The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1912-12-27
A Woman 5
Vigilance
By CARROLL H PIERCE


ground the stirring events of Indian
warfare that lasted from the first occu-
pancy Of the continent to the annihila-
ton OF General Custer and his III fated
command Yet this last great event
Of the long struggle with the abOrigines
OF the country occurred but a genera
ton agone,
There still lives a woman more than
ninety years Of age who passed through
one Of these Indian events. At twenty
she was married to lieutenant In the
army on duty in the east, but who had
been ordered TO small fort in what
was then the far west. Immediately
after the wedding the couple started
for the officers station, pursuing their
way by canal, stagecoach and, lastly.
an army supply wagon,
At that time there were white men
In that region who were worse than
the Indians in that they often melted
the latter to pillage and bloodshed,
They were not the settlers, but class
of desperadOes that are always found
lounglng about the skirmish line Of the
advancing army of civilization.
Mrs. lleutenant-we shall call her
Whittlesey- found herself in one com.
pany post and, the c0mpany's captain
being absent and her husband being
the ranking officer he was comman-
dant Indeed, there was but one other
officer there, and Mrs. Whittlesey was
the only woman among some sixty
men. Indians now and again would
come into the fort, and their appear
ance was quite enough to scare wo-
man out Of her senses, for of all the
Dames most appropriate to these peO-
ple-Indians, redskins, savages--the last
Is the most appropriate. They looked
savage and acted savage, were fierce
In their natures and made themselves
hideOus to correspond with what they
were.
One day a dirty white man clad in
skins came into the fort and, claiming
to be a settler, told a pltifuI story Of
a wife and children at some distance
from the garrison who were having a
hard time. His little girl had been
shot by an Indian with a barbed ar
row and the father wished to cut it
out, Would the surgeon let him have
some chlOrofOrm?
The surgeon gave him the chloro-
form, telling him how to use It and
the precautions he must take. Then
the man went away.
Though the redskins were at peace
with the whites, Mrs, Whlttlesey
would not trust them. She did not
consider the post free from danger of
attack at any time 1t was nothing
more than blockhouse or stoekade
with a raised platform for the sentries
to pace upon and little towers with
lOophOles from which they might fire
upon an enemy II attacked
One night Mrs. Whlttlesey stole out
of bed, leaving her husband asleep.
and putting on some clothing, she
went out to Inspect the guard. She
found one sentry nOddlng and another
last asleep. She took the sleeper's
nusket and awakened him to see him.
.elf covered by woman with his own
gun.
Mrs. WhlttIesey told her husband in
he morning that she had gone out and
'Ound the guard unwatchful, Though
that sleeping on post Is death
70 sentry. she made no definite
.harges. The commandment endeavor-
ID to arouse his guards to greater eff
,iency, but his efforts were short lived,
Ind discipline soon relaxed again.
Mrs. Whittlesey, being woman, was
in the matter, and her hus-
)and told her to make no more visits |
% the guards lest she put him, as
In ridiculous position.
One night the lady not having o
mans confidence in the peacefulness |
If the Indians, got stealthily out of |
bed and went to assure herself that |
he guards were awake. She found |
hree OF the four modelling, while the
'ourth had sunk down unconscious.
lis musket lying beside him, But |
what especially attracted her attention
vas a strong Odor Of chlOrofOrm.
II was this Odor that led her to sus-
,ect an especial danger and to make
IN observation. Rising on tlptoe, she
aw a dark body moving toward the
ort. Selling the unconscious sentry's
'un, she ran to the nearest tower and
Trough the narrow slit left for firing
emit bullet into the coming warriors.
Her shot was a twofold advantage
{ showed the Indians that their com
ng had been detected and reused the
arrison. The former hesitated a few
then continued their advance,
ending arrows and bullets against the
tronghold.
Men came pouring up from below |
q their night clothes, among them the
He saw fire dash from
ne Of the towers, and the next mo-
lent his wife came out, blood drip
ing from her right arm, she swoon-
d In his arms.
The stratagem Of the sayages. which
ad been conceived by the white man.
rho had begged the ehloroform, had
cen averted by the watcbfulness Of
he only woman Of the garrison. Not