Chicago Daily Tribune Newspaper, December 15, 1872, Page 5

THE CHICAGO DAILY TRIBUNE: SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1872 5 “BEECHER'S ISLAND.” A Thrilling Story of an Indian Fight. Hiw a Chicago Boy Held Fifty Men Against One Theusand Red- -Skins. Uaparalleled Exposure, Bravery, and Rescue---A Reminis- cence of 18GS. At the outbresk of ihe war, 3 young man, just | Curned of age, was an employe in 3 Chicago wholesals | Ary goods houee. He enlisted in Barker's Dragoons, | &nd subsequently became Licutenant of a company in | General Farnsworth's Iifncis Cavalry Begiment, | Coming under the notice of General Sheridan, he was transferred to his staf. Genersl Custer torns s page 1n his subseguent history, in the December number of the Galazy, that has scarcely 3 parallel in the annals ; or romance of Indisn fighting. Gesersl Georgo A, | Forsytk: has been for overal years s member of Gen- | cral Sheridan’s military family in Chiccgo, and per- | oanently besrs the traces of his Beecher's Island fight ; ‘but such is his modesty we doubt if bis intimates have ‘been told half the story of the marvellous battleso well ‘arrated by General Custer,—ED, TRIBUSE.] The winter of 1867-'68 was a period of com- ‘arative idleness and quiet, so far as the torops guarding the military postson the Plins and frontier were concerned, The Indians began their periodice] depredations against the fron- tier peitlers and overland emigrants and travel- Tars early in the spring of 1568, 2nd continued them with but little interroption or hindrance from any quarter uptil latein the summerand fall of that year. A General Sully, an officer of considersble rep- ntation 2s an Indian Sgbter, was placed in com- mand of the district of the Upper Arkansas, which Zzmbraced the Kaneas frontier and those military posts on the central plaing most intimately cot- connected with the hostile tribcs, General Sul- | Iy concentrated s portion of the troops of his “command, consisting of detachments ¢f tho Beventh and Tenth Cavalry and Third Infantry, st points on the Arkensas River, and set on foot various_scouting expeditions, but all to 1o pur- pose. The Indiens continued, s ususl, nob only to eluds the military forces directed sgainst them, but to keep up their depredations npon the settlers of the frontier. OREAT EXCITEMENT existed along the border seitlemenis of Kansas end Colorado, The frequent massacres of tho frontiersmen and utter destruction of their bomes created & very bitter feeling on the part of the citizens of Kansas toward the savages, &nd, from the Governor of the State down to its ‘bumblest citizen, 2ppeals were made to the 2u- thorities of the Geueral Government to give pratection against the Indizns, or else allow the people to tekie tho matter into theirown hands and &m\sne rotaliatory messures against their heredilary enemies. General Sheridan, then in commend of that Military Department, with hendquarters at Fort Leavenworth, Kensts, was fully alive to the rasponsibilities of his position, 2nd in his usual effectivemerner sef about organ- izing victory. Geperal Sheridan determined that, while de- voting full attention to the Kiowas, Comanches, Apaches, Arapuboes, and Southern Cheyennes to be found eonsh’ of the Avkansas, ha wonld elso keep en eye out for the Siouz, Upner Chey- ennes, end Arapakocs, and the ¢ Dog Soldiers,” uspally infesting the valleys of the Upper Re- publican and Sclomon Rivers. The *Dog Sol- Giers " were a band of warriors principally com- rased of Cheyenres, but made up of tho turbu- ent and uncontrollzble spirits of all the tribes, Neither they nor their leaders had over consent- edto the ratificzticn of any of tho treaties to which their br rs of tle other iribes had egreed. Never ficd except when at war with the white .. they were by far the most froublesome, daring, waslike band to be found on the Pluius. ir warriors were all fine-looking braves of m: nt physique, end In appearance and deweanor more nearly con- formed <o the ideal warrior than thoso of any other tribe. Hew they cama by their name, the % Dog Scldiers,” I never was cble to learn satis- factorily. Oue ciplonation is, thet they are principziiy members of the Cheyenne tribs, and were a: first Enown s the Chayenno soldiers. The namo of the tribo * Cheyetn: 2ally Chicn, the Fr On the evening of the eighth day from Fort Wal- lece, the command halted about 5 o'clock i the sfternoon, and weat into camp at or cear a little island in’ theriver, a mero sandspitof earth formed by the etream dividing at a little rift of earth thab was rather moro gravelly than {:e pard in its immedists vicinity, end com- iag togetler again sbout & hundred Fazds farther ~ down _ the siream, Srhich just here wes about eight feet wide and two or threo inches deep. _ 5 The watercourses in this part of the country in tha dry season arc mere threads of water me- andering along the broad esndiibsd of the river, ‘which, gflfing the months of May and June, is generally full toite bauks, andat that time oa- pable of floating 2n ordinary ship, while, later in the season, thereis not enough water to float the smallest row-boat. In fact, n meny places the stream sinks into the sand and dieappears for & considerable distence, finslly meking its woy up to the surface and flowing on until it again dis- | appears and resppears many times in tho course of a long day's journey. Y ISLAND CAP. Encamping upon the bank ‘of the stream at this point,~—which at thet time wes supposed by the party to be Delaware Creek, but which was afterwards discovered to bo Arickarse Fork of the Republican River,—the command mads the nsual preparstions for passing the night. The peint was bat a fow 1eerches from the scens of Kiddor's massacre. Having alresdy been out 1rom Fort Wallace. eight days, and not taking wagons with them, their supplies began to run low, although they hed been husbanded with grest cate. During thelast tbreo days gamo Bad been very acarce, which fact convinced For- syth and his party that the Indisns whose trail ey were following had scoured tho country and driven off every kind of game by their huni- ing parties. The following day would sce the command ot of supplies of all kinds ; but, feel- ing aesured thet ho was-within striking distance of the Indians, Forsyth determined to push onuntil he found them, and fight them even if he could not whip them, in order thet they might realizo that_their rendezvous was discovered, and that the Government was af Iast in esrnest when it eaid that they wers to bo p\m'n:h:d for their depredations on the settle- ments. . After posting their pickets and_partaking of the plainest of suppers, Forayth's litile party disposed of themselvos on the ground to siesp, little dresming who was to sound their reveillo in B0 unceremonious a marner. THE ALARM. At dawn on the followipg day, Sepé. 17, 1863, the guard gave the alarm, ¢ Indiansl” Instently every man sprang to his feeb, and, with tho true instinet of tho frontiersman, grasped his riflo with one hand, while with the other he seized bis lariat, that tho Indians might not siampede the horses. Six Indians dashed up toward the party, Tattiing bells, shaking buf~ folo robes, and firing guns, The four pack- mulos belonging to tho party broke away and wero last seen galloping over the hills. Threa other animals made their escape, a8 they had on- 1y been hobbled, in direct violation of the ordera hich directed that all the animals of the com- ‘mand should be ru%\;.liuly picketed to a stake or pickot-pin, Grmly driven into the ground. A Tow shots ¢aused the Indians to sheer off and disappear in s gallop over the hills. Several of the men started in pursuit, but were in- stantly ordered to 7Tejoin the command, which was ordersd to saddle up with oll possiblo bosts, Forsyth felling _eatis- fied that the