Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1901-08-07
CHAPTER NV


CHAPTER XIV.
Morn of the last day of the month
was breaking, clear, keen and SPAR
king. The ruddy glow of the orient
heaven, the paling fires of the west
ward stars, the serene, steady watch
light of the great planet, the pilot Of
! the sun, high perched above the sharp
~ outlined ridge toward the turbid
I Missouri, all told of the speedy coming
of "the king of day rejoicing in the
east" Over the wide prairies of ILL
nols, the rolling hills of Iowa, the
slanting, dazzling sunbeams broke in
| glory, but even such glory failed to
rend the pail of gloom and despond
! that covered the broad lands of the
! Red Water. a night of terror was
changing to day of dread. The last
news before the wires themselves went
i down long, long miles away was that
the train bearing the strikers re-en-
/ forcements-sons, brothers, comrades,
of the federated workmen of the Brent
! wood shops-bearing, too, the refugees,
men, women and children, from ranch
and farm and hamlet along the Niobra-
ra, had left Claiming Station at dusk
and was held up or cut off somewhere
west of ruined Rosebud-God and the
Indians alone could tell just where. At
1870 Charming" had wired that the
Sioux war parties We're seen at dusk
coming westward at the gallop, Good
by" and at $50 the wires ceased to
work west Of Castle Butte, an isolated
station nearly 80 miles east of the raw
aged settlement and full $50 west Of
Brentwood. For over 90 miles, as has
been said, the line of the Big Horn par
alleled the south border Of the Sioux
reservation, but farther to the west it
pierced the old treaty lands along the
White Earth and ran long leagues
through the former hunting grounds of
the Ogallalas whose young men never
lost chance of emulating any savage
exploits of the Brulcs. Beginning at
Brentwood, the strike spirit flew east
and west along the lines of the Big
Horn and the Seattle. Beginning
among the illicit groggeries along the
Mini Chaduza, the revolt of the Brules
spread with the speed of wildfire
through the Indian villages upon the
Dakota border until II overwha,med
the power of the agency close ut hand
as well as those to the west in Wyo.
ming. The first dash of the yonnp
braves was at the originators of the
mischief, the outlaws of the prairie,
who discreetly fled, burying such Of
their stock in trade as they could not
carry with them. all foo easily to be
trailed and dug mn by the Sioux. Then
drink maddened and baked of their
desires. the band had sacked the oren.
CIV, released their imprisoned brothers
and swooped southwark ON the helm
less ranchers of the Niobrara. In fran.
tic appeal for aid the station agent at
Rosebud Wired west TO Fort Robinson
since their usual protectors were now
far away along the Missouri. The an
swer was PROMPT. to the effect that the
troops would start tbe instant n train
could take them and thop alas foo
late. 1t was found that in mokiop IN
that big .sneciol' for tha re.cnforcc.
ments for the strikers they had sent
away the one seryiceable engine he.
tween Frayne Station nt tbe west and
Brentwood Ry the time tbe cars sent
whirling from Irrayne could reach
Robinson every soldier was needed
there. for tbe pine Ridoo Stony had
risen to n man. Robinson itself vas
threatened while Rosebud Station to
the east had been reduced TO ashes
brentwood Scores of tic CONS and
MANY of IFS doupbters wore scottored
in little stations of the Rig Horn g. In
farms and ranches all along that noriJ-
ous borderland and tbe only words to
roach tbe sorelv onyious hearts al
home came from terrified ref,,rees ot
Castle Rutto DECLARING everv ranch
farm md st.tion b,,nod ,n1 n;llo,od
for over hundred miles along the
| road, their hapless, helpless people Ell
Their massacred or fleeing to the refuge
of the sand hills to the south.
And now, as Boniface had said, the
strike was done. AT the night before
the wall had come from the threatened
stations at the west, and men who at
sunset were blocking the way against
every car that carried troops were now
strnining every nerve to send them on.
At l o'clock, hurried aboard the wait
ing train of the Big Horn in the Brent
wood yards, the rifles went whirling
away through the night, followed by
the prayers and tears of whole popu-
lace and REINFORCED by full hundred
staiwart men, strikers of the day be-
tore all armed, all bound for Rosebud
and rescue of that imperiled train,
Win not one man in fifty of the mill
tarH company, not one in ten of the
railway party who mad had any eNpe-
ricn"e whatever in Indian lighting.
oia Gands OF the road had had some
long range skirmishes while track lay
ing. Some OF the engineers assistants
could tell stirring tales OF the days of
the survey, but only two or three Of the