The Lewiston teller. (Lewiston, Idaho) 1900-1905, 1905-02-28

then went to the rail fle-pit back of |
the house where was Baird and had
been there about ten minutes when |
heard several shots from the direction
OF the prairie and knew them to be |
shots from Henry rifles from 1.-THE re-
port made | told Baird something
was wrong on the prairie and 1 was
gong to the other pit nearest the
prairie and ! did so and there found
Colonel Perry about $50 yards to the
east OF the most easterly rife pit
watching the fight between the Indi-
ans and the seventeen volunteers. At
the time of my arrival there the vol
1nteers had made their charge and
broke through the Indian line and were
dismonnted and retlUning the fire of
the Indians. Perry then made the re-
mark something like the following:
They can not last a minute they are
gone. men ought to know better than
to travel that road as dangerous as it
is" The volunteers continued the fight
for about twenty-five minutes after
this all the time Colonel Perry Chap
man and others watching the result
from Perry's position. Then Frank
Nancise rode up TO us from the VOL
unteers and wanted cartridges Chap
man gave them to him and Vancise
rode back to where the fight was going
on. Just before Vancise rode up. Geo.
Shearer said some help ought to go to
these men and 1 am going. Chapman
remarked that some one had his horse
and he could not go. Shearer mounted
a horse. went to the volunteers. dis
mounted and commenced shooting at
the Indians. 1t was about half an hour
after Vancise returned to the volun-
teers. that / first saw any movement
of the regulars towards going to the
relief of the volunteers. l then saw a
detachment on foot and one mounted. I
should judge about twenty five men in
towards the prairie from the, Cotton
wood house. They were then about as
near the volunteers as were Perry and
myself. / then saw Eph. Bunker ride
from the volunteers to the moving COL
umn and appear as though he was try.
up to where l was standing. ! did not
observe what was said by him to Perry.
When the column had got about half
way to the volunteers, Chapman re-
marked to Perry that the column was
moving too far to the left that the In
] ho riU
Perry then wrote an order on an en-
velope and asked il there was any one
who would take II to Whipple, who was
commanding the. column and. Camille
a Spaniard, said that he would do so
and mounted horse belonging to
Ready and took the order to Whipple,
and upon the delivery of the order
saw the column deploy to the right and
move in another direction from where
the volunteers We're. l saw Bunker
then ride up to Whipple but do not
know whether he made any demand OF
not. The regulars never did go within
$50 yards of the ground where the dead
and wounded lay. but the volunteers
themselves protected their dead and
wounded and brought them to where
the regulars had made a halt which
was about the above mentioned dis
lance from where the fighting tool
place. Sc far as l could see or heal
not a shot was fired by the regulars
and the volunteers were under firt
from the Indians constantly during al
the time they were bringing their deat
. and wounded FROM the battlefield t.
, Whipple's command. The volunteers
had driven the Indians to long rang
, before the regulars emerged from thu
, canon. A Calling gun was moved alont
between those on foot and thos'
mounted of the column under Whipple
but it was not used. The regulars whit
: did move towards the volunteers movet
! very slowly. After the volunteers hat
reached the regulars. all retreated al
though the Indians were in full view
: and not more than three quarters OF
} mile distant from Whipple's command
2 and remained there for some time ant
3 never left at all till the command hal
I retreated to Cottonwood, and they the.
!. left in squads Of four and five together
t and went down the Cottonwood n
t effort was made to go after them.
, the time of the charge of volunteer
band of about 1900 head of horse
D were being driven across the prairi
z about two miles distant from the riff
1 pits and when the volunteers made tn
I charge this stock had not crossed tn
/ Mt. Idaho road. but did soon after an
n was very much hurried forward Mort
: by the Indians driving it, The distanc
t from the nearest rife pit back
( where Colonel Perry stood during tn
e fight of the volunteers to where tn
& volunteers did their. fighting was &C
f.. cording to my belief less thas one an
h one half miles. The whole time elaps
v ing from the time I first heard tn
v Henry rifles of the volunteers up to tn
n time Whippie's force reached its near
: est point the volunteers oattl
}. ground. a distance Of full ESQ yard