attompt to stampede the stock was Lut the prelude ton general snd maore detor- mined attack. Searcely wero the saddles thrown on the horses andthe girths tightened, when Grover, the guide, placing bis band on Forsyth's ehoulder, gave vent to bis astonishment as fol- lows: “ 0 Reavens, General, look af the Tndians 7 Well might ho be excited. From every direction they dashed toward the bend. Over the hills, {rom the west and north, along the river, on tho opposite bank, everywhere and in every direc- tion, they made theif sppearance. Finelymonot- ed, {n full was-paint, their long sealp locks braid- ed with_eagles’ feathers, and with 21l the para phernalis of & barbarous war-party,—with wild ‘whoops and exultant shouts, on thoy came. PREPARATIONS FOB DEFENCE. There was but one thing to do. Realizing that they had fallen into a trap, Forsyth, who hed faced danger too often to hesitate in an emergency, determined that, if it came to a Fort Fetiermen alfair, he should at least make the enemy beer their share of the loss. He ordered Dis men to lead their horses to the island, tio therm to the fow bushes that were growing thoro in 2 circle, throw themselves upon the gronnd in the samo form, and meko the best Zight they could for thair lives. In less time than it takes to pen theeo words, the order was put into exe- cation, Thres of the best shots in the party took position in the grass under the bank of the river which covered the north endof the island; the others formed s circle inside of the line of zerm “ Dog Soldier: . To operate efeciualiy - againet thess bands, without tho necessary troops. Con; hewever, ked authorized the employment o7 4. 20ts’of frontier troops, o be recruited from sisong the daring spirita always to be met with on the border. - It was apon force raised from his class of ous West- orn population that Ceneral Sheridan relied for testerial pesistance. Huving decided i TO LIPLOT FRONTIERSVEN To sszistin p irg the Indians, the nexi guestion was the Lelection of o ewitable Jead bé choice, most furtunateiy, fell upon Gene George A. Porsviiy (*Sandy™), then Acting Tn- spector General of tho Depariment of Missouri, who, eager to rendor his coantry an importent serviee, aud not loth fo share in the danger and excitement attendant npen sach an enterprise, set himeelf encxgetically to work to raise an equip his comm=nd for the field. But little time was required, ucder Forsyth’s stirring zeal, to yaise tiio required number of men. It was wise- Iy decided to limit the number of frontiarsmen o fifty, Thiz caabled Forsyth to choose only : good men ; and the size of the detachment, cor sidering that they were to move without ordi- nary franeporiziion—in fact, were to almost adopt the Indinn style of warfaro—was as large 28 could be without being cambersome. Last, but not leact, it was to bo composed of men who, from their leader down, wero intemt on nccomplishing sa important purpose; they wero not ot on sny holiday tour or pleasure excur- Gereral St sion. Their ~object was to find ians ; & difficalt iter for a _ lage force to accomplieh, becsuse the Indians are the first to diecover their presence and take themselvea oub of tho way; wheress, with a small. or moderate-sixed detachment, there is some chance, as Forsyth afterwards learned, of finding Indisns. ‘The frontiersmen of the Kansas border, stivred up by numerous massacres comunitted in their ‘midst by the savages, were orly teo eager and willing £ join in &n enterprise which promiscd to afford them an opporiunity to visit just pun- ishment upon their "euemies. Thirty selected men were procured at Fort Harker, Eaueas, and twenty more at Fort Haye, 60 miles farsher west. In four deys the command was ermed, wounted, and equippod, andat once tcok ine field, - TEE MOVIIEST. The party left Fort Haves on the 23th day of August, 1568, and, under special insiructions “from Major General Sheridan, commanding the depeartment, took a rorthwestesly course, scont- img the coantry to the north of the Ssliné River, crosged the South Fork of the Solomon, Bow Oreek, North Fork of the Soiomon, Prairic Dog Creek, and then well out toward the Republican Rivar, end. swinging sround in the direction of Fort {allace, mide that post on the eighth day from thoir departure. Nothing was met worthy of notice, but there were frequent indications of lerge camps of Indizna which bad evidently been -sbandoned only 3 few deys or Wweeks before the arrivel of the command, 3 ‘Upon srriving at Yort Wallace, General For- syth communicsted with General Sheridan, aud * proceeded to refit his comaand. On the morning of Sept. 10, 8 small party of Indiane sttacked a train near Sheridan, a sroall - railroad town soms &0 miles beyond Fort Wal- Iace, killed two teamsiers and ran off a few cat- He. Asgoon 28 information of this reached Fort Wallace, Forsyth started with his command for the town of Sheridan, whers he took the trail of the Indians and followed it until dark. The pext morning it was resumed, until the Indians, finding themeclves closely pursued, scattered in many directions, and the trail became 8o obscure &8 to be lost. ON THE TRAIL. Determined, howerer, £o find the Indizns this time, if they were in the country, he_pushed on to Bhort Noge Creek, hoping {0 find them in that vicinity. Carefully scouting in every di- rection for the trail, and still heading nmorth a8 far as tho Republican River, the command final- 1y struck the trail of agmall war-partyon the south benlk of that stream, 2nd foliowed it up to the forks of that river. Thia is familiar ground, hiaps, t0 BOmo Of Iny readers, a5 it Was lLoro Pias Bawnoo-Killer end his band atiscked our umgufly one morning in the summer of 67, snd hurried me from my tent without_allowing me time to aitcnd to my toilet. Continuing on the trail and crossing t0 the morth bank, ¥or- syth found the trall growing consiantly ger, 83 various smoller ~ omes en- tered it from the south end north, and finelly it developed into 5 broad and well-besten rozd, nong which largo drovee of cattle and horses hed been driven. This trail led up the Arickares Fork of the Republican River; and constant in- dications of Indians, in the %ay of moccssins, “jerked buffalo mest, and other articles, wers ‘ound every {ew suiles, but zo Indisng wero scen. animals, and, throwing themselves upon the ground, began to reply to the Sre of tbo 1Indians, which goon became hot nnd galing in the extreme. Throwing themselyes from their horses, the In dians crewled up to within a_short.distance of the island, and oponed = eteady and well-diroct- i firo upon the party. Armed with tho best quality of guns, many of them having the lotest yaitern breech-loaders, with fixed ammunition (as proof of this, many thousand empty shells of Bpencer and’ Henry rifle smmunition wer { found on the. ground occupied by tho Indisns after the fight), they =oon made sad havoc among the men and horses. As it grow lighter, and the Indians could be distinguished, Grover expressed the greatest sstonishmontat tho num- bet of warriors, which o placed st meaily 1,000 Other members of the party ostimnted them 2t oven & grestor mumber Forsyth _espressed the opinion _ that there could not be more than 400 or §00; but in this it seems he was mistaken, s some of the Brules, Sious, and Cheyennes hava sinco told him that their wnr-lfxmy was nearly 900 strong, and was composed of Brules, Siouzx, Cheyennes, and Dog Soldiers; furthermore, that they had ‘been watching him forfive days nfimvinui to their attack, and had called in the warriors i{hey could get to their assistance. The men of Forsyth's party began covering themselves at once, by using case and pocket Jmives in tho gravellysand, and soon had thrown. =p quits & littlo earthiwork, consisting of detache ed mounds in the form of acircle. About this time I‘m was wounded by a Minio ball +which, striking him in the_right thigh, ranged upward, inflicting an exceedingly paintul wound. 