The citizen., 1913-06-06

mlshes were frequent, but the Indians
were wary and resourceful. and only
once during the entire summer were
they brought into real decisive battle.
The last Of August. Major Forsythe.
temporarily commanding a company
OF volunteer scouts, was suddenly
attacked by over a thousand war
rlors under command of Roman Nose.
four days fight resulted with heavy
loss on both sides, the Indians being
driven from the field by the oppor-
tune arrival of fresh troops.
The general condition of affairs is
we'll shown by the reports reaching
Fort Wallace in September. Governor
Hunt wrote from Denver: Just re-
turned. Fearful condition of things
here. Nine persons murdered by
Indians yesterday. within radius of
Line miles" A few days later. acting
Governor Hall reported: The In
dams have again attacked our settle
ments in strong force, obtaining pos
session of the country to within
twelve miles of Denver. They are
more bold fierce, and desperate in
their assaults than ever before. It Is
impossible to drive them out and pro-
tect the families at the same time for
they are better armed, mounted, dis
ciplined, and better officered than our
men. Each hour brings intelligence
Of fresh barbarities. and more exten-
sive robberies." This same month
Governor Crawford, OF Kansas, tele-
graphed Have just received a dis
patch from Hays. stating that Indians
attacked, captured. and burned a train
at Pawnee Fork; killed, scalped and
burned sixteen men; also attacked al.
other train at Cimarron Crossing,
which was defended until ammunition
was exhausted. when the men aban-
doned the train, saving what stock
they could. Similar attacks are of al
most daily occurrence"
| South of the Cimarron all was desc
lation, and war ragged unchecked from
the Platte to the Pecos. Sheridan de-
termined upon a winter campaign, al
though he understood we'll the suffer
ings entailed upon the troops by ex-
! posure on the open plains at that sea-
son. Yet he knew the habits Of In
dians; that they would expect immu.
nifty from attack and would gather in
villages, subject to surprise. He,
/ therefore, decided that the result
would Justify the necessary hardships
! involved. To this end smaller posts
we're abandoned. and the widely scat.
! tered soldiers ordered to central
points in preparation for the contem-
plated movement. Devere had been
deserted earlier, and Major Mcdonald
had marched his men to Dodge. where
| Molly awaited his coming. Retained
there on garrison duty. the two occu-
pied a one-story, yellow stone struc-
ture fronting the parade ground. In
! October, orders to march reached "M"
| troop, Seventh Cavalry, at Fort Union,
and the ragged bronZed troopers, who
| all summer long had been scouting the
| New Mexican plains. turned their
/ horses heads to the northeast in hope
I
deserted Santa Fe trail, past burned
stations and wrecks of wagon trains,
rode Sergeant Hamlin, silent and eff
| cient, the old Confederate haversack
fastened to his saddle, and his mind,
! in spite of all effort, recurring con-
stantly to the girl who had gone to
Dodge early in the summer. Was she
still there? If so, how would she greet
him now after these months of alb
sence? The little cavalry column.
dust-covered and weary, seemed fair
ly to creep along. as day by day he re-
viewed every Nord. every glance,
which had passed between them; and
at night under the stars, he lay with
head on his saddle, endeavoring to de-
| termine his course of action, both as
to their possible meeting, and with re-
gard to the following of the clue Of
| fered by the haversack. The time he
| had hoped for was at hand, but he
could not decide the best course of ac-
ton. He could only wait and permit
| Fate to interfere.
Certain facts were, however, sutf1-
ciently clear. and the Sergeant faced
them manfully Not merely the fact
that he was in the ranks. great as
that handicap was, could have pre-
vented an attempt at retaining the
friendship of Molly Mcdonald. But he
was in the ranks because of disgrace