Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1899-05-04
CHAPTER XXI.


grave import were coming in from Ga,e
City and Cheyenne. Old John Folsom,
long time trader among the Sioux and
known and trusted by the whole tribe,
had given warning weeks before that
serious consequences would attend the
effort to build another post along the
Big Horn. Red Cloud and his hosts of
warriors had sworn to sweep it from
the face of the earth and every man of
its garrison with it. All this had been
reported by the general to his superiors
at Washington, and all this had been
derided by the Indian bureau.
Against the Judgment, against the
counsel of the department. commander
the work went on. A large force of la
borers hired by Major Burleigh at Gate
City early in the spring had been sent
to Warrior Gap, under strong escort,
and the unseasoned timber. and fresh
out logs were being rapidly dovetailed
and mortised, and long wagon trains
laden with stores and supplies, pur
chased by Major Burleigh's agents,
were pushing out across the Platte.
Indians. indeed!" said that expert
enoed officer disdainfully. "They do not
presume to interfere!'
And long since the whisper had been
going the rounds that Major Burleigh's
interest in the construction of that new
post, involving an expense of some hun
dreds of thousands of dollars, was some
thing more than official. In vain John
Folsom and veteran officers of the fight
ing force had pointed out that Indians
never do interfere when they see huge
trains of provisions and supplies coming
just where they want them. Orders
were orders, and the building went on.
John Folsom said that any day the news
might come that Red Cloud and his
braves had massacred every man and
carried off every woman in the new
cantonment. Wives and children were
there, secure, as they believed, behind
the stout hearts and far and fast shoot
ing new breeohloaders, trustful, too,
of the Indians whom they had often fed
and welcomed at their doors in the lar.
ger and less exposed garrison.
"Two of our companies can stand off
a thousand Sioux" said one gallant
officer, who based his confident report
on the fact that with SO of the new
breechloaders behind log breastwork,
he had whipped a horde of mountain
braves, armed only with lance and bow
and old "smoothbores" or squirrel
rifles.
''We came down through the whole
tribe, !" said Burleigh, with swelling
breast II had only small troop of
cavalry, and Red Cloud never SO much
as raised yelp. He knew who was
running that outfit and didn't care to
try conclusions. -
1t all sounded very fine among the
barrooms and over the poker table at
Gate City, where Burleigh was patron
and all oracle, but in the distant camps
along the Platte and Powder rivers and
among troopers and linesmen nearer
home there were odd glances and nudg-
ing elbows whenever Burleigh's boast
ings were repeated. Even as far as de-
partment headquarters the story was
being told that the mere report of "Big
band of Sioux ahead sent in by the
advance guard, a report that brought
Loring and Stone leaping nimbly out
of the ambulance, rifle in hand and
ready for business, sent Burlsigh undee
the seat and left him there quaking.
"Get your men down from the Biz
Horn was John Folsom urgent ad-
vice to the department commander.
"Get your men up there, was the or
der from Washington, and no wonder
the general was troubled. Then, in the
midst of it all. began to come these ru-
mors affecting Burleigh's integrity !;
then the determination to send Loring
to look after this new boon companion
with whom Burleigh was consorting
then dispatch from old Colonel Ste
vens. "old Peoksniff," as the irreverent
youngsters called him, the commander
at Fort Emory, on the outskirts of Gate
City, telling Of tremendous storm that
had swept the Laramie plains and the
range Of the Medicine Bow and Rattle
snake hills, just after Lieutenant Dean
had been sent forth with small party
of troopers to push through to Warrior
Gap with big sum Of money, $40. 900
in cash, for the payment of contractors
and their men at the new post, and,
what was of thrilling import, there had
been deep laid scheme to head him of,
ambuscade him and get that money.
Hank Birdsall and his gang, 40 of
the worst toughs on the western from
tier, had "got the tip" from some one
in the secret in Gate City, and no one
outside Of the post commander himself
and one of Burleigh's confidential clerks
had the faintest inkling Of the transao-
tion. Nothing but that storm could
have defeated their purpose. Several of
the outlaws and many of their horses
were drowned, and one of the gang,
rescued at the last minute by the mail
carrier to Frayne, rescued just in time
to save his life, had gasped his comics.
sion of the plot Birdsall and his peo-
pie were now scattering over the terri
tory, but old Pecksnlff felt that matters
go serious demanded full report to the
department commander, and this full
report had reached Omaha the very
night that Loring got his orders tc
leave.
Fastening to the Office in compliance