Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-03-20
How General Wheeler Earned the So
brquet of "Fiohtina joe"

| Capt. Charles b. Belknap, OF this
city, tells an interesting story Of the
late Gen. Joe Wheeler. He served in
and says that one day there came into
their committee room a pleasant faced
woman whom the general greeted most
cordially. He conducted her to a seat
near the window, where they talked
for an hour. When she had departed
the general resumed his seat at my
side, saying: Let me tell you some
thing of that woman.
| when 1 was graduated from West
Point I was given a second lieuten-
ants commission and ordered to join
my regiment at Santa Fe, New Mex
ico I went by way of Hannibal, Mo-,
then the far western outfitting post
of the fifties. l found at Hannibal a
battalion of infantry under command
of captain. 1t was to escort a large
supply train across several hundred
Santa Fe.
THE day we pulled out of the garri-
son we were joined by the wife Of the
commandant at Santa Fe. She car
ried a permit from the secretary Of
war which could not be ignored, al
though the captain did everything In
| his power to idissuade her from max
ing the journey to Santa Fe. He urged
| 81 ltefo ht, tha
Indians, the fact that she was the only
woman in the expedition, and last, her
seemingly delicate condition. 1t was
all to no avail. She wanted to go and
she went.
"She became the sole occupant Of an
ambulance with a half-breed plains
man as a driver. On the afternoon Of
the second day out the surgeon re-
ported to the captain that the ambul-
ance must be taken out of the train,
which was obliged to continue on 20
miles to the nearest supply Of water.
1T was country of slight hills and
small valleys. Into one of these slight
depressions the ambulance was driven.
A small tent was put up and the wom-
an was carried inside. The surgeon
and 1 were detailed to remain with the
woman. / had a good Kentucky gray,
the surgeon plains pony, and the am
bu!ance driver a good pair Of half
broken mules. Three muskets and six
Colts revolvers made up our arma-
ment.
The train had passed out of sight be-
fore we had whipped the rattlesnakes
out of the tall grass about the tent.
When the sun lighted up the plains the
next morning there was a baby In
camp. The mother and child were
was knocked down and left in the
grass and we struck the trail to join
the train, then twenty miles In ad-
vance.
I'VE had not gone a mile before we
discovered Indians coming across the
country from our rear. The mules
were trotting at a good clip, but the
Indians gained rapidly, coming up and
circling about just out Of range.
Evidently they thought the ambulance
contained soldiers. Riding In closer,
they sent In few arrows into the
canvas top. There was an even dozen
of the painted devils. The surgeon took
the drivers place and the driver
mounted the surgeons horse. I took
one of the muskets and the driver and
trotted on each side of the ambu-
lance.
I'VE had gained the crest Of a slight
hill, the Indians closing in on US, when
the driver swung directly toward an
Indian, sprang from his horse, drop
ped on one knee and fired. A redskin
tumbled and instantly the Indians
were after the driver in bunch. The
air seemed filled with arrows.
THAT was my chance, l charged
the crowd, knocking down horse with
shot from my musket. Then l threw
away my gun and went at them with
my Colt pistol. The driver came In
with his Colt and the Indians were on
the run. Half Of them were left kick
ing their heels in the grass while those
who could travel got out Of range.
| THE white canvas of the ambulance
was sticking full Of arrows. The sur
geon had an arrow in each leg and one
in the back. The off mule had a couple
in the ribs, but could travel. We knew
the affair had not ended. There were
more Indians somewhere about and we
hurried along as fast as the mules
could go.
| I'VE had made few miles when we
saw the Indians coming again. twice
as many as before. knew our only
help must come from the wagon train.
knew that a party would start back
from the camp by the river at daylight.
Il don't know just how it all came
about, but when help came the mules
and the surgeons horse were dead.
The half-breed driver was bleeding
and had three Indian scalps hanging to
his belt.
"Those infantry boys from the train
guard called me Fighting joe The
woman just here was the baby Of the
ambulance ce"-Washington Post.
DopDERING JUsTICE.-A lot Of far
and wide pickpockets, of rascals drop
sical with plunder, were caught in the
very act; caught so completely that
they simply had to confess. Forward
stepped the officer of justice. These
fellows look guilty, my fellows citi-
Zens." said he. But are We calm?
Are we not heated from the chase?
Are we not unduly excited by our
.osses? Yes, we are. So, fellow citi-
zons let us not proceed against these
men. Let us release them. Let US
wait until we are calm and they re-
cover breath"
| If a commop, everyday burglar Is
caught i'm a citizens bedroom, pock-
cts full of swag, Jimmy I'm hand, the
quicker he is rushed off to the peni-
t. ntiary, the better everybody feels.
| But If when the burglars mask Is
torn off, the features of some Shiny
1 II. LII