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 i t 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 

^y^5- 
 
 I 
 
 STANDING BEAR. 
 
 \ % 
 
IlN 
 
 MASS 
 
 A THR 
 
 A FULL A( 
 
 ■ DEA1 
 
 STARTLING 
 
 MYSTEl 
 
 BRA 
 
 COMPRIS 
 INDIAJ 
 ICA 
 M 
 
 BY H 
 
 PDiir m 
 
INDIAN HORRORS 
 
 OR, 
 
 MASSACRES BY THE RED MEN. 
 
 BEING 
 
 A THRILLING NARRATIVE OF BLOODY 
 
 WARS WITH MERCILESS AND 
 
 REVENGEFUL SAVAGES, 
 
 • INCLUDING 
 
 A FULL ACCOUNT OF THE DARING DEEDS AND TRAGIC 
 DEATH OF THE WORLD-RENOWNED CHIEF, 
 
 SITTING BULL, 
 
 WITH 
 
 STARTLING DESCRIPTIONS OF FANTASTIC GHOST DANCES; 
 
 MYSTERIOUS MEDICINE MEN; DESPERATE INDIAN 
 
 BRAVES ; SCALPING OF HELPLESS SETTLERS ; 
 
 BURNING THEIR HOMES, ETC., ETC. 
 
 THE WHOLE 
 
 COMPRISING A FASCINATING HISTORY OF THE 
 INDIANS FROM THE DISCOVERY OF AMER- 
 ICA TO THE PRESENT TIME; THEIR 
 MANNERS, CUSTOMS, MODES OF 
 WARFARE, LEGENDS, ETC. 
 
 BY HENRY DAYENPORT NORTHROP, D.D. 
 
 Author of ''Earth, Sea, and Sky," stc., etc. 
 
 mu \mmKm win mum mm aioho thi m\m 
 
 !' 
 
 w 
 
 
 \4 
 

 /ii 
 
 tf .1 
 
 / i. 
 
 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 189 by 
 
 J. 5.. JONES. 
 
 In tb« Offic* of the Librarian of Congress, at Washingtoa, D. 0. 
 
 All Rights Reserved 
 
 • » H 
 
 ^ <- f . 
 
 The his 
 intensely 
 classes of 
 of all th( 
 States, to 
 encounter 
 thrilling c 
 
 Daring 
 personal ( 
 The reade 
 costumes, 
 characterii 
 a civilized 
 most fam( 
 of battles 
 ventures 2 
 of Thermi 
 
 A full i 
 iUnces,'' V 
 interest i 
 many dan 
 quite new 
 performed 
 
PREFACE 
 
 The history of the Indian tribes of our country 19 
 intensely interesting, and is eagerly read by all 
 classes of people. This work embraces a full account 
 of all the memorable Indian wars in ^he United 
 States, together with a record of terrible persona! 
 encounters with the Red Men, hairbrea;dth escapes^ 
 thrilling captures and bloody massacres. 
 
 Daring deeds, desperate conflicts and examples of 
 personal courage appear throughout the narrative. 
 The reader beholds celebrated chiefs in their strange 
 costumes, wonderful acts of heroism and personal 
 characteristics, which, if their possessors had lived in 
 a civilized con munity, would have rendered them the 
 most famous men of the nation. Here is the record 
 of battles fought with sublime courage, exciting ad- 
 ventures and achievements unsurpassed by the story 
 of Thermopylae. 
 
 A full description is given of the Indian "ghost 
 dsLnces'* which have awakened intense curiosity and 
 interest throughout the country. Indians perform 
 many dances, but the "ghost dance" is something 
 quitjB new and peculiar. What it is and how it is 
 |>eHbrmed can be learned from the following pages. 
 
 187142 
 
 ■i.i 
 
 r- 
 
 V. 
 
 imftii«iiSiUm 
 
■^ — " 
 
 r' 
 
 I 
 
 1^ 
 
 hr FBEFACB. 
 
 The work also gives a striking description of tl - 
 celebrated chief, Sitting Bull, and the events attendir ^ 
 his tragic death. Through his prophecies of a new 
 Messiah the powerful tribe of Sioux was seized with 
 a mysterious craze and aroused with the desperate 
 spirit of revenge against the white setders and the 
 qovernment. 
 
 This feeling soon spread like vrild-fire to othef 
 tribes, and created universal alarm. Active measures 
 were taken to suppress the excitement, and startling 
 events followed one another in rapid succession. A 
 faithful and graphic record of the stirring events which 
 have recently taken place among the Indian tribes will 
 be of perrv . lent interest and value to the public. 
 
 The re " follows the early history of the Ameri 
 can Indians and witnesses their terrible combats with 
 the first settlers. He sees them gradually driven 
 before the onward march of civilization, retreating 
 farther and farther toward the setting sun. The most 
 fascinating^ and instructive reading in the lit:;rature of 
 Indian warfare is found in the personal narratives of 
 the captives who were carried off by the savages. 
 Numerous instances are related of Indian raids and 
 the carrying away of the white settlers. 
 
 The reader is then conducted througli the recent 
 wars with the Indians. That bold pioneer and brave 
 spirit, Daniel Boone*; General Custer, whose tragic 
 history and mdssacre were read with regret through- 
 out the civilized world ; General Miles, who has long 
 been a picturesque figure on our Western border,— 
 
 '^;; 
 
 the litrik 
 of these 
 a resisth 
 tales of 
 chiefs ris 
 his own 
 by India 
 flicts. 
 struggle 
 turned 
 settlers, 
 superior 
 
 The 
 describe 
 combats] 
 life tow; 
 weak cl 
 powerfu 
 being in 
 form hij 
 the Red 
 authenti 
 
 Gene 
 General 
 nous m( 
 exploits 
 uuprem< 
 V ^nemy, 
 
 •irred 
 
 ve itse 
 
PBEFACaS. 
 
 « 
 
 ■ 
 
 the striking heroism and magnificent achievements 
 of these and many other heroes of the frontier have 
 a resistless charm, and a power that surpasses all the 
 tales of fiction. In rapid succession the great Indian 
 chiefs rise before the reader's vision, each possessing 
 his own striking history, and he is constantly surprised 
 by Indian intrigues, desperate forays and terrible con- 
 flicts. He sees how the tribes one after another have 
 struggled to maintain their territory, how they have 
 turned the tomahawk upon the advancing white 
 settlers, and have yielded only when mastered by 
 superior power. 
 
 The Minnesota massacre and its terrors are fuHy 
 described. This is but an example of the frightful 
 combats which have marked the advance *of civilized 
 life toward the Pacific coast. The Indian is not a 
 weak character. He is a shrewd, bold, desperate, 
 powerful foe, and no one can read his history without 
 being impressed with the marvellous qualities which 
 form his character. This work does full justice to 
 the Red Sons of the Forest, and the history is as 
 authentic and truthful as it is graphic. 
 
 General Sully, Colonel Brown, General Custer, and 
 General Sheridan appear in the narrative as conspic- 
 uous men of wondeiful dash and bravery, and their 
 exploits are fully narrated. On the other side, the 
 uupreme leader, the acute strategist, the deadly 
 V 'nemy, the powerful chief who marshalled his torces, 
 irred rebellion, fought like a Spartan and staked 
 ve itself upon the issue, w^is Sitting- Bull. Around 
 
 -u 
 
 •1 
 
 .<;.ik. 
 
 Ms*-." 
 
 ; 
 
 Six': :.^iii:i^:i.J.: , rf^i^i ii 
 
fl PBEFAGEL 
 
 him gathers the most intense interest of this thrilling 
 work. 
 
 For years the name of Sitting-Bull has been almost 
 as well known as that of any millionaire or states- 
 man. The reader sees him in his grand proportions, 
 although the implacable enemy of the white man. 
 "Red-Cloud," "Big-Foot." "Sitting-Bear," "Black- 
 Horse," " Wolf -that -Lies -Down," "Young-Man- 
 Afraid -of -his -Horse" and scores of other mighty 
 chiefs with strange names and dai^ntless courage are 
 vividly pictured. 
 
 This work also traces the causes which have led to 
 hostilities between the Red Men and the White. It 
 deals fearlessly with this question, and in a bold man^ 
 ner states facts as they exist. In short, the aim has 
 been to make this a standard work, the most complete 
 ever yet written, unsurpassed in thrilling narratives, 
 bold adventures, critical situations, and achievements 
 which give lustre to heroism, as well as barbarities 
 which shock humanity. 
 
 ; "\. 
 
 
 ». '■•"%^ 
 
 ;ii 
 
 / 1, r 
 
RED CLOUD, 
 
SlTTING- 
 
 Origin g 
 
 The Moi 
 Rel/ 
 
 IN A 
 
 Early l 
 
 CONl 
 
 T«E Pui 
 
 THE 
 
 Wars ob 
 OF E 
 
 War wii 
 Tort 
 
 hostilit 
 Thri: 
 
 ROUANTK 
 flAUL 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 PACI 
 
 Sitting-Bull and the Ghost Dances if 
 
 \ CHAPTER n. 
 
 Origin op the American Indians. — Where they Camefrok 5^ 
 
 CHAPTER in. 
 The Mound-Builders.- "Yho they were, and what theik 
 Relations werk 10 the Indians who succeeded theti 
 IN America 41 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 Early History op the North American Indians. — First 
 Contact with White Men 50 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Tme Puritans and Indians.— Thrilling Experiences op 
 THE Early Settlers 71 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 Wars op the Colonies with the Indians.— The Beginning 
 OF Extermination. — Driving Away the Red I. ia<r . 88 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 War with the Six Nations.— Horrible Massacres and 
 Tortures 109 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Hostilities on the Frontier.— Rescue op Captives .— 
 Thrilling Scenes 128 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 Romantic Adventures op Daniel Boone.— Exploits aikd 
 flAugiR^APTii Escapes.— A Captivating Story . . . . ij* 
 
 ■J 
 
 •-»(' 
 
 \ I ■ 
 
 ^iriBWEiL'MMr- 
 
via OONTENT& 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 INDIAN CaFTIVES.— How THE CAPTIVES SUFFERED 155 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 Thrilling Adventures c^ Indian Captives.— Exciting 
 Story op A.lexand£r Henry and Others 170 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 The Famous War with the Creeks and Other Hostiles.— 
 Bloodthirsty Savages and Valiant White Men . , 191 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. < 
 
 The Massacre op Wyoming. — Inhuman Butcheries.— A 
 Ghastly Tale.— The Celebrated Red Jacket .... 223 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 The Renowned Tecumseh.— Black Hawk's War.— The 
 Sioux, Sacs and Foxes. — Sanguinary Conplicts ... 233 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Last Dance op the Pottawatomies. — Amazing Spectacle. 
 —Bloody Encounter with the Camanches 245 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 The Minnesota Massacre and its Horrors. — A Reign of 
 Terror in the North-west • *5i 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 General Sully's War with the Sioux on the Missouri 
 RrvEP .—Colonel Brown's Exciting Campaigns on the 
 Republican River. — Other Sioux Matters ..294 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 The Fetterman Massacre.— War with the Sioux in Wt- 
 oifXKG Territory 323 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 Wars with the CHBYBmnss and Arrapahoes in 186^-69.— 
 General Forsyth's Fight on the Aricxarbb.— Cam- 
 paigns of General Carr -, 344 
 
 Battle 
 
 The M< 
 
 * Oti 
 
 r&ouBi 
 1874 
 
 Warsw 
 
 Cusr 
 
 The W^ 
 Rem 
 
 The Ut 
 Age 
 
 War c 
 Ch; 
 An 
 
 THl 
 TU* 
 
 Da: 
 
 ^» ..^.'AM 
 
 i^M 
 
rAOB 
 
 J. 70 
 
 191 
 
 223 
 
 233 
 
 245 
 
 251 
 
 294 
 
 fX)NTENTB. is 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 Battub of the Washita.— Custer's War with the Chby- 
 
 BNNES, ARRAPAHO8S, KlOWAS AND CaMANCHBS, 1868-69 . 362 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 The Modoc War in 1873.— Murder op general Canby and 
 Others.— Dastardly Deeds 389 
 
 I CHAPTER XXn. 
 
 Troubles with the Apaches, Kiowas and Camanches in 
 1874-75.— Atrocities Committed upon White Settlers 396 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 Wars with Sitting-Bull in 1876, 1877, 1878, 1879, 1880.— The 
 Custer Massacre.— Shocking Barbarities ^jg 
 
 .CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 The War with the Nez Perces.— Sanguinary Combats.— 
 Remarkable Speech op Chiep Joseph 420 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 The Ute Massacre op 1879 at the White River Agency.— 
 Agent Meeker and Family Killed 45^^ 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 War op 1890-91. — Bold Cheyenne Braves. — Splendid 
 Charge against Squadrons of Regular Cavalry. — 
 An Unequal Combat. — Hostilities Predicted . . . .46^ 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 XnX( New Indian Messiah.- Mysterious Craze among 
 the Red Men.— Sitting-Bull WAtching his Oppor- 
 tunity. — ^Alarm at the Indian Agencies.— Thk Ghost 
 Dahce 474 
 
 ^^■'i^-^K-j^vrnmi^i^--' 
 
 ..J.: J 
 
X OOMTENTB. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVin. 
 
 Capture of Sitting-Buh.— Death of thk Grbat Sioux 
 Chief.— The Indians Thirst for Bix>od 497 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 History of Sitting-Bui^l.— Career op the Famous Sioux 
 Warrior and Deadly Foe of the Whites 516 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 Battws of Wounded Knee Creek.— Desperate Valor of 
 the Red Men.— Daring Attempt to Avenge the Death 
 OP Sitting-Bull 531 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 Incidents of Wounded Knee Battle. — Personal Adven- 
 tures AND NARRO.V ESCAPES.— SavAGE CRUELTY ... 551 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 fHE Indians Advance toward Pine Ridge.— General 
 Miles Disarms them.— Closing Scenes op the Bloody 
 Conflict 55^ 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 The Indian Problem.— What shall be Done with the 
 Redskins ?— Crimes of the Nation 568 
 
 CHAPTER XXXrV. 
 Review o? the Indian Conflict . 580 
 
 ADDRESS TO THE PEOPI.E OF THE UNITED STATES. 590 
 
497 
 
 51^ 
 
 531 
 
 551 
 
 558 
 
 568 
 
 PLENTY SCALPa 
 
I. ■ 
 
 i ^.v. 
 
 r 
 
 INDIAN HORRORS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Sitting- Bull and the Ghost Dances. 
 
 Early in December, 1890, the country was startled 
 by the announcement that Indians in the Northwest 
 were performing fantastic Ghost Dances. It was un- 
 derstood that these betokened some important move- 
 ment on the part of the red men, consequently uni 
 versal interest was awakened, which soon deepened 
 into alarm. 
 