5wt of hia men, Lad boon. killsd, and & mumbor of others wounded. Lesning over to give direc- tions to some of his men, who were firing too rapidly, and, in fact, becoming s little too nerv- ous for their own good, Forsyth was sgain wounded, this time in his feft leg, the ball bresk- ing and badly shattering the bome midway be- tween the knee and ankle. About the same time, Dr. Movers, the Surgeon of the party,— who, owing to the hot fire of the Indians, was unablo to render surgical aid to his wounded comredes, had seized his trusty rifle, and was doing capital service,—was shot in the temple by a bullet, £ad mevek spoke but oo inteligislo again, Matters were now bocoming desperzte, and ‘pothing but ; €O0Y, STEADY FIGHTING would avail to mend them. The hills surround- ing the immediate vicinity of the ight wero filled with women and children, who were chantin; war-songs and filling the air with whoops an yella. The medicine-men, a sort ofbigh-prieets, and older warriors rode around outsideof the combsiants, bbj-niclmfifl to keep out of range, and encoureged their young braves by beating a drum, shouting Indian ts, and using de- risive words toward their adverspries, whom they cursed roundly for skulking Jike wolves, and dared them to come ont and fight like men. Heantime the scouts wero slowly but surely “counting game,” and moro than one Indian foll to the rear badly wounded by the rifies of the frontiersmen. Within an hour after the fight the Indians wers fairly frothing at tho mouth with rage at the unexpected resistance they met, whils the sconts had now gettled down to earncat work, and gbeyed to the letter the orders of Forayth, whose oft-reiterated com- mand was, “Fire slowly, aim well, keep your- selves covered, and, ebove all, don’t throw away & single cartridge.” Taken in all, with & very few exceptions, the men behaved superbly. Obedient to every word of command, coo), plucky, determined, and fully Tealizing tho charactor of their foes, they were ® match for their enemies thua far at every point. Abont 9 o'clock in the morning, THE LAST HORSE belonging to the scouts was killed, and one of the redskins was heard to exclaim, in tolerably ood English, “There goes the lastdamned oree, anyhow ; ” g proof that some of the sayv- a4 a_:ol;sd at eome time been intimate with the whites. Shortly after 9 o’clock a portion of the Indians bogan to form in & ravine juat below the foot of the island, and soon shout 120 Dog Soldiers, the ““banditti of the Plaing,” supported by somo 300 or more other mounted men, made their appear- ance, drawn up just boyond rifle-shot below the island, and, headed by the famous Chief *“Roman Nose,” prepared to charge the scouts, Superbly mounted, almost naked, although in fall war. dross, and painted in tho most Lideous manver, with their rifles in their hands, and formed with s front of sbout 60 men, they aweited the signal of their jef to charge, with -ap- arently the greatest confidence. Roman HNose eddressed 6 few words to the mounted wars Tiors, and almost immedistely afterward the dis- mounted Indians, surronnding the island, pour- ed o perfect shower of bullets into the midst of Torsyth's littls party. Realizing that a crisis ‘was at hand, and hot work wos before him, Forsyth told’ his mon to reload overy ride, an: to tnkeand load therifies of thekilled snd wounded of the party, and not to fire & shot until ordered to do so. For a few moments the galling fire of the In- diens rendered it impossiblefor any of the scouts fo ruiso or expose suy part of their persons. This was precisely the effect which the Indians deeired to produce by tbe fire of their riflemen. It was this that TIE MOUXTED WARRIORE, - under the leadership of Roman Nose, were waiting for. The Indians had planned their as- sault in o manner similar to that usually adopted by civilized troops in assailing » fortified place. The fire of tho Indien rifiemen performod tho pert of the ertillery on such occasions, in silenc- ing the fire of the besiegad -and preparing tho way for the uuau!binf column. Seeing that the little garrison wag stunned by the heavy fire of the dismounted Indians, and rightly judging that now, if ever, wasthe proper time fo charge them, Roman Noso and his_ band of ~mounted warriors, with a wild, ringing war-whoop, echoed by the women and children on the started orward. On they came, preseuting even to the brave men aweiting the charge, a most superb sight. Brendishing their guns, echoing back {ho cries of encouragement of their women and children on the surrounding hills, and confident of victory, they rodo_bravely and recklessly fo the asssuit. Soon they were within the range of the rifies of their friends, and of couree the dismounted Indiane had to slacken their firs for fear of hitting their own warriors. 'This woa TIHE OPPORTUNITY FOE THE SCOUTS, end they wero mot slow to seizeit, ‘‘Now!” shounted “Forsyth. ““Now!” echoed Beecher, MeCall, and Grover; and tho_scouts, springing to their knees, and casting their eyes coolly aloug the barrels of their rifles, openied on the edvancing Bavages as dozdly s fire s the samo number of men evor yet fent forth from an equal number of rifles. “Unchecked, undsunted, on dashed the warriors ; steadily rang the clear, eharp reports of the ritles of the frontiersmen. Roman Nose, the Chief, is seen to fall dead from his_haorse, thon Medicine Man is killed, and for an instant the column of braves, now within ten foot of the scouts, hesitates—falters, A ringing cheer from the &couts, who perceivo the offect of their well-directed fire, ond the Indians begin to bresk and acat- terin every direction, unwilling to rushto s hand-to-hand slmiile with the men, although outnumbered, yet knew how to make such ef- fective use of their rifles. A foew more shots from the frontiersmen and the Indians are forced back beyond range, and thelr first attack ends in defeat. Forsyth turns to Grover anxi- ously, and inquires, “Can _they do better than that, Grover?” “1 havebeen on the Plains, Geperal, since a boy, and never saw such & charge 8s that before. I think they have done their level best,” was the reply. “All right,” responds Sandy ;" * then we are good for them.” LIEUTENANT BEECHER KILLED. 8o closo did the advance warriors of the at- facking column come in the charge, that soveral of their dead bodies now lay within s few feet of the intrenchments, The scouts had also suffered a heavy loss in this attack. The greatest and ‘most irreparable was that of Lientenant Beecher, who was_mortally wounded, and died at sunset of that day. Hewas one of the most relizble and efficient officers doing duty on the plaina—~s nephew of the Rev. Henry Ward Beecher. Modest, enargatic, and ambitious_in his profea- sion, had he lived he undoubtedly would have had a brilliant future before him ; and, had op- portunity such as is offered by ' great war ever have occwred, Lieutenant Boocher would have without doubt achieved great dis- tinction. The Indisns atill kept up acontinuous fire from their dismounted warriors; but, a8 the scouts by this time were well covered by their miniature earthworks, it did little execution. At 2 o'clock in the afternoon, the savages agnin at- tempted to carry the island by 2 mounted charge, and again at sunset ; but, having been doprive of {heir best and most fearless leader by the fall of Roman Nose, they were not 8o daring or im- puisive a3 in the frst chargo, and were both times repulsed with beavylosses. At dark they consed firing, and withdrew their forces for the night. This gave tho little garrison on tho island an opportunity to take n_breathing spell, and Forsyth to review the situation and sum up Bow Lie had fared. AN APPALLING BITUATION, Tho result