Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-08-18

OF operations at Camp Supply, Indian
territory, until November 8. But lit
tie time was spent in completing ar
rangements for the immediate and
persistent pursuit of the Indians, and
after one days camp at Camp Supply
the expedition started out in light
marching order for the head waters
OF the Red river. where it was ascer-
tanned by scouts that the Indians had
taken refuge, and were under the
chieftainship of Red Calf, the widest
and most desperate of the Cheyenne
tribe. A cantonment was made at
the Salt Fork of Red river, and from
there active operations began. The
country was excessively wild, and al
most wholly impossible for wagons,
30 that most of the necessary sup
plies had to be taken on pack mules.
The infantry was left to take charge
OF the cantonment, and scouting par
les Of two companies of cavalry each
were sent out to scour the country
for signs and evidences of trails.
Indians Hard to Catch.
THE Indians, in accordance with
their usual tactics when pursued, find
Ing themselves closely pressed, sepa-
rated into small bands and took refuge
In the brakes of the Staked Plains.
1t was next to impossible to know
with which party the girls were, but
sufficient had been ascertained by the
scouts that the four girls were still
alive, and were with the main band.
Finally, about November 20, a battal-
ion Of the Sixth cavalry encountered
body of Indians some twenty miles
from the cantonment, in a broken re-
gion of country bordering on the
Staked Plains, and after brisk brush
with them, and in which four Indians
were killed, succeeded in scattering
the Indians badly A detachment Of
the command was acting as rear
guard. After the scrimmage was main
ly over the main portion of the COM
mand crossed over timbered bot
tom and had assembled the high ground
beyond. AS the rear guard approached
the bottom, couple of Indians were
observed sneaking out from a canon
on the other side, and they began a
desultory fire with arrows at copse
OF underground below us, but on the
other side. A squadron of the rear
guard hurried across the bottom and
took after the two Indians, while
couple of troopers rode down to the
copse Of underground that they
seemed so anxious to perforate with
arrows.
Find One Child.
"The object of the Indians opening
up fire on this particular spot was
soon made manifest. For the two
troopers discovered to their surprise
that sleeping and sadly emaciated
child lay there, wholly oblivious to the
battle that ragged about it short while
previous. The child was little girl
about years old.Her little eyes were
red and swollen with long weeping and
she was sobbing in her sleep when
they found her. Her clothes were in
rags. There were no shoes on her
little swollen and torn feet, and her
faxen hair was matted and unkempt
with dirt and blood. The troopers
awoke her gently. She seemed much
bewildered at first and then began to
cry, pleading that she might go home
to mamma, and that she would be so
good if they would only take her home
to mamma. She was finally quoted
and seemed to realize that she was in
the hands of friends, and then in
childish lisping mannerplead that they
would get her sister too. When asked
where her sister was she pointed to
another copse a short distance away
The two men carried the child to the
point indicated and there found anoth-
Ell sleeping, sobbing child, apparently
two years older than the one they first
discovered. When she was awakened
she looked at the soldiers with the ut
most amazement, and demurely asked:
Wei, what Indians are your She was
speedily assured that her rescuers were
not Indians but friends. Then the two
little sisters were almost hysterical in
their JOY to know that they were no
longer in the hands of the Indians.
Said the elder: Now we will get cake
and candy, won't we?' The troopers
were not certain about the candy but
they assured them that if there was
any kind Of cake in the commissary
department that they should have it.
Had Been BrutaIIy Treated.
"The two troopers signalled their
discovery, and were shortly after
wards Joined by several of their COM
rades, and word was at once dis
patched to the advance of the import
ant find of the two children. The
command was halted and the two chill
dren were taken in charge by the sur
geon accompanying the battalion.
They were the two saddest looking
little morta1s that human eyes ever
rested upon. They were nearly fam
ished for food, and both bore pitiful
evidence Of the most brutal and hor-
rible treatment since their captivity.
They were given the best of care,
and provided with an abundance
of the best of food
that the expedition could supply.
They were almost frantic in their
appeals for sugar, and were finally sup
piled it in moderate quantities. They
were too young to tell much of theh'
incredible sufferings and brutal treat
ment. 1t was, however. learned that
their two Oldest sisters We're with an
other band of Indians, that had sepa-
rated from the party which had them
in charge, two or three days before. 1t
was then deemed expedient to return to
the cantonment and start out with new
equipments and on another trail, which,
from the story Of the rescued children
must have been south and eastward
from the Red River cantonment. AS
this band the command was now in