Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-07

Inc DeSpQtcn
like brilliant and momentary inspirations,
and martial and very dramatic. Then
there is another sort of thing-the logged courage,
the rock bottom grit, amounting IN some cases
to heroism, shown by the men of the regular
army in the Indian fighting which broke out vi
ciously at the close of the war. AS, for example,
in this where half dozen of General
Mes's command were placed by what seemed at
first sight ordinary order, in extreme peril of
their lives That they survived, to receive Medals
of Honor, is due to their unquenchable courage, of
which the plains cavalry and scouts had constant
need in those years.
During the summer of 1874, there occurred in the
Southwest a general uprising of the Cheyenne,
Arapaho, and Comanche tribes. Their trails led
everywhere from the Colorado mountains across
desert plain, and ravine to the turbid, 1nonoto-
nousy rolling rivers of the Panhandle of Texas and
Indian Territory. The scattered ranches
practically helpless; the dust of the swift
parties invariably sgnied to the army scouts that
there had been ruthless killing, robbery, and burn
ing not far away. In pursuit of one of these bands
was General Miles, then Colonel of a regiment.
The chase had been unusually long and severe; the
September sun was lnsutferable Tor days IN sue
cesson there was not cloud in the sky; and the
hot wind raised clouds of burning dust, whrling it
through the air from morning till night.
beginning Their Hazardous Trip
IRON camp near Staked Plains back to the station
l. in Indian Territory was Precarious journey
of several days. however, it was necessary to send
dispatches, and four and two citizen scouts
were selected to CO. They were Sergeant Woodall,
Privates Smith, Roth, and Harrington of the Sixth
Cavalry and Scouts Dixon and Chapman. Toward
evening, when the sun was setting with ruddy
glow, the party mounted and started on the way,
leaving behind them among officers and men
feeling of deep, though unexpressed apprehension.
Nothing smaller than troop of cavalry had fair
chance out alone in that country. However, the
men rode away quietly and confidently; they slept
in the open that night; and the next day. from dawn
till shutdown, seeing nothing of the Indians the
treless step of their we'll seasoned horses rang on
the hard, dry turf. They in slightly
rolling country crossed by occasional ravines
The next morning, after riding for about two
hours, they what each man had been silently
looking for party of Indians. The savages were
there were a great many of them, moving rapidly
on their fleet ponies. Undoubtedly, their sharpened
had perceived the soldiers marked against
the sky, before the troopers discovered them.
Between them lay ravine; the soldiers struck off
for this shelter without moments delay while the
Indians rode hard toward it from the other side.
Just then Chapman sighted with dismay another
party crcling the prairie to join the first.
The ravine, which was neither deep nor wide,
proved little better than a trap for them; for
they drove into fast their horses could carry
them down the steep, rocky sides and flung them
number of Indians charging along the bottom
and stampeded the horses. On all sides appeared
the cleaning, muscular bodies, painted faces
streaked with oil, the snaky eyes, and lank black
hair of the Cheyennes Their fearful yells, the way
they brandshed their rifles in one hand above their
the soldiers in body. Yet they held off, firing
scattering shots, and keeping up ceaseless, hideous
clamor.
We've got to get out of ths!'' exclaimed the
Sergeant. Just then the humming sound of bullet
in its path stopped abruptly, with the ominous
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