 Measures were at once taken by the Government 
 to suppress these disturbances, which cost the lives 
 of many of our ofificers rnd soldiers, and of the In- 
 dians themselves, men, women and children. 
 
 The leading spirit in this outbreak was the cele- 
 brated chief of the Dakota Sioux, Sitting- Bull. He 
 was or\e of the most daring of all the red men, and 
 his life for many years had shown a continuous hbs- 
 tjlity against the whites. A man of natural intelli- 
 gence, ^reat energy and force, lacking in principle . 
 and every element which we have been accustomed 
 to ascribe to the noblest of the red men, he had fo- 
 mented troubk, led his people forth to conflict, refused 
 
 B 
 
 IT 
 
 'm?m'jmmmX:-^w 
 
7-^ 
 
 18 
 
 SirnNG-BULL AND THE GHOST DANCES. 
 
 to bury the hatchet, and was the great irrepressible 
 cause of the outbreak which startled the country. 
 
 The death of Sitting- Bull was something altogether 
 unexpected. General Miles had ordered his arrest 
 because he knew, that he was plotting mischief, and 
 that if he was taken into custody it would have a 
 .good effect upon all the Indians who had been in- 
 dulging in the Ghost Dance at his instigation. The 
 authorities had previously relied upon his promises to 
 come into the Agency and surrender, but he had 
 violated faith and deceived the officers. 
 
 A fight was not anticipated, because it was believed 
 there would be no resistance, but General Miles had 
 taken the precaution to have troops at hand to assist 
 in case of emergency. Sitting-Bull did resist, with 
 the results that followed. 
 
 A Strange Graze. 
 
 Sitting-Bull was a leader in organizing the Ghost 
 Dance, and took advantage of that religious cra?e to 
 send emissaries to different bands to induce them to 
 make trouble. The purpose wais to assemble warriors 
 in the spring, and with the aid of the Messiah bring 
 back to life all of the dead Indians and restore the 
 country to its pristine glory. He was a shrewd 
 politician, and took advantage of the prevahent fa- 
 natical feeling. Sitting-Bull, at'the time of his death, 
 was making " big medicine " and giving his followers 
 to understand that he *• stood in " with the Great 
 Spirit, who would protect them against the bullets ol 
 the soldiers. • 
 
 ■ 
 
 \ 
 
 ( 
 
 u 
 
 c 
 
 u 
 
 is 
 
 m 
 
 re 
 
 ol 
 
 sli 
 
 da 
 

 Snnhvi-fiULL AND THfi.QHOST DAKCBB. 
 
 19 
 
 ) 
 
 It is a .remarkable fact that the Indians have a pro- 
 found belief in the return of a Messiah, who, as they 
 suppose, will appear as their special deliverer. Hav- 
 ing suffered many wrongs for generations at thff 
 hands of the white man, they consider that the timt 
 for their revenge is drawing nigh, Sitting-Bull wat 
 one of the foremost to put forth these ideas, and he 
 found no difficulty in persuading the ignorant sons ol 
 the forest to accept them. 
 
 SiiperHtitioiis of the Indians. 
 
 The Indian, more than any other man, seems to 
 have a belief in the supernatural. He has always 
 talked of the Great Spirit, and of the Happy Hunt- 
 ing-Grounds beyond the present life. His surround- 
 ings, his education, the traditions of the past, all lead 
 to the cojiviction that there are supernatural powers 
 and wonders, and that these can be enlisted in his 
 behalf. He sees the cloud fly, and believes there is 
 a hand that moves it ; he hears the dash of the great 
 waters, and thinks that the sound is the voice of the 
 Great Spirit ; in his native wilds, in the deep valleys, 
 upon the mountain-summits, he is brought into close 
 contact with nature, and has always believed that 
 unseen powers were near and in active operation. It 
 is not strange, therefore, that when his " medicine 
 men " proclaim the coming of a Messiah, the resur- 
 rection of Indians, the restoration of their lands, and 
 other great benefits to be conferred upon him, he 
 should dance in wild, fantastic glee and welcome the 
 dawn of the great day. 
 
90 
 
 WTTINO-BULL AND THE GHOST DANCBBL 
 
 ' 
 
 Although a detailed account of the intrigues and 
 depredations of Sitting- Bull will appear later in this 
 work, a brief sketch of him in this place will interest 
 the reader. 
 
 A Famous Chief. 
 
 Sitting-Bull was a chief of the Dakota Sioux both 
 by inheritance and by his deeds, for, according to his 
 own statement, it was necessary in his tribe for a 
 brave to " achieve greatness." His father was a chief 
 named Jumping- Bull. Two of his uncles — Four 
 Horns and Hunting His Lodge — were also chiefs. 
 He was born in 1837 near old Fort George, on Willow 
 Creek, near the mouth of the Cheyenne River. Be- 
 fore he was ten years old he won fame as a hunter of 
 buffalo calves, which he gave to the poor, his father 
 being a rich man. Until he was fourteen years old he 
 was known as Sacred Stand, but at that age, having 
 slain an enemy, he became known by his later name, 
 Tatanka Yotanke, or Sitting- Bull. This is the man's 
 early history, as outlined by himself when he was a 
 prisoner after his return from Canada, whither he fled 
 after the troubles in the Black Hills resulting from 
 the massacre of General Custer. 
 
 The truth about the old man is, that he was always 
 a troublesome customer. His forte was to steal 
 horses and ponies, raid defenceless ranches, and carry 
 off such stores, public or private, as he could con- 
 veniently lay hands on. Ever hostile and a malcon- 
 tent, he was a nucleus about whom gathered the 
 well-fed, fiery youn^ buck* f«-om the reservations, 
 
dlTTING-BULL AND THE GHOST DANCBS. 
 
 21 
 
 who as soon as grass was green would set out on 
 their annual round of plunder and murder. 
 
 The Foe of the Whites. 
 
 Many vain attempts were made to bring Sitting- 
 Bull into subjection. In 1868. a treaty was made with 
 the Sioux by a special commission, by which they 
 agreed to sell the tract west of the Missouri River 
 and north of the Platte, and to restrict themselves to 
 the reservation assigned to them. The terms of the 
 treaty were carried out by the Government and 
 by most of the Indians. ' Several roving bands never 
 acknowledged the concession, and committed depre- 
 dations on the white settlers from time to time. Sit- 
 ting-Bull was the most implacable and the most ag- 
 gressive of the malcontents, maintaining his hostile 
 attitude, not only toward the representatives of the 
 Government, but toward those tribes of his own 
 people who rejected his supremacy and his policy of 
 dealing with the whites. In 1874 he drove the Crows 
 from their reservation, and in the next year attacked 
 the settlers of Montana. 
 
 Finally, the Interior Department ordered him to 
 remove his band to the reservation by January 31 
 1876. He did not obey, and the Interior Depart' 
 ment turned him over to the Department of War 
 Tn March an expedition under General Cook, de- 
 stroyed the village of Crazy Horse's band in the 
 Yellowstone valley. Hostilities were interrupted on 
 account of cold weather. On June 25, General Cus- 
 ter^ with 600 men of the Seventh Cavalry, and 400 
 
^ 
 
 MTTING-BULL ^l^i THE GHOST DANCER. 
 
 infantry, met a force of 2000 or 3cx>o Sioux at the 
 Little Big Horn River. Custer and four companies 
 under his immediate command were killed, and the 
 remainder of the whites put to flight. General Terry 
 advanced upon the hostjile Sioux, who fled northward, 
 Sitting Bull with a part of his band making his escape 
 into British territory. Through the mediation of 
 Dominion officials he surrendered on a promise of 
 pardon in 1880. 
 
 The Old Chief Deflaut. 
 
 In July and August, 1888, in a conference at Stand- 
 vig Rock, Dak., he influenced his tribe to refuse to 
 relinquish Indian lands. After that time he remained 
 defiant, although the majority of his people accepted 
 the domination of white men and refused to recog- 
 nize him as a leader. The decline of his Influence 
 embittered the old chief all the more, but did not 
 lessen his enmity to those whom he regarded as the 
 foes of his race. 
 
 There are other elements in this Indian picture that 
 must not be omitted if we would have it truthful and 
 complete. Bishop Hare in a letter writes; 
 
 " Nine Sioux Indians nobly working in the sacred 
 ministry ! About forty Sioux Indians helping them as 
 licensed catechists ! Forty branches of the Women's 
 Auxiliary among the Sioux Indian women ! Seven 
 teen hundred Sioux Indian communicants ! Sioux 
 Indians contributing $3000 annually for religious pur- 
 poses ! But what impression have all these solemn 
 but cheering facts made upon the public mind, as 
 
 ■VV 
 
bAlTIWa-BULL AND THE GHDST DANCES. 
 
 23 
 
 compared with the wild antics of the heathen Sioux 
 Indians which have excited the attention and stirred 
 the feelings of the country, and daily occupied col- 
 umn after column of the newspapers. Alas I alas I 
 wickedness presents more vivid contrast than virtue 
 does, its history is more picturesque, and has more 
 of the element of the unexpected." 
 
 One of our leading journals contains the following" 
 pertinent comments : 
 
 •* Two or three possible issues ought to be guarded 
 against. The ringleaders of this disturbance, which 
 has alarmed the whole Northwest, covered the better 
 Indians with shame, brought scorn upon their attempts 
 at civilization, robbed many of them of their har'd- 
 earned possessions and exposed them to personal 
 peril, should not be left at liberty hereafter to repeat 
 the baneful operation. 
 
 Destruction of Property. 
 
 " Had several Indians whom we could name been 
 consigned to Fort Marion or Fortress Monroe shortly 
 after the Custer affair, we should nr. ': have the present 
 complication to untangle. 
 
 " Not to speak of alarm and losses suffered by the 
 whites, it is not satisfactory after years of patient 
 labor to read, as is credibly reported from Pine Ridge 
 Reserve: 'Much destruction of property and cattle 
 has been going on for days. All the houses of the 
 quiet Indians on the two branches of Medicine Root, 
 Porcupine Tail and Wounded Knee creeks have 
 been broken into, entered and robbed of all contents. 
 
24 
 
 SITTING-BULL AMD THE GHOST DANCES. 
 
 Everything that was of no use to the marauding 
 Indians was destroyed and scattered in every direc- 
 tion.* 
 
 "In dealing with these evil-doers let there be no 
 mere revenge, much less indiscriminate revenge. This 
 has been indulged in in the past, and the friendly In- 
 dians have already fear of its repetition. They fear that 
 In the event of trouble their ponies will be taken from 
 them, whether innocent or guilty, as was done once 
 before, and they ought to be assured of protection. 
 
 *' Years ago indiscriminate punishment might be 
 apologized for, on the ground that the Indians were 
 not individually well enough known to make dis- 
 crimination possible, and there was therefore no re- 
 course in military operations but to make a gent?ral 
 seizure of all Indian ponies and guns, and otherwise 
 treat the Indians, guilty or not guilty, all alike. No 
 such pretext can be given now. The names of all 
 Indians are down on the Agency list. Indians are 
 known individually to teachers, missionaries and 
 agents. 
 
 " Discrimination is therefore quite practicable. It 
 will be an event in Indian life of vast and far-reachinii 
 influence for good if, after this outbreak, the Indians 
 discover that the power which bears the sword will 
 do it * for the punishment of evil-doers, and for the 
 praise of them that do well.' " ' 
 
 What the Ghost Dance Really is. 
 
 The following graphic narrative by Mr. Joseph P. 
 Reed, a mining agent of Montana, and close observer 
 
'c^ 
 
 )hp. 
 
 WHITE EAGLE. 
 
SITTING-BULL AND THE GHOST DANCES. 
 
 25 
 
 of Indian movements, presents a striking picture of 
 the Ghost Dance : 
 
 Although much has been written and more said 
 about the only good Indian being a dead one, and all 
 Wecterners believe in the truth of the statement, there 
 are still a few friends of "PoorLo" left out in the 
 wilds of Dakota and among the mountains of Mon- 
 tana. After personal observation and a careful study 
 for many moons in the centre of " Darkest America," 
 I can defend the red man for many of his late actions. 
 
 I have seen many Indians during the last five years, 
 but I have never been in direct contact with them 
 until last month, when I was enabled to study them 
 at a most critical moment, and I think that the pres- 
 ent trouble with the Sioux tribe has been caused by 
 irritatiqn at the presence of the military at the reser- 
 vation, and the bad management and bullying of the 
 Indian Commissioners, through their agents. The 
 poor Indian is suffering and fretting through the clash 
 of authority and the petty jealousies of the civil and 
 military powers. 
 
 Noisy Camp-Meetinirs. 
 
 As a matter of fact, the Indians for months past 
 have been holding a genuine, old fashioned c^mp 
 meeting, like those held in the South by our colored 
 brethren, and the result has been that they got ex- 
 cited, indulged in loud talk and made an unusual 
 amount of noise. The setders got frightened and 
 fled, and the close contact of armed soldiers added 
 to the excitement of the red men and intensified the 
 
26 
 
 SITTING-BULL AND THE GHOST DANCES. 
 
 angry feeling which is always smouldering in the 
 breasts of the conquered against the conqueror. 
 
 The trouble was augmented by the appearance of 
 a fanatic named Johnson, who is supposed to be the 
 Messiah, but who is more probably a Mormon agent. 
 This man told the redskins that when the grass was 
 eight inches above the ground he would appear again; 
 that then the warriors should have their lands once 
 more ; that all the cattle would become buffaloes ; and 
 that a great wave of mud would arise and sweep the 
 palefaces off the earth. 
 
 Description of the Ghost Dance. 
 
 That crafty old medicine man, Sitting-Bull, fostered 
 this superstition, and he inaugurated the Ghost Dance, 
 which, as taughx: by Sitting-Bull, was as follows: 
 
 The warriors or braves ^ho are selected to take 
 part in the dance mtsst all fast for twenty-four hours. 
 Then at sunrise each brave goes through the rite of 
 •' purification." This is done by the fanatic goin^ into 
 what is called a " sweat- lodge," a sort of willow tent 
 covered with blankets and having hot rocks for the 
 floor. The warrior enters and pours water on the 
 hot stones, and the steam gives him an exaggerated 
 Russian bath. He stays in the •* sweat-lodge " for an 
 hour, until he is perfectly clean and pure. 
 
 Then he paints his face dark blue, with a red cross 
 on each cheek, and goes to Sitting-Bull or one of the 
 other chiefs, who paints on his forehead two light blue 
 crescents and robes the dancer in a holy shirt made 
 of white muslin and supposed to be bullet-proof. No 
 
 •'-''l'r''.ar"L'y'T-"':.'ir'?ir-'"''"" "^"" ^nnn-i nnjtj'ii 
 
rtrtTINQ-BULt AND THE OHOfiT DANCES. 
 
 2f 
 
 one but a great medicine man could perform this cer» 
 emony. 
 
 The Weird, Ghostly Ghantingr. 
 
