Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1901-09-20
a TEST ~oFC06RAGE
ToRTuRss WHICH INDIAN SCOUT
BORE WITH SMILING kAeka

Onoe 80 Emulhee Thsak Eznrapie
hut the West Fbanesr Uaoa a1fs wit
ana Escaped shs ordeal.
The Indian scouts that 3clhed fOrce
with the United States army IN 1871
to make prisoner of the Sheep Eater
Ia western Idaho were skeptfcai 81
nrst Of Lieutenant Farrowp abflitle,
70 lead them into battle. They had
never seen his courage tested and
plainly intimated By word and actor
that they had no intention OF obeyinr
his orders unless he should prove him
self Drawer than any chief, subchief o.
buck In the command.
First they gave themselves up TO Al
kinds OF physical torture an a lessor
to him. They BlaHsed their bodia
with knives without showing pain
They NIT the skin on their chests, ra1
skewers hereunder and jerked Of
%cutaneOus and heshly strips while smil
Ing happily In his face. They spill
their ears, pierced their noses, LAGER
ated their cheeks, butchered their arm,
and legs. Their stunts were DO TAI
beyond anything Farrow could innic
upon himself that the poor young lieu
tenant thought ne saw his finish" A
Suddenly, while rivulets Of cold per
splration trickled down his spine. thi
West Pointer Fecollected that In hin
sehoolboy days he was an adept Al
driving a pin into the thick OF hil
"vastuH e~xternus" without feeling pair
and the joyful inspiration to thus illu
inmate his courage seized him.
The necessary pin was In the lape
Of his fatigue Jacket. R~uthIes6ly he
slit the front OF his breeches leg from
pocket to knee, then his drawers till
the front Of the thigh was exposed ia
the wondering case OF fhe indiana
gathered close around. Then dramat
icRlly exhibiting the pin, an affair Of
an Inch and a sixteenth, be reached
for a fat stone and drove the harmless
bit OF wire down to the head In the
unresistlng muscle. His handsome
face was IS unolouded as when he
helped to haze his Arst plebe.
The red men nodded apprOvingly
grunted, looked wise and sat down on
their launches. They had seen some
thing new, but wanted something mord
convincing. FarroW reSlissd this END
was In the seventh heaven Of despaiI
as he smilingly pulled out the pin and
held 4 aloft for inspection.
To show the white feather meant n
that hostile country insubordlnatiou
and ~treaehery, involving FarrOw'd
mysterious death. 1t was a moment "a
try a soul-and to fry II. The lieuten'
ant whispered to his trusted sergeantI
Il am going to take a desperate chance.
] am going to shoot myself through
the head with my revolver, but you
stand beside your horse, and just an
instant before l shoot you IRE youA
rifle, yell 'Si-washF mount and make
on through the woods as fast a. you
a ride. Don't forget to fire before ]
DO, else l shall be a dead man."
Sitting upon . jagged rock. he e5.
planned to the Indians what he wal
about to do, and with great dellbera.
ton and some fine theatricaIs he cock.
ed the pistol and placed the fiuSsle
against his temple. The Indians were
wrought up to q high pitch. They had
never seen a man shoot himself through
the head and live. Surely here Was
the bravest OF all brave leaders. They
would follow him through hell.
The sergeant. unnotieed. nred his n.
de. his "Si-washP" woke the echoes Of
ShOshone and Bitter Root. and the clats
ter OF his horses hoofS rang down the
Clear Water a far as Fort Lapwai.
"Si-waShf' The Indians knew what
that cry meant. In lees time than Il
takes 70 tell It FaTSOW ives alone. His
forces had scattered to the toHt WiAds.
In the couFS Of q few hours all were
united again, but the courage test was
not renewed.
twenty-five years after this exciting
incident, on q certain evening In 1900;
Farrow occupied a box IN the Madison
Square Garden when Buffalo BHl'S
Wild West was In full blast Chief
Joseph, the celebrated b0nmandSr Of
the Nee Peroes, whom FaErow had cap
tured az years previously and whom
he had not seen in the interim. LED q
wild, whoopinS. yelling, SerOsehlng
mob Of painted Indians out into the
arena for 9 dash around the circle.
But the charge wal intSIRUDted-eut
short. When Joseph reached the curve
near the Madison avenue END OF the
AmphItheater, he pulled HIS horse sharp
ly to the right, cutting ACROSS the 6rst
hle Of warriors in NEST dangerous fash.
len. In q mad gall0D he POked HE
chargers head into an arena box.
straikhtsned up in his stirrups. held
out HE hand and cried: "AOwl Howi
HOwF The old fellow had caught
sight Of FarrOw. and nothing could
prevent him from riding up to salute
his eaptoE Of 1878. II was q dramatic
incident.-NoW York Press.