The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-05-18
REPEATERS WERE
HEAP BAD MEDICINE

iILhi UhU uILUlUlHL
told you how Red Cloud and hi:
Sioux warriors wiped out Colonel Fet-
terman's command in the woods be-
yond Fit. Kearney in the late sixties
and how the chief is still alive to boast
of his victory. But for all that he was
terribly punished. And here is the
story of his punishment:
When news of Fetterman's annihila-
ton went forth among the Indian ma
lions hundreds of Warlike Savages
flocked to Red Clouds standard. With
an army of 5000 strong he swept the
plains, dealing death and torture in
wholesale quantities. But he still hug
ged the longing to destroy FIT. Phil
Kearney. At last his plans were ripe
But other plans were just as ripe as
his
Uncle Sam had profited by the Fet-
terman lesson. The old muzzle-loading
rifles of the fort were abandoned for
up-to-date repeaters. New hoWitzers
replaced the old-fashioned cannon. The
Indians at the time knew nothing of
these new tricks. Nor did they know
the wagons of the wood trains" had
been metal lined and pierced with loop
holes so as to make splendid barr1-
cades in case of attack.
The Indians still carried muZZle-load-
ing guns. Also many of them used bow
and arrow, the arrows being poisoned.
A good archer at close quarters was as
dangerous in his way as a revolver
man. Red Cloud believed his victories
were due to the aid of the Great Spirit,
or Good Medicine" He, like all In
dams, dreaded the Evil Spirits bad
Medicine"
Captain James n. Powell and Lieu
tenant Jenness were sent out one day
with 80 men in charge of the wood
train There were rumors of Indian
attack. SO, with memory of Fetter-
mans fate, they were on the watch.
When a. scout brought news of the ad-
vance of a big body of savages the
woodsmen were able to throw their
wagons into a barricade before the
rush came. All were crack shots. All
had repeating rifles. There was no
time to escape to the fort.
The advance guard of the Sioux
charged with wild yells. At so yards
distance the defenders opened fire.
After the first volley the savages
thought the defenders must pause to
reload. But no. A second third and
fourth volIey crashed into the assail-
ants.
The amazed Indians, who had looked
for easy victory, drew back out of
range, pursued all the way by con-
tinuous deadly firing from the long
range repeaters, and leaving heaps of
dead and wounded along the line of re-
treat. The defenders reloaded and
waited Lieutenant Jenness lay dead,
a bullet through his brain. Another
soldier was dead and two more were
wounded.
The Sioux judged from the quantity
of firing that there must be many more
men behind the wagons than they had
at first thought. SO they sent an adj
vance line of archers, with poisoned
arrows, crawling up under cover to
close range, while the main body, near
ly 5000 strong, made a general charge.
But the defenders, although outnuTh-
bered 100 to 1, were ready.
The first division of Sioux, 1000 in
all, hurled themselves at the barricade.
The CALLING, unerring fire of the re-
peaters met and cut through their
ranks. Still the charge continued till
the foremost Sioux were within 20 feet
of the barricade. Then the Sioux broke
and ran. They circled about the
wagons at a gallop, looking for some
weak spot, while the ring of rifle fire
from the central group of wagons flash
ed out like the hub of some huge Cath
crime wheel.
The charge was repeated. Six times
the Indians almost overwhelmed the
barriers. But each time they were sent
Keeling back. Then the scream of
shell was heard above the trees and the
great missile burst in a crowd of saw
ages.
Major Smith and 100 troops. with a
howitzer, attracted by the firing, was
out from the fort to the de-
tenders relief.
The shell was another terrible puz-
zle to the Indians. They broke and
ran. standing against the double fusil-
lade Of howitzer and rifles only long
enough to remove some Of their
wounded.
Captain Powell and his men hailed
the re endorsements with wild JOY. For
had another charge been made, the
savages must have conquered. Ammu-
milton was Almost exhausted ana most
of the rifles had become so overheated
from rapid and long-continued firing
that they We're useless. Several of the
defenders We're Crazed by the excite
ment Of battle and did not recover
their senses for weeks.
The Indians had lost 1137 men. But
far greater was the moral effect of
what they called the Bad Medicine
Machine" that had conquered them.
Thus Fetterman was a-enged and
the Sioux learned a wholesome respect
for Uncle Sans medicine. Buffalo
Bill in y. Y. World.