was not consoling. His trusted Licutenant, Baocher, was lying dead by his sido; his Surgeon, Movers, was mortally wounded; two of his men killed, four mortally wounded, four severaly, and ten slightly. Hers, out of & total of fifty-one, were twenty-three Lilled and wounded. His own condition, his right thigh fearfully Tacerated, and his left leg badly broken, only rondered the other discouraging circaum~ stances doubly eo. As before stated, tho In- dians bad kiiled all of his hdrses early in the fight. His supplies wers ex- hausted, and there was no way of dressing the wounds of himsolf or comrades, s the medical stores had been captured by the Indians. He was about 110 miles from the nearest post, and eavages wero all sround him. The ouilook could scarcely have been less cheering. But Forsyth's disposition and pluck incline him to specilate more wnon that which is or may be gained, than to repine atthat which is irrevocably lost. This predominent trait in his character now came in good ploy. Instead of wasting time in vain re- grets: over the advantzges gained by his enemios, he quietly set sbout looking up the chances in his favor. And let the eubject be what it may, I will match “Sandy " ¥ agninst an equal namber ” for making a favor- sblo showing of the side which he espouses or advocates, To his credit account, he congratu- ted himself and comrades, firet, upon the fact that they had beaten off their foes; second, water could be had insido their intrenchments by digging o few feob below the surface; then, for £60d, ** horse and malo meat,” to use Sandy's expression, *was lying around loose in any quantity ;” and last, but most important of all, Le had plenty of ammunition. pon theso cir- cumatancos and facts, Forsyth built high hopes of successfally contending against any Tenowed asgaults of the savages. BENDING FOR SUCCOR. Two men, Trudesu and Stillwall, both good scouts, and familiar with the Plains, were gelect- edto endesvor to make their way through the cordon of Indians and proceed to Fort Wallace, 110 miles distant, and report the condition of Forsyth and party, and sct as guides to the troops which would be at once sent to the relief of the bosieged scouts, It was a perilous mis- sion, and called for the display of intrepid dar- ing, cool judgment, and unflinching resolation, besldes thorough kmowledge of the country, a8 much of their journey would necessarily be made during the darkmess of might, to avoid discovery by Wmderin&b:nd.s of Indians, ‘who, no doubt, would be on the alert to inwrce[‘)t just guch parties going for relief. Forsyth's selection of the two men named was a judicions one. Stillwell I afterwards knew well, baving employed him a8 .Bcout with my command for a long period. At the time referred to, however, he was & mere beardless boy of perhaps 19 years, posgessing a trim, lithe figure, which was 86t off to groat advantage by the jaunty suit of buckskin which he wore, cat and fringed according to the true style of the frontiersman. In his waist- ‘el he carried a large-sized rovolver and a hunt- ing knife. These, with his rifie, constituted his equipment. A capital shot, whether on foot or on horseback, and s perfact horeeman, thi ‘beardless boy on more than one occasion proved ‘himself a dangerous foe to the wily red man. Theso two men, Trudesu and Btillwell, after receiving Forsyth's instructions in regard to their dsugerous errand, and being provided with his compass and map, Btarted, s soon a8 it Was sufficiently dark, on their long, weary tramp over s wild, dosert coustry, thickly in- fested with ' deadly enemics. After their departure, tho wounded wers brought in, tho dead animals nnsaddled, and the horse-blankets nsed to make the wounded 28 comfortable 28 possible. " The earthworks were strengthonod by using the dead nimals and saddles. A well was dug inside the intrench- ments, and large quantities of horse and mule meat were cut off and buried in the sand to pre- yent it from putrefying. It began to rain, aud tho wounded were rendered less foverish by their involuntary but welcome bath. THE FIGET BENEWED. _As was expected, the night passed without in- cident or disturbence from tho savages; bu eu&the next morning, the fight was renewe by the Indians again surrounding the island as before, and opening fire from the rifles of their diemounted warriors. They did not attempt to charge the island s they had done the previous day, when their nttcmgts in this direction had cost them too dearly; but they were none the less determined and eager tooverpower the little ‘band which had been tho causae of such heavy loss to them alrendy. ‘The scouts, thanks to their efforts during the night, were now well protectod, and suffered but Little from tho fire of the Indians, while the latter, being more ex- posed, paid the penalty whenover affording the sconts o chance with their m- fles. The dsy was spent withont any decided demonstration on the part the red men, except to keep up as constant fire aa possible on the #couts, and to endesyor to provoke the latter to reply as often as possi- ble, tho objéct, no doubt, being to induce the frontiersmen £o exhaust their supply of aromue nition, But they were not to be led into this trap; each cartridge_they estimated as worth to g.:em one Indian, and nothing Jess wonld satisfy om. ANOTHER SUCCOR PARTY. On the night of the 18th, two more men wers selected to proceed to Fort Wallace, as it wag not kmown whether Trudeau and Stillwell had made their way safely through the Indian lines or not. Thae last two selected, however, failed to elude the wetchful eyes of the In- dians, and were driven back fo the island. This placed a gloomy_look upon the probable fate of Trudeau and Stillwell, and left the little garrison in anxions doubt mot only a8 to the safety of the two dsring messengers, but 28 to their own finol relief. On the morning of the 19th, the Indians promptly rencwed the con- flict, bat with less energy than before. Thoy evidently did not desire or intend to come to close guarters again with their less numerous ‘but more determined antzgoniats, but aimed, as on the previous dsy, to provoke s harm- lers fire from the scouts, and then, after exhausting their ammunition in this manner, ‘ overwhelm them mass of numbers, and finish them with tomahawk and scalping-mife, This style of tactics did nob operate a8 desired. There is but little doubt that some of the Indians who had participated in the massacre of Fetterman and his party a fow months before, when three officers and ninety-one men wero killed outright, were aiso present and fook part in tho attack upon Forsyth and his party; and they must have been nots Little surprised to witness the stubborn defence offered by this little party, which, even at the beginning, numbered but little over fifty men.. THE FIGHT ENDED. About noon, the women and children, who had beon constant and excited spectators of the fight from the neighboring hilltops,- began to with- draw. It is rare indeed that, inan attack by In- diana, their women and children are seen, They are usually sent to a place of safety until the re- sult of the contest is known; but in this in- stance, with the overwhelming numbers of the savages and the recollection of the massacre of Fotterman and his party, thers seemed to the Indians to be bat one result to be expected, and that o complote, porhags blaodless, victory for them ; and the women and children wera per- mitted to gather a8 witnesses of their triumph, snd perhaps, at the close, would be allowed to take part by torturing those of the white men who should be taken alive. The withdrawal of the women and children was regarded a8 a fa- vorable sign by the scouts. Boon after, and 88 & last resort, the Indians endeavored to hold & parley with Forsyth, by means of & white flag ; but this