 At high noon the braves all form a circle, joining 
 hands. By the bye, this is the only dance where the 
 redskin holds hands. At a signal every brave looks 
 down on the ground and they begiu to circle around, 
 singing a weird and mournful dirge which, translated, 
 is: 
 
 " Father, father, we want to see you, Father, father, 
 we want buffalo. Father, father, we want our lands." 
 
 They go round like this for an hour, when the 
 medicine man emerges from his tepee. They then 
 break the circle, throw up their heads and look at the 
 sun, whirling arc und all the time singly. 
 
 The result is they soon get dizzy, and, aided by 
 hunger, sweating and the quick change from darkness 
 to light, becom'* ecstatic and faint, and are then con- 
 sidered fit to receive the Holy Spirit. The right 
 name of the 'Unce is really the " Holy Ghost Dance." 
 
 I arrived it Mandan, continued Mr. Reed, the 
 morning of the day Buffalo-Bill and White-Bear re- 
 turned. fr»vji their unsuccessful attempt to arrest 
 Sitting- Bv.ll. Colonel Cody can thank his lucky stars 
 that Fr'ddent Harrison saw fit to countermand the 
 order; for, while the great scout would have made 
 the r-ffort, there is little doubt that he would have 
 pei'Vihed with all his men. Sitting-Bull was re- 
 vp/td by his followers, and he was always a source 
 of irritation. He is now dead, and it would have 
 
 \ 
 
28 
 
 SITTING-BULL AND THE GHOST DANCES. 
 
 It 
 
 been better if he had been hanged years ago, in spite 
 of those long-haired men and short-haired women 
 who have tried to make 'a martyr out of the old 
 firebrand. 
 
 A Chief in Luxury. 
 
 Well, I went on to Fort Yates, or Standing Rock 
 I found the reservation very uneasy, but hopeful that 
 no trouble would ensue. Big-Head, the head of the 
 good Indians, lived in a comfortable house, like a 
 gentleman, and he and his followers were contented 
 and happy, as they all would have been were it not 
 for such irritants as Sitting-Bull, Two-Strikes and 
 Kicking-Bear, and above all the sight of armed sol- 
 diers ostentatiously paraded without any necessity. 
 
 I saw many hundreds come in for their rations, and 
 I as.^ert here that they are not starved. Each one, 
 young or old, receives more rations than a soldier of 
 the United States army, and they get them regularly, 
 though what they do with the soap I have never been 
 able to find out. The redskins are always improvi- 
 dent, but at Standing Rock I found that they were 
 well cared for, well housed, well clothed and well fed, 
 and, despite constant howls from their so-called friends 
 in the East, they are comparatively well off 
 
 One frreat mistake that is now made is to civilize 
 the Indian and then send him back to his native 
 savagery and leave him. A boy leaves Carlisle, well 
 educated, with a trade, and looking like a young 
 swell, with top hat, light overcoat and overgaiters. 
 He returns to his family; he has nothing;; to do but to 
 
 Mmm»-'' 
 
 ■S«.!tf1WJ»<«--"«"«'"" 
 
arrriNG-PULL and the ghost dancks. 
 
 29 
 
 receive the taunts and jeers of his friends, or they are 
 afraid to talk to him. He cannot get away, he cannot 
 "work, and very soon he throws aside his tailor-made 
 clothes, dons his blanket, and is never heard to whis- 
 per a word of English again. If he had something 
 to do and a shop to teach his brethren his trade, he 
 would have some authority. And authority, to the 
 Indian mind, is a great thing. 
 
 Is There a Remedy ? 
 
 What do I think is the remedy for the present trou- 
 ble? Why, first of all, put the Indians under the War 
 Department alone, and do not let them be worried and 
 badgered by the agents of the civil service. Let them 
 alone ; don't annoy them by military display, and as 
 for the 3000 braves in the Bad Lands, keep them 
 there. , They will come out when they get hungry. 
 Don't attack them; there is no necessity. 
 
 But the best thing to do is to make the red man 
 the servant of Uncle Sam ; enlist him in the army or 
 make a policeman of him. Directly he takes the oath 
 and puts on the blue and brass buttons, he regards 
 himself as the servant of the "Great Father," and 
 will do and dare to any extent. Major McLaughlin's 
 Indian police at Standing Rock are the best men off 
 the tribe, and are faithful, sober and brave. Lieuten- 
 ant Casey, at Fort Keogh, Montana, and Lieutenant 
 Robertson, at Fort Custer, have both been remarka- 
 bly successful in training Indian scouts as cavalrymen, 
 and they say that they can be made the best soldiers 
 ever seen. Above all, the redskin never deserts. 
 
 •". n 
 
80 
 
 SITTING-BULL AND THE GHOST DANCES. 
 
 1 
 
 Instead of the present handful of Indian scouts, 
 form a brigade of three thousand well-drilled soldiers 
 under pale-faced officers, and you will have the solu- 
 tion of the Indian difificulty and a very useful addition 
 to the United States army. 
 
 The foregoing comments upon the situation and 
 the only effective remedy for Indian discontent will 
 meet with general concurrence. 
 
 And now, before giving the reader i detailed ac- 
 count of the latest outbreak and its thrilling features, 
 we refer him to a concise history of the Indians, which 
 we feel confident he will find to be interesting* and 
 instructive. 
 
 mmumm 
 
TS 
 U- 
 
 on 
 
 id 
 il] 
 
 c- 
 
 s, 
 :h 
 id 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Origin of the American Indians. — Where they 
 
 came from. . 
 
 Two hundred and fifty years ago hundreds of thou- 
 sands of bronze-faced painted savages roamed through 
 the vast primeval forests of America, fished in its 
 broad blue lakes, traversed its streams in swift canoes, 
 hunted on its prairies and dotted its thousand river- 
 plains with their wigwams and patches of maize and 
 tobacco. To-day a few thousands are huddled to- 
 gether on reservations, knowing little but the White 
 Man's injustice, and their number is rapidly melting 
 away. 
 
 The spectacle of the disappearance of the race is a 
 strange and interesting one. Everything connected 
 with these aborigines becomes of absorbii^g interest, 
 and especially is our curiosity excited to know whence 
 they came. 
 
 How did they get here? Many volumes have been 
 written on the subject and innumerable theories and 
 speculations indulged in. Some have said that the 
 race is Jewish in descent ; others, Phoenician ; others, 
 Carthaginian ; others, Mongolian ; and some, again, 
 Welsh. But it seems to me that all points of evi- 
 dence converge to show that they are Asiatic in origia 
 
 81 
 
''T^ 
 
 32 
 
 ORIGIN OF THE AMEK '. aN INDIANS*. 
 
 /• 
 
 descended from some Tartar, Mongolian, Sib'^rian or 
 Scythian race, which entered America by way of Behr- 
 ing Straits, which, it is quite certain, were at one time 
 a neck of land. An intelligent army officer, who 
 is a good geologist, asserts that the Behring Straitj 
 and Aleutian Islands are of comparatively recent ori- 
 gin, and it is possible that, long after the peopling of 
 America began, tlie old and new continents were con- 
 nected by land. 
 
 Indeed, even at this day the Aleutian Islands form 
 an almost continuous chain, beginning with Behring 
 Island and extending from Kamchatka to Alaska, so 
 that it is possible for an Indian to pass in a rude canoe 
 from the eastern extremity of Asia to the American 
 shore. A^ain, it must be remembered that the straits 
 are situated in the sixtieth degree of north latitude, 
 and in the winter are frozen solid, so that both men 
 and animals can cross on the ice with safety from shore 
 to shore ; the entire distance being but thirty-nine 
 
 miles. 
 
 Proofs of Asiatic Origrin. 
 
 Perhaps the strongest proof that our In«>(ians are 
 A*om Asia is afforded by the fact that the nomadic 
 tribes of Alaska are related to the Kamchatkans, and 
 even now pass and repass Behring Straits. A tribe 
 has lately been found in Alaska speaking the same 
 language as that of Kamchatka ; and still further, as 
 if to place the whole matter beyond a doubt, I am 
 assured that many tribes on both sides of the ^trails 
 arc identical in manners and customs. 
 
 r^f 
 
rian or 
 " Behr- 
 le time 
 r, who 
 StraitJ 
 :nt ori- 
 ling of 
 re con- 
 Is form 
 Jehring 
 Lska, so 
 e canoe 
 nerican 
 i straits 
 latitude, 
 h men 
 n shore 
 ty-nine 
 
 Ins are 
 
 lomadic 
 
 s, and 
 
 tribe 
 
 same 
 
 |her, as 
 
 , I am 
 
 •St rails 
 
 ORlOrN OF THE AMERICAN INWAlfiL 
 
 88 
 
 This astonishing fact has only been brought to light 
 of late years through explorations and commercial 
 transactions with the natives. The points of similar- 
 ity that have been established are those of features 
 and complexion ; religion, language, dress and orna- 
 ments ; marriages, methods of warfare, dances, sacri- 
 fices, funeral rites, festivals and beliefs concerning 
 dreams ; games, naming of children, dwellings and 
 forms of government. 
 
 Ancient Tartars. 
 
 It may not be amiss to cite here the opinions of 
 scholars and learned men in further support of the 
 view I have taken ; and I may remark that sixty- nine 
 authorities examined all point to the conclusion here 
 advanced. Brerewood, a scholar of the time of Queen 
 Elizabeth, wrote as follows: "I think it very likely 
 that America received her first inhabitants from the 
 east border of Asia ; so it is altogether unlikely that 
 it obtained them from any other part of all that border, 
 save from Tartary. This opinion of mine touching 
 the Americans descending from the Tartars rathei 
 than from any other nation is based on the fact that 
 the border oi' Asia is in the near vicinity of America. 
 
 " It is certain that the northeast part of Asia, po». 
 
 «essed by Tartars, if not continuous with the west sido 
 
 of America (which yet remains in doubt), is, certainly 
 
 and without any question, the least disjointed by the 
 
 sea of all the coast of Asia. Those parts of Asia and 
 
 America are continuous, one with the other, or at 
 
 most difiointed by a narrow channel of the ocean." 
 
 
 
 
f 
 
 wm 
 
 34 
 
 ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN INDIAHE 
 
 Cabolski, who was for seven years in Siberia inquiring 
 into the origin of nations, »ays, touching the Scythian 
 source of the Northern Siberian tribes: "After Magog 
 came Gomer, the father of all the Scythians in the north, 
 and from whom are sprung the Red Men of America, 
 who passed over into that country from the northeast- 
 ern part of Asia." This treatise of Cabolski was written 
 in the Latin tongue and is preserved in manuscript. 
 
 £nii|frant8 from Asia. 
 
 Mcintosh, an eminent authority on Indian subjects, 
 speaks thus : " From all I can gather, I am convinced 
 that the people of Tartary and Siberia were originally 
 colonized by the Scythians, the posterity of Magog, 
 who was in turn the second son of Japhet ; and that 
 Kamchatka and the north of Siberia, being the near- 
 est point of Asia to America whence migrations could 
 easily take place, the Indians of North America can un- 
 doubtedly claim the Scythians as their progenitors, and, 
 consequently, Magog as the founder of their nation." 
 
 Ezra Stiles, a former president of Yale College, 
 relates in a printed sermon the following anecdote : 
 "The portrait-painter, Mr. Smibert, who accompanied 
 Dr. Berkeley, then Dean of Derry and afterward 
 Bishop of Cloyne, from Itaiy to America in 1728, 
 was employed by the Grand Duke of Tuscany, while 
 at Florence, to paiiit two or three Siberian Tartar? 
 presented to the duke by the Czar of Russia. This 
 Mr. Smibert, upon his landing at Narragansett Bay 
 with Dr. Berkeley, instandy recognized the Indians 
 here to be the same people as the Siberian Tartars 
 
oRiom 
 
 l^.iu AM. ICAN INDIANS. 
 
 3/? 
 
 whose pictures he had taken." This incident is taken 
 from the valuable work of Mcintosh on The Origin 
 of the North American Indians ; and to this volume 
 I am indebted for the information conveyed in the 
 iremainder of this chapter. 
 
 TYPE OF NORTH AMERICAN INDIAN. 
 
 The learned Padre Santini, an Italian missionary 
 to Chi/iese Tartary and Siberia, describing the Karo- 
 srhadales, says: "Their faces are round, the cheek- 
 ^nes high, the lips thick, the eyes small and black, 
 
36 
 
 ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 
 
 the forehead small, the ears large, the teeth white and 
 the hair black. The Indians of North America whom 
 I saw at Quebec in 1 748 must be of the same origin 
 as the Asiatic tribes I have now described ; tliey have 
 the same complexion and visage, and their customs 
 religion and language are also very similar." 
 
 Similarity of Laug:iiag:e. 
 
 A comparative table of the Indian and Asiatic Ian; 
 guages reveals their identity at first sight. We here 
 nnd such similar 'expressions as the following: The 
 Delaware Indians called God, Kitschimanitto ; Kam- 
 chadales, Kitchi Manoa. The word mother imoncr 
 Pennsylvania Indians (according to Wm. Pe ,n) was 
 anna ; among the Tartars of Orenburg, Siberia, it is 
 the same ; the Tartars near Tooshetti employ the 
 word nana. The Narragansetts called the Vvord son, 
 namun ; with the Tongusi it was nioman. For brolher 
 the Pottawatomies say scsah ; the Tchionski, sczoet. 
 The word husband was called wasick by the Nar:a- 
 gansetts • r^;^;^^^^/^^ by the S^moyeds. The Chippewas 
 designated the word hair by the word lissey ; thft 
 Koriaks, lisseh. These are but a few of the many 
 mstances given in the table compiled by Dr. Barton, 
 A.bernethy and Padre Santini. 
 
 The dress of the Tongusi, Koriaks i*nd Kam-*' 
 schadales, says Abernethy, formerly consisted of 
 tanned hides painted with considerable taste. The 
 figures represented those animals which had been 
 chosen by each tribe as their distinguishing • mark 
 ^the North American totems). Santini says : *• They 
 
 - rir-rrifrr^nwlii 
 
mi^mim 
 
 ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 
 
 37 
 
 painted their bodies and faces with varlcus colors; 
 they bored their noses and ears, whence hung colored 
 shells. For their head coverings they had crowns 
 
 V. 
 
 CHIEF WITH HEAD-DRESS. 
 
 made of the skin of a young deer, ornamentfsd with 
 the plumage of rare birds, especially the peacock. 
 
 " Every part of their dress was embellished wi*^h 
 young porcupine quills ; they had shoes especially 
 
58 
 
 ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN INDlAI^s 
 
 adapted to the winter weather, in order to more 
 easily traverse the snowy plains ; their length was 
 about two feet, and, from their great lightness and 
 peculiar structure, enabled the wearer to perform 
 long journeys. The soles consisted of a net made of 
 strings of raw hide." It is unnecessary to point out 
 the resemblances, in all these points, with the habits 
 of our Indians. 
 
