The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1903-01-08

OF tne Wnlte omceTs--MfTe OTlliluS them,
the Orderly Sergeant had charge. and they
would get into scrap4 Ind hammer each
other over the head With their Spencer
carbines until the wool would fly. They
were very much afraid Of spOOks, as they
termed ghost, and Newere always very
careful to answer their first challenge
when they were on guard at the old mule
corral, for with the second who darf"
generally came the crack Of the Spencer
carbine, and many COW suffered from
wounds and some even. death for disre-
garding the word WHO dar?'
X. III. Pratt, present. disappointment Of
the Carlisle Indian School. Pennsylvania.
was an officer of this ueolored regiment,
and for long time wis our Post Adju-
tant. J. P. Roy, Major, 9Th Inf, was
commanding officer. ana kinder officer
Grierson, of the Illinois Cavalry during
the rebellion. was Colonel of this colored
regiment. and was our commanding officer
at Fort Sill later.
Horse-theves were very active in that
part Of the country in the COS. Army
mules and cavalry horses were constantly
disappearing. In 1869, when Lieut.. Her
mann made raid into western Texas. he
captured 1870 mules and 45 cavalry horses.
They killed three horse-thieves and cap
tured nine others. which they brought to
Arbuckle. A tougher set | never saw:
they were desperadoes Of the worst type.
A detachment started to Fort Sill with
these nine prisoners, their hands tied be-
hind their backs. When about a half
mile west of the fort. the prisoners worked
their hands loose and attacked the colOred
guards. Four of the thieves were killed,
and one wounded, who died in the hospital
the next morning. That man told me his
name was Williams. and that he was from
Kansas, but refused to give me the ad-
dress Of his parents. When ] offered to
write to them in case he did not recover,
he said, Il do not want them to learn of
my fate" He was about q or % years
of age. and if washed and shaved would
have been a handsome man.
Near the place where the shooting oc-
Cured lived a man named Henry Court
ney, who furnished the beef for the gar
rison for a number of years. He was dis
charged from the 9Th U. s. Inf. in 1916.
and had lived there ever since. He was
from Ohio, and of quiet unassuming DIS
position, but as brave as lion. fire.
qnently visited his ranch. One day after
we had INDUCED in some "Texas light
Ming" as the moonshine whisky was call
ed remarked. How did you manage to
live here during the war. when there were
no troops at the fort?' He had q habit
of addressing me as "My son." Said he,
'My son. it was mighty close nipping
sometimes; the Comanches were always
on the lookout for my topknot. but man.
one OF my little children. though. a little
boy two years old. There are a very few
persons I have ever told OF this murder,
hut / will tell you" As he Strengthened
himself up, his eyes seemed to fash fire.
and he said. at is now aDOut three years
ago. in 1864. one evening near sunset.
was driving in my cattle from the prairies.
When | crossed this little run down here
heard my wife scream and soon a shot
was fred. put spurs to my horse. and
as neared the house | saw my large dog
lying in the yard with a lot of arrows
sticking in his body. At the same time
large Indian ran from the house toward
the woods. shot him deaf in his tracks
with my rife. l theh ran into the house.
and on the floor lay my little boy dead.
and my wife in the act of loading her
rife. I said. How MARY Indians did you
see? Only two she replied: out here
lays the one I shot II Hooking out of the
window I saw an Indi3h lying abont 80
yards from the house, My wife told me
as she stepped off the porch to see if
was coming. one Of the Indians rushed out
from behind the house: struck at her
throat with large knife; she lodged back
and screamed. The knife cut her dress at
the shoulder. and entered the side of the
uttIe bOy sue WAS ubIulUS Ill npT dTTDS.
cutting him nearly in two. The next
morning I took my horse and putting
chain around the necks Of the red devils.
I dragged them down to the Wild Horse
Creek for the coyotes and wolves The
dog had attacked the Indians as my wife
ran into the house, and after he had iacer-
ated one of the Indians legs in a fearful
manner. they shot him full Of arrows:
they had no firearms. only bows and ar
rows"
Going to a cupboard in the corner of
the room. he showed me their bows and
their two auivers full Of arrows, with the
remark, "These I will keep as long as
live"
"a very sad affair."" said. "but you
had your revenge in killing the two muir
derous redskins
1.-TWO! Yes, my son, since that day
have killed IA of the COmanche Indians
These II stayed right where | dropped
them, and a number of crippled ones got
away. Once they came upon me in the
woods-fve of them. The first / knew
an arrow went through my hat. ! jump
ed behind tree and snw an Indian
watching me from behind another big tree
| shot him in the head and he dropped
Then the other four shot arrows as fast
as they could, but I kept behind the tree
and loaded my rifle. Then l shot another
through the breast. Before / could load
again, the other three charged me-
dropped the rifle and pulled my heavy
Colts navy and shot two Of them; one
made his escape through the bush. then
went and put ball through the head of
each. to make sure they would bother me
no more in the future. In the tree that
had sheltered me were sticking 13 arrows
The Caddos, a small tribe living north of
here, were always my friends. as they are
today. They would notify me if any of
the Comanches. Wichitas, or Arapahoes
were down this way"
This man Courtney was then about 40
years of age: everybody knew him at the
fort. We always called him dad Court
ney."
COmrade Springs story, with the Reg
ulars in the Sixties is very interesting to
me, as he and | wore the same harness at
the same time. "rhe determination of
the Dogs at Fort Bowie" which appeared
in a recent issue, reminds me of very
| similar incident at Arbuckle.
When the order was given to shoot all
dogs that tried to initiate the cavalry
bugles at guard mount. detail of the
colored cavalry was made for the purpose.
AS soon as the first call was being sound
ed. a large dog, with dOuble-bass voice
started to yell. Lieut.. Joe NOrd-
strom. 10Th Cav, was Officer of the Day.
From safe distance we named him
| "Buckskin joe" because he wore buckskin
pants when not on duty. This officer
called to one of the siiafpshOOters to come
and shoot the big dos.9 The man came.
took aim, and fired jHstias another colored
man came out of the door where the dog
was standing The la lI went throuph tho