device was too shallow and of too common ydos)ixon to entrap the frontiersman, the object simply being to nc- complih by stratsgem and perfidy what they had failed in by superior numbers and open war- fare, Everything now seemed to inidcate that the Indians had had enough- of the fight ; aud, during the niglht of the third dsy, it was_plainly evident that they had abont decided to withdraw from the contest. % Forsyth now wrote the following despatch, and after nightfall confided it to two of his best ‘men, Donovan and Plyley ; snd they, nobwith~ standing the discouraging results of tho last attempt, get out to try and get through to Fort ‘Wallace with it, which they successfully accom~ plished. To_Colonel Bankhead, or Commanding Oficer, ;'arz Wallace: I sent you two messengerson the night of the 17th inst., informing you of my critical condition. Itried to86nd kwo more Last night, but they did ot sucoeed in passing the Indian picKets, and returped. If the others have ot arrived, then hasten at once {o my asistance, I have eight badly wounded, and ten slightly wounded men 1o take in, and every animal I had was Xilled, save geven, which the Indians stam- peded. Lisutenant Bescher i dead, and Acting As- sistant Surgeon Movers probably cannot live the night out, He was hit in the hesd Thuraday, and has spoken but'one rational wordalnce. Iam wounded in two places, n the rlght thigh, and my loft log broken be- low thokneo, The Obeyeanes numbered 450, or mora. Mr, Grover says fhey mever fought so be- fore, They were gplendidly armed with Bpencer and Henry rifles, We killed at least thirty-five of them and wounded many more, besides Kllling snd wounding s qusntity of theis stock. They carried off most of their killed during the night, but three of their men fell {nto our hands. I um on a lttle island, and have still plenty of ammunition left. Weare living on mule snd horse meat, and aro entirely out of rations, If it was not for o many wounded, I would come in, and take the chances of whipping them if attacked, They are evidently sick of their barg T h3d two of the members of my company killed on the 15h, nsmely: William Wilion and George W. Calnez. 'Tou had better start with not leas than seven- t5-five men, 3nd bring all the wagons and ambulances you can spere. Bring @ six-pound howitzer with you. 1 can bold out hers for six days longer, if absolutely ‘Teceasary, but please lose no time, Very Tespectfally, yonr obedient servant, (Signed) Grozer A, Fonsyrx, . B.—My Burgeon 0 y 6 B T Yoot abesa yet, 80 plaass briag out a Surgeon with you, A small party of warriors remained in the vicinity watching the movements of the scouta; the main body, bowever, had depatod. PRIVATION. The well mon, relieved of the constant watch- ing and fighting, were now ublo to give some attontion to the wounded. Their injuries, which had grown very painful, were rudely dressed. Boup was made out of horse-flesh, and shelters were constructed protectivg them from the hear, damp, andwind. On the sixth day tho wounds of the men began to exhibit more do- cided and nhrmmg signs of neglect. Maggots infested them, and the first traces of gangrene had set in. To multiply the discomforts af their situation, the entire Yuky wag almost overpow- ered by the intolerable stench created by tho decomposing bodies of the dead horses. Their supply was nearly exhausted. Under these try- ing eircamatances, Forsyth sssembled his men. He told them ‘‘they knew their situation as well as he. There were those who were hel, less, but 2id must not be expected too soon. It might be difficalt for the mossengers to reach the fort, or there might be some delay by their losing their way. Those who wished to go should do go, and leave the rest to fake thewr chances.” With one voice, ‘they resolved to stay, and, if all hopo vanished, to die together. At last the supply of jerked horse-mest was oxhausted, and the chances of gotting more were - gome. By this time, the carcasses of the anim Were a mass of corruption, There was no alternative— strips of putrid flesh were cut and eaten, The effect of t) offensive diet was nanseating in the extreme. An experiment was made, With & view to improving the unpalatablo flesh, of using gunpowder 88 ealt, but to no purpose. The men allayed ouly their extreme ocrav- ings of hunger, trusting that succor might roach them before all was over. BELIEF AT LAST. On the morning of Bopt. 25, the sun Tose upon Forsyth and his famished party with unusual Bplendor, and the bright colors of the morning horizon ‘scemed. liko s raiubow of promise to eir weary, lon; spirits. Hope, grown faint Yith Tong wRbEE. EAthersd Tonewen strength from the brightness of nature. The solitary plain receding in all directions possessed a desper interest than ever before, though it still showed o signs of life, and presented the Same monot- onous expanse upon which the heroic band had gazed for so many trying days. Across the dim and indefinable distance which swept in all di- rections, the eye often wandered, and wondered what might be the revelations of the next mo- ment, Suddenly several dark figures appeared faintly on the horrizon. Tho objects were moving. The question uppermost in the minds of all was, Are they eavagesor messengers of relief? As on such ocoasions of anxiety and suspenge, time wore -heavily, minutes seemed like hours, yet each moment brought the suf- ferers mearer the realization whether thia was their doom or their escape there- from. Over an hour had elapsed since the ob~ jects firet came in sight, and yet the mystery Temained unsolved. Blowly but surely they developed themselves, until finally they had ap- proachied snfficiently near for their character as friends or foes to be unmistakably established. To the joy of the Weary watchors, the parties approaching proved to be troops; relief was at hand, the dangers aud anxioties of the past fow days were ended, and death either by starvation or torture at the hands of the savages no longer stared them in the face. The strong setupa shout such as men seldom utter. It wss the unburdening of the heart of the weight of deapux. ‘The wounded lifted their favered forms 2nd fixed their glaring eyes upon the now rapid- Iy nfpmuhmg succor, and in their delirtum involuntarily but feebly reiterated the acclama~ tions of thelr comrades. The troops arriving for their relief wera s de- éwlhmelné from f‘ofl thléu:e, nnlfller command of olone] Carpenter, of tho regular cav: and had started from the fort prmg;tl upu;l?;{e ar- rival of Trudeaun and Stilwell with_intelligence of the condition and peril in which Forsyth and his party were. THE DESPATCH. ON DELAWARE CBEES, TspuBLIcAN BIVER, Sept. 19, 1868, THE RESOUE. : ‘When Colonel Carpenter and his men reached the island, they found its defenders in a most pitiablo condition, yet the survivors ware de- termined to bo plueky to the last. Forsyth himsolf, with rather indifferent success, af- fected to be roading sn_old novel that ho bad discovered in a saddlebag; but Colonel Carpenter said his voice was a little unsteady and his agea somewhat dim when he held out his hand to enter and bade him welcoms to ¢ Boecher’s Xsland,” 2 name that has since been given to the battle-ground, > Duripg the fight Forsyth counted thirty-two dead Indiaps within rifle range of the island. Twelve Indian bodies wers subsequently dis- covered in one pit, and five in another. The In~- diana themselves confessed to a loss of seventy- five killed in action, and when their proclivity for concealing or diminishing the number of their slain in battle is conmdcre%u\Ze can readily believe that their actual loss in fight must have been much greater than they would have us believe. Of the sconts, Licutenant Beecher, Surgeon Movers, and eix of the men were either killed outright or died of their wounds; eight more were disabled for life ; of the remaining twelvo who were wounded, ne=rly all recovered com- pletely. 