 ( Customs of War. 
 
 Respecting the customs of war of the Kamscha- 
 dales, Abernethy says : "After they have pr-fc ^'d 
 many ridiculous ceremonies, the chief assem...ieb h?s 
 fvarriors and tells them that the Great Spirit and the 
 spirits of their murdered brethren demimd revenge. 
 Having delivered an enthusiastic and figurative speech 
 of no great length, in which he reminds them of the 
 bravery and heroism of their fathers, and of the in- 
 juries done them and their brethren, they heat water 
 with which they wash the black colot- from his face 
 They then grease and set his hair in order and re 
 paint his face with red and various other colors After 
 he is dressed in his finest robes he begins to smg in a 
 low tone the 'song of vieath.' His warnors who are 
 to accompany him then sing, one after another, "h" 
 ' war song.* " 
 
 When a Siberian nation is inclined to make peace, 
 Santini tells us, they light the sacred pipe, which is, 
 ofifered by "^ chief to the principal man of the hostilf- 
 tribe. If he receives and smokes it, peace is immr 
 diately proclaimed ; and so sacred do they cQn3idf<<^ 
 
 I 
 
ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN& 
 
 3> 
 
 cK.rf agreement that they seldom or never violate it. 
 The bowl is of clay, and the tube consists of a reed 
 three or four feet long, decorated with feathers of 
 different colors. % 
 
 Th« Tongusians also have the dance of the PotoosL 
 
 V t 
 
 CHIBF WITH CLAW NECKLACE. 
 
 or sacred ^:ipe (^jalumet). Tongusians and Indians 
 alike sacrifice dogs to appease the wrath of mis- 
 
mmm 
 
 40 
 
 ORIGIN OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 
 
 chievous spirits. Other customs almost identical in 
 the two countries are the Festival of Dreams, the 
 naming of children, various games, juggleries, etc. 
 
 But it is unnecessary to enter any further upon this 
 large field. Enough has been said to substantiate the 
 Asiatic origin of the North American Indians, and to 
 show that these strange dusky children of destiny, 
 who are being slowly exterminated under the thirst 
 for wh;i'. aggrandizement, wandered into this conti- 
 nent fron. I still vaster, still stranger and thousands 
 %i{ year« olaer than our own. 
 
-c-X 
 
 A SIOUX CRIER CALLING A WAR DANCE. 
 
Th 
 
 s 
 
 I 
 
 we 
 
 that 
 
 wer 
 
 tain 
 
 the 
 
 mon 
 
 be r 
 
 Ti 
 
 class 
 
 Lak( 
 
 Bore 
 
 tic, b 
 
 bein^ 
 
 in th 
 
 the 1( 
 
 of W 
 
 south 
 
 Fox 
 
 Rock 
 
 Th 
 
■SB 
 
 usssaasmms 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 The Mound- Builders. — Who they were, and 
 what their relations were to the Indians who 
 succeeded them in America. 
 
 Before proceeding with the story of the red men 
 we m ist glance for one moment at a mysterious race 
 that preceded them — the "Mound-builders." Who 
 were these people ? and what relation did they sus- 
 tain to the wild Indians ? The facts concerning them, 
 the existence of mounds, fortifications and other vast 
 monumental structures, are well known and need only 
 be recapitulated here. 
 
 The ancient earthworks of this country may be 
 classified into three grand divisions : the Northern 
 Lake, o Wisconsin ; the Ohio Valley ; and the Gulf 
 Bordei The works of the first mentioned are gigan- 
 tic, bizarre and unique productions, no others like them 
 being found in the world. They consist of earthworks 
 in the form of enormous animal effigies outlined upon 
 the level surface of the prairies or flat river-borders 
 of Wisconsin. They extend across the State in a 
 southwest direction from Fond-du-Lac, ascending 
 Fox River and following the general course of uj3 
 Rock and Wisconsin rivers to the Mississippi. 
 
 The animals imitated are the buffalo, bear, fox, 
 
 4i 
 
42 
 
 THE MOUND-BUILDERa 
 
 wolf, Otter, lizard, turtle, eagle, night-hawk, and even 
 man. The height of these effigies is only from ,one 
 to four feet above the surrounding prairie, but the 
 length is enormous, generally as much as two hun- 
 dred feet, and often exceeding this. Two of these 
 images may be found in Ohio — the " Great Serpent " 
 of Adams county, with a length of seven hundred 
 feet; and the "Lizard" or "Alligator" of Licking 
 county, two hundred and fifty feet long. 
 
 Mounds of Immeuge Size. 
 
 In the Ohio Valley division we may place the 
 almost innumerable mounds of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois 
 and Kentucky, as well as the sacred inclosures, forti- 
 fied hills, etc. which abound everywhere in these 
 States, especially the first mentioned, where may be 
 found two of the most magnificent specimens — one 
 in Newark, covering an area of two square miles; 
 life other in Marietta, three-fourths of a mile in length 
 by half a mile in breadth. It is almost impossible to 
 adequately describe these works, the grandeur of 
 the scale upon which they are constructed and the 
 intricacy of their plan. It is said that one on first 
 seeing them experiences a feeling of awe similar to 
 that which is felt in passing the portals of some vast 
 Egyptian temple. 
 
 The Grave Creek Mound, twelve miles below 
 Wheeling, Va., is seventy feet in height by nine hun- 
 dred feet i:::^ circumference. The great truncated, 
 pyramidii mound cf Cahokia, near St. Louis, was, irk 
 extent, seven hundred by five hundred feet at the 
 
 
 I 
 
 m( 
 as 
 an( 
 
"^ 
 
 4' ■■ #■ 
 
 THE MOUND-BLl .^EJta «S 
 
 base. The works of the Gulf Border regict-. are 
 mostly pyramidal in shape, are truncated, and served 
 as pedestals for temples, like the teocallis of Mexico 
 and Central America. 
 
 All these specimens have been classified into sacred 
 and miscellaneous enclosures and those for defence ; 
 mounds of sacrifice, of temple rites, of sepulture and 
 of observation. Judging from the site and immense 
 size of many of these works, and from the various 
 articles found in the mounds, we reach the following 
 conclusions respecting these mysterious people : That 
 they were semi-civilized, living in large, stationary 
 communities, cultivating the soil, probably subsist- 
 vng on maize or Indian corn ; thlat they spun and 
 wove cloth, numerous remains of which have been 
 found ; that they modelled clay and carved the hardest 
 stone into images of animals and of men ; that they 
 knew how to mine and smelt ores, especially copper, 
 and quarried various minerals, such as mica, steatite, 
 etc., which they wrought into ornamental objects ; 
 that they manufactured salt by evaporating the brine 
 of saline substances ; that they had a religion of 
 nature and probably practised human sacrifices, the 
 numerous remains of fires and charred bones upon 
 the pyramidal temple mounds seeming to indicate this„ 
 
 Difficulty of Buildings these Structures. 
 
 Furthermore, it is certain that to build such vast 
 structures as the platform mound of Cahokia, or 
 the Grave Creek Monad (works nearly as large as 
 some of the pyranads of Egypt), thcr^ must hftve 
 
 ^^ 
 
44 
 
 THE MOUND-BUILDERa 
 
 been a considerably advanced state of society. 
 There must have been subordination of the masses, 
 as well as cheap food, in order to permit large num- 
 bers of men to devote their entire time to the work 
 of construction, and at the same time be provided 
 with sustenance. 
 
 And here we are brought at once face to face with 
 that which broadly distinguishes the Indians from these 
 mound-builders. Our Indians have never had any co- 
 operation for the purpose of erecting any structure 
 greater than their wigwams, and never have cultivated 
 the soil except in the smallest patches about their 
 huts. It would, therefore, have been impossible for 
 these red men or their ancestors to have built the 
 mounds. It would have required a very large number 
 of men to erect such vast structures, and the history of 
 the Indians affords no evidence that they ever under- 
 took any work which demanded the united efforts ol 
 a multitude of laborers. 
 
 Contents of the Mounds. 
 
 The Indians are proud of their personal freedom 
 and are disinclined to labor. They detest working in 
 the soil, are nomadic, restless, fickle and improvident. 
 No chief would dare issue a command for his followers 
 (to engage in servile work. Furthermore, the objects 
 found in the mounds show an advance in the arts such 
 as the America Indians never attained. They never 
 smelted ores, spun cloth or carved images so beauti- 
 fully as the mound-builders did. 
 
 But some one may say, " Perhaps the ancestors of 
 
 ^. 
 
THK MOUND-BUILDERS. 
 
 45 
 
 the present Indians were more civilized than they are, 
 and these specimens of advanced art are to be attrib- 
 jtcd to them." To this I reply that there is nothing 
 
 VJSWUff 
 
 RUINS OF A DESERTED AZTEC VILLAGE. 
 
 to give evidence that the progenitors oi the present 
 red men were any more advanced in civilization than 
 the Asian savages from whom they descended. Every 
 thing tends to prove that they were entirely distinct 
 in origin from the mound-builders. Mr. Bancroft, in 
 his History of the United States (vol. iii. p. 265), 
 
 •■^ 
 
46 
 
 THE M0UNi>-jiUILDKR8. 
 
 says, respecting the language of the American 
 savages: "It has been asked if our Indians were nol 
 the wrecks of more civilized nations. Their language 
 refutes the hypothesis. Every one of its forms is a 
 witness that their ancestors were, like themselves, no? 
 yet disenthralled from nature.'* 
 
 Origin of the Mound-Builders. 
 
 Having now taken a brief survey of the civilization 
 of the mound-builders, and having seen that they are 
 separated from the American Indians by the sharpest 
 lines of distinction, we are prepared to answer the 
 questions propounded in the early part of this chap 
 ter respecting the origin of the earlier race and their 
 relation to the savages. And where, indeed, should 
 we look for the source of such a people as the mound 
 builders if not to those tropical lands whose gorgeous 
 and magnificent, forest-buried cities speak of the seat? 
 of vast and varied indigenous civilizations, equalling 
 or surpassing those of the Etruscans or the Egyp 
 tians ? Indeed, the tropics are the birth-land of all the 
 civilizations of the globe. It was only in these regions 
 where nature offered delicious fruits and other foods 
 in unstinted abundance, that men could at first gain 
 leisure to turn their attention to the arts and the 
 higher intellectual processes. The tropics are the 
 womb of nations, and from these climes sprung thf 
 venerable civilizations of the Nile and the Ganges 
 
 So in the New World, the cities of Palenque, Ux 
 mal and Copan are in lands of tropical luxuriance of 
 '"^wer, ^ruit ? ^^ ' 'iash. The Chichimecs seem to have 
 
I 
 
 K JDEAD TOWN OF THE AZTECS. 
 
iB 
 
 THE MOUND-BUILDERS. 
 
 been the barbarous aborigines of Central America. 
 Then came in succession the splendid Colhuan, Toltec 
 and Aztec civilizations, each supplanting, or rather in- 
 
 CURIOUS DWELLINGS OF THE AZTECS. 
 
 corporating, its predecessor. The Aztecs appeared 
 last, and tradition says thev came from the north. 
 This seems worthy of credence, since we know that 
 the date cf the irruption of this race into Mexico and 
 Central America was only about three hundred years 
 
 li 
 
 »• 
 
 I 
 
 
 m 
 
 
THE MOUND-BUILDEilS. 
 
 49 
 
 ca. 
 tec 
 in- 
 
 Lt 
 d 
 
 befois the appearance of the Spaniards in t New 
 World. 
 
 Further, it has been recently ascertained that the 
 antiquity of '.he mounds and other works of North 
 America is not so great as was supposed. The 
 hastily-made assertion of Squiers and Davis, in their 
 report, to the effect that no earthwork occurs on any 
 recent river-terrace, but only on the ancient geolog* 
 ical ones, has now been proved to be erroneous. 
 Then, the pyramidal character of many of the works 
 of the Mississippi Valley is like taat of the Central 
 American teocallis; and there are many more indi- 
 cations that point to the conclusion that the Aztecs 
 were the people who developed here in the North the 
 germs of that civilization which they carried to so high 
 a degree of splendor and magnificence in the warm 
 lands of the South, engrafting their own somewhat 
 rude arts upon the richer civilization of the Toltecs 
 whom they subdued. 
 
 Furthermore, it seems just to conclude that the 
 traditions are true which ascribe the cause of their 
 dislodgment from their cities, temples, grain-fields and 
 ancestral sepulchres in the Mississippi Valley to a long 
 and bitterly-waged war with a ho~de of northern sav- 
 ages, and that the barbarians in the case are the very 
 Indians known to us, and whose origin we have tracer' 
 to the Asiatic country of Siberia. 
 
 n 
 
 s 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Early History of the North American Indians 
 -—First Contact with White Men. 
 
 Little or nothing is known of the history of the 
 American Indians previous to the discovery of Amer- 
 ica by Europeans. Their vague and contradictory 
 traditions were of little value for accurate history; 
 and, indeed, the record, even supposing it attainable 
 would prove but a wretched chronicle of petty ana 
 ferocious intestinal broils and massacres. Our stor) 
 must, therefore, begin at the date of the advent o| 
 Europeans to these shores and their first encounters 
 with the natives. 
 
 It was unfortunate that the early voyagers to 
 various parts of tie American coast were not only 
 almost invariably hard-hearted and rude men, but 
 also deplorably ignorant of the proper method of 
 managing the savage nature. In almost every in- 
 stance of first contact with the aborigines deeds of 
 violence were unnecessarily committed by the in- 
 vaders, and if they did not kill they generally man- 
 aged to entice a few of them aboard their ships, and 
 conveyed them i^o Europe, both as vouchers of the' 
 tnith of their accounts and also to gain from them 
 ais much information as possible concerning their new 
 
 60 
 
 * 
 

 r 
 
 2: 
 
 o 
 
 O 
 
 o 
 
 r. 
 O 
 
 r 
 C 
 
 c 
 •r 
 
 ^m 
 
 fti 
 
 !• i 
 
 i 
 
52 BABLY HISTORY OF THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 
 
 and unknown world, its untried resources ,and un- 
 estimated values. 
 
 Z 
 
 ■< 
 
 o 
 » 
 
 H 
 O 
 
 > 
 <! 
 
 en 
 
 I? 
 U 
 
 (/i 
 
 (4 
 < 
 
 < 
 
 Col mbus, on his first voyage, carried away a 
 number of the natives to Spain. The seven who 
 survived the passage over he present<"d to the king. 
 Upon this very first occasion, also, the blood of 
 
 
 
1 
 
 i 
 
 I 
 
 MASSACRE OF Sl.iTLERS BY THE INDIANS 
 
EARLY BISTOBY OF THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 53 
 
 several natives was shed by the men of* Columbus. 
 Sebastian Cabot gave three Newfoundland natives to 
 Henry VII. In 1 508 the French discovered the St. 
 Lawrence, and on their return carried off several of 
 the Indians to Paris. In 1524, John Verazzin, in the 
 service of Francis I., sailed along the American coast, 
 and, landing at a part of it supposed to be Con-^ 
 necticut, kidnapped an Indian boy. 
 
