The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-09-07

narpsnooters and cravIed up as close
as they could. One was killed at the
mead OF the island not twenty feet
from where Laid He had got there
while they were Charging.
Aout II O'Clock We saw them gath
er1ng down the river for a grand
charge That was the first / saw of
Roman Nose / could tell him by his
be not less than 500 or 1 900 of them.
They formed a solid mass many deep
from bank to bank. Finally they
started for the island walking their
horses They were sitting up straight
on their horses Roman Nose was rid
ing backward and forward in front of
them haranging them When they
got about 500 yards they commenced
coming faster and by the time they
were within zoe yards they were on
the run Forsythe had selected Geo
Cakes, one of the best shots in the
west to get Roman Nose and he got
him the second shot We were eau
toned not to fire until We got the
word and the Indians were within Is
yards when we got the word There
were seven volleys fired 50 close to-
gether that il sounded like a rear. The
Indians seemed TO melt before the
fire. Horses and Indians were piled
in a mass Finally when they had
gotten on the lower end of the island
thew Whfrled and went over on the
south side for cover behind the sand
hills. Then We cheered- 1t was the
first cheer during the battle After
that the fighting was sharpshooting
almost day and night for the next
seven DAYS. and on the eighth. while
the Indians were IN sight there was
very little shooting done ana Coionel
Carpenter of the Tenth got to US about
O'Clock on the morning of the 9Th
and soon afterward Colonel Bankhead
of TT. Wallace arrived with 500 SOL
dfsrs, and soon after Col Carr came
IN with the Fifth cavalry, but the In
dams were all gone, dead and alive
except the one at the head OF the
island.
Now for the result we had de-
strcyed the dog soldiers One OF them
told me that there were not twenty
OF them that was not either killed or
wounded Even their medicine cnier
was killed The Sioux and Cheyennes
each had five chiefs killed I never
found out how man yof the Arapahoe
and Kiowa chiefs were killed never
Indians expected to get US the first
charge and would have If they had let
Roman Nose have his way. He wanted
to get all around US the first thing
and then ride right on to US and make
short work of Us, and there were 50
it. The result OF the battle was that
it was the beginning of the end OF the
Indian battles and raids They made
very few raids afterward. They made
one the next summer on the Saline
but did not do much harm and Cen
eral Carr with the Fifth cavalry caught
up with them and whipped them be-
fore they got away. During the win
ter of IS and SO Custer destroyed
Black Kettles camp on theWashita
and captured Satanic and Lone Wolfe,
the worst Kiowa chiefs, and the next
spring he got five of the worst Chey-
enne chief and as the southern IN
dams had no chiefs that amounted to
anything II lead them. the result was
that il was a good deal safer TO trav-
el on tie big trails than IL ever had
been and the terrible battle we had
resulted in saving hundreds OF lives
and millions of dollars worth Of prop
erty that was destroyed every year by
800 apiece a month the rest Of our
lives we would then have saved the
government MILLIONS Of dollars, for as
long as the red devils lived that we
killed the destruction Of lives and
property would have continued and it |
would have been years before the set
tiers on the frontiers would have been |
safe and there are many people today |
in Kansas living happily and prosper |
Gus that would have suffered death or
the destruction of their property
To-day we only know of eighteen Of
the scouts that are alive Most of them /
are in Kansas. None are more than IN i
moderate circumstances, and many are /
on their own or the labor |
Of their families for a livelihood. Some |
that were wounded are getting small /
pension ty special act of congress /
Some OF them could get g larger pen
sion from injuries received in the war /
OF the Rebellion but the pension they /
received by special act has cut them /
out OF that Some OF them are suffer
ing for the comforts OF life I only |
know Of three widows of dead scouts, /
Mesdames Donovan, Stilwen and
Thayer- Only Mrs. Stilweu has small /
children II the law as introduced is
passed, 1t won't cost the government !
$4,000 collars year, about 1 per cent
Of what ii cost to keep lot Of soldiers
watching the Indians out of the set
Elements, and even then they would get
IN by them. and murder. and plumber.
and destroy as they did in 1858. In |
comparison to the campaign. the win
ter Of IS and SO. the result was away
ahead The cost of the winter cam
paign was two ueutenants, one cap
tain. one major, and over forty men
killed, and many more wounded, and
about 40 Indians killed and about
the same amount taken prisoners. In
Guiding seven chiefs taken prisoners
and four killed. Now what was the
cost? There were over 1000 horses
md 2,5e0 mules killed, and the equip
nents for the horses and 500 wagons
ana harness burned, because we could
not feed and forage. and the stock was
20 weak It could not travel. and every
hing was destroyed to keep II from
,alling into the hands of the Indians.
How much that campaign cost the
government no one will ever know. but
here were two whole regiments, the
Nineteenth Kansas and the Seventh q
! cavalry, besides part OF the Third
J. s cavalry. a part OF the Tenth U.
3 cavalry, nearly all the Sixth q. g
and some of the Thirty
Eighth Infantry, and today there are
more than 800 men drawing pensions
Is q result
From the time the Forsythe scouts
we're organized until they were dis
including horses, equipments,