White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1933-03-02
American
Heroines
By
LOUISE. M. COMSTOCK
Mamie Hutchins
LOUISE M. COMSTOCK


j West, and strange II Is to picture
among that gallant company little
six-year-old girl with wide eyes and
golden curls. Yet Mamie Hutchins is
still favorite when old frontiersmen
gather to swap yarns of the eighties.
i and wrinkled Wichita braves will still
recount over a slow pipe the debt
,. their tribe owes this little yellow head
!, ed white girl.
Mamie was a daughter of teacher
at the Cheyenne agency near the site
of the present city of FL Reno. Okla.
In 1878, when she was just -tllrned
six, smallpox epidemic of startling
menace broke out. and the red men. to
whom smallpox means certain death,
4 became terrified Nannie's uncle. John
i d. Miles. agent at Cheyenne, sent to
4 Wichita, two hundred miles away. for
vaccine and innoculated with 1t Nan
ME and as many of the Indians as he
could supply. Then came frantic calls
from neighboring agencies for vac
cine to halt the raging disease in In
/ dian territory outposts. But the sup
! DIV was gone. and 1t would be two
weeks before freight wagon would
arrive with more.
Then Doctor Given of the Wichita
agency. who had hurried a. miles to
cheyenne in his vain quest for vac.
cine, looked at Nannie's arm. all red
and swollen with the recent infection.
From 1t he could secure enough virus
to vaccinate a great many Of his own
people, Could he take Mamie back
with him? Mrs. Hutchins demurred.
She was widow and Mamie was her
baby Finally. however, she consented.
and the doctor and the little girl. with
Finlay Ross an Indian fighter. set
out on their journey along the famous
Chisholm trail, where in those days
the white man travelled In constant
danger of Indian attack and frightful
death. Many anxious hours later
when they had gained Wichita in
safety. the vaccinating began. Those
safeguarded by the virus from Nan
MES arm. in turn supplied virus for
Others and most ct the Wichftas and
many of the Kiowas were thus saved.
A year later. when the Indians of
that region were staging their last
desperate uprising against the whites.
Chief Kiowa and Chief Yellow Bird
and 30 Wichita braves rode over to
Fort Sill and volunteered their serv-
Ices. They wanted to fight. they said.
on the side Of the little golden-head
who had saved them from the small.
pox epidemic. ~
''Mother" Grim
THO MRS. ELIZA CLINEDINST
i Grim. who died recently at the age
Of ninety-four years in New Market
Va. the title of Mother was term
Of military tribute 1t was title Of
honor earned at the Battle of New
Market in May of 1854, when Mrs
Grim "mothered' as she nursed scores
Of wounded and dying boys. members
Of that famous hand of Virginia Mill
tary institute cadets whose gallant
charge is the high spot Of this battle
IN the spring of "a the superior
numbers and greater resources OF the
North we're beginning to tell against
the South. Two years earlier "Stone
wall" .Iackson's campaign in the
Shenandoah valley had successfully
cut General Mcclellan off from aux
.l,ary troops and thwarted his plans
Now. hoping for similar results. Gen
eral Lee sent General Early up the
valley. In spite Of heavy odds. Early
won several victories and even threat
ened Washington before Genera
Sheridan defeated him at Winchester
and forced his retreat to the South
It was in one of these victories
that the v. M. I. cadets played theil
; brilliant part. The little company
, ranging from fourteen to nineteen
. years in age had been hurried NJ
} from Lexington by forced march o
three days to he on hand in case q
| emergency. They were a spirited hand
, afire with patriotism. eager for &C
ton. Although It had been planned
| to hold them in reserve. the outnum
herring forces Of the enemy and thei
the very front line. There they he'll,
. their position for several hours. mn
der heavy artillery fire and infantr
attack. and at the decisive momen
made spectacular charge to victory
Years later Mrs. Grim described tina
charge: 81 saw the terrible shells ey
plode right In front Of the line q
cadets as they charged down Sh'r
ley's HILL The deadly fire cut gan
= in their line. hut they closed M an
without faltering they moved forwar
to victory and DEATH"
The wounded were carried to tn
old Rice home in New Market no,
the Virginia Knights of Pythia
: 0rphanage. There Mrs Grim too
u charge. nursing. comforting, mother
y ing. One of her strongest memorie
). was Of the devotion Of the cadets IA
I! each other. She told how Nose
Ezekiel. later the famous sculptor q
v. M. rs memorial "virginia Mourn
TIM hor Dead :" m rr;od a voun dod cc,,