 Atrocious Cruelties. 
 
 The conduct of Henry Hudson toward the Indian^ 
 whom he encountered on his voyage of discovery uf 
 the Hudson in 1609 was savage, cruel and unjust. It 
 was probably owing to some insult given to the 
 Indians by his men that bad blood was excited. One 
 of Hudson's men was first killed. Shortly after, says 
 the record, as they were at anchor "seven miles 
 below the mountains," an Indian in a canoe, while 
 many others were around the ship, came under the 
 stern, climbed up by the rudder, entered the cabin 
 window, whicii had been left open, and stole some 
 trifling articles. Being discovered, he was pursued 
 and killed by the mate by a shot through his breast. 
 By this rash act several were so alarmed that they 
 jumped in^o the river. As the boat from the ship 
 was pursuing them, one of those In the water grasped 
 the side of the boat, whereupon the cook cut off his 
 hands with a sword, and he was drowneJ. 
 
 On the following day two canoos approached the 
 ship and shot at it with bows and arrows ; in return 
 for which Hudson's men discharged six muskett 
 
i 
 
 Li £ABLY HISTORY OF THE NORTH AMERICAN IITDIANB. 
 
 and killed two or three ^of them. In various other 
 encounters six or seven more of the Indians were 
 killed. This was indeed a sorry beginning and a 
 poor example to set to " the savages." And we may 
 
 HENRY HUDSON. 
 
 well remember this, our own bad beginning, when 
 we get to where our blood will be lawfully excited 
 against our red brethren. 
 
 But the romantic adventures of the Spaniards with 
 the Indians of Florida are both the earliest in chrono 
 logical order and also the most thrilling in interest, 
 owing to the high spirit, intelligenc" and ferocity of 
 
BARI;Y HISTOF . UF THE .TORTH AMERICAN INDUN& 65 
 
 the parties in the struggle. Juan Ponce de Leon, 
 Velasquez de Ayllon, Pamphilo de Narvaez and De 
 Soto are the well-known names of the Spanish ad- 
 venturers in Florida, and the date is the first half of 
 the sixteenth century (151 2-1 540). The Florid? 
 Indians resided in towns and villages of considerable 
 
 FERDINAND DE SOTO. 
 
 extent. They were desperately brave in the defence 
 of their homes against the cruel Spaniards, unterri- 
 fied by the novel spectacle of the iron-mailed Cen- 
 taurs who charged upon them with shouts and curses. 
 
66 EARLY HISTORY OF THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANR 
 
 Horses they had never seen before, and they must 
 
 have been as much surprised by them as were the 
 
 Romans at the first sight of elephants. These 
 
 Southern Indians were so proud-spirited that it v;as 
 
 their custom, in Cuba, to hang themselves in order 
 
 to escape the degradaftion of slaver)^ and hard labor 
 
 in the mines. 
 
 Brave Explorers. 
 
 In 1528, Pamphilo de Narvaez, with four hundred 
 men and forty or fifty horses, penetrated Florida as 
 far as Appalachee, then south to Aute, where, finding 
 it hopeless to think of making further progress^ by 
 land, they constructed, with great ingenuity, five 
 small boats from ribs of wood and covered with the 
 skins of their horses, their only tools being made 
 from their steel accoutrements. A handful only of 
 these men were ever heard of again, four or five of 
 them having reached Mexico after incredible hard- 
 ships. 
 
 In May, 1 539, De Soto anchored his seven ships in 
 Tampa Bay. He had between six hundred and one 
 thousand bold adventurers with him, horsemen and 
 foot- soldiers. Establishing himself in the chief vil- 
 lage of the cacique Hiriga, De Soto made overtures 
 CO that monarch, but in vain. The remembrance of 
 the former barbarities of the Spaniards steeled the 
 keart of the cacique against all his blandishments. 
 The Indians fought with desperate bravery in the 
 marshes. 
 
 One day a party of horsemen charged a body of 
 
:1 
 
 EARLY HISTORY OF THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 57 
 
 Indians and put them to flight, and as one of the Span- 
 iards was about to attack one of them with his lance, 
 he was astonished to hear him exclaim : " Sirs, I am 
 a Christian ; do not kill me, nor these poor men who 
 have given me my life." This man, named John Ortiz, • 
 sunburnt, naked and painted as he was, could hardly 
 be distinguished from his companions, the Indians. 
 He was one of the followers of Narvaez, and had 
 lived with the savages for twelve years* Having been 
 captured, he was bound to four stakes and a fire kin- 
 dled beneath him, when, as the story goes, he was 
 saved at the entreaty of the chiefs daughter; his 
 wounds were healed, and he was appointed to guard 
 the bodies of the dead in the temple from the attacks 
 of wolves. He had the good fortune to win the 
 admiration of the people by despatching a wolf or 
 panther that had attacked the chiefs daughter, and 
 had continued in their favor until restored by the 
 chance of battle to the companionship of his coun- 
 trymen. 
 
 Indian Bravery. 
 Pressing northward, De Soto reached the village 
 of Vitachuco. The treacherous cacique pretended 
 friendship, but prepared for an overwhelming attack 
 The vigilance of John Ortiz, however, decected it 
 the cacique was made prisoner and his army routed 
 Many of the fugitives were driven into a lake, 
 where they concealed themselves by covering their 
 heads with the leaves of water-lilies. The lake was 
 surrounded by the Spanish troops, but such was tn^ 
 
 t 
 
«»' EARLT «I8T0BY OF THE »ORTH AMRKlt'AN INDiANH 
 
 :t^ 
 
 resoli'tK7n of the Indians that they remained tlie whole 
 night immsrsed in the water, and on the following day, 
 when the rest had delivered themselves up, being con- 
 strained by the sharpness of the cold they had endured 
 in the' water, twelve still held out, resolving to die 
 rather than surrender. Chilled and stupefied by gv- 
 posure, thele were dragged ashore by some Indians 
 of Paracoxl belonging to De Soto's party, who swam 
 after them and seized them by the hair.. 
 
 Althou/^^h a prisoner, wrth his chief warriors re- 
 duced to the condition of servants, Vitachucc did not 
 lay asic'/* his daring purposes of revenge. He man- 
 aged ti circulate an order among his men that on a 
 day appointed, while the Spaniards were at dinner, 
 every Indian should ?ittack the one nearest him with 
 whatever weapon came to hand. When the time ar- 
 rived, Vitachuco, who was seated at the general*s 
 ^able, rallying himself for a desperate effort, sprang 
 upon his host and endeavored to strangle him. " This 
 blade, ' says the Portuguese narrator, "fell upon the 
 general ; but before he could get his two hands to his 
 throat, he gave him such a furious blow with his fist 
 upon the face that he put him all in a gore of blood." 
 De Soto would still have perished had not his follow- 
 ers despatched the furious chief. 
 
 "All the other prisoners followed their cacique's 
 example. Catching at the Spaniards' arms or the 
 * pounder wherewith they pounded the maize,* each 
 set upon his master therewith or on the first that fell 
 int-o his han^s. They made use of the lances ot 
 
 
cutLT nnnoM of the north American indian& 50 
 
 ot 
 
 swords they i* .et with as skilfully as if they had been 
 bred to it frc m childhood ; so that one of then, with 
 sword in hai.d, made head against fifteen or twenty 
 men in the open place until he was killed by the gov- 
 ernor's halberdiers." The last of them took shelter 
 in a room where corn was stored, and could only be 
 overpowered by being finally shot through a hole in 
 
 the roof. 
 
 Captain Jobn Smith. 
 
 Space compels me to hurry the reader northward, 
 and, leaving these brave red n;ien of the far South, 
 glance at those of Virginia, and get suth a picture as 
 we can of their customs and appearance when they 
 ^rst came in contact with the whites. The best, and 
 in fact almost the only, source of information We have 
 is contained in the quaint and vigorous narrative of 
 Captain John Smith, who reached Virginia in 1 606 as 
 a member of the party of Bartholomew Gosnold. 
 There are brief accounts, however, of encounters 
 Tvith the Indians before this time. Sir Richard Gren- 
 ville in 1585 sailed to Virginia and left one hundred 
 men to form a settlement at Roanoke. All returned, 
 however, within a year. These Englishmen, in one 
 of their exploring expeditions, committed another of 
 the characteristic and unjustifiable outrages of the 
 first whites in this country, in burning the entire town 
 and destroying the cornfields of some Indians who 
 had stolen a ulver cup. 
 
 Captain John Smith gives some interesting state- 
 ments relative to the customs of these Virginia 
 
60 EARLY HISTORY OF THE NORTH \MERICAN INDIANS. 
 
 savages as they existed before being modified by 
 contact with Europeans. Of the Susquesahanocks, 
 Smith says : " Such great and well-proportioned men 
 xre seldom seen, for they seerned like giants to the 
 
 CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH, 
 
 English. For their language, 't^ may well beseem 
 their proportions, sounding from them as a voice in a 
 vault. 
 
 Cue of the chiefs measured three quarters of a 
 yard about the calf of his leg, and all the rest of his 
 limbs so answerable to that proportion that he seemed 
 
 M . 
 
ftfl# 
 
 ^4 '# 
 
 7) 
 
 B 
 u 
 
 O 
 
 'A 
 
 1- 
 c 
 
 P4 
 

 /. 
 
 M. 
 
 
 (J 
 
 tr. 
 
KABLY HISTORY OP THE NORTH AMERICAN IKDUK8. 61 
 
 V. 
 
 r-' 
 H 
 < 
 •X 
 
 H 
 
 
 A 
 
 the goodliest man we ever beheld. His h^jr, the one 
 side, was long ; the other, shorn close, wijh a ridge 
 like a cock's comb." The people were dressed in 
 the skins of wild animals : " Some have Cassacks 
 made of Bear's heads and skins ; that a man's head 
 goes through the skin's neck, and the ears of the 
 Bear fastened to his shoulders, the nose and teeth 
 hanging down his breast; another Bear's face split 
 behind him, and at the end of the nose hung a paw. 
 One had the head of a wolf hanging in a chain for a 
 ewel ; his tobacco-pipe, three quarters of a y^<.d 
 long, prettily carved with a Bird or a Deer ; or some 
 such device at the great end, sufficient to beat out 
 one's brains." 
 
 • Strange Ornaments. 
 
 Sometimes would be seen a garment of feathers 
 neatly and thickly woven together. Tattooing and 
 painting were, of course, prevalent. It is difficult to 
 credit sOme of the stories told by Smi$h, as, for in- 
 stance, that some of the Indians " wear in the holes 
 bored in their ears a small green and yellow-colored 
 snake, nearly a yard in length, which, crawling and 
 lapping herself about his neck, oftentimes would 
 ramiliarly kiss his lips." 
 
 About the wigwams of some mulberry trees were 
 planted. Captain Smith enumerates many of the 
 wild fruits and animals which they had. It is easy 
 to recognize the persimmon in the "putchamin," 
 whose fruit is like a medlar; it is first green, 
 then vellow, turning to red when ripe; if it be 
 
62 EARLY HISTORY OF TUK J^ORTH AMERICAN INDIANB 
 
 :;■ 
 
 unripe, it will " draw a man's mouth awry with much 
 torment."> 
 
 Passing over the various changes in the little col- 
 ony that settled on the Powhatan (now James) River, 
 we come to the romantic and wonderful adventures 
 of Captain Smith, who soon became leader in the 
 colony he brought from the mother-country. Dur- 
 ing the first winter he undertook a \oyage of discov- 
 ery up the Chickahominy River, which debouches into 
 the James a few miles above Jamestown. He was 
 soon obliged, by the obstructions in the river, to leave 
 the barge and, with two Englishmen, continue their 
 progress in a canoe. 
 
 During his absence George Gassan was taken pris- 
 oner, the savages having compelled him to reveal the 
 intentions of Smith, then put him to death in the most 
 fiendish manner, cutting off his limbs at the joints with 
 shells and burning them before his face. Not daring 
 to attack the boat's crew, they set out in pursuit of 
 Smith. Coming upon the party among the marshes^ 
 they shot the two Englishmen as they were sleeping 
 by the cajjoe. They then surrounded Smith, who had 
 gone out with one of his guides in search of game. 
 
 Savagres Astonished. 
 
 The gallant captain bound the Indian fast to his 
 arm with a garter to protect himself from the arrows 
 of his two hundred howling enemies, killed three of 
 them and wounded several others. The savages stood 
 at a distance in dismay at the execution of the gun. 
 Unfortunately, in retreating, Smith became bemired 
 
KABLY HISTORY OF THE NORTH AMERICAN mDIANS. 6? 
 
 in the mud of a creek, and, becoming stiff with cold, 
 was obliged to lay down his arms. The delighted 
 savages took him to the fire and restored anima- 
 tion to his limbs by rubbing them. Smith thereupon 
 endeavored to conciliate the king, Op^chancanough, 
 by presenting him with an ivory pocket compass and 
 explaining its use to the admiring crowd. They then 
 led him away to their village in triumph. Each war- 
 rior was gaudily painted, and each had a bow in his 
 hand, and tied on his head the dried skin of a bird 
 with her wings spread, a piece of copper, a white 
 shell, a long feather with a small rattle growing at 
 the tails of their snakes tied to it, or some similar toy. 
 One of the old warriors, whose son had been 
 wounded by Smith s gun, could scarcely be restrained 
 from killing^ the prisoner, who, however, informed 
 them that he had at Jamestown a powerful medicine 
 which would cure him. Messengers were sent witl 
 a letter written "on part of a Table book," whatevei 
 that was. To the astonishment of the Indians, tht 
 "speaking paper" accomplished its mission. 
 
 Weird Incantations. 
 
 To ascertain the real feelings of Smith toward them 
 an incantation was held. Having: seated him on a 
 mat before a fire in one of their large wigwams, all 
 went out. Presently "a great, grim fellow" came 
 skipping in, " all painted over with coal mingled with 
 oil; wearing many snake and weasel skins stuffed 
 ^ :,.. iiioss, and their tails tied together so as to meet 
 on the crown of his head in a tassel, round about 
 
 V 
 
 ■« * 
 

 ^ 
 
 64 EABLY HISTORY OF THE NORTH AMERICAN iNDlANfci 
 
 which was a coronet of feathers, the skins hanging 
 about his head, back .and shoulders, and, in a manner, 
 covering his face, with a helHsh voice and a rattle in 
 his hand." He sprinkled a circle of meal about the 
 fire, then concluded his conjurations. 
 
