The Van Buren press., 1903-02-07
| The Pledge at
| Spruce Ridge
Bv EDWARD B. CLARK.

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IT is now something over ten years
i ago when the Spruce Ridge and
Gray Creek Sioux were on the war
path. Thieving officials had robbed
the Indians of large part of their
rations, and the redskin fathers, see
ing their children starving, bad taken
their rifles and killed a few cattle be-
longing to some settlers. This high
handed outrage, of course. meant that
the Indians must be punished, while
the officials responsible for the trou-
BILE, in accordance with government
well established ideas, were to go scot
free. Thus the war began.
There were 5000 reds, all told, wom-
en- and children, who scampered from
the agencies and were followed by the
troopers and dough boys" whom I'M
Gle Sam hurriedly gathered up and
sent at double time to the front.
Standing Bull had been killed and his
particular band of followers was head
ed for the Bad Lands, where the war
riors expected to be Joined by their
brothers of the band of Little Foot,
Big Wound, Long Bull and Standing
Bear. The reds knew it would be hard
to dislodge them from the natural
stronghold of the Bad Lands, and that
it would make a good center of oper-
atoms for raiding the country round
about.
There was intense excitement all
over the country and every newspa-
per of any prominence had CORE
spondent either with the troops &C
tually in the field or at the army
headquarters at Spruce Ridge. Now
there were three newspaper men who
bunked together in a miserable tum-
bledown shack near the Spruce Ridge
headquarters. They were James
Halliday, William Watson and Charles
Deane, though, of course, among
themselves and to others they were
Jim, Billy and Charlie. Every day un-
der escort they would ride out many
miles TO the north OF the Ridge and
get from the outlying bodies of troops
the news from the front. Then back
to the agency to get from headquar-
tiers such news as the comma nding
general would vouchsafe to give them
out of the mass of information which
ne had received from his couriers.
Now, in order to get their STUFF
into their papers, these three newspa-
per men were compelled TO employ a
courier to make the trip daily to Slow
Vile, on the northern Nebraska from
tier IS miles away where was situated
the nearest telegraph Office. The cour-
rier left every afternoon at five o'clock
on one or the other of his stout In
dian ponies and returned the next
morning. This COURIER was devoted
little chap named Bob. He was moth
ing more than boy, though he had
the grit and determination OF a man,
and his devotion 10 his employers was
such as to make him daily dare death
10 serve their ends.
Bands OF reds in their hideous green
and black occasionally raided between
Spruce Ridge and Slowvil!e AS a
rule they raided Just after daybreak,
a fact that Bob, the courier, knew, so
he profted by the knowledge 10 time
his return from the telegraph Office
SO as TO avoid the painted raiders,
No one on an Indian reservation is
allowed 10 sell liquor. 4 man caught
doing it is fined 81 900 and imprisoned
for year or thereGbouts. The gov
eminent imposes the fine and does the
falling, and as Uncle Sam rarely does
the furnishing act by halves the vcnd-
ing OF whisky on an Indian reservation
is not an occupation to invite even the
reckless.
II was pretty cold out at Spruce
Ridge the winter Of that Sioux upris-
ing. The three newspaper CORE.
spondents found that little liquor
inside the belt was conducive to
warmth Of body and warmth OF mag.
nation. Their courier, Bob brought
them over from SlowyiIle two bottles
OF whisky every day. The newspaper
boys didn't drink it all. They had
friends in plenty 80 gather. in their
shack in the evening and help them
dispose Of their fire water, There
were civilian employees at the Ridge.
and occasionally an army officer would
drop in, and there was rarely a morn.
ing when either Of the two bottles
furnished forth enough for cock.
tail
One day when the Indian trouble
was a. It's very worst courier came
IN from one Of the outlying camps
and told the correspondents tina, they
might expect half dozen soldier
friends the next evening to enjoy their