The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1902-07-19


hack. when Indians had their war paint
on. But no one suspected it, because
for years past he followed the inactive
and 1nonotonous life of a real estate
agent in Kansas City. The recent criti-
cism of the army in the Philippines
aroused his fighting and his recollec-
hons Of Indian warfare, and he filed
few kicks in this style, in the Kansas
city Star:
u oughtn't to have said anything
about those days" he said. but this
talk about the war in Samar and the
courtmartial of old General Smith for
frying to end hostilities brought some
thing back to me. knew Smith when
he was captain, and then as now he
was Jake Smith with his men-when he
was out Of hearing. But Smith has
nothing to do with this tale, except
that his case is nearly a parallel with
the one 1 have in mind. He's fighting
Mohammedan savages in Samar, while
my man fought the painted variety on
the American plains. From what 1
hear about the Samar people they're
about as bad as the Sioux were when
they were in control west of here.
o @ 8
None of you remember Harvey. old
General William S. Harvey? He was a
mighty big man in his day and hasn't
been dead so long-died major gen
eral. 1 believe. Harvey was a Ten
nessee product-Tennesse grows the
runtiest and the biggest men on earth
Sc feet 8 inches. When he was II he
got his commission and from that time
until he was retired he fought when
he wasn't sleeping. He helped to clear
Florida of Indians and was brevetted
and courtmartialed with equal regular
ity Through the Black Hawk war,
through Mexico, back to Florida and
then to the west. Along in 1855 or 1856
the old man had an ambition to be-
come acquainted with his family and
asked for a leave. He got it, you bet,
and was just trimming himself into
shape for civilization when President
Pierce sent for him.
General, 1 don't like to ask you to
go west, after all the service you have
had, he said, but I would be glad if
you'd whip the Sioux bands that are
threatening
Harvey saw his leave gone and was
soon in the Sioux country. As 1 re-
member the story, he established his
headquarters at Fort Leavenworth
Little Thunder was at the head of the
Sioux, and sent word that he was will
ing either to fight or shake hands with
the white soldier. Harvey, replied that
If the Indian was without choice in
the matter it might as well be fight;
besides, as he remembered his orders
he was to whip someone. So Harvey
met Little Thunder and about 1000 war
men on the North Platte in Nebraska.
He whipped them and some of the In
dams friends back east tried to make
trouble for Harvey because he had not
-, a.
Little Thunder. That Sioux band was
a mild-mannered set long after Har-
ney went back to Leavenworth.
1T was after this fight that Harvey
threw the Society for the Protection of
Western SaYages into a particular
frenzy. The wagon trail for Oregon
and California led from Fort Leaven-
worth to Fort Kearney, Neb.. then to
Julesburg, in Colorado; from there to
Fort Laramie, through old South Pass
TO Badger and then to Salt Lake. The
trip by OK train took about 100 days
with good luck. I know of party that
was on the road 300 days, delayed by
Indians and then snowbound. That
wasn't a pleasant winter for a boy
Of Is.
Every now and then a band of
Sioux would ride up to an OK train, kill
If they felt like it and always drive
away the stock. Soldiers would bessent
out and have the pleasure of following
the Indians trail until the weather
would make winter quarters necessary.
Harvey started from Leavenworth
after enc band. taking about 400 cav
alrymen, or dragons. The Indians
loafed along ahead of him till they
reached. the, mountains, and then Har-
ney turned back. 1t was the old story,
sol 4l1ni
lowed the soldiers until they were well
tnto Kansas. Then the Sioux knew the
country was clear for new operations.
3 6 g
Harvey stopped on the Blue river in
northern Kansas near where Marys-
Vile now stands A wagon train
reached there from Leavenworth and
Harvey had all the freight unloaded-
simply seized the train-then he put
400 soldiers into those wagons and in
two were mountain guns. The great
covers were pulled close, and, leaving
a guard over the abandoned freight
and horses, Harvey started on his
Journey as a bull-Whacker. Not a SOL
der or officer was permitted to put his
head from under a cover in the day
time and only at night few got leave
TO stretch their legs. All day they sat
in those wagon beds, hot and dusty,
playing cards, fighting and chewing to-
bacco for pastime.
There We're twenty-siX of those
wagons, and they trailed along as if
they were carrying dead freight; no
faster nor slower than the ordinary
freighters, and making camp at the
usual places, forming the usual corral
of wagons and herding stock at night.
The train reached Fort KeaTney and
slowly went across the South Platte to
Julesburg. Occasional Indian signs
made Harvey have hope.
@ o @
1.-THE outfit was seventy miles on the
way to Laramie when the big day
came. and it came quick. Behind them
on the trail the men on the outside saw
a war party-some say there were 500
Indians in it. Even if they hadn't
been painted the fact that they were
without women or children would have
told the story. The train made the
usual preparations for an Indian at
tack, throwing the wagons into a cir
Gle or more of an ellipse, and unlock
ing the five lead yokes to each wagon.
A front wheel Of each wagon touched
a hind wheel of the one in front and
the tongues were turned to the out
side. At the front end of the corral an
oDening about fifteen feet wide was
left. but at the rear the opening into
the corral was about fifty feet wide.
That also, was according to the
freiehters' methods; after night camp
the cattle would be driven into the cor
raj through the big end to be yoked for
the day.
Harvey didn't have time to drive his
oxen into the corral, or else he didn't
want to. Only the five yokes of leaders
we're unlocked, and they were then
chained to the front wheel of their
wagon. The space in the corral was all