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About The Sioux County journal. (Harrison, Nebraska) 1888-1899 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 12, 1896)
SLATER'S It u a cosmopolitan group that sat around the cauipure of Slater' Horse. The troop numbered twenty men all told, drawn from every one of the Anglo-Saxon races of the planet There were Americana, Englishmen, Cana dians, Australiana, and South Afri can, and they had come from the ends of the earth to take part In such a row a promised to follow when Cuba Lib ra set up her flag against that of Spain. Their leader was a Virginian, there waa not a Cuban or a Spaniard In the company, and the name of Slater's Troop waa a name of terror to the government forces from Pinar del Rio to Sagua la Grande. To see them thus .encamped no one would have supposed that they were engaged in one of the most daring raids that had been adventured since the war opened In '95. The officers there were but two sat democratically on the ground among their men; there was a tinkling of banjos, and a mingled sound of confused talking and of jovial, free-handed profanity. The shadows of the men loomed big on the back ground of tropical vegetation, where the red fire light flashed fitfully from time to time, and now the form of a tethered horse, and now the figure of a sentry leaning against a smooth coated palm. It was no small affair that these men were engaged in nothing less, in fact, than a raid on the "trocha" Itself. It Is not the policy of the Cuban leaders to risk a pitched battle, so to arouse the enthusiasm of the men, and at the same time keep the enemy on the alert, such expeditions are undertaken from time to time. They have encamped some fifty miles from the Spanish lines and the attack was fixed for the next night A dash across the country, a stealthy advance on the fortification, another dash, sa bre and revolver, and a triumphal re treatthis was the program that Sla ter's Horse proposed to itself. Next morning tbey rode up and down the rolling hills In the early dawn for two hours, and then rested for the heat of the ilay in a cool and very se cluded grove, where they would be screened from any wandering gueril las. Late at night they saddled again and rode cautiously forward till they were not more than forty rods from the trocha itself. They could see the watehfires on the further side of the great redoubt, shining between the strands of the barbed wire fence stretched along the brink. ? Between them and the trocha lay a dangerous obstacle, an ingenious de fense, composed of a number of wires drawn six inches apart and a foot above the ground. This formed a network over which It was Impossible to ride, and as" its width was uncertain, was dangerous to leap. Slater knew of ds. Impediment, however, and had made bis plans accordingly. Half a dozen then dismounted In silence, and taking each a pair of nippers from his saddle bags, crept forward Into the darkness. The rest of the troop sat silently on horseback barkening to the sound and voices from the Spanish camp, and to the occasional clicking noise right ahead where their comrades were cut ting the hostile wires. In the course of half an hour the men came back, and in whispers re ported the way clear. The wires bad been cut and dragged aside, so as to leave a road of sufficient width for the passage of the troop, even In the hur ried retreat which most follow. The whole party, than dismounted and led the horses stealthily forward, till al most at the very briuk of the trocha. The Spaniards on the other side were clearly visible, while they themselves were bidden In deep shadows, and the rest scrambled Into the ditch and up the other side. So quietly was all thb done that the whole performance passed unobserved till Slater sprang upon the parapet and began slashing at the wires with his machete. Then there was a shout and shot from the nearest Spaniard, followed by a miscellaneous rattle of rifles along the lines. The troops swarmed out, and saw a string of men hacking furiously at the wires with one hand and plying a revolver with the other. In the dim fire-light their numbers could not be ascertained. At this amazing 8ectacle the soldiers fired a volley that to, dls-lmived their rifles In the general direction of the foe. When the smoke li'wnj, this operation seemed to b;tvv produced no effect on the Invaders, who had now cut and torn the strain! a;;;i:-i ind. were actually within the 5 u Insure. Tbey bore down In the Hue on I lie Span- tarns, revolver iu one iwiiiu, um.w in j the other. o soiaier-marKsmeu were they, but men whose lives had often and often linng upon a pistol shot, and Bow their enemies; felt the effect. . In ten second thirty of the gray uniforms - were writhing on the sod. and the re mainder beheld the