Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1905-05-03

teered to get through the Indians ana
take vord to the railroad, ITO miles
away. He took one of the wounded
horses and got through the Indians on
the far side of the camp. He had 10
ride long way around, and it was
morning before he struck the pack
trail, seven miles from where the TTtes
had the soldiers penned in. His
wounded horse soon gave out and re
tried another that he got from little
title CO mp, and this one, too. broke
wn before he'd ridden far. He
ST Ok out afoot, and came to one of
Z supply camps that Thornburg had
LEFT on the trail, and the captain there
gave him a new horse. This captain
tried to break through to rescue the
major, but he lost all his horses and
some of his men.
With the horse from the supply
camp Rankin made the rest of the ride
to Rawlins, where was the nearest
telegraph instrument, 10 miles from.
the men he had left He\had crossed
three mountain ranges, had led his
horses for miles where the trails we're
so rough that he couldn't ride in the
dark or else when his horses were toe
tired to carry him. That's what he
had done, and he had done 1T in "a
hours. Now, that's riding some"
Somebody wanted to know what be-
came of Thornburg's command and
the man from Wyoming walked up
again. What became of them? What
do you suppose? They were saved,
of course. Joe Rankin just tele.
graphed from Rawlins and before day
light next morning Col Merritt was
moving the six companies to entrain
from Fort Russell at Cheyenne. Fort
Steele, which is some east of Rawlins,
was reached before midnight. Joe
Rankin had rested himself and his
horse and was there to meet Col Mer-
rift, The soldiers rested a bit ana
then struck out for Milk river across
the country, with Rankin guiding ana
setting the pace.
And they pounded over those 10
miles at a pace that would make you
Youngsters drop out early in the game.
The troops carried light forage, with
rations for themselves, and their rests
were few and short The second night
out found them about 70 miles from
the men they were trying to reach
Horses and men had been paced care
fully and when they started on this
last night ride over the toughest kind
Of country. they were ready for the
task. All night they rode, with or7y
breathing spells for the horses, and at
dayhreak Rankin signaleG for a halt.
He pointed out the location of the
camp beyond a hill. Col Merritt or
dered the bugler to sound officers
call, and the command waited for an
answer from the besieged None
came. and they all thought their ride
had been too slow, but the bugle call
was repeated. and. sure enough, the
reply came across the hill, showing
that the men were still there, and the
ride, after all, hadn't been too slow.
zone of the men in the Thornburg
command told me afterward--a lons
time afterward 1t was. too-that he'd
heard a lot of fine music in his life,
but no band or organ or anything else
that plays ever made such good musfG
as that bugle did when it sent the
officers calf over the hill to say that
Joe Rankin had got hack and was
there for business. And | reckon he
was tight We didn't have so awful
much water in Wyoming those days,
and the alkali and the wind sometimes
made things kind of nasty, but We got
so We could get along first rate without
water and we got so We didn't mind
the alkali. And we sure had some
fine men, and they could ride"