5 5 i Congidering this engagement in all its details and with all its attendantcircumstances, remem- Dering that Forsyth's party, including himself, numbered all told but fiffy-one men, and that the Indians numbered sbout seventeen to one, this fight was ono of the most remarkable and at the same timo successfnl contests in which our forcas on the plains have been emgaged; and the whole affair from the moment the first shot was fired until tho helesgured party was finally relieved by Colonel Carpenter's command, waa a wonderful exhibition of daring courage, stubborn bravery, and heroic endurance, under circumstances of greateat peril and exposure. In all probabi e vl movar oceur, in our future hostilitiea with the savago tribes of the West, s struggle tho equal of that in which were engaged the heroic men who defended so bravely ** Beecher's Taland.” Forsyth, tho gallant leader, sfter a long period of suffering and leading thelife of an invalid for nearly two years, finally recovered from the effects of his severs wounds, and is now, I am happy to say, as good as new, con- tentedly awaiting the mext war to give him renewed excitement. REVIEW OF AMUSEMENTS. DRAMATIC. 1r. Lewrence Barrett's engagement at Aiken’s Theatro has beeri one of only moderste success up to this time. Small houses have been the rule. It would seem that a mistake was made in sclecting a round of Shakspearean characters for his first week. Outside of *Julius’ Cesar,” Mr. Barrett had achieved no considerable repu- tation aa an exponent of Shakspeare, and it was oxpecting too much that his Richard, Hamlet, .and Jago should awaken & strong degree of in- terest and call ont large attendances. Speaking in the interest of Mr. Barrett, one of the most pleasing, talonted, and deserving actors on the ‘American stage, we should say that * Rosedale ” should have been first produced, &s it never fails to call out fine audiences. Then a week of “Julins Csar” to still forther arouse the popular interest, and then Chicago would hava been pro- pared for the test impersonations. In short, the fact that small houses were the rule last week is not so mnch due to any lsck of appre- ciation of Mr. Barrett on the part of our theatre- goers, as to the injudicious planning of his cam- psign, This week, however, the business is to begin in earnest, when Mr. Barrett appears as Cassiusin **Jutius Cmgar," for which Messrs. Aiken snd Lawlor have been busily preparing for several weeks past, and which is to be pro- duced, we are told, with the most elaborate ef- fects of scenery, costumes, and %’oyemea. On Monday and Tnesday nights Mr. Barrett appears 88 Cassius, and on Wednesday and Tharsday as Brutus, The cast of characters by the company is as follows : LAWRECE BARRETT A8 IAGO. 3 On Friday evening last ‘‘ Othello” wns pro- duced at Aiken's Theatre, with Mr. Barrett as Jago, Mr. Lawlor as Othello, Mr. Aiken ss Cassio, M5, Lanagan as Desdemona, and Drs. Maeder a8 Emilia. Mr. Barrett’s Jago was by far the most successful and satisfactory of the three grest roles thus far underteken. It embodies many original pointa of conception, bothin the Tending and the make-up, and is {hronghout o well-considered, thoroughly-finished impersona- tion. He makes of the emooth-tongued villain & more attractive personage, outwardly, than do most other actors, ot the game time giving him lesa of sullen testiness. In physigue ho is some- thing too light, too neat, too youthfal—guite too young tobe the husband ‘of Mrs. Maeder's Emilia, who, in spparent age, might bo his rhother, certanly mnot = the wife concerning whom he ssys: 1 do suspect the lusty Moor hath leaped into my seat.” " But in mangner and action, in by-plsy and facial ex- progsion, in his freedom from ranting and stagi- ness, and above all in conscientious and artistic reading, the part has seldom been more finely played. As Othello, Mr. Lawlor was powerful and effective in the_ main, though the rendition was marred by occasional defects of voice. Mr. Aiken's Cassio was not a specially notable sachievement, unless in go far as it proved that gentleman’s superiority to Bhakspears as an suthor. His willingness to alter and improve tho toxt at times was quite touching. Moat actors are content with speaking the lines just as they are set down, stupidly throwing away every opportunity to interpolate their own lao~ go. Not 8o Mr. Aiken, who, for the words, * Do not think, gentlemen, T am ' drunk,” sabsti- tufes the more modewn discleimer, “Geontlemen, don't imagine for a moment thatI'm drunk.” He might sbbroviate end still further improve it by saying: “Fellers, Iain’tfull " Mr. Lanagan gave buten_ordinary picture of Desdemona, in which the vital essential of warmth, tenderness, and sweet simr ticity were in 5 great measurelack- ing, Mra, Ma nactod Emilia with s digvuiey and force which assisted in keeping in the back- ground the disparity in age. Theplay was cred- itably produced in the matter of scenic appoint~ ments and costumes. HOOLEY'S OPERA HOUSE. All unessiness concerning the snccess of the new venture of Messra. Hooley, Blaisdell and Pad- ott may be set at rest, judging from the mum- geru and quality of the sudiences which have thronged the besutifal theatre during the past week. The attendence has been uniformly large, and, what is still better, people have been drawn thither whom the mixed class of entertainment never did .nmz‘lma who, for the first time, have discovered how elegant and comfortable the place is. The play of * Partners for Life,” thongh by no mesns & failare, proved to be un- worthy of more than one week. It was mainly upheld by the Afuggles of John Dillon, whoss opularity and strength seem to have increased et long absence from the Chicago stage, and whose legions of friends end irers are glad to know that he is thoroughly (snd perma- Tently, they hope) himself sgain. Dillon ond Miss s Cline have borno the burdens of the honors, the latter amply sustaining her Eastern-made reputation 88 one of the most charming and talented sonbrettes in America. This week a new local comedy, written by Mar- tha Lafitte Johnson, and gaid to be very fine, entitled “Fun,” is to be produced, with Dillon in an original character, which he pronounces the best he has ever assumed. The complete cast is as follows 2U'VICRER'S THEATRE, The engsgement of Miss Jane Coombs at Mec- Vicker's Theatre closes with this week. On Aondsy and Tuesdsy nights and at the Saturday ‘matinee she sppears a8 Pauline in the Lady of Lyons,” supported by the gnnmpu.l members of the corapany. The ¢ School for Scandal” will be given for the last time on Wednesdsy and Thiareday nights, and for Fridsy snd Saturday nights The Stranger” is underlined, Miss Coombs appearing a8 Alrs. Haller. Next week Charlotte Cushman begins an engagement at McVicker's, AOADEXY OF 3USTO. A snccession of crowded houses at the Acad- emy of Music, though the prices have been in. creased 50 per cent, i5 & sufficient attestation of the strong hold still maintained by burlesque upon amusement seekers. People unquestion- ably like it, and will flock in crowds to sea it when produced by g0 excellent an organization 88 the yd.iaThom%son Company. The troupe is altogether the best that has ever visited Chicago, giving an atiractive and (with ons or two exceptions) unobjectionabla entortain- ment of the kind. That iz to sy, 28 a rule, the performance is free ~from indelicacy. The excogtions are those which occur in_the innumerable changes rung in It Ever I Cease to Love.” Mr. Becket 18 funny enough to produce & langh without the aid of wulgarity. «Blus Beard " haa boen produced Guring the past week, and in_the hands of such talented burlesque artists as Misses Thompson, Weathersby, Dubois, and