The daily tribune., 1909-02-04
FRONTIER SKETCHES.


was making his last grand stand
| against the invasion of the whites.
| Custer and his 253 men had been
massacred on the Little Big Horn and
the Sitting Bull expedition under
General Merritt was resting up on
the Eelle Fourche after a hard cam
paign. Little bands of Indians all
through the Black Hills went about
killing prospectors and other people
whom they could ambush. General
Merritt detailed scouting parties
around the hills and through the bad
lands looking for these marauders
| One squad WAS ordered ont toward
Deadwood and the day before they
started Methodist minister rode by
the camp. He stopped and talked to
the troopers, saying he was going to
| Deadwood which was then a new
town to hold services He was riding
very good horse and one Of tile boys
asked him if he were not afraid to
ride such a noble steed through that
country, for, said he, IL the Indians
see that horse they will kill you
to get him. The preacher replied
he WAS not bit afrnid and said !:
81 do not think they would hurt
me if they met me ~ He WAS a
good old man about sixty years of
age. After talking while the
soldiers persuaded him to stop and
take cup of coffee
They told him there was danger in
travelling alone ard he had better re :
main until morning and go with them
but he said he had made an appoint
ment in Deadwood for that night
and did not want to disappoint the
people, After taking lunch he
started on for Dead~ ood a distance
OF eighteen miles The soldiers
thought no more sbout 1t until the
next morning when they started on
| their scouting trip. After going
about two miles they found the body
of the poor old fellow lying in the
road with bullet hole through his
head. The lieutenant in charge
stopped and ordered s. b. Hood, one
of the privates, to go on to Deadwood
and make report to the civil author
tiles and said they would remain
there until he returned. Hood had
proceeded but half mile when he
ran onto dead Indian lying in the
road.
He returned and reported it to the
Lieutenant who began to think it was
so he sent three more men with
Hood. They got into town about
noon. found the marshal and re-
ported the case to him. He got q
wagon and few men who went out.
loaded up the preacher and the In.
dian and took them into Desdwood.
The soldiers went on through the
mountains and met the main command
at Custer City. While scouting
around that place they ran ACROSS ar
old man with an OK team in little
side canon. They thought it very
strange he should be there all alone
IN such a dangerous place. That night
two soldiers came into camp drunk.
The officers could not understand
where they got their whisky but the
lieutenant happened to think Of this
old man with the OK team. He took
few soldiers, went back and found
him at the same place. They also
discovered a barrel Of whisky under
his wagon covered with canvas.
They ordered him to hitch up his
oxen, loaded on the barrel of whisky
and returned to General Merritt. He
at once ordered sergeant to knock
in the head of the barrel which WAS
done Immediately. He then ordered
the qrartermaster to shoot the oxen
and issue the meat to the soldiers.
He then told the old man he could 20
and to go at once but the old fellow
begged so hard for his oxen and prom
ised never to do the like again that
the general turned them back to him
and told him to hike and the way the
Il 4 ..I. Al a a..