The daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Ind. Ter. [Okla.]) 1898-1902, 1899-07-08
a AWEsTERN SCOOP.


Cut n Leading Figure
Few persons comprehend the dan
gers that were attached to the work
Of western newspaper correspond
ents back in the days when Indian
fighting was the principal occnpa-
ton of soldiers on the borslerland
General Nelson A. Miles, q. s. A,
famed the country over for his sue
cess in doing battle with the red
skins, was in Chicago recently, and
one Of the first men he met was Ed
ward Rosewater, editor of the Oma-
ha Bee The meeting was signif-
cant, for it recalled an incident Of
the early seventies and how the Ne
braska newspaper secured a mer-
itOriOus scoop.
Intimately connected with the In
dian uprisings were Frank Grouard
and Captain Jack Crawford, the lat
ter being better known as the poet
scout Both did good service as
scouts with the Seventh cavalry,
General Custer commanding.
Captain Crawford acted at this
time alsS as correspondent for The
Bee, then a small daily, struggling
for existence. During Clusters last
stand Crawford was with Colonel
Benteen, who commanded part of
Cu--or's commanaat Slim Buttes.
and Grouard was with Colonel Re
no, who commanded another detach-
ment of Custer s forces. After the
Custer massacre Reno dispatched
Grouard to Deadwood, S. D., the
nearest telegraph station, to notify
the war department of the terrible
affair. At about the same time Cap
tain Crawford concluded to ride into
Deadwood and dispatch to The Bee
the particulars of the fight and scoop
the entire country. The majority
of the great papers had correspond
ents with the troops, but none of
them dared to ride through coun-
try filled with hostile Indians, nor
could they get any one to do it for
them. Even had they had the cour-
age to do this they could not have
withstood the hardships Of 300
mile ride over rough country.
Both Crawford and Grouard met
at the stage station at Rock Springs,
Wy, and each OWNED the other 8
intention Of getting off the news of
the massacre first. Both were su-
perbly mounted on thoroughbred
cavalry horses, and both were equal
ly matched as to physical strength
and endurance.
1t was tacitly agreed to ride to-
gether for mutual protection. Hour
after hour they rode, sometimes ex-
changing shots with struggling In
'dians and again resting their tired
horses On the morning of the last
day of their ride both stopped for a
short nap and to rest their horses.
Each kept an eye on the other, how
ever, to prevent him from stealing
a march. When they got ready to
go, Grouard broke his cinch while
'saddling his horse, and before he
could repair it Crawford was round
ing out of sight in a deep gulch.
They had entered the foothills of
the Black Hills. Grouard galloped
after him.
AS the cabins of the little town Of
Epearfish loomed into view Craw-
ford was half a mile ahead. As he
entered the town his jaded horse
was ready to fall. Seeing a cow
boys broncho hitched in front of a
house, he leaped from his horse and
upon the cowboys and was off just
as Grouard rode into the town. The
15 miles between Spearfish and
Deadwood were soon covered.
When Grouard rode up to the tel
egraph office in Deadwood, Craw-
ford had sent half of 1000 word
dispatch, and the people in Omaha
were reading the details of the
slaughter. The Omaha Bee thus Sc
cured the biggest scoop" any pa
per in the country had ever had up
to that time. In this ride the two
scouts covered 800 miles in 3o hours
with but three changes of horses
Chicago journal.
A Poor Charge.