Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1910-04-23

American officer.
.Yes SIR" responded the policeman
They're bad lot Where is your escort sta
tioned?"
The trooper smiled family under his mustache.
why, Scott's having his horse shod, and l guess
= minute
And when presently Scott and Murray came
placidly on the scene. that troop of cavalry
their horses and watched the band of Indians they
had SO carefully guarded, depart over the yellow
prairie under the charge of three
The American officer watched them dwindle to
dot across the level. Then his feelings found
speech well, I'm damned!" ne said And the
troop rode away.
Again. old Pie-a-pot and several hundred of his
tribe were making serious trouble along the rail-
lice promptly rode out to the Indian village with an
order for the tribe to break camp take the trail
to the north, away from the line.
When the policeman explained the order to him
Pie-a-pot laughed and turned away. The other In
dams jeered discharged their guns in the air
The two policemen still
II will give you Just Is minutes to comply with
the ORDER said the sergeant quietly
When the Is minutes up dsmounted
walked over to the chiefs tepee, with calm de-
noeration kicked out the key-pole of the lodge
bringing the whole structure down-poIes war bon
nets, drying skins. kettles and a-in miscellane-
heap
Pe-apot did some deep and rapid thinking A
gesture to his young would have sent hum
dred bullets into each of the quiet, unrufled men
who were systematically going through the camp
kicking out the key-pole of tepee But the In
d1ans of the northwest had learned that sooner or
mounted
P1e-a-pot never made that gesture He gave in.
and in sullen silence camp collected its scram.
bied effects and turned their ponies heads north
Not SO fortunate was the attempt of Sergt. Cole
brook to arrest fugitive Cree Indian named Al
mighty Voice
Almighty Voice had stolen steer. and sergt.
Coebrook, with half-breed companion, rode across
the prairie to arrest him. The policeman
structed the half breed Indian that they
had come to arrest him. must go with
them The Cree replied: Tell him that
vances will kill him.
Instantly the halfbreed covered tine Indian with
his rifle, but Colebrook promptly ordered him
sist, for Almighty Voice must be taken alive Then
he rode deliberately forward upon the muzzle of
the Crees rife and, sooner than submit to the
shame of arrest, Almighty Voice fred year Ia
ter however, the Indian surrounded a pit
where he had taken refuge. The police brought up
their field and sheled the pit killing Almighty
Voice and thus avenging Sergt Colebroak's death
The outcome Of this incident served tor prevent Sc
rious trouble with the Indians, who all a
more or less sufky and unsettled mood at the time
How greatly the Indians have come to respect the
just and impartial administration of the law by the
mounted police was shown when Mecasto's
band escaped flo the guardroom Macleod after
having been tried by the police charge theft
and convicted When he returned to Mecasto's
camp. the chief who had attended at which
the fugitive was convicted had been deeply i'm
pressed by the impartial nature of the proceedings
and by the fair administration of justice that he
promptly delivered him again at the fort gate
the officer in command.
Perhaps the greatest achievement which the DO
lice ever undertook accomplished when they
persuaded Sitting Bun and his band of between
surrender to the United States authorities when
they had taken refuge in Canada after the memoir
able massacre of Gen. Custer and his command.
Commissioners from the United States visited
Sitting Bull and had negotiated with the chief for
his return and surrender. to avail The police
however, by infinite tact and diplomaey and be |
cause i'm their previous transactions they had won
the Conscience of the Indians of the northwest at
length succeeded in inducing Sitting Bull his
hostile braves to return peaceably to the United
States, an exploit of which any body Of might
be proud
When the Boer broke out, England called for |
the mounted police to help her there. One-third of
them. practically the pick of the force, went out
Very few of them ever came back Many were of |
fered commissions. and some accepted Wherever
there is trouble. there the mounted police the
answer to the problem. they been In west
eTn Canada for 80 from the time the Rfel
rebellion to to-day.
The story of the mounted has shadows Men |
grew tired of the loneliness deserted at times
men who had lost al-Iove, hope, ambition-ouietly
went away into the wilderness and blew out their
brains The life unsettling: men could NOT |
leave IT and take clerical work or farming be- |
cause adventurers not built that way
But, shadows and ALL the story of the Canadian
mounted police Is of the gorgeous tales |
since the days of the Spanish Main And the spir-
1t OF the force Is best embodied in that message
found scrawled on the orders of policeman who |
persisted In a blizzard while making his way with
dispatches to distant post his last moments
with numhed hand he had written: Lost horse
dead Am trying to push ahead Have done my