machetes flashing In their faces. The CnMilllans are not without a proverb that tenches th.it dis cretion to the better part of valor; they drew bark. Tbelr shots seemed to lave no effect on these madmen, whose pistol emitted a continuous stream of ftre. The withdrawal became retreat The retreat a panic. They crowded to gather and ran for the tents a.hon 4rad men routed by seventeen. Water CA pat partite them further. The tog -:- RAID. roll was sounding up and down the lines, and the firing would bring down a doien reglmenta in five minutes. He had done all that was necessary, had cut up the enemy's lines with a small quarter of a company, and without loss, so that It was time to retreat as swiftly as be had made the attack. A torch was thrust Into the nearest cluster of tents, the Maxim guns within reach were tumbled Into the ditch, and the little band went back a they had come, leaving the cut wires and the rows of dead to mark where they had passed. A minute more and they were mounted and thundering across the country again. As they rode Slater said to the man nearest him, a graduate of Harvard: "We have singed the Spanish king's beard, eh?" And the other replied: "Precisely." Then, after a mile or so: "They won't let this pans, do you think?" "What do you mean? That they'll follow us?" "Yes." "Nonsense. Not a bit of It" He was wrong, for there was at that moment rage and cursing in the Span ish camp. The officer In command at that point had laid a heavy wager that the rebels would never break the line. Naturally, he was furious. That the majesty of the powers of Spain should be slighted, that the works should be broken, that his men should be slaughtered this was bad enough In all conscience, but that be should lose his gold doubloons this waa un bearable. He fumed, and swore, and called to him a captain of guerilla cav alry. "Captain." "Senior." "You have a hundred men In your troop V "A hundred and fifty." "Good. Pursue these accursed Aruer-1 leans. There are not more than thirty. Follow them to Santiago, If necessary, but catch them, dead or alive." "Very well, General," replied the guerilla, and retired to muster his men and to sound the "Boots and Saddles." A hundred to twenty would be long odds, even for Slater's Horse. So it came about that when Slater's meu drew rain, fifteen miles from the trocha. and sat silent, a clustered black cjKrt on the moonlit road, tbey beard a low thunder come rolling up from the west the thunder of pounding hoofs. ' "By .love!" said the Englishman, who was related to the eminent author. "Not three miles away," asserted the ( anadian. who had just come from the Egyptian Soudan. "Forward. men," said Slater, and away tbey went, up and down the roll ing hills whither the ill-made road led them. The country was too rough to allow of taking to the fields, where the Spaniards might be thrown off the trail, but it would be smoother in the course of a few leagues. All night they rode bard and sometimes the following thunder was loud and often faint but never wholly died away. The guerillas were well mounted, and Slater' horse were not fresh. The pearly dawn came up before them, and then the sun was trailing long shadow behind them as they galloped. It waa 4 o'clock, and forty miles back to the trocha. And now at last they seemed to have distanced their pursuers, for no rum ble came out of the west. They fed ilielr horses a few armfnls of the green tops of the sugar cane, refreshing and s-HnuIatlng. and gave them a little water from a roadside brook, and ! nibbed tt?m down as time would per mit. That was not much, for before tiny had finished the sounds of pur suit again grew upon. them. "Forty mllea farther and we will be in our own lines," remarked Slater. For three hour more the wiry little Cuban horse bore their riders swiftly, though tbe sun grew high and angry. Tbey had struck off tbe highway, rid den through a field of cane, and were now galloping down a wide stretch of sloping prairie, dotted with cocoa palms. Tbey scarcely expected that the enemy wonld fail to notice where tbe chase bad left the road so they i not itiaannnintMl when the Ions erasa of breaking talk announced A RUSH OF MEN' that the guerilla wre riding dowa the ! field they had just passed through. The pursuit was gaining fast In an other minute there waa a roar of shouts and cheer from behind, and turning, they saw the bill aide created with a j long line of galloping, gray-coated men. I The peril waa Imminent, yet the staunch beasts had the material In them j for a good ten-mile bunt yet and this would be more than enough to lead them Into safety. Down the long slope the two band swept, a full mile he-; tween them, and up another, when an , astonishing sight met them as they topped the rise. Away to the left In the following val ley