The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-10-16

ssI YELL. YES. if YOU want it
Aj said the old cavalry sergeant
w TO a group of interested lis
teners. 'l'll tell you ii story. | went
last night to see the play where the
Indian girl falls in love with a young
officer and by her heroism saves the
garrison. You've seen the play"
"Yes,' his hearers assented.
We'll. then, I'll tell you Il story some
thing like that in the play. 1T was just
after the kearney massacre, that is We
Whites call it Il massacre. but If as
many Indians had been killed as there
We're soldiers it would have been moth
ing but Il fight, and | say this though
| have been IA regular for thirty years.
The whole country up toward what af-
tCrWurd was the Custer battlefield was
filled with Sioux. There We're old Red
Cloud. he was comparatively young
ked Cloud then. American Horse and
some others. all big chiefs and bad,
who We're on the war path with bands
OF young bucks, and they We're burning
and lifting hair whenever they got a
chance.
II was a duty sergeant in the Elev-
enth cavalry at that time, serving with
| troop. With Il troop we had been
following the trail of bunch of reds.
near the Grand river. We struck 'em
unexpectedly ana killed some eight or
ten and lost four men ourselves. The
rest of the band scattered and got
away, but We made queer capture.
No Indian on the war path ever takes
Il Squaw along with him, that is if he 8
regularly on the war path, but that
bunch had along with 'em the prettiest
Sioux girl anyone ever laid eyes on.
Indian girls amt pretty anyway, but
this one was, and you have my word
for it. Sh" Wasn't more than eighteen
years old. \ lot of our men spoke the
SIOUX lingo. and we got her story. Her
name was Winta and she Was the
daughter of Il Sioux chief. She had
gone down Grand river way on Il visit
10 Sioux village that was peaceful
like. Her father was IA tough old war
ilor who hated the Whites ana he was
now up near the Black Hills.
"Winta said she had become home
sick ana that this rowing band of Sioux
coming along and being headed for her
father's headquarters, she had asked
them to take her home. Being IA big
chiefs daughter the braves had done
as she requested
This was along in October and the
weather was getting sharp. h ana
had orders to go into winter quarters
M Black Hills way. We knew we had
tD get there pretty soon and prepare
things for IA long, hard time of it. We
didn't know what to do with the girl.
We couldn't leave her, and so we took
her along.
We had young second lieutenant
with MS. lie was a good looking fellow,
hut If | must say it he had consider
able conceit. That's neither here nor
there, however. Winta, the Sioux girl,
was as modest Il creature as any prai-
rie flower that ever grew. She took "A
shine, however, To the West Point
yOunsster, and he was mighty atten-
tive to her though all in il fair and
square way. You can bet the old ma
jor commanding our little squadron
wouldn't a-had II any other way, for,
you see, a woman under the protection
of "A bunch of soldiers is safe, be she
red, white on yellow. Blake, that was
ihe Youngsters name, used to ride
alongside of WMta, ana he saw to it
that SHE got the best bits of buffalo
meat that the carcass afforded. She
used to hang her head on one side ana
look at him just the way you have
seen many a white girl look. They're
all alike, these women.
We'll, we got up near the Black
Hills some time early In November, and
It was getting colder than sin. The old
major looked about for suitable place
for our winter camp and found It un-
der the shelter of some bluffs, With
plenty of water close al hand. our
position WAS all right except that we
were pretty badly open on one side in