Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1902-11-05

wv the old cavalry sergeant to a
group Of interested listeners. III
ten you a 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 playP"
eyes" his hearers assented.
swell then I'll tell you q story some
thing like that IN the play. II was just
after the Kearney massacre, that's We
whitescallit q massacre but II "a many
Indians had been killed Is there were
soldiers Il would have been nothing
but q fight, and Isay this though have
been q regular for more than sOyears.
The whole country up toward what
afterward was the Custer battenelo
was hlled with Sioux. There were
old Red Cloud, be was comparatively
young Red Cloud then, American
Horse, and some others, all big chiefs
and bad, who were on the war path
with bands Of young bucks, and they
were burning and lifting hair when
ever they got a chance.
II was a duty sergeant in the Elev-
enth cavalry at the time serving with
~ troop. With 81 troop w had been
following the trail of a bunch OF reds,
near the Grand river. We struck EN-
unexpectedly and killed some eight or
ten and lost four men ourselves. The
reSt Of the band scattered and got
away, but we made a queer capture.
No Indian on the war path ever takes
q sQuaw along with him, that is, If he's
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. She wasn't more than Is years
old. A lot of our men spoke the Sioux
lingo and we got her story. Her name
was Winta, and she was the daughter
Of a Sioux chief. She had gone down
Grand river way on a visit to a Sioux
village that was peaceful like Her
father was a tough old warrior who
hated the whites, and he was now up
near the Black Hills.
"Winta said she had become home
sick and that this rowing band OF
Sioux coming along and being headed
for her fathers headquarters, she had
asked them to take her home. Being
q big chiefs daughter, the braves had
done as she requested.
"This was along in October and the
weather was getting sharp. b and
IL had orders to go into winter quar-
tiers up Black Hills way. We knew we
had to get there pretty soon and pre-
pare things for a 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 a young second lieutenant
with us. He was a good-looking fell
low. but If I must say it he had con-
siderable conceit. That's neither here
nor there, however. Winta, the Sioux
girl. was as modest a creature as any
prairie flower that ever grew. She
took a shine, however, to the West
Point youngsteF, and he was mighty
attentive to her, though all in a fair
and square way. You can bet the old
major commanding our squadron
wouldn't a-had It any other way, for
Won see, a woman under the protection
Of q bunch Of soldiers is safe, be she
red, white or yellow. Blake, that was
the youngsters name, used to ride
alongside of Winta, and he saw to il
that she got the best bits of buffalo
meat that the carcass afforded. She
used to hang her head on one side anC
look at him just the way you've seeI
many a white girl look. They're al
alike, these women.
"Well, we got up nea the Blacl
Hills some time early in November
and Il was getting colder than sin. Tn
old major looked about for a suitabl
place for u winter camp and founI
It under the shelter Of some bluffs
with plenty of water close at hand
Our position was all right excep
that we were pretty badly open o
one side in ease of attack, but as
matter Of fact we didn't think niue
of that because there were sixty cd
of Us and we thought we were goodfo
All the Sioux and northern Cheyenne
that were likely to come. We had tn
Indian girl. Winta, with us yet, an
the major gave her tent by hersel
She was Sweeter than sweet still on th
youngster Blake; that is, her ey'
Tyould follow him round, and she q
ways smiled when he spoke to he
something she wouldn't do for anyoE
else in the outfit, though she was q
wayw polite and nice enough, Siou
Fashion.
sWe were running short OF meat an
the major sent out q hunting par
snto the hills with q lot Of pack horse
They were gonetendays and they can
back with enough grub TO last Us q
winter, but they had q bit Of news thI
We didn't like. They told us that n
more than IS miles on, where "
creeks came together, there was
huge encampment Of Indians, evide1
" settled for the winter. They b
counted the tepee poles by the aid
glasses and figured that there ma
Be IL least 5000 Indians in the villas