 After visiting the court Oi the grand monarch, 
 Powhatan, and holding long conversations with tht 
 famous king. Smith was finally released on condition 
 of presenting tho king with two great guns and a 
 millstone. On reaching Jamestown, the two guns 
 were brought forth, but the guides were so terrified 
 by a discharge of stones among the branches of an 
 ice-covered tree that they were glad to take trinkets 
 in plac^ of such fearful engines. Smith now held the 
 hearts of the savages ; and it was well that Ae did, 
 otherwise the little colony might hav^ perished of 
 starvaiion. 
 
 It is related that every four or five days the noble 
 little Pocahontas, who was but ten years old at that 
 time, would appear on an errand of mercy accom- 
 panied by attendants carrying provisions. I have not 
 given the story of the saving of Smith's life by this 
 little maiden, both, because of its extreme familiarity 
 and for the reason that latterly strong historic doubt 
 has been entertained as to its truth. 
 
 <xraild Reception to Captain Newport. 
 
 Captains Newport and Nelson not long after ar 
 
 rived with two ships loaded with provisions and trink- 
 ets. Extravagant ideas having been instilled into 
 the minds of the savages as to the power and majesty 
 
 .* 
 
 
EARLY HISTORY OF THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 65 
 
 of Captain Newport, a grand ceremonial reception 
 was held at the court of Powhatan, during the course 
 of which the bartering ^egan. 
 
 The men of the newly-arrived ships had unfortu- 
 riately spoiled the Indian market by offering irregular 
 
 POCAHONTAS. 
 
 prices, and the cunning king rated his corn so high 
 that the English thought it cheaper in Spain. But 
 presently Powhatan's eye was attracted by the gleam 
 of some blue beads. The shrewd Captain Smith pre- 
 tended that they were the rarest gems, worn only by 
 monarchs, which possessed the king with the wildest 
 desire to own them, and for which he offered immense 
 
66 CASLT HISTORY OF THE NORTH AMERTCAH IHDUNA 
 
 quantities of corn in exchange. After this the trade 
 in blue beads was a royal privilege only. 
 
 On the 2d day of June, 1608, Smith set out upon 
 his exploration of Chesapeake Bay. His companions 
 numbered fourteen and their boat was an open barge. 
 As they coasted along the eastern shore, everywhere 
 the greatest astonishment and fright was manifested 
 by the savages. The discharge of the guns invari- 
 ably filled them with terror. Before reaching the 
 head of the bay Smith was compelled to turn back, 
 owing to the fatigue of his men, who were unaccus- 
 tomed to such exposure. 
 
 A Cunning Disguise. 
 
 On the 24th of July a second expedition up the 
 Chesapeake was undertaken. The hope of finding in 
 these parts the famous northwest passage to the In- 
 dies had not yet been extinguished. Encountering 
 some Massawomekes, a fierce tribe belonging to the 
 redoubtable Iroquois or Six Nc tions of what was after- 
 ward New York State, they pacified them and obtained 
 some of their shields, with which they fortified their 
 boat; reminding one in this of Stanley, the African 
 explorer, who did the same in his immortal descent 
 of the Congo River. Upon one occasion, while Smith 
 was exploring the Rappahannock River, he was at- 
 tacked by a party of Rappahan nocks, who were so 
 cunningly disguised with bushes that they were sup- 
 posed to b6 a natural growth of trees on the shore. 
 On these two voyages Chesapeake Bay was surveyed 
 and aq accurate chart of the entire country drawn up. 
 
EABLY niSTORy OF THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 67 
 
 Great distress was experienced from want of food, 
 and every means was resorted to in order to procure 
 it from the Indians. Powhatan had come to despise 
 the Jamestown colony, owing to a foolish coronation 
 scene by Newport, who had recently arrived from 
 England with a crowd of useless adventurers. 
 
 Warned by Pochahoutan. 
 
 The splendor of the articles of coronation fairly 
 turned the head of Powhatan, who became treacher- 
 ous toward Smith and tried to kill him when he came 
 to Werowocomoco to barter for corn. But the dar- 
 ing captain performed prodigies of valor in repelling 
 attacks single-handed. His Indian angel, the friendly 
 little Pocahontas, came at night to warn him of an 
 attack. This treachery of Powhatan and the rest was 
 attributed to the influence of some "damned Dutch- 
 men " (as the English called them), who were at that 
 time in the region. The old acquaintance of the 
 English, Opechancanough, also proved faithless. De- 
 coying Smith and his " old fifteen " into his house, he 
 was profuse in his offers of provision and frendship ; 
 but in the mean time an ambuscade had s'^rrounded 
 the house. Smith was urged to come cj'c to the door 
 to receive his presents ; but he saw thar, " the bait was 
 guarded with at least two hundred men, and thirty 
 lying under a great tree (placed athwart as a barri- 
 cade), each his arrow nocked ready to shoot." 
 
 Smith, perceiving the plan to betray him, sprang 
 upon the king seizing him by the hair, and, holding a 
 pistol to his breast, led him forth; where, *ail;Ing a 
 
 hi^ 
 
>8 EAEL\ tflfirrOBT OF THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIAN.. 
 
 icrrible speech before the people, he succeeded in 
 gaining peace and provisions. 
 
 BUILDING THE FIRST HOUSE IN JAMESTOWN. 
 
 Several incidents occurred about this time whicft 
 tended to establish the power of Smith over the sav- 
 
 V-: 
 
EARLY HISTORY OF THE NOUTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 6» 
 
 ages 
 
 One was the explosion of a quantity of gun 
 powder which the Indians were trying to dry upon a 
 plate of armor as they had seen the English do. An- 
 other was the affair of the pistol and the charcoal. 
 An Indian had stolen one of these weapons : his twc> 
 brothers were seized by Smith as pledges ; one of 
 them was sent in search of the pistol, and told that 
 his brother would be hanged in twelve hours if it were 
 not returned. The one who was retained was placed 
 in a dungeon. Smith, pitying the poor, naked sav- 
 age, sent hint some food and some charcoal for a 
 fire. Toward midnight the brother returned with the 
 weapon, but the poor fellow in the dungeon was found 
 stupefied by the charcoal and terribly burned. The 
 lamentations of the brother were so touching that 
 Smith promised him, if he would abstain from future 
 thefts, that he would restore the captive to life. This 
 was accomplished by the proper means, and the 
 rumor spread like wild-fire that the white chief could 
 bring ne dead to life. These and many o^'ier such 
 incidents so amazed and frightened Powhatan and all 
 his people that they came in from all quarters return- 
 ing stolen property ; and the land, says the narrative, 
 "became absolutely as free for us as for themselves." 
 
 The Fair Hostag^e. 
 
 Soon after we hear the last of Captain Smith. In 
 
 the latter part of 1 609 he met with a terrible accident 
 by the firing of a bag of gunpowder. He was so fear- 
 fully torn and burned that he leaped into the river, 
 and was with difficulty rescued from drowning. He 
 
to iARLY HISTORY OF THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 
 
 was obliged to go to England to procure the needed 
 medical assistance, and was never after able to 
 revisit the colony which he had helped to found and 
 so ably administered. 
 
 After his departure things went rapidly to wreck and 
 ruin, and there was a general revolt of the Indians. 
 In 1 613, Pocahontas was captured and held as a 
 hostage. While she was at Jamestown a young 
 Englishman, John Rolfe, became passionately attached 
 to her, and on the first of April they were married. 
 They excited great attention everywhere, even at 
 court, where Captain Smith made a speech about 
 her before the queen. This interesting little woman 
 died in 161 7, as she was about to revisit America. 
 She left one child, Thomas Rolfe, who afterward 
 lived in Virginia, and to whom many old Virginia 
 families still trace their origin. Powhatan, her father, 
 died a year later. 
 
 A 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 The Puritans and Indians. — Thrilling Ezpe'« 
 riences of the Early Settlers. 
 
 The early adventures of our Puritan ancestors 
 with the Indians form a thrilling chapter in history. 
 A whole winter hastened away before the little com- 
 pany at Plymouth, in Massachusetts, succeeded in 
 establishing any relations other than hostile with the 
 savageii around them. The appearance, in March, 
 of Samoset and his introduction of Tisquantum, or 
 'Squanto, were the meaiis of opening up important 
 relations with the surrounding tribes. 'Squanto had 
 had a romantic and checkered career in Europe, and 
 had returned to America. His services as an inter- 
 preter were invaluable to the English. 
 
 It was a cold day in March when Samoset sud- 
 denly appeared at Plymouth and walked boldly down 
 the street between the houses. He was naked, with 
 "only a leather around his waist," says Mourt, "about* 
 a span long." They cast a horseman's cloak about 
 him and gave him good food, in return for which he 
 imparted to them all his knowledge of the country. 
 He stated that he was one of the Sagamores of 
 Moratiggon, a place five days' journey by land to the 
 east; that the Indian name of the place which the 
 
 71 
 

 I 1 
 
 72 
 
 THE PURITANS AND INDIANS. 
 
 colonists had styled Plymouth was Patuxet ; and that 
 about four years before all its inhabitants had died of 
 a plague. 
 
 Samoset had learned some broken Encrlish of the 
 whites who came to fish along his coast. He left 
 Plymouth the next morning, promising to return wich 
 3ome .lien of Massasoit, a sachem whose headquarters 
 were on Narragansett Bay, to trade for beaver skins. 
 True to his agreement, he appeared on the next 
 Sunday with " five other tall, proper men. They had 
 every man a deer's skin on him, and the principal of 
 them had a wild cat's skin, or such like, on one arm. 
 They had, most of them, long hosen up to their groins, 
 close made ; and above their groins, to their waist, 
 another leather ; they were altogether like the Irish 
 trowsers." 
 
 The old record contin'ies: "They are of complexion 
 like our English Gypsies; no hair, or very little, on 
 their faces; on their heads, long hair to their shoul- 
 ders, only cut before ; som'i trussed up before with a 
 feather broadwise like a f?n ; another a foxtail hang- 
 ing out." 
 
 A Singular Story. 
 ; In t6'!2 a colony known as Weston's had settled 
 at Wessagusset, near Plymouth. They were mostly 
 idle and improvident fellows who had mucii difficulty 
 in obtaining anything to eat. It was charged against 
 them that they once hanged an innocent and compar- 
 atively worthless member of the community m order 
 to spar? the life gf m «ible-bodied man who hac stolen 
 

 .^'" 
 
 FLIGHT OF THE INDIANS AFTER THE MASSACRE. 
 
I 
 
 f 
 
 
 1 i 
 
 ti 
 
 ii I 
 
 i* !l III 
 
THE PURITANS AND INDIANS. 
 
 73 
 
 some corn from the Indians and whose life the savages 
 demanded. The author of Hiidibras ^\\d^s even put 
 the incident into verse. 
 
 But in a quaint book published at Amste.rdam in 
 1637 and written by Thomas Morton of Merry 
 Mount fame, a different account is given, and the 
 whole afair is so ludicrous and singular that I will 
 quote it in full. " One of Master Weston's planta- 
 tion," he says, "an able-bodied man that ranged the 
 woods to see what it would afford, lighted by accident 
 upon an Indian barn, and from thence did take a cap- 
 ful of corn. The savage owner of it, finding by the 
 foot (track) some English had been there, came to 
 the plantation and made complaint after this manner. 
 The chief commander of the company, on this occasion, 
 called a parliament of all his people but those who 
 were tsick and ill at ease. And wisely now they must 
 consult upon this huge complaint, that a privy (paltry) 
 knife or string of beads would well enough have 
 qualified ; and Edward Johnson was a special judge 
 of this business. Hereupon, some one rose and 
 said he had a plan that would please everybody. 
 'Says he, you all agree that one shall die, and one 
 ^hall die. This young man's clothes we will take off 
 and put upon one that is old and impotent, a sickly 
 person that cannot escape death. Let him be hanged 
 in the other's stead.' ' Amen,' says one, and so say 
 many more. And this had like to have proved theii 
 final sentence, and, being there confirmed by act of 
 Parliament, to after ages for a precedent. But thai 
 
m 
 
 j ^1 
 
 74 
 
 THE PURITANS AND INDIANS. 
 
 one, with a ravenous voice, begin to croak and bellow 
 for revenge, and put by that conclusive motion." 
 
 They concluded to hang the original culprit. " Yet, 
 nevertheless, a scruple was made." The difficult thing 
 was to get the man's good will, '• for without that (they 
 all agreed) it would be dangerous for any p^an to 
 attempt the execution of it, lest mischief should be- 
 fall them every man. He was a person that in his 
 wrath did seem to be a second Samson, able to beat 
 out their brains with the jaw-bone of an ass ; there- 
 fore, they called the man, and, by persuasion, got him 
 fast bound in jest, and then hanged him up hard by 
 in good earnest, who, with a weapon and at liberty, 
 would have put all these wise judges of this Parlia- 
 ment to a pitiful non-plus (as it hath been credibly 
 reported), and made the chief judge of the>n all 
 buckle to him." This story reads like a story out 
 of Knickerbocker. 
 
 Plot to Murder the Settlers. 
 
 The natural, resistance to the white man, which was 
 inevitable, now appears. In 1623 all the Indians of 
 Eastern Massachuseets, excepting those under the 
 immediate control of their faithful ally, Massasoit, 
 made a league to extirpate the colony at Wessagus- 
 set and probably that at Plymouth also. The plot 
 was betrayed by Massage:*-, who sent Hobomok, the 
 rival interpreter of 'Squanto, to tell the Plymouth 
 people of it. Then Standish, with eight men, set 
 out for Wessagusset to crush this conspiracy by 
 one terrible blow. The Indians now began to pre- 
 
THE PURITANS AND INDIANa 
 
 76 
 
 pare to meet the attack. They often came before 
 the English, '* and would whet and sharpen the points 
 of their knives " and use many other insulting ges- 
 tures and speeches. 
 
 Amongst the rest, Wittawamet boasted of the 
 excellency of his knife, oa the end of the handle of 
 which there was pictured a woman's face; "but," said 
 he, " I have another at home wherewith I have killed 
 both French and English, and that hath a man's face 
 •>n it, and by and bye these two must marry." To 
 this he added : Hinnaim namen, hinnaim michen, 
 viATFA CUTS ; that is, i?^ ««^ dye it should see, and by 
 and by it should eat, but not speak. 
 
 Also Peeksnot, continues Winslow, being a man of 
 greater stature than the captain, toid him that though 
 he were a great captain, yet he was but a little man. 
 " And," said he, "though I be no sachem, yet am I a 
 man of great strength and courage." These things 
 the captain observed, yet bore with patience for the 
 present. A^ length, having decoyod Peeksnot and 
 Wittawamet " both, together with another man, and a 
 youth of some eighteen years of age and brother to 
 Wittawamet, and having about as many of his own 
 company in a room v/ith them, he gave the word to 
 his men, and, the door being fast shut, began hims;df 
 with Peeksnot, snatching his own knife from his neck, 
 though with much struggling, and killed him there- 
 with — the point whereof he had made as sharp as a 
 needle and ground the back also to an edge. Witta- 
 wamet and the other man the rest killed and took 
 
::i ' 
 
 l\ 
 
 7« 
 
 THE PURITANS AND INDIANa 
 
 the youth, whom the captain caused to be hanged." 
 Mr. Winslow continues: ''Hut it is incredible how 
 many wounds these two paniesies received before 
 they died, not making any fearful noise, but catching 
 at their weapons and striving to the last." 
 