Atherton, and Mesara. Becket and Edouin, it hasproved a decided snc- cess. In ita vocal capacity the party is wall balanced and effective, and the music is of a superior order. The feature of * Blue Beard” was Willie Edouin, whose ‘ Heathen Chinee” is an admirable thing. For the first partof this week “ Robin Hood " i8 fo be given. MYERS' OPERA HOUSE. The minstrel bill at Myers’ Opera House con- tains all the strong features of last weok, besides introducing the boy phenomenon, Clarence Bur- ton, for the first timo, Milbum sppears in new character changes ; Mackin -and Wilson give their suporb songs and dances; Billy Bice, Ar- lington, Cotton, Kemble, Surridge, etc., figure in tha comic sketches of * The Lawyers Clerk” and “ Pertners for Life,” besides the castomary ch:emzLionn.l and vocal attractions of the first art. 2 GLODE TEEATRE. The programme for this week st the Globe Theatre includes itzachen and Fritzschen,” by Miss Lelia Ellis and Sappho ; * The Power of Music,” by Cherley Howard and Bobby New- comb: Larry Tooloy, character vocalist aad nnmadim; Bobby Newcomb, song and dance ar- tist; Hannah Birch, danseuse; the Remmels- berg Sisters; concluding with * Black-ayed Susen;"” by the company. NIXON'S AMPHITHATEE. “The Scouts of the Prairie, and Red Deviltry 28 It Is,” is the thrilling and sensationsl title of Ned Buntline's drama of frontier life, to be pro- duced with some remarkable actora and accesso- ries, at Nixon’s Amphitheatre to-morrow night. The'roles of Buffalo Bill, Texas Jack, Cole Durg, and several Indian chiels, are to be assumed by the original individuals themselves, and Mle. orlachi will appear as Dove Eye, an Indian maiden. . There will be a prairie on fire, an In- Ex? ambush or two, and no end of bloody con- ots. EDWIN FORBESTA'S CHICAGO APPEARANCES, Tha various appearances in Chicsgo of the 1ate Edwin Forrest were as follows: His debulin this city ocemrred in Rice’s Theatre, June 15, 1848, opening 88 _Jack Cade, And closing, June 24,28 Zear. His second season was for one Seek in Crosby's Opera House, commencing Jan. 23, 1866, when he was supported by ame Ponisi, AMiss Lillie, and John 3ac- Cullough. The third and last season of Mir. Forest was at Crosby's Opera House in 1868. On the evening of March 23, he appesred as Richelicu ; March 24, Virginius; March 25 Hetamora ; March 26, Othellp ; March 31, Jack Cade; March 30, Lear; April 1, Sparlacus; April'3, Richard 1IT. music. The departure of Rubinstein has been suo- ceeded byacalm in the local musical world. Only two concerts have been given during the week, one being the third in Mr. Goldbeck’s pleasant series, at his conservatory, on Thurs- day evening, and the other the concert at Stand- 2rd Hall, on Fridsy evening, for the benefit of 8t. Luke's Hospital, under the auspices of the Chicago Musical College. Eachof these con~ certs were very pleasant and very creditable af~ foirs, and of a higher order than most of our amatedr concerts. The outlook for the present week is indicated below. BACRED CONCERT. This evening, a sacred concert will be given at 8t. Mary’a Church, corner of Wabash svenue and Eldnidge court, under the direction of AMr. Frank G. Rohner. The programme will be as follows : AT 1 Organ—Overturs to * Semiramis ™ L. Orgn—Overtirs B e 2, Trio—* Gratias Agamus”, 8. Aria—* In Native Worth W, H. Woodfield, 4, Aris—* O Salutaris ”, s se s, 4. HeGuire. 6. Basso solo from_“ The Seasona ".....eue.. .. Haydn < M. F.B. Boen. PAST IL. (Selections from Rocsini's “ Stabat Mater.™) L Arin—* Cujus Animam. r. 2. Quartette—* Sancta Mater,’ Mra. McGuire, 3liss Farwell, and Messrs. Schultze and. otcen. 3. Cavatina— Fac ut Portem,”....... AMiss Farwell. 4. Sola and Chorus—* Inflammatus,”. . Ars. McGuire and chorus. INSCELLANEOUS CONCERT. A miscellaneous vocal and instrumental con- cert will be_given at Ouscley’s Hall, corner of Robey and Madison streets, on Friday evening, the 20th inst., which, as will be seen, g8 oul s number of yonng ameteurs not often heard in our concerts, which, of itself, promises to make the concert one of more than ordinary interest. ‘The programme Will be 88 follows: PATT I 1, Overture to * Poet and Peasant.”.... . iss Hamilton and Mr. Francis, 2, Ballad # Waiting.”. 3niss E, 3, Quartetts “ Tao Late.’ Miss Gordon, Mr. S. R, I D. 5. McXay. 4, Song ¢ La Farvsletta.”, v fiss Mary Brce, 5. Piano-Solo “Adagio Movement,” (onats Pa- thetigue).... . <ve-v. Beethoven 2 : " Francis, PART X, 1, Piano-Duet “La Fascination Galop.”..... Mesars, Francis and Cleveland. 2, Song ‘ When the Quiet Mnonmha.min%." chondorf .Perring Aiss E, E. Stridiron, 3. Quartette.., Jtdes Gordon, tr. S, B, Treland, Ars. D. 8 HcKa; 4, Arla “Robert to} quo j/amie. Mis3 Mary Bruc 5. Grand Solo Girand March. 3r. V7. Francis, TRINITY CHUBCH CONCERT. The concert for the benefit of Trinity Church, under the management of Fred. Root, will be iven at Cen Hall on Tuyeeday evening. o tickets, 31 each, are for sale at Cobb's Li- brary, where reserved sests can be Obtained. The following is the programme : PART L. 1. Voual quartette—t Soft and Low,”. Ifiss Haskell, Miss White, Mesars, Gates 2. Piano Bolo—" ebiller March,” > N, Ledochowali, 3. Descriptive Sang~" Beyoud,”..........F. W. Boot ““You seo, sir, . when hor little Bo 380, e s e Sut ke, aad Ao spont oot of bor days a-talking to the waters: 'and found tho poor gt drowdod, , Beyond. goae to her boy, Miss Anna S. Lewis. 4, Duott—Soprano and tenor— Dammt ancor,” viesseo....Gounod Hiss Hoskelland 3(r. Harry Gates. 5. Soprano Solo—“The Beggar Child,”.......Gumpert 3Mrs, Clare Huck. 6. Piano solo—* Concert stueck,”....C. 3. Yon Weber Miss Nettie Roberta, Orchestral parts, F. Ziegfeld. FART I 7. Soprano Solo—From “ Frauenlicbe,”. ..§chumann Mias Jessica Haskell, 8, Contralto Bolo—With flute Obligato— “ Canto d’amore.”. o, il Ela A. W . Children’s §ymphony. . (@) Aliogeo Maektoso, Lamontsbile, * (o Preato, tro Violins, Basso, uckoo, i +v Meyerbeer - Wollenhsupt Piano, Whistle P 6, Nightinga Cigler, Dram, Trigae S 10, «Hatton r. en. 11, Quintette— AK che & {operdons Tddio......Flotow Mtisses Haskell and White, Messrs, Gates, Bowen, and Goldbmitk. TURNER HALL. The programme for the Turner Hall Concert, this afternaon, is as followa: 1, March— Greeting to Chicago”, 2. Overture'to * Egmont ", ... 3. Finale from “ the 7, 4. Po tions of Me tfi;nm“'aem 5, Violin Solo—¢ Snnvgm- de Bellini ”. err 6. er Waltz. “T. Potpourxi from “ Frovatore 8. Jubel Overture. .. 9. Quadrille—* Ex Vogus TEE GERMANIA CONCERT. The yxogmnmg of the Germania QJoucert at Orpheus Hall, this afternoon, is as followa: 1. German Hero March, 2. Overture * Prometheus 7., 8, Waltz “Globards ™...... .. 4. “Offenbachiana ” Grand Pol 5. Solo for the cornet, -._Zohn. % {5 Intro"ducfinn and Finale from *Walde- . 