The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1901-07-26

ling rapidity during the day. In glar-
ing headlines the local paper published
| the details Of the massacre at the Gap,
lauding the valor and devotion of the
soldiers, but heaping abuse upon the
commander Of the post, who, with
other troops at his disposal had looked
on and lifted no hand to aid them.
| Later, Of course, 1t was proved that the
veteran had foiied old Red Clouds vii
famous plan to lure the whole garrison
into the open country and there sur
round ana slowly annihilate,. 1t, while
then, or at their leisure later, his
chosen ones should set fire to the un-
protected stockade and bear off those
Of the women or children whose years
did not commend them to the mercy
of the Ratchet. Soldiers and thinking
men soon saw the colonel was right
and that the only mistake he had made
was In allowing any Of the garrison to
go forth at all. But this verdict was
not published, except long after as un-
important news and in some obscure
corner. The Laramie column, so the
news ran, was Fastening down the
Powder river to strike Red Cloud. The
Indians would be severely punished,
ETC., etc. But old Folsom's face grew
whittier as he read that such orders had
been sent and that the general himself
was now at Laramie directing matters.
"In Gods name" urged he, IF you have
any influence with the general, tell him
not to send foot column chasing
horsemen anywhere, and above all not
to follow down the Powder. Next
thing you know Red Cloud and all his
young men will have slipped around
their flank and come galloping back to
the Platte, leaving the old men and
women and wornout ponies to make
tracks for the heap walks to follow"
And Stevens listened dumbly. In
f1uence he had never had. Folsom
might be right, but it was matter
in which he was powerless. When a
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 came and no news
from'the Cheyenne sheriff The COM
handing officer at Russell wired that
he, too, was stripped of his troops,
and had not even cavalry courier
to send after the general with the
startling news that Maj. Burleigh |
had vanished with large sums, 1t was
believed, in his possession. At one
o'clock came tidings of the fugitive. |
He, together with two other men, had
spent the late hours of the night at |
the lodgings Of one of the party in
away in a rig" hired at local /
stable, ostensibly to follow the gem
eral to Laramie. They had kept the
road northwestward on leaving town
were seen passing along the prairie
beyond Fort Russell. but deputies,
sworn In at once and sent in pur-
suit, came back to say the rig had
never gone as far as Lodge Pole. At
six p. m. came further tidings. Lieut..
Ioring, engineer officer Of the de-
had reached Cheyenne and
was in consultation with the COM
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
IF a big reward, the sheriff had dep
ities out in pursuit. From such in
as they could gather it was
earned that the name of one of the
PARTIES gone with Burleigh was New
TALL, who claimed to be captain In
he army, "out there looking after in
'estments''--a captain who was too
,usy, however, to go and see the few
elbows of his cloth at the new post
md who was not known to them by
light at all. The engineer, Mr.. Lor-
ng, was making minute inquiries
bout this fellow, for the description
riven him had excited not a little Of
us interest.
And so the sun of the second day
vent down on Gate City and Emory.
nd everybody knew Burlcigh was
-one. The widest rumors were
float, and while I'LL Fort Emory was
q mourning over the tragedy at ]
Warrior Gap, everybody in town
eemed more wildly concerned in
and the cause Of bis sud /