 The Famous Pequods. 
 
 Another tribe now comes on the stage. The 
 Pequods were a wSirlike race, unrebted by ties of 
 consanguinity to any of the Indians around them. 
 They had penetrated east from the Mohawk region, 
 and had occasioned much trouble to the colonists, 
 who finally extirpated them, a small remnant escaping 
 westward. One incident of the " Pequod War" may 
 be given here as a specimen of many such. The 
 Pequod camp was upon the summit of a high hill 
 within the limits of the present town of Groton. The 
 English, under Mason, resolved on a night attack 
 upon the palisaded Pequods, who were sunk in sleep 
 after a great feast and dance. The alarm was given 
 by the barking of a dog, and the cry " Owannux, 
 Owannux !" was raised, this being the Indian name 
 for the English. 
 
 Mason and his men rushed through the narrow 
 brush-filled opening in the paiisadfes and fell upon the 
 Pequods with fury. Presently Mason resolved to fire 
 the wigwams ; the dry material caught like tinder and 
 the flames held carnival everywhere. The Pequods 
 fought desperately, but their bow-strings snapped 
 frotn the heat and a general massacre ensued. About 
 fpur hundred men, women and children were de§^ 
 
THE PURITANS AND INDIANS. 
 
 77 
 
 troyed (most of them burned), with a loss of but two 
 killed on the part of the English. 
 
 Morton says : '* It was a fearful sight to see them 
 thus frying in the fire, and the streams of blood 
 quenching the same ; and horrible was the stink and 
 scent thereof." Increase Mather writes : "This day 
 we brought six hundred Indian souls to hell." Verily, 
 the old preacher was right, but were the " six hundred 
 fiouls " those of red men ? 
 
 Indian Legrends. 
 
 Let us seek a wider field. There are preserved 
 some thrilling legends, more or less reliable, concern- 
 ing the early warfare of the famous Iroquois, or Six 
 Nations, that proud people whose sway at one time 
 extended over what are now the Middle States, their 
 principal seat being in the beautiful lake region of 
 New York. The bands composing the Six Nations 
 were the Oneidas, Cayugas. Onondagas, Mohawks, 
 Senecas and Tuscaroras. No other American tribes 
 ever produced so many renowned warriors and 
 orators as the Iroquois. Their regular system of 
 federal grovernment and erand councils tended to de- 
 'elop and foster oratory, and, like Boston, they had 
 llM'ir "hundred orators." 
 
 But to return to the legends of wars and adven- 
 tures before the advent of the Europeans. Their 
 :hief enemies were the Delawares, Appalachisos and 
 Cherokees. The distance of the latter from them, 
 however, forbade any great body of warriors travers- 
 ing it; but it gave opportunity for the display of in- 
 
78 
 
 THE PUKITANS AND INDIANS. 
 
 dividual prowess and hardihood. Scalping expeditions 
 of small bands were frequent. 
 
 One of the stories told is that of the Seneca war- 
 rior, Hiadeoni, and is to the effect that he started off 
 alone on the war-path, penetrating far south to the 
 Cherokee country. Having killed and scalped two 
 men, he started to return, when he met a young man 
 coming out of a lonely wigwam. Him also he killed 
 and scalped, then entered the hut to see if he could 
 not find some tobacco. He threw himself upon the 
 bed to rest, and presently the mother entered. In 
 the dim light mistaking him for her son, she told him 
 she was going away for the night. The tired Indian 
 fell asleep, and was only awakened by the mother's 
 return in the morning. In some way he managed to 
 slip out of the hut and set out northward. The alarm 
 was given, but his great fleetness enabled him to 
 escape with his trophies to his own people. 
 
 A Daring Attack. 
 
 Another legend of a later date is that of " The Five 
 Adirondacks." The Adirondacks had been badly 
 evorsted in their wars with the Iroquois, and the chief, 
 Piskaret, with four companions, resolved to wipe out 
 the stain of disgrace by a daring deed. Starting up 
 the Sorel in a canoe, they encountered four boatloads 
 of the enemy, and at once began their death-chant as 
 if despairing of escape ; but when the enemy ap- 
 proached they suddenly discharged their muskets, 
 loaded with chain-shot, into the hostile canoes, which, 
 being of frail birch-bark, were shattered and their 
 
THE PURITANS AND INDIANS. 
 
 79 
 
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 could 
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 ed to 
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 kets, 
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 occupants left floundering in the water, where they 
 were easily despatched. 
 
 On another occasion Piskaret started off alone into 
 the enemy's country, using every precaution to avoid 
 detection — reversing his snow-shoes and pursuing 
 the most unfrequented routes. Upon reaching an 
 Iroquois village he murdered and scalped\ for two 
 successive nights ; on the third a watch was set at 
 every lodge. Piskaret knocked one of the watchmen 
 on the head, and then fled, hotly pursued ; but he was 
 fleeter of foot than any man of his time, and, always 
 managing to keep just in sight of his pursuers, he 
 enticed them to a great distance from their village. 
 At night, while they were asleep, overcome with 
 fatigue, he murdered the entire number and bagged 
 their scalps. 
 
 Popular Chief. 
 
 The principal settlements of the Delaware Indians 
 lay between the Hudson and the Potomac. That 
 these savages had many noble traits of character all 
 the world knows through the prominence given to 
 them by the treaty of William Penn, who came over, 
 in 1682. The grand treaty-council was held at Shack- 
 amaxon, just above Philadelphia, which later was called 
 by the Indians Coaquannoc. The comparatively mile] 
 character of the Delawares may be judged by the 
 esceem and veneration in which they held their fa- 
 mous chief Tammany (variously spelled in old books 
 Tamany, Temeny and Tamanend). This man was so 
 beloved by both Indians and whites that, after his 
 
BO 
 
 THE PURITANS AND INDIANS. 
 
 death, he was actually canonized as St. Tammany 
 and his name inserted in the calendars. Throughout 
 the Revolutionary War his day was celebrated with 
 great respect, both by the army and civilians, until 
 Jefferson's administration. 
 
 The Taiumany Festival. 
 
 It is said that when, about 1776, Colonel George 
 Morgan, of Princeton, New Jersey, visited the Western 
 Indians by direction of Congress, the Delawares con- 
 ferred on him the name of Tammany, " in honor and 
 remem.brance of their ancient chief, and as the greatest 
 mark of respect they could show to that gentleman, 
 who, they said, had the same address, affability and 
 meekness as their honored sachem." 
 
 The fame of this great chief extended even among 
 the whites, who fabricated numerous legends con- 
 cerning him. In the Revolutionary War his enthu- 
 siastic admirers dubbed him a saint, the patron saint 
 of America. His festival was celebrated on the 
 first day of May in every year, at which time a numer 
 ous society of his votaries walked together in proces- 
 sion through the streets of Philadelphia (their hats 
 decorated wiih bucks' tails), and proceeded to a hand- 
 some rural place out of town, which they called the 
 wigwam, where, after a long talk or Indian speech, 
 and the calumet of peace and friendship had been 
 duly smoked, they passed the day in festivity and 
 mirth. After dinner Indian dances were performed 
 on the green in front of the wigwam; the calumet 
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 THE ftJRlTANS AND INDIANA 
 
 , ; 
 
 that time Philadelphia, New York and other towns 
 have had their Tammany societies, Tammany halls, 
 and the old relic of Indian greatness has degenerated 
 into an organization for political purposes. 
 
 A Narrow Bscape. 
 
 Count Zinzendorf, who visited this country in 1742, 
 had a narrow escape from death at the hands of the 
 Wyoming Indians. The savages could not believe 
 that he had come only to benefit them (he was the 
 founder of the Moravian sect and was here on a mis- 
 sionary errand), and they therefore resolved to kill 
 him. One evening, as he sat in his tent on the bun- 
 dle of weeds which formed his bed, engaged in writ- 
 ing, with a small fire near him, the Indians approached. 
 Drawing a little aside the blanket which formed the 
 dc ^r of his tc nt, they beheld a large rattlesnake which 
 the fire had driven out lying by the venerable man, 
 who had not seen it, since his back was toward it. 
 The would- b^ murderers, who feared and respected 
 this reptile as a kind of Manitou,drew back and stole 
 away to report that Zinzendorf was undoubtedly of 
 divine origin. 
 
 Now that I have touched upon anecdotes, I may 
 as well relate the story told of the chief Canassatego 
 by Benjamin Franklin, to whom it was related by Con 
 rad Weiser. Says Franklin: "In going through the 
 Indian country to carry a message from our governor 
 to the council at Onondaga, he called at the habita- 
 tion of Cassanatego, an old acquaintance, who em- 
 braced him, spread furs for him to sit upon, placed 
 
THE PURITANS AND INDIANS. 
 
 before him some boiled beans and vrenison and mixed 
 some rum and water for his drink. When he was 
 \v(*ll refreshed and had Ht his pipe, Canassatego be- 
 ran to converse with him, asking^ him how he haJ 
 ared during the many years since they had seen eaci 
 3ther; whence he then came; what occasioned tht 
 journey, etc. Conrad answered all his questions 
 and when the discourse began to Hag, the Indian, to 
 continue it, said : * Conrad, you have lived long among 
 the white people and know something of their cus- 
 toms : I have been sometimes in Albany, and have ob- 
 served that once in seven days they shut up their 
 shops and assemble in the great house. Tell me whal 
 that is for ; what do they do there ?' 
 
 '"They meet there,' said Conrad, 'to hear and 
 learn good things.' 
 
 " T do not doubt,' says the Indian, ' that they tell 
 )ou so ; they have told me the same ; but I doubt the 
 truth of what they say, and I will tell you my reasons. 
 I went lately to Albany to sell my skins and buy 
 blankets, knives, powder and rum. You know I 
 used to deal, generally, with Hans Hanson, but I was 
 a little inclined this time to try some other merchants. 
 However, I called first upon Hans and asked what he 
 would give for beaver. He said he could not give 
 more than four shillings a pound ; " But," says he, " I 
 cannot talk on business now. This is the day when 
 we meet together to learn good things, and I am go- 
 ing to the meeting." 
 
 '"So I thought to myself, Since I cannot do any 
 
J n 
 
 \t 
 
 ^1 
 
 94 
 
 THE PURITANS AND INDIANS. 
 
 buisiness to-day, I may as well go to the meeting too, 
 and I went with him. There stood up a man in black 
 and began to talk to the people very angrily. I could 
 not understand what he said, but, perceiving that he 
 looked much at me and at Hanson, I imagined he was 
 angry at seeing me there ; so I went out, sat down 
 near the hc^^se, struck fire and lit my pipe, waiting 
 until the rr^eeting should break up. 
 
 " * I thought, too, that the man had mentioned some- 
 thing of beaver, and suspected it might be the sub- 
 ject of their meeting. So, when they came out I 
 accosted my merchant. " Well, Hans," says I, " I hope 
 you have agreed to give more than four shillings a 
 pound." 
 
 *' • " No," says he, " I cannot give so much ; I cannot 
 give more than three shillings and sixpence." I then 
 spoke to several other dealers, but they all sang the 
 same song — "Three and sixpence. Three and six- 
 pence." 
 
 " ' This made it clear to me that my suspicion was 
 right, and that whatever they pretended of meeting 
 to learn good things, the purpose was to consult how- 
 to cheat the Indians in the price of beaver. Consider 
 but a little, Conrad, and you must be of my opinion. 
 If they met so often to learn good things, they cer- 
 tainly would have learned some before this time. But 
 they are still ignorant. You know our practice. If 
 a white man, in travelling through our country, enters 
 on( jf our wigwams, we all trear, him as I do you — 
 dry him if he is wet; warm him if he is cold; give 
 
j^mms^ 
 
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86 
 
 THE PURITANS AND INDIANb. 
 
 him meat and drink that he may allay his thirst and 
 hunger; and we spread soft furs for him to sleep on. 
 We demand nothing in return. 
 
 ' But if I go into a white man's house in Albany 
 apd ask him for meat and drink, they say, 'Get out, 
 you Indian dog!' You see, they have not yet learned 
 those good things that we need no meetings to be in- 
 structed in, because our mothers taught them to us 
 when we were children ; and therefore it is impossi- 
 ble their meeting should be, as th'fey say, for any such 
 purpose, or have any ^uch effect ; they are only to 
 contrive the cheating of Indians in the price of 
 beaver.' " 
 
 Southern Tribes. 
 
 We turn once more to the Southern Indians. The 
 best account of the early history of these tribes is 
 given by James Adair, for forty years trader among ' 
 them. The Catawbas, he says, were a numerous and 
 warlike people living between the Carolinas and the 
 Cherokees. They were, however, much given to 
 drunkenness. The upper Cherokees inhabited the 
 Appalachian region ; the lower, that part about the 
 head- waters of the Savannah and Chattahoochee. 
 When Adair first knew this nation, they were said to 
 number about six thousand fighting-men. In 1738 
 nearly all of them perished by small -pox, and so 
 fearful were the ravages of the disease that many 
 committed suicide. These Indians were proud of 
 their beauty and made frequent use of their looking- 
 glasses ; but when this dreadful malady removed the 
 
THE PURITANS AND INDIANS. 
 
 87 
 
 cause of their vanity, they killed themselves out of 
 chagrin. 
 
 The story of the settlement of Georgia, in 1773, 
 by James Edward Oglethorpe, and his dealings with 
 the natives, must receive a passing glance before we 
 hasten on to the early Indian wars. The Creeks, at 
 :he time of his arrival, owned the territory around 
 Savannah. Oglethorpe, having secured the services 
 of a half-breed woman, named Mary Musgrove, as 
 interpreter between the parties, proceeded to call a 
 ofrand council of chiefs of the Creek nation at Savan- 
 nah. Fifty assembled on the appointed day. The 
 noted chief, Tomochichi, made a friendly speech and 
 presented to Oglethorpe a buffalo skin adorned with 
 eagles' feathers. A treaty was made. The Indians 
 were to consider themselves as the subjects of the 
 king and live at peace with their white neighbors. 
 
 The lands lying between the Savannah and the 
 Altamaha were made over to the English, with all the 
 islands on that coast, except St. Catherine's and two 
 others, which were to be used by the Indians as bath- 
 ing and fishing grounds. In 1734, Oglethorpe took 
 Tomochichi and his queen with him to England. The 
 Indians all conceived a great attachment for Ogle- 
 thorpe, calling him their " beloved man." 
 
