The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-07-30

1
Of solid granite at either hand. frowning
| precipices above them, and at O'Clock
that morning the Indians front and rear
and overhead opened up the completion
/ OF their work. The Arapahoes were on
the right, the Cheyennes on the left
| above, the Slouxs in front ana In the
rear. Arrows never fell so fast before,
and to add to the terrors OF the column
the Cheyennes began to roll boulders
down the walls upon the soldiers, killing
many in this way. DR.. De Ross was
wounded by five arrows in this fight and
his horse was killed from under him.
The arrows fell Ike hail. The conflict
was at times hand to hand, and seven
times the column forced its way across
the river trying to escape. and six times
was driven back. But the browning hor-
ror was to come. The Sioux Captured
two soldiers with their lassoes, and the
hungry. tired, wounded column saw them
lead the two men up a crag to their
right, and in the rays of a setting sun
beheld the Indians strip the men, tie
them back to back to the upright trunk
of tree. The men knew the devlish de-
sign Of the savages. but they could not
reach them, try as they did. The Indians
pilel faggots around the two sildiers and
burned them TO death. The agony Of the
men below was as great as the men who
were the victims of the Indians cruelty.
While the flames leaped higher and
higher around the naked, writing FORMS
the white soldiers lowered the trail of
their two cannon, prepared time shells
and resolved on the only revenge possi-
bic. The fuse was cut long, as long as
possible. They sent the shell hurting up
among the Indians where it rolled and
stopped. They sent another after Il, and
1t too rolled among the indians and found
resting place. The fuses sputtered and
smoked. The curious Indians gathered
in groups around these missiles, and
with hooking laughter, pushing them
with their feet and rolling them with
their hands. Both shells exploited almost
simultaneously with the legs and heads
and arms flying through the air. OF
course the men below never knew how
many Indians these shells killed. The In
dians kept charging in the night, fash
ing in upon the men and disappearing
again like magic. annoying and irritating
the hungry. wounded. CALLED column I'M
til hope died within them. and despair
was only kept down by the necessity of
being ever alert. The column moved on
before SUNRISE trying to get away from
the thousands of Indians who hung about
them like birds of prey charging in
groups. shooting their poisoned arrows
from ambush. On September another
general battle took place. The men had
suffered terribly and a sorrier set God
never put on earth. The cracker day
seemed to grow smaller and smaller. and
their bodies less and less able to with
stand the elements and the constant eff
fort of vigilance. During their see-saw-
ing travels to avoid the Indians and to
find General Common, they once returned
to the scene OF the first battle. The In
dams had dug out Of the trenches every
corpse and scalped II.
Some one had Numbered. General Sully
had government orders to keep the Sioux
back on their reservation In the Dacotas.
He had six thousand men to do 1t with.
General Common with over foit- thcus-
and men was to keep the Arapahoes on
the south in check. He and Sully did not
do this. But General Conner was to meet
the expedition at Panther Mountain and
supply necessary rations. Common did not
do this.
From September to September q, this
column wandered hungry. harassed, dis
traught on a cracker a day. So great
was their privation that they took to
horse and mule flesh raw, as they had
no fires. At last ait the headwaters Of
Powder River they found General Con-
nor. He was leisurely building a fort
Scouts told MIN of the coming Of the
hungriest, angriest set OF men who ever
bore arms. General Common ordered out
a six-nule team drawing a U. S. A. wag-
IN full of boxes Of bareback. One SOL
der drove the team. another stood with
an ak at the rear Of the wagon. The wa
yon was given ID to the head of the COL
INN, turned about and the man drove
away. the second soldier knocking open
The boxes and dumping the bareback on
the ground. boxful after boxful. With n |
oud cry the column sprang upon that |
hard-tack. "Some overate themselves"
said DR.. De Ross yesterday. land some |
lied" They fought for the hard-tack |
ike wild beasts. So the starved column /
followed the wagon going at full speed |
md raining crackers every foot. And |
hat was how the column was fed.
DR.. De Ross said yesterday that he |
saved some of the poison used on the In |
liam arrows. II was a red powder |
nut in the bottom OF the CULVER in which |
he point OF the arrows rested. He had |
unlimited 1t TO chemists who could not |
make out its exact nature. but considered |
I an animal poison mixed with clay. |
After recuperating the column was dis
watched on other business and finally |
wound UP at Fl. Laramie. There they /
urned over their two pieces of artillery. |
-ady Thurber and Lady Waschman.
The men OF the battery kissed the can
ION which served them through the civil
var and in the Indian expedition, and
eft them. It IS said these guns were
With Custer when he and his command
we're slaughtered.
On November II. 1865. the column got
Jack to St. Louis. ragged. in wild skins.
'0me shoeless. all unkempt. for not n
nan OF them had had a shave or haircut
n five months St Louis gave themsan
walton which in part compensated for
he awful experiences the men had gone
through in an expedition which covered |
hree thousands five hundred and thirty
i've miles, an expedition as trying on the
ouIs Of men as history records.
The survivors Of Battery L. md No. L.
l.. now known to be alive are given be-
wv They were In the Price Raid and in
he terrible Powder River expedition:
ohm e Hutson. Caldwell. Kan; Amos p.
'uggle. Rock. Kan: John NJ Wooton.
Kan: Jessie ]. Cox. Wamego
IAN: John W. Stow, Howard. Kan:
sevi Morgan. Fall River. Kan; Elisha
colt. Fall River. Kan; G. VI. Edwards,