Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1903-05-14
The Pledge at
Spruce Ridge
BY EDWARD B. CLARK.

| ago when the Spruce Ridge anC
/ Gray Greek Sioux were on the war
path. Thieving officials had robbed
the Indians of a large part Of theil
rations, and the redskin fathers, see
ing their children starving, had takeT
| 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'
bic, 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 ii would be hard
to dislodge them from the natural
stronghold of the Bad Lands, and that
il would make good center of oper-
ations for raiding the country round
about
There was intense excitement all
over the country and every newspa-
per of any prominence had a corre-
spondent either with the troops ac-
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 commanding
general would vouchsafe 10 give them
out of the mass of information which
he 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
This courier was devoted
little chap named Bob. He was moth
ing more than a boy, though he had
the grit and determination Of a man,
and his devotion TO his employers was
such as to make him daily dare death
to serve their ends.
Bands of reds in their hideous green /
and black occasionally raided between /
Spruce Ridge and Slowville. As a
rule they raided just after daybreak,
a fact that Bob, the courier. knew. so
he profted by the knowledge to time
his return from the telegraph office
SO as to avoid the painted raiders.
No one on an Indian reservation is .
allowed to sell liquor. A man caught
doing it is fined 1000 and imprisoned .
Tor a year or Whereabouts. The gov /
eminent imposes the fine and does the |
falling, and as Uncle Sam rarely does
he Furnishing act by halves the vend-
ing of whisky on anIndian reservation
Is not an occupation to invite even the
1t was pretty cold out at Spruce
Ridge the winter of that Sioux upris-
ing. The three newspaper CORE
spondents found that a little liquor
inside the belt was conducive to
warmth of body and warmth of mag
nation. Their courier, Bob, brought
them over from Slowyille two bottles
Of whisky every day. The newspaper
BOYS didn't drink it all. They had
friends in plenty to 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
lrop in, and there was rarely a morn
ng when either of the two bottles
furnished forth enough for cock
all.
One day when the Indian trouble
vas at its very worst a courier came
n from one of the outlying camps
md told the correspondents that they
night expect half a dozen soldier
friends the next evening to enjoy their
hospitality. The newspaper men had
been guests of these same soldiers and
lad asked them to name a night for a
'eturn visit. Bob was told that day
o put half a dozen bottles into his
addle bags instead of the regulation
race. The next noon Bob appeared
With his six bottles of bad whisky.
or it was bad, though good by sheer
orce of the fact that it was the only
tuff to be obtained for love or money.
Jim, we're in for a wet night of
. pofa Charfsa