Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-12-02
TEN YEARS'TRIAL
The Story of Soldiers Struggle
BY Brigadier General Charles King
Copyright. 1901. by Charles King.
CHAPTER MY.


King. The rudy glow of the srent
heaven, tie 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
IL outlined ridge toward the turbid
Missouri all told of the speedy coming
of the king of day rejoicing in the
east" Over the wide prairieS of Hi
nois, 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
down long, long miles away was THAI
the train bearing the strikers re-en-
forcements--sons, brothers. comrades,
of the federated workmen of the Brent
wood skops-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
inaiaGs, alone could tell just where At
ESQ "Channing" had wired that the
Sioux war parties were 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 100 west of
Brentwood. For over so miles, as has
been said, the line of the Big Horn par
aiieled 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 Brules. Beginning at
Brentwood, the strike spirit few 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 it overwhelmed
the power Of the agency close at hand
as well as those to the west in Wyo-
ming. The first dash of the young
braves was at the originators Of the
mischief, the outlaws of the prairie,
who discreetly fed, burying such of
their stock in trade as they could not
carry with them, all too easily to be
trailed and dug up by the Sioux. Then,
drink maddened and baked of their
desires, the band had sacked the agen-
cy, released their imprisoned brothers
and swooped southwark on the help
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 the instant train
could take them, and then, alas, too
late, 1t was found that in making up
that big special" for the REINFORCE
ments for the strikers they had sent
away the one serviceable engine be.
tween Frayne Station at the west and
Brentwood BY the time the cars sent
whirling from Frayne could reach
Robinson every soldier was needed
there, for the Pine Ridge Sioux had
risen to man. Robinson itself was
threatened, while Rosebud Station, to
the east, had been reduced to ashes.
No wonder a pail had spread over
Brentwood. Scores of it's sons and
many of its daughters We're scattered
In little stations of the Big Horn or III
farms and ranches all along that peril
GUS borderland, and the only words to
reach the sorely anxious hearts at
home came from terrified refugees at
Castle Butte, declaring every ranch,
farm and station burned and pillaged
Tor over hundred miles along the
road, their hapless, helpless people Ell
Their massacred OF fleeing to the refuge
of the sand hills to the south.
And now, as Boniface had said, the
strike was done. At 8 the night before
the vail had come from the threatened
stations at the west, and men who at
sunset We're blocking the way against
every car that carried troops were now
strainlng every nerve to send them on.
AT o'clock, hurried aboard the wait /
ing train of the Big Horn in the Brent
away through the night, followed by
the prayers and tears of whole popu-
lace and REINFORCED by full a hundred
stalwart men, strikers Of the day be-
fore, all armed, all bound for Rosebud
and rescue of that. imperiled train,
with not one man in fifty of the mill
tary company, not one in ten of the |
railway party, who had had any expe-.
rience whatever in Indian fighting.
Old hands of the road had had some.
long range skirmishes while track lay-I
Ing. Some Of the engineers assistants
could tell stirring tales Of the days Of
the survey, but only two OF three of the
rifles had ever seen an armed and
mounted Indian warrior. Many hoped I
they might never have to. Yet here
they were, 60 men who under proper
leadership would give good account Of !
themselves in action against civil,
liked foe, setting forth to meet the
most scientific fighters in creation, and
Lieutenant Hunt lawyer and loyal citi- |
zen, frankly stated that he would be |