The citizen., 1913-04-04
CHAPTER |.
IJnpleasant Situation.

An Unpleasant Situation.
Whom late in May, 1868. Major
oorieI Mcdonald, Sixth Infantry. was
,.s+ assigned to command the new
hree company post established south
,est of Fort Dodge, designed to pro
80, the newly discovered Cimarron
,ro1 leading to Santa Fe across the
Jaeert and purely by courtesy. Of
;cially termed Fort Devere, he nat.
,rolly considered it perfectly safe to
rvite his only daughter to join him
here for her summer vacation. In
iced at that time, there was ap-
,srently no valid reason why he
,bould deny himself this pleasure.
7ycept for certain vague rumors re
,ardine uneasiness among the Sioux
y.rriors north of the Platte, the vari-
,us tribes of the plains were causing
N unusual trouble to military authori-
los although, Of course, there was
N time in the history of that country
1,terly devoid of peril from young
.aiders usually aided and abetted by
,rtcast whites. However. the Santa
re route. by this date. had become
velI-traveled trail, protected by scat
erred posts along it's entire route. fire.
mently patrolled by troops, and mere
considered dangerous for small par
ties. south of the Cimarron, where row
nc Comanches in bad humor might
7e encountered.
Fully assured as to this by officers
met at Fort Ripley, Mcdonald, who
mad never before served west of the
Mississippi wrote his daughter a long
atter describing in careful detail the
route set an exact date for her de-
parture. and then, satisfied all was
well arranged, set forth with his
small command on the long march
overland He had not seen his daugh-
ter for over two years. as during her
vacation time (she was attending
Sunnycrest school. on the Hudson),
she made her home with an aunt in
Connecticut. This year the aunt was
IN Europe, not expecting to return un-
HI fall. and the father mad hopefully
counted on having the girl with him
once again in Kentucky Then came
his sudden, unexpected transfer west,
and the final decision to have her join
him there. Why not? If she remain
ed the same high-spirited army girl
she would thoroughly enjoy the un-
usual experience of few months of
real frontier life, and the only hard
shin involved would be the long stage
ride from Ripley. This, however. was
altogether prairie travel, monotonous
enough surely, but without special
danger. and he could doubtless ar
range to meet her himself at Kansas
City. or send one of his officers for
that purpose.
This was the situation in May. but
by the middle Of June conditions had
greatly changed throughout all the
broad plains country. The spirit of
savage war had spread rapidly from
the Platte to the Rio Pecos. and
scarcely a wild tribe remained dsaf
iected Arapahoe, Cheyenne. Pawnee.
Comanche and Apache alike espoused
the cause of the Sioux. and their
young warriors, breaking away from
the control of older chiefs, became
ugly and warlike. Devere, isolated as
1t was from the main route of travel
THE Santa Fe stages still following
the more northern traiD, heard mere
y rumors of the prevailing condition
through tarrying hunters, and posi-
bly, an occasional army courier, yet
soon realized the gravity of the situ-
alton because of the almost total
cessation Of travel by way of the
Cimarron and the growing insolence
OF the surrounding Comanches. De-
tails from the small garrison were,
under urgent orders from headquar-
ters at Fort Wallace, kept constantly
scouting as far south as the fork of
the Red river. and then west to the