The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-01-11
THE HEAoLEss hoRsEMAN.

6OhS6MAN.
Twelve o'clock and all is well.' the midnight
of the first sentry guard duty The reply
two. four. the trooper des-
Isnatcd Ne. had time reply the who answered
to No. mad drawn his Colts revolver quick
oesson had fired shots the body of headless
horseman who had suddenly made his appearance in a
furious but noiseess dash through the hay which
four more from his carbine There commotion at
the garrison The officer of the day rode for
PLANTATION and in a iaughingly swung
his horse to canter and returned to the post
But he left though perplexed boy behind
l. at Fort Meade but few months ago. Ambitious
for military life born Of experience in the
First Regiment of Chicago. young enlisted and
was assigned to the Thirteenth United States cavalry
at Fort Meade preparing duty in the Philippines
The youth stands six feet in his stockings. is
athlete. and of the best shots in the regiment
is mere boy.
moonlight night he enptied his revolver at the
phantom horseman will pass,from his memory.
When he came home few days ago a furlough
brothers and sisters laughed the story-n
former made cutting remarks about kinds o
dope most >popuar at the western posts of the United
States army Then he looks seriously and says I've
only got for believing i'll it. 1t
of the prettiest sights on guard. The
high and full. l duty at the hay
and straw corral and had to keep in and
the big stacks to guard them from accidental
diary fires Had spark match touched one of these
piles it would have been goodby garrison
well, my broncho a sudden stop. extended his
foreiess' pricked up his and gared at-well il
startled much it did the horse Within fifty
yards was white horse with headless rider dashng
through the corral The lightning thought
that the boys playing a joke. Joke or no joke
pulled my revolver and put six chunks of
trunk OF that horseman At this distance
odds from the best shot in the regiment. Whether I
hs the man not. after had brought the car
bine into play he dashed along reckless
stride that startled me when first saw him. and dis
appeared in the woods the fort Nobody
can make me believe that mistaken. He sat as
that white horse any man in our troop Every
thing there but his head the on
his arms were plain day OF course, the firing
brought the officer of the guard. when told him
what had seen he simply smiled and returned the
pest know that had headless horseman. but
oidnt say word about 1t the next morning 1 waited
for the boys to begin their kidding Then that
was not the only man who had the phantom II
seems that since the early O he has regularly
at the hay corral whenever the is full
peculiar point about the Chicagoans experience not
vthstandng the fact that he with court
martial for arousng the guard without was
the evident seriousness and belief with which his
troopers accepted the story Many them while doing
sentry duty at post No just at midnight when
full and high had headess trooper on the
white horse The Chicagoan, however, the only
man of hundred or more in thirty who had dared
to stop him.
The story told gospel truth at Fort Meade diving
men tell it the truth-that the trooper who
ghost of Sergt. Sullivan the bravest most daring
lrishman who helped suppress outbreak
1t was just before the memorable the gallant
Custer and his Fort Meade a frontier post
and the Sioux raising Cain. Only half garr
son dared sleep at tmethe other half watched for
redskins Sergt Sullivan duty the hay corral
1t was known that the strip woods tic the south of
the fort alive with Indians drink and deviltry
welcoming opportunity burn the slaughter
the handful of Uncle Sans boys garrison
quently the extra precautions in the guard.
Twelve O'Clock and all is WE'LL rang out the mid
night call of the first sentry the replies from
the sentres two three, and four had time
TO reply Sergt Sullivan who sentry had drawn
his Colts revolver and had started rapid ugly
Sioux WHOM he skulkng his pony the distant
end of the hay corral With daredevil bravery
pursuit of the Indian and the strip
of woods Sullivan meant TO make it the of
the Indian He did stop to think what in store
for himself The Indian and the trooper edge
OF the woods the length of broncho apart. garr-
son. aroused Sullivan disappear. There was less
fendsh chorus of yes from the spot the midst
OF which Sullivan and his horse reappeared
the prairie The brave upright his
saddle headless He disappeared clouds
that skrted the moonlight appear
in the apparon that rushes through hay at
midnight when the is full
The life many Sioux paid the penalty for the hor.
rble deed that brought the phantom trooper to Fort
sleade-Chicago Tribune