smoke wa rising from a burning bouse. The yard before it waa niied with Spanish soldiery. Two women stood bound in the midst There seem- ed to be an altercation. A soldier be- gan to reeve a rope over a convenient tree-bough. All this flashed before the men' eyes In a moment. There was no hesi tation, nor were there any orders giv en. Those of Slater's troop were ac customed to follow when Slater led, and they galloped at his heels a be spurred furiously down the hlllslope. The Span lards by the bouse were sud denly aware of a mingled rattle of hoof and pistol shots, and beheld a rush of men sweeping down upon them, brandishing weapons and volley ing forth curses and bullets at once. A moment and they were struck, crushed, ridden down. The sheer weight of Slater's headlong charge scattered them In every direction. At the same time the deadly machete and more deadly sixshooter were at work. "Throw the women across your shoul ders," roared Slater. Tbey were Jerk ed up In an Instant by two brawny troopers. It was no time for ceremo ny. "Now, bard ahead! And before the Spaniards had recovered from the shock their assailants were danhlng past the outbuildings of the hacienda and bad disappeared behind the sheds. At the same time the guerillas swarm ed in, and the soldiers also mounted and followed the chase. Meanwhile, Slater's men had met un expected obstacles. A high and strong wire fence stood firmly across their way; it was apparently designed to be borae-proof. There was no gate, and the ends were not in sight "Well, cut It then," shouted the lead er, with a rattle of oaths, when Its im pregnability became apparent, "and d Q quick, too!" He drew bis ma- SWEEPING ItOfl'N O'uN THEM. chete and slashed as furiously at these wires as be had done at those of the trocha. In a minute or less an opening had been made, and the riders were through. When the Spaniards arrived at the same point their greater num ber and the narrowness or the gap caused a tremendous crush, which gave the Insurgeuts a ranch-needed start It was soon lost, however. The fresh horses of the Spanish reinforcement rapidly overhauled the little troop. And, to add to their difficulties, a deep ravine suddenly appeared ahead. To scramble lu aud out of It with suffi cient rapidity would be Imismslble for the tired horses, two of which car ried double loads. To have cast the women aside might have facilitated their escape, but no one seemed to dream of such an act, nor was there a word of regret for the delay which had caused them to be overtaken. Sla ter drew In his horse, and the others gathered round. "Way's closed," said the leader, sen' fVntiousIy. "Got to fight here or sur render." "Or cut our way through," suggest ed tbe man from Harvard. "The women," remarked Slater, and the other accepted the fact "If they were only mounted!" mut tered a trooper. The Spanish rider were now draw- lng In, and a volley of carabine ran before. They had aimed high, with the result that three men of the troop toopled from their saddle. Tbla left the number of mounts free, "Can't you ride, Senoraf said 81a ter. Both replied In the affirmative, "Then mount here, If you please. We must try to cut our way out Are you afraid?" "It Is the privilege of a Cuban worn an to fear nothing except capture by these!" The man from Harvard was struck by her courage, but be could not atop to admire It Tbe women were helped astride the dead trooper's saddle It was no time for false modesty and the rest formed up around them. One of tbe women held out her band to ward Mater' bolster, but he pointed out tbe fact that there were pistols al ready In the holsters before them. They took these out and bandied them with familiarity. Tbe Hpaniard had paused a few bun died vards away, and were scrutlnlz- lug the men they bad pursued. I do not know why they did Dot roah and overwhelm them by sheer weight Possibly so much coolaeaa mad them suspect a roae or ambuscade. At any rate they stood atlll a moment till they saw the band form In hollow square, with the women In the center, and charge down upon them. Slater waa leading. The guerillas aa sayed to move forward to meat the at tack, and when tbey came within fifty yards the pistols began to crackle on both aides. A charging horse stum bled heavily to the ground, throwing hit rider headlong. An incessant vol ley poured from the deft revolver of the assailants, and the Spaniard recoiled from the spot on which it was directed, where men and horses rolled together on the earth. A moment and the little company, with the impetus of a bullet had crashed Into this ahrinklng spot and sunk right in for Ave horses' length. There was a bini mer all about as the men swung the machetes atxive their beads and urged on the plunging horses. The Span iards directly lu front strove to get clear, to "have more room for flghtlug, and the Insurgents pushed forward to the furthest Inch. It really seemed, for a little, that they would win through the Spanish ranks. The guerillas next the troop were exchanging desperate sword-strokes with their antagonists, while those far ther out were pressing closer, aud fir ing wildly Into the swirl of fight with revolvers, live of Slater' men had gone down beneath the blows that came from the front and rear alike. There were but twelve left these redoubled their efforts to break through the trap that held tbem fast Slater rode iu front slashing to right and left with a huge machete. He cut down an opposing trooper, pistoled the horse as the rider fell, and spurred forwaru Into the space thus provided. His men followed, and by sheer dint of blows managed to gain a few yards more. Hut the foe gathered close, and gain two of the handful went down. The air was all a-qtilver with steel blades about the fight, but now that the Insurgents, had got fairly in mo tion once more, they were slowly yet surely thrusting their way through the circling crowd. But they lost a man for every yard they won. Pistol bul lets hummed through the melee, strik ing down friend and foe alike. One of tbe women was bit as she fired into the dense gray ranks; the other, either wounded or faintlue. slid from her sad dle, and both disappeared beneath the press. While Slater s horse thus meiteu ... t .1... s . .t apace, Slater roue in uie iroui, mu knew not bow the others rareo. lie only knew that he was hewing nis desperate way forward as a busbman hews his way through the tropical jun gle. He bad lost his hat and his hair was clotted and dripping with blood. but he took uo heed of the wounds; all his effort was to reach the open space beyond. And at last, bleeding horse and man, he swayc into the clear ground and looked about for his men. Not one had followed; he was atone. The women he bad rescued were gone. too. He stareu snout as ii uazeu. while the Spaniards stood and wonder ed 1 1 the man who had done so might ily in the battle. The blood was pour ing from a deep cut in tne nee a or nw horse The animal' knees began to totter, and presently it sank to tbe ground. ' 1 Slater fell with it. 1 lie troops rusn- ed forwaru, but wnen tncy came to hi in he was dead, with the red blade still clinched In his fingers. And the women for whom this score of men bail recklessly thrown away their lives lay tramped and crushed beneath the hoofs of the guerilla horse. Rut shall It therefore le said of Slater's troops that their sacrifice was made In vain? "Mor'n Vou'll Keep." Rome years ago an old sign palntc, who was very cross, very gruff, aud i little deaf, was engaged to paint the Ten Commandments on some tablets in a church not five mllea from Buffalo. He worked two day at It, and at the tnd of tbe second day the pastor of the church came to ee bow the work prog ressed. The old man stood by, amoklng a hhort pipe, aa the reverend gentleman ran hi eyes over tbe tablets. "Eh!" said tbe pastor, as his familiar eye detected something wrong In the working of the precepts; "why, you careless old man, you have left a part of one of the commandment entirely out; don't you see? "No; no such thing," said the old man, putting on nl spectacles; "no; nothing left out where 7" "Why, there," persisted tbe pastor, look at It In the Bible; you have left some of that commandment out." ( "Well, wbnt If I haver' said old Obstinacy, a be ran Id eye compla cently over hi work; "what If I have? There's more there now than you II keep!" Another and a more correct artist waa employed tbe next day. A Good This;. A Iwlton (Me.) confectioner has ap plied for a patent on a process by which pastelKMrd boxes may be so treated that Ice cream paektd la them will reins it. solidly frozen for t went j -four hours. " 4& HE WAS A LOWE. FOLDING Of THE TENTS. Ctocswss Mut Wlatar Qsartan Wfcll atsowsMa Tklak tta UU Tokts. Art Is getting a move on herself. Yes terday upon a circus banner shone tbe cheering legend: "Sole chastely artis tic musical contortionists now before the public." About unoccupied corner and con tested acres of estates in Chicago hang noisily the flopping tents of tbe itiner ant 10-centelreus, an industry over looked by amusement chronicler but suddenly grown Into a threat to tbe co lossal three-ring menagerie-hlppdrome occupying tbe attention of pleasure seekers and enterprise watcher. Stroll ing bands of dlsqualiued or unfortunate players ojiened up these path for tent shows and from straggler of uncertain license aud certain rascality the little company of clown and half-trained gymnast showed tbe wary circus faker a way to pick up business and profit by a harmless humbug almost wel come. I happened to be In Crown Point, Ind., yesterday, and the pretty village