or private
that served with Guy V. Henry in the In
dian campaigns of the 'TOs. This is the
story Of the crippled hand that held the
Bible that day in Ponce:
story of Crippled Hand.
Ii N4LC AoAl VI 1914 WHen the cheyenne
Indians were setting the frontier ablaze in
the northern part of Dakota, Col. Henry,
then in command of several troops of cav
airy, came upon a village of the enemy
nestled among the hills. There was brief
but decisive fight, and the Indians fled to-
ward the Canadian boundary. Immediate
pursuit was ordered. Notwithstanding the
fact that the weather indications gave sign
or a blizzard, which meant, in those wild
exposed regions, certain peril to life
Day and night, with scarcely a halt for
food, the pursuit was kept up. The Indians
were mounted on fleet ponies, and they
We're not only acquainted with the country
but also Injured to the rigors of the lati-
tude. At first they did not anticipate being
chased, but when they discovered that the
troops were actually in pursuit, they set
out with all possible speed toward the
boundary, almost one hundred miles dis
tant.
Forty-eight hours after the start, a fierce
sleet and hail storm sprang up, the wind
sweeping across the plains with the fury of
a hurricane. II finally became so violent
that the trail was lost. and the troops rode
blinGiy through the blizzard. Presently one
OF the subordinate officers ventured to ask
II it would not be well to camp in the shell
ter Of 4 rise Of ground until the Indictment
weather had ab2ted.
I'VE VIII Keep On
Colonel Henry shook his head. No he
replied. firmly, I'VE will keep on until We
capture the Indians or run them to the
boundary line" Drawing down his rough
fur cap. he urged his horse steadily onward
At the head Of the struggling troops That
day passed, and another morning dawned
but still the pursuit continued in the face
OF the Bring. piercing gale which swept
down from the north with undated fury
Before noon of that day several of the
horses gave out. dropping before the icy
blast like stricken deer. At dark a num-
Der Of packs were abandoned to provide
mounts for those who had lost their ami
mails
Finally brief rest was called, and. after
many failures, q fire was started and coffee
made When orders were given TO resume
the march the surgeon accompanying the
expedition went to Colonel Henry and re-
ported that five of the troopers were suffer
ing with badly frozen feet.
Help me OFF with this glove" replied the
intrepid cavalry leader, extending his left
hand. The surgeon wonderingIy obeyed
and. as he touched the flesh under the
gauntlet, he cried: 1T is stiff. Your hand
is frozen, sir"
Onward With Frozen Hand.
Mount, men," ordered Colonel Henry.
calmly. And as the cayalcade prepared to
obey the command II was found nacesS ~,