The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-08-02

lock, of a metallic cartridge that condensed
the powder, the bullet and the cap.
You could carry hundred rounds of am
munitiOn, said, recently, veteran of the
Indian wars. I've often carried that many
out the plains. And your ammunition was
always waterproof. 1t wasn't necessary to
tie your cartridges across your head when
ever you swan river, as we had to do
few years earlier when we were lighting
rebS. Besides, any fool could take care of
the old Springfield. You could drop IT in the
mud and leave it for a week. You could race
a herd of steers across it, or troop of cav
airy. You could drop it down the canyon on
the rocks. But the Springfield never got out
of order, or, If 1t did, you could fix it with
jackknife.
And you could rely on it, too added the
thin-faced, keen-eyed warrior Stroklng MS
gray gOatee. IF it was a Springfield, IL was
a good gun. You could tell in advance, If
you'd never pulled the trigger of that par
ticular piece, just how far she'd shoot and
about how straight. They made some
changes in the pattern from time to time
ii was 50-caliber before ii came down TO the
regular 45, and the rfing was changed bit;
and the sights were changed every little
while (Spose there was a board OF sights
that had to hold their jobs in Washington,
and some of the little fixin's about the bar
rel and stock were altered occasionally-but,
est, reliable gun, the Springfield, gun that
you could count on day and night, summer
and winter, rain or shine-like your own
mother or a good horse.
the Krag and the 1903 Springfield; maybe
they're better. l don't know for certain. But
I'd simply like to try 'em once out there on
the Reeo Grandy. I'd only like to expery-
ment on a Greaser or Pache.
GUN OF THE INDIAN WARS.
The merit of the Springfield fitted well to
its responsibilities. For it with the
Springfield that the boys in blue-or, more
commonly, in alkali dust-fought bitterly
through to lasting peace the many Indian
wars from the Missouri to the Pacific, from
Canada to Mexico. during the two decades
that followed Appomattox. 1t was with the
Springfield that these few companies of in
fantry hunted out myriad tribes OF keen,
courageous foes across the plains and noun
tains, into Bad Lands and into lava fields,
amid the Siberian cold of Montana, the
AbySSianian heat of Arizona, Sioux and Mo-
docs, BannOcks and Nez Perces, Arapahoes,
Kiowas, Cheyennes, Utes, Apaches-an were
conquered by the Springfield. And through
out this warfare with the redskin the cher
iShed weapon of our infantry was tested in
a prolonged and unique contest yengeful
struggle with enemy who, for vigilance,
cunning and craftsmanship, for cruelty and
treachery, for boldness and for persever-
ance, is not likely to be equaled in the future
history of America.
And our rifle" continued the old plains
man, had only two faults; If we fired her
good and fast without letting up at all, the
barrel would get hot After twenty-five or
thirty rounds l wouldn't dare to put a fin
ger on the barrel And pretty generally, too.
the Springfield kicked. After warm tussle
one day with Geronimo'S young men, re-
member, my arm was blacker than a Next
cans head all the way from the elbow to
the top of the shoulder, and half my chest
looked worse than if I'd been a-sparrin'
with a mule
The old man admitted these faults sadly
but sincerely, as one recalls the foibles of
comrade dead and gone.
But the Springfield had some other faults
md on AlfhOllCn fOrpSppn liz
tary authorities it's defects were never COM
pretended by the rank and file until the
Spanish war introduced the American soldier
to an enemy using smokeless powder In a
rifle with a fiat trajectory. Then,th the regulars
understood how lucky they were in having
been forced to abandon, two years earlier,
their former favorite of the cacu and the
buffalo grass. When they gave up the
Springfield the regulars had secured the
krag-Jorgenson. magazine rife of 2-cali-
Der, using smokelesS powder. The Krag