was aflame w 1th warnings of the pres ence of Wallace's Gigantic Circus. In stantly I bled myself hither and there It was the same "grand entry, lady performer In tbe alf rings, traeze. slack wire, chariot races, trained ani mals, strong jieople lifting glittering generalities In cast iron and young la dies twisting themselves up In knots of spangled Intricacy; there were the jug glers, the dashing party who throws knives at a stripped lady In impres sive scowls and dodging attitude, again the "principal bareback equestrienne" of my tumultuous Infant circus days, the double-hautecole-menage act and the hesitating somersault rider; 'be side these Inevitables Is-hold the pom pous cracker of the ring whip, the full- dress, snappy tn-rson to whom the au eust stars bow low and at whom the sulphurouHly silly Joey courageously hurls puns too weighty for the Sam sons of brawn to lift out of obscurity Just the same, It seemed to me quite as good as any circus I bad seen In yeans. lUngllngs' seemed the greatest show ever produced and ten years Iwck so did the Banium & Bailey crush of these same attractions, and now It oc curs to me that a week or so ago I took five small boys Into a weather-stained tent pitched on tbe corner of Loo nil a and Congress streets, paid 10 cents ad mission aud that was absolutely the best of them all. The only difference In the bii sIkiws and little ones Infest ing America Is not In the variety but the art, the finish, the talent of the performers, tbe number of them em ployed and tbe number of rings employ ed by them. Wallace winters near Peru, Ind., and. like every other circus grower, the most attractive portion of his show Is never shown. He has tbe same privilege of exhibiting magnificent draft horses (by which Cody made such a sensation here last spring); be has 100 little Shetland jmnles at the farm which eat their beads off and bray at each other all year, but never travel for their health or money, nor do tbe splendid Percber ons ever do anything but haul. Up at Baraboo considerably the same con ditions exist. American showmen do not make use of the novel attractions at their command. The Klngllngs are superb athletes, g.rmnasts and tum blers, but Instantly they bestirred themselves to management the saw dust was something credibly Impossi ble and they sit about growing fat while Inferior performers do work they might with physical and financial ad vantage keep up. Col. Cody Is an actor of Infallible reliability In bis own show; he Is the prime attraction aud In the fifteen or more years In which he has served the public Cody has missed Just three performances one when bis lit tle daughter died, one when bis daugh ter Artea was very 111 aud one other when the United States Government requested bis services. He is really a greater showman tlmu any fliwtlng history pictures him. What litis been sensational or in a pose for the publl has quite obscured the larger disposi tion and genius of W. F. Cody. I was lu Cody's tent one day when a boy cayie In aglow with Importance t the distinction of being allowed to s I Milk to tbe Incomparable Bill. "How are Col. CodyT said the child. "I'm the boy t wrote you the letter. Yes," said the object of bis Idolatry, with a kindly smile, us be brought to view a pigeon-hole package containing at least fifty epistles. "Which one of these did you writer" Not less than fifty a day and some times more than fifty childish billets reach Buffalo BUI, and tbey are such rare literary contribution tlyit to pub lish them would be to round up tbe KMts aud warrior In embryo all over tbe country. Nearly all Cody' letter come from boy and young ladles; that glamour Intoxicating to blithe and ad venturous Infaucy still hangs about Codv, and not a little of hi unchal lenged popularity la wrapped in tbla pleasant knowledge of tbe barbaric ele ment lu all youth and Its easily won worship. The thing Is not to be eialted or better than all other, but to be dif ferent and Joshua could not stop the eternal plod of tbe circus sun In its orbit of conventionality. Amy Leslie, In Chicago News. Kleotrlu Bounding. It Is said by tbe engineers who con ducted the laying of tbe Amaaon river cable to Mananos that the difficulties of their enterprise would have been almost Insuperable If the ordinary method of sounding had bad to be re lied upon. There were no charts to go by, tbe river bottom waa constant ly hlftlng, and tbe softness of the soli, mostly alluvial clay, would allow the lead to sink Into for several feet. Ad electric device, fitly named a suhn.nr- Ine sentinel, was suspended from the I cable ship tud set ax, say, five fsihoasa. So long as there were no signal irotn the "sentinel" tbe engineer could steam ahead witooui iear. uui u moment tbe ship got into water shal lower than tbe gauge fixed upon, tbe sounder