4 mi - Troblich THE OBATORIO BOCIETY. ‘The Oratorio Society will soon inaugurate s series of three musical lectures and concerts, to bogiven during the months of January and February. The leciures will be given by Bev. Laird Collier, Rev. Prof. Swing, and Rev. Dr. Kittredge; the time and place to be ansounced noxt week. This Society deserves well of the public. Its career in the past has been most gniflflworthy. It has given us oratorio with 'areps, Nilsson, Cary, %minufl, ‘Whitney, Ra- dolphaon, end Campbell, not to mention & numerous list of resident soloists, Who have from time to time contributed their valuable services, The following Pprogramme ig an- nounced for the inauguration of the lecture course : 1. Organ Voluntary—Hallelnjah Chorus,” o v MotaE of Ol CHOTILT ettoven Hr, Louis Fa 2. Clgras—+ L4t wp Your Hoads, trom “ Mos, Handar 3. Solo and Chorus—+ Daughter of Error ..., Bishop 5. Duo and Chorns—“I waited for tho ? from * Hymn of Pralse”, Mendalssohn 6. Qanon Quartetts from “ Fidelio™. Beothovery 7. Lecturs by Bov. R, L Collier—5ubect ¢ Becthor ven. 8. Trio and Choras : 4 Achieved is the Glorions Work,”. #0n Thee each living soul swaits, USICAL LITEBATURE. The December namber of the AMusical Inda- dependent, which is now under the supervision of 2r, Robert Goldbeck, is just out, and more than confirms the good impression created by the No- vember number. The number opens with the second chapter of Richard Wagner's * Antobiog- Taphy.” G. P. Upton contributes the fizst paper of s serles of six, embracing the Musical His- tory of Chicago.” The current &apex_- is devoted 10 the philharmonic history of the city, and the others will inclnde the orchestral, operatic, and concert history, the records of musical societies, and reminiscences of early Chicago musicians. In addition to these, there are very interestins Papers on ** American and Foreign Fingering,” “Queen Hortense” (second paper), ©* Legato Playing,” “Classical and Popular Musio,” and W)y First Singing Lessons,” besides 5 wall digested summary of musical intelligence and criticism which is of great value to musi- cians. Mr. Goldbeck contributes three pieces of musio—*'Pastorale et Priere,” for piano and or- gan; “Morning Song,” for the voice ; La Pene- Tezza (Salute d'Italian) for the piano. THE LUCQA SEASON in New York has closed, and the Herald thus sums up the results : On the last dayof September, Mr, Baretzek com- menced a series of operatic performances conaisting of thirty nights and eight matinces. These, with a coupls of Brooklyn nights, made forty performances, the gross Teceipts of whichamonnted to$150,413. Ten of thess performances had Jtiss Eellogg a3 the sole st- traction, and showed refurns to the amount of $11, Therefote thirty performances given by Luces brought receipts to the amount of $13,793, _Thirty performances last yesr, in which Nilsson was the prima = donma, brought into the tressury at the Acsdemy of Muslo SII9I8I. These * sre instructive fgures, and give sn emphatio denial fo_the sssertiohs mads by new- comers that New York cannot support opera, The subscription for the Luccs season amounted to $1,600 er night, and for Nilsson sbout §1,550. During ‘the T ces sesson the best Paving operas were i Faust,? #Don Glovann),” “ Figuzo,” snd “Ls Favorits” Twelve operas have been brought out during the sea. son, namely: LAfricaine,” & Faust,”” * Traviata,” 1 Fra Diavolo,” # Trovatore,” Don Giovanni,” “ Fa. 7 % Les Hugus- vorita,” Crispino,” # Nozze al Fij nots,” ¢ Linds,” and “Mignon.” During the Nilsson seaaon neven operns wero brought out, nsmely: 4 Lu o hravieta U Fanst? P bon. ‘vanol,” #“Aignon,” and “Trovatare.” Of thess mk thafi"}‘l\u’t" ds at the head of sl other - ‘operas in both seasons as & suocesa, e e e AFTER THE (BOSTON) FIRE. ‘While far slong the esatern sky 1 saw the flags of Havoc fly, s if his forces would asssult jgn of th And hurl himp back the burning rain That seared the dities of the pl 1 read 25 on s crimson page The words of Tarael's aceptred sage s For riches make them wings, and they Do as an eagle fly auwoy. Ovislon of tnat slecpless night, ‘What hus ehall -&?‘ the n‘:‘u&cn';l! light That burned sud stained tho orient skies way ‘And dawned to make s second day,— ‘Above how red with flery glow, How dark to thoee it woke below! 0On roof and wall, on dome and spire, Flashed the falso jowels of the drs; Girt with her belt of glittering And crowned with starry-gi g Our Northern Queen in glory shone Wi? mbom m]danhnm her own, And sf transfigured in our eyea, ‘A victim decked for sacrifice | ‘The clond still hovers overhesd, And still the midnight sky s red ; ‘How changed the pathways known so well; “Tho scene. how naw] The fale, How d ‘Ere yet the ashes hava grown cold} Again T xead the wordls that cams Writ in the rubric of the flxme; Howe'er wo trust to mortal things Each bath tis pole of foldd wings; elr terrors rest unspresd, Their fatal plumes are never shed 3 Atlagt, at last, they stretch in fifght, And blot the day and blast the night! Hope, only Hope, of all ihat clings Around us, pever spreads her wings: ~ o8 Teoch one BAIT Aedged 8080 £ 17, And find, beyond the smoks and The cloudless azure whence they cams ! ~Oliver Wendell Holmes, in the Atlantic for January. CAPRICE. She hung the cags st the window; “If he goes by, she said, He will hear my Fobin singing, And whea he lLifts his head, 1 shall be sitting hers to sew, And he will bow to me, I know.” The Tobin sang & love-sweet The young man raised his head ; The maiden turned away and blushod ; e ama fo "bwgcfi:rulg” . went ou embroi ersilk, A pink-oyed rabbit, white 08 milk. The young man loftered slowly By the house throo times that day. Sho took hex bird from tho window ; “He need not look thin way.” She sat at her pisno long, And eighed, and playeda desth-ssd song. But when the day was done, she said : 1 wish that he would come ! Bamember, Mary, if he cal To-night—I'm not at home,"” Bo when he rang, sho went—the elf 1~ Bhe went and let him in hersalf. They sang fall long together - eir songs, love-sweet, death-sad [ The robin woks from his slumber, And sung out, clear &nd glad. “ Now go,” ahe Coldly said ; * ’tis late;™ And followed him—to Jatch the gate. ‘He took the rosebud from her hair, ‘While You shall not ! ehe 8ald } Hi;]ued her hand within his in the eclipse ©Of blinding love upon his lips. ~T. D. Howells, The Hungarian Cuisine. There is no cuisine in Europe equal to tke Hangarian, except the Fren e peopls. bave 8o many preparations of chickens, beef, snd mutton, with tomatoes, or red peppers, or acids, «nd such wonderful Mehl-speisen or puds dings, and such variety both of fruit and vegeta- bles, that a Hungarian dinner is s study. I never saw on their tables orin their markets 8 single fruit or vegetable which we have not, and I missed only two of ours: tha oyater-plant and sweot-potsto. Both would do capitally in Hungary, aud I frust measares will soon be taker to introduce them. Hungarians are fond of Indian corm, boiled or roasted in the ear when young, as our peopleare. Toma- toes, too, grow plentifally. eir plums are better than ours; their gr%:ea and peas are de- licious ; melons abound. Formerly, fat nsed to be employed too much in their cookery; now they are using cream and much more. The first meal is Amem a cup of “morning coffes,” with rich milk (of buffaloes), and & roll crumbled in it. At 1 or 3 the people dine in the upper and middle classes, with some eight or_ten courses; the pudding coming in the middle, and fruit at the end; soup always opening it. Several varieties of native winea are in use; for dessert, generally, Toksy, oor gome Anstruck. At 5, again, comes the goufer, or cold or iced coffee, With cake or fruit. At 9, or 93,. the supper, a very substantial meal of a number of courses, terminating often with Indian corn, cucumbers, or radishes, after which the people lggnranuy retire with undisturbed mind and body; and arise with their old vigor in-the morn- g, iiow the children bear this late meal is mys- terions. I have seen lovely children of from 6 0 12 years partaking of & succession of dishes, beginhing with crabs, going on to rosat duck, beef, pig, galuska (pudding), cucumbers, melons, and green _corn, between tha hours 'of 10 end 11 in the evening! No physicisn was called in during tho night. Bt Tvorywhere the children looked pale and peaked. 1 think these sbsurd hsbits must be undermining the vigor of the race. The arents often adwmitted that the children had not ho vigor of themselves, and that they were troubled with bad dreams. Yet,” they sa, e were brought up in just this way, and you see what wo ate 7”1 inclined to however, that natural selection has come in, and that only the vigorous survive this trcatment.—Charles L. Brace, in the New York Times. s il b ndutt il _—Charles Lernox Remond, » noted colored citizen of Marsachuzetts, is reported to be in- sane,