The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1901-07-11

In which he was poweriess. When o
depot quartermaster. said he. could
dictate the policy that should govern
the command Of colonel OF the fight
Ing force, there was no use In remon-
STRANGE. Noon cnmc and no news
from Shc Cheyenne sheriff. The COM
manding officer at Russell wired that
he. too, was stripped OF his troops,
and had not even a cavalry courier
10 send after the general with the
startling news that Maj. Burleigh
had vanished with large sums, II was
believed, in his possession. AZ one
o'clock came tidings Of the fugitive.
lie, together with two other men, had
spent the late hours OF the night at
the lodgings of one Of the party IN
Cheyenne, and mt dawn had driven
away In a "rig" hired at n local
stable, ostensibly To follow the gen.
ernl to Laramie. They had kept tho
road northwcstward on leaving town
were seen passing along the prairie
beyond Fort Russell, but deputies.
sworn In ut once and sent In pur-
suit, came back TO say the rig had
never gone as far as Lodge Pole. At
six y. IN. came further tidings Lieut..
Loring, engineer officer of the de-
pnrtment, had reached Cheyenne and
was in consultation with the COM
nanding officer at Russell. The rig
had been found at Sloan's ranch, far
up Grow creek. where the party had
taken horses and ridden westward
into the Black Hills. In anticipation
of big reward, the sheriff had dep
uiics out in pursuit. From such In.
formation as they could gather II was
learned that the name Of one OF the
parties gone with Burlcigh was New
hall, who claimed 70 he a captain In
the army. "out there looking after in
vcstments''--a captain who was too
busy, however, to go and see the few
fellows of his cloth mt the new post
and Who was not known to them by
sight at all. The engineer, Mr.. Lor-
ing, was milking minute inquiries
about this fellow, for the description
given him had excited not little Of
his interest.
And SO the sun of the second day
went down on Gate City and Emory,
and everybody knew Burleigh was
gone. The widest rumors were
nhoat, and while all Fort Emory was
In mourning over the tragedy at
Warrior Gap, everybody In town
seemed more wildly concerned In
Burleigh and the cause Of his sud-
den fight. AS yet only certain army
officers and Mr.. Folsom knew of the
startling discovery ut the stockade
that the package was n bogus affair
throughout. But all Gate City knew
Burleigh Ind drawn large sums from
the local bank, many citizens had
heard that John Folsom was several
thousand dollars the poorer for his
sudden going, and nll interest was
centered in the coming from Chicago
Of an expert summoned by wire, to
open the huge Office safe Mt the quar-
termaster's depot. The keys had
gone with Burleigh. At the last
moment, after loading up with all
the cash his own private safe con-
tanned, for that was found open and
practically empty In its corner of
his sitting-room. and when he had
evidently gone to the Office to get the
funds there stored, he was confound.
ed by the sight of the two employees
lie could have ordered them to leave
and then helped himself. but con
science had made coward of him, even
more than nature. lie saw accuscrs
in every face, and fed. 9urleigh had
lost his nerve.
Two days went by and excitement
was at its height. All manner OF evil
report OF Burleigh was now ahoat
The story CT the bogus package hat
been noiscd abroad through later
messengers and dispatches from tn,
Gap. Lieut.. Loring had come to ForI
Emory under the instructions Of the
department commander, and wha'
those instructions were no man coult
find out from the reticent young OIL
Ger. II ever youth seemed capable
of hearing everything and telling
nothing IL was this scientist OF dis
tlnguished corps that frontiersmeI
knew too little Of. What puzzled Fol
som and old Pecksnifr was the per
sistencc with which he followed uI
his inquiries about Capt. Newhall. II,
even sought an interview with Pap
poosc and asked her to describe tn,
rakish traveller who had SO unfavor
ably impressed her She was Iookin,
her loveliest that evening. Jessie wa
radiant once more. A long letter ha,
come from Marshall--snd because o
the fate that had befallen his com
panions, stern because of the evi
dence Of the deep-laid plot that 81
! nearly made him n victim, but mod
estly glad OF the Official commcnda
: tion he had received, and rejoicin,
over the surgeons promise that h
could be well enough to make tn
march with command ordered bacl
to Fraync. Red Clouds people ha,
, scattered far and wide, said he. Goo
grant they may not turn back to tn
, south" lie was coming home. IL
, would soon be there. The papers ha,
told their readers this very morning
! that the general had plainly said hi
force was too small to risk furthe
, assault upon the Sioux. Alarmed n
the result OF It's policy, the burea,
had recommended immediate aban
donment of Warrior Gap and tn
, withdrawal Of the troops from the Bii
Horn country. The war department
therefore, had to hold its hand. Tn
q Indians had had by long, lonl
. odds the best OF the fight, and per
haps would be content to let wei
!, enough alone. All this had tended /
bring hope TO the hearts of most o
a the girls, and Lorink's welcome wa
= the more cordial because of this an