g:re an slsrm, and special reckoning were taken. A sonu'what simpler device, having the same end In view, baa been Invented, tne iaes being to have H used as a substitute for the hand lead as a vessel approach es a coast or shoal In darkness or fog. w-hen the captain I doubtful of hi bearings. Tbe apparatus consists or a metallic cylinder, having a water tight chamber. Within the chamber works a piston, upon the outer edge of which I a heavy balL hen tne apparatus is winging clear in the wa ter, tbe weight of this ball xeeps open an electric circuit; but as soon a the sounder touches the bottom the circuit la closed, and tbe current, conveyed by w Ires running In the cable by which tbe ounder Is attached to tne snip, rings a bell In any department of the ship. The cost of the device is quite moderate, and Its Inventor claims tnai Its operation Is simple and sure. New York Journal. Imogene Gulney and Stephen Crane ore becoming known In France through recent translations. The Sentimental Sex," by Gertrude Warden, Is announced as a new novel of especial orginallty. " George Hugo, grandson of tbe great French author, recently made his debut iu letters with a book entitled "Hou- eiilrs of a Sailor." The Boston Aeronautical Society ha offered i"0 In cash priies for the bust designs for kites and the best mono graph ou their mechanical prinHplea. Clergymen found a luminous article in tbe July Homlletlc Kevlew by Pro fessor Blakle of the University of Ed- luburg on "The Essentials of Effective Expository Preaching." Willis m Black, whose novel "Briseia" has recently appeared In book fona, was once a leader writer on tbe In don News. He say bis Journalistic ex perience helped him but little as a novelist, though be recommends a re porter's career as valuable for gaining experience of life. Bliss Carman has returned from a business trip to Indon and Parl by way of Amiens. Regarding Journalism besayshellkesthe "strong, and healthy, and slow-moving" British way Ih-su Though he bas lived In New York, he says the city gives him a feeling of un rest and uneasiness. Max O'Kell has no use for the Anglo- Saxon new woman. In the North Amer ican Uevlew he declares her to be "the most ridiculous production of modern timi, and destined to le the most ghastly failure of the century." Ho says she wants to retain all the priv ileges of her sex and secure all thiste of man lesldes. "She will fall to be come a man," .Max kindly assures us. "but she may succeed In ceasing to be a woman. Wives Drawn by l.ot. In some parts of Russia a queer game is still played at Christmas time which has much to do with the future lives of the participants. Some prominent per son In the villtt go announces that the annual merrymaking will be held at bis house. On the appointed day the joung men and women hasten lu huge excitement to the meeting place. There are hongs and games and dani-s, but they are simply a prelude to the more luiHirtant business of the day. When the time comes the hostess leads all the girls Into one room, where tliey seat thetiwlves ou the benches. Laughing and chattering, they are each promptly muffled In winding Kheets by the hostess. The head and hair and figure are completely covered, mid when this Is done the girls resem ble mum nib's. The young meu draw lots, aud one by oue they enter the room where the muffled girls sit. Helpless so fur as sight or touch goes, the puzzled lover tr'es to find his favorite. Maybe she tould help Ii i m If her eyes were not bidden, but she la as helpless as he. Finally be choose one, and then he inny unveil ber. I his is the critical mo ment, and disappointment or rapture will be the result of seeing her face. It Is the law of custom that the man shall marry tbe girl he has picked out, and If either backs out a heavy forfeit must be paid. It is said that this inatii- i.ionlul lottery Is productive of many happy marriages. Hpeedlly Chsoarcd Her Mind. She was the college girl of lofty Ideals and suM-rlor attainments, such as college girl have in their early day. When she left her family to rest In the piountains for aw hue she said haught ily: "No; I'll not take an evening gown. Aud please don t put any of that paper- covered literature In my trunk. I have some philosophy to read and I don't Intend to mix with the hotel people. Nature, my work and serge frock are enough for me." Then she departed. At the end of four day ber mother was st;irtled by a telegram. It read; "Send two party frocks, a hammock and some reliable face powder at once." Mot Worrying. "Say, your horse reaches over the fence and pull tbe branches off our trees." "Oh, that' all right. The boss can't hurt blaself so long as you don't throw no broken glass bottle 'over on our side." Cleveland Plain Pealer. Half of the praying that Is done cou- I lst of back talk.