 These Creek Indians, by the way, received their 
 name from the English, on account of the large num- 
 ber of creeks in their country^ So says the historian 
 Drake. '» 
 
CHAPTER. VI. 
 
 Wars of the Colonies with the Indians.— The 
 Beginning of Extermination. — Driving Away 
 the Red Men. 
 
 Of the almost innumerable wars of the colonies 
 with the Indian tribes it would be impossible, in our 
 limited space, to give a complete history. I shall, 
 therefore, content myself with relating the more 
 striking and characteristic occurrences, with such 
 hints as may be necessary to fix them in their proper 
 chronological and geographical order. 
 
 After the death of Oglethorpe, the Seminoles, 
 Creeks, Cherokees and other Southern tribes were 
 wasted abd harried by long and cruel guerilla war- 
 fare with the whites. They were alternately attacked 
 by the French, Spanish and English, being a common 
 target for all. On the whole, their treatment was 
 cruel and unjust. On the other hand, like most 
 North American Indians, the ** pesky varmints " were 
 themselves merciless and treacherous to the las^ 
 degree. 
 
 The story of the massacre of the French in 
 Natchez will serve to show the bloodthirsty nature 
 of these Southern savages, ?.s well as the brutality 
 of the whites. Among the Natchez Indians, Sun was 
 
 S8 
 
WAKS OF THE COLONIES WITH THE INDIANS. 
 
 89 
 
 the name given to all their chiefs. But one was 
 called Grand-Sun. He was a brother of Stung- 
 Serpent, and, like him, a friend of the whites until an 
 incident occurred which changed him into a deadly 
 enemy, and was the cause of the destruction of the 
 -ntire settlement of the French. The affair took 
 place in 1729. This Grand-Sun had a residence— 
 a beautiful village called White Apple — near Natchez. 
 The commandant of the post of Natchez was M. de 
 Chopart, a man distinguished for his injustice toward 
 the Indians. He wished to buiM a handsome village^' 
 but no site pFeased him so well as that of White 
 Apple ; so he sent to the chief and told him he must 
 immediately yield up his possession. 
 
 The Indian modestly replied that his ancestors had 
 lived there for as many years as there were hairs in 
 his double cue, and th&t it was good they should re- 
 main there still. 
 
 Preparing for a Massacre. 
 
 This only enraged the commandant, who dismissed 
 him with threats.* The chief assembled a council and 
 various overtures were made to Chopart, but in vain 
 Then deadly resentment filled the hearts of the In * 
 dians, and they began secretly to prepare the massacre 
 of the entire settlement. Bundles of sticks were sent 
 to the neighboring Suns and their import explained 
 to them. To prevent mistaking the time, a stick was 
 to be broken each morning, and the day upon which 
 
 * This story will remind the reader of the Bible narrative of Ahab and ihn 
 vineyard of Naboth. 
 
9\' WARS OF THE COLONIES WITH THE INDIANS. 
 
 the <'ast one was so used was to be the one for the 
 ma ;sacre. A female Sun revealed the plot to Cho- 
 pc«t, but he disdained to believe it. The 30th of 
 NDvember arrived, and with it the slaughter in cold 
 l./ood of the entire town ; of seven hundred people 
 t)t one escaped. ^ 
 
 It had been the purpose of the Natchez to follow 
 
 up this event by 
 the extermination 
 of all the French 
 in Louisiana ; but 
 the country was 
 aroused, and the 
 governor of* the 
 
 colony, aided by 
 the people of 
 New Orleans and 
 sixteen hundred 
 volunteers from 
 the Choctaws, 
 took the field 
 again st the 
 Natchez, who at 
 that time escaped 
 in a body to the 
 westward, but 
 were the next year nearly annihilated and their ex- 
 istence brought to a bloody termination. 
 
 The war of the New England colonies with 
 King Philip was the most important as well as the 
 
 KING PHILIP. 
 
WARS OF THE COLONIKB WITH THE INDIANS. 9l 
 
 most dangerous to their existence of all the Indian 
 contests in that part of the country. Philip was the 
 son of the chief, Massasoit, and succeeded his brother 
 
 X 
 w 
 
 r 
 
 V 
 
 H 
 •< 
 
 W 
 tr 
 H 
 5! 
 K 
 W 
 
 O 
 
 o 
 
 pi 
 7: 
 V. 
 
 > 
 
 *^ 
 
 M 
 50 
 
 > 
 
 O 
 
 g 
 
 o 
 
 H 
 
 Alexander as leader of his tribe. Whatever were the 
 motives which actuated him in thi^ w^ar of extermina 
 tion (whether revenge for his brother's death or jeal- 
 ousy of the increasing power of the whites), it is cer 
 
I 
 
 i 
 
 I 
 
 
 / 
 
 92 
 
 WARS OF THE COLONIEiS WITH THE INDIANb. 
 
 tain that he had brooded over his plan in secret for 
 years. Like Massasoit, he never manifested the least 
 interest in the Christian religion. It is related that 
 once, when the famous preacher Eliot was exhorting 
 him to accept Christianity, Philip approached him and, 
 taking hold of a butron on his coat, told him that he 
 cared no more for his Christianity than for his button 
 
 Kiiii? Philip's War. 
 
 Long-continued and extensive negotiations were 
 entered into by Philip with surrounding tribes. At 
 length, on the 24tn of June, 1675, ^^^^ ^^^^ attack was 
 made at Svvanzey, near Mount Hope, when some 
 eight or nine men were killed. The alarm was given 
 to Boston, and a detachment of men sent out under 
 Captains Henchman and Prentice. These united with 
 the Plymouth force under Captain Benjamin Church 
 and Major Cutworth. They took up their quarters 
 in a house in Svvanzey. After some skirmishing, the 
 Mount Hope region was cleared of the Indians. One 
 white was killed, and a Mr. Gill struck by a ball that 
 would have proved fatal but for a singular defensive 
 armor, in the shape of a quantity of thick brown 
 paper which he had inserted under his clothes. 
 
 The Captain Church mentioned above was a most 
 brave and energetic man, and figures prominently in 
 this war. At the outbreak he was living as a solitary 
 pioneer-colonist in the country of the Sogkonates. It 
 seems that he was in the habit of taking Indian cap- 
 tives, whom he put through a sort of taming process 
 by treating them with kindness and generosity. 
 
WARS OF TFTR COLONIES WITH THE INDIAN& 
 
 93 
 
 Thus, he soon had about him a devoted bodyguard 
 of soldiers, who served him with the greatest enthu- 
 siasm. If he saw one of his captives looking surly, 
 he would only clap the man on the back, saying, 
 "Come, come, you look surly and mutter, but that 
 signifies nothing ; these, my best soldiers, were, a little 
 while ago, as surly as you are now ; by the time you 
 have been one day with me you will love me too,, 
 and be as brisk as any of them." And so it proved. 
 On the 1 8th of July (1675) the mited forces of the 
 colonists drove Philip with his warriors into a swamp 
 neir Pocasset. After some skirmishing the whites 
 withdrew. It was said that a vigorous attack here 
 might have ended the war. ^ • 
 
 Destruction 0/ Brookfleld. 
 
 The story of the destruction of Brookfield by the 
 Mipmucks is a thrilling one. The terrified inhabit- 
 ants of this village had collected in a single house 
 that stood upon a rising knoll of ground. They had 
 fortified their place of refuge as well as they were 
 able by piling logs and hanging feather beds against 
 the walls. The troops under Wheeler and Hutchin- 
 son (who had come here for the purpose of a treaty, 
 but had, instead, been treacherously fired upon) also, 
 entered this house, which was then closely besieged 
 by the Indians, who shot burning arrows upon the 
 roof, and, attaching rags dipped in brimstone to long 
 poles, fired them and thrust them against the walls. 
 
 From Monday, the 2d of August, till Wednesday 
 evening these attempts continued. Finally, they 
 
hl^ 
 
 1 
 
 ' t 
 
 y ' ! 
 
 :: 
 
 Ik 
 
 II 
 
 i 
 
 94 
 
 WARS OF THE COLONIES WITH THE INDIANS. 
 
 filled a cart with combustible materials, and, attaching 
 long sets of poles to it, so that it could be operated 
 
 THE BURNING OF BROOKFIELD BY THE INDIANS 
 
 from a distance, they sent it forward blazing against 
 the building. But a timely shower of rain extinguished 
 the flames and sav^f 1 ' ' besieged whites. Assist* 
 
WAES OF THE COLOME^ WITH THE INDIANS. 
 
 m 
 
 ance reached them that night. Major Willard, with 
 forty-six men, effected an entrance into the house, 
 and the Indians retired, after the destruction of a 
 large part of the town. 
 
 Inhmiiau Cruelty. 
 
 In this war the Narragansetts, the old friends o( 
 the English, had remained neutral, or had at least 
 pretended to do so. But, on what seems to us, at 
 this distance, insufficient grounds, the colonists 
 resolved to wage war against them, it being alleged 
 that they had aided and abetted the enemy. Accord- 
 ingly, a very large body of English under command 
 of Josias Winslow, governor of the colony of Ply- 
 mouth (Church also taking part), moved down upon 
 the Narragansetts in the middle of the winter. A 
 guide was found who piloted them to the chief fort 
 of the enemy, which was situated on an island in the 
 midst of a large swamp. 
 
 The entire village was surrounded by a strong 
 palisade, and the only means of approach was by 
 crossing the marsh upon an immense fallen tree 
 fil^ after file of soldiers was swept from Ms narrow 
 bridge by the fire of the Indians. At last an entrance 
 was effected. Church, who had been wounded, tried 
 to dissuade the general from firing the wigwams,, 
 since on such a bitterly cold night they would need 
 their shelter and warmth themselves, the nearest 
 refuge from the snow-storm which was impending 
 being some sixteen miles distant. But his advice was 
 unheeded and a terrible scene ensued. 
 
 . •♦ 
 
96 
 
 WARS OF THE COLONIES WITH THE INDIANS. 
 
 ■• 
 
 Large numbecs of old men, women and children 
 were burned alive in their huts. A chronicler of the 
 scene says : " The Indians were about preparing their 
 dinner when our sudden and unexpected assault put 
 rhem beside that work, making their cooking-room 
 too hot for them at that time when they and their 
 mitchin ^ried together. Probably some of them ate 
 their suppors in a colder place that night. Most of 
 their provisions, /as well as their huts, being then con^ 
 sumed by fire, those who were left alive were forced 
 to hide themselves in a cedar swamp, where they had 
 nothing to defend them from the cold but boughs of 
 spruce and pine trees." The colonists lost eighty 
 kilted and one hundred and fifty wounded. Besides 
 the unnumbered wretches who perished in the huts 
 by the jRames, it is supposed that about five hundred 
 warricti were killed and seven hundred wounded. 
 
 Horrid Barbarity. 
 
 Upon one occasion the English, to their eternal 
 disgrace, permitted a young Narragansett captive to 
 be tortured to death by their Indian allies, "partly 
 that they might not displease these confederates, and 
 also that they might have ocular demonstration of 
 savage cruelty." The victim had killed and scalped 
 many Englishmen, as he acknowledged, and they 
 thought fit to let him suffer, although the sight 
 brought tears to their eyes. "The Mohegans cut 
 round the joints of his fingers and toes successively, 
 and then broke them off. He bore all unflinchingly, 
 replying to their tai^nts with asservations that he 
 
WARS OF THE COLONIES WITH THE INDIANS. 97 
 
 I* liked the war well, and found it as sweet as the 
 [Englishmen do their sugar.' They compelled him to 
 fdance and sing in this condition until he had wearied 
 both himself and them, and then broke his legs. 
 Sinking in silence on the ground, he sat till '-hey 
 finished his miseries by a blow." 
 
 Close of Kingr Philip's War. 
 
 The story of the capture of Philip and the close 
 lof the war can be soon told. It was the month of 
 •August, 1676. Church was worn out with hard ser- 
 fvice, but, at the urgent request of the government, 
 |consented to pursue Philip to the death. With a 
 Icompany of men he marched to Pocasset, and then 
 jiiiade a flying trip to Rhode Island to visit his wife, 
 who fainted with joy at seeing him alive. 
 
 But scarcely had the first greeting been given, 
 when a messenger brought word that Philip was at 
 his old quarters at Mount Hope Neck. Church, 
 [bidding his wife good-bye, immediately mounted his 
 fhorse that he had just left at the door, and setujff at 
 full speed. The king, dejected in spirits and reduced 
 to the utmost straits, was encamped upon a spot of 
 dry land in the swamp. Church distributed a portion 
 of his force so as to command the avenues of escape; 
 I the remainder he ordered to beat up Philip's head- 
 quarters. The Indians, startled by the first fire of 
 the guns, rushed into the swamp. Philip passed 
 within easy shooting range of two of the attacking 
 party — an Englishman and an Indian ; the gun of the 
 former snapped ; but the latter shot the king through 
 

 98 
 
 WABS OF THE CJ0L0NIE8 WITH THE INDIAKIl 
 
 the heart as, half naked and flinging his accoutre- 
 ments behind him, he advanced at full speed. 
 
 His body was quartered and insulted ; his hand 
 was given to Alderman, the Indian who shot him; 
 and the head was long exposed at Plymouth, where 
 grim and harsh old Mather says exultingly that he 
 with his own hand displaced the jaw from the skull 
 of " that blasphemous leviathan." 
 
 A Hot Pursuit. 
 
 Annawan, Philip's bravest chief, escaped the mas 
 
 sacre, but was pursued by Church to Rhode Island. 
 He was tracked to Squannaconk Swamp, in the south- 
 eastern part of Rehoboth, an old Indian having 
 turned traitor and piloted the English to his lair 
 which they found to be on a ledge of steep rocks 
 which stood over the marsh. The only way to ap- 
 proach it was by climbing down from above. 
 
 It was night when Church arrived there ; stopping 
 the guide v/ith his hand, he crawled to the edge of 
 the rock and looked down upon the scene below. 
 Annawan's hut consisted of a tree felled against the 
 wall of rock, with birch bushes piled up against it. 
 Fires were lit without, over which meat was roasting 
 and kettles were boiling, and the light revealed 
 several companies of the enemy. Their arms were 
 stacked together and covered with a ma^. In close 
 proximity to them lay old Annawan and his son ; an 
 aged squaw was pounding corn in a mortar, and, as 
 the noise of her blows continued. Church, preceded 
 by the guide and his daughter, and followed by his 
 
WABS OF THE COLONIES WITi^ IHFj tVDIANS. 
 
 99 
 
 Indian allies, let himself down by th^ bushes and 
 twigs which grew in the crevices of the rocks. With 
 his hatchet in his hand he stepped over the young 
 Annawan, who drew himself into a heap with his 
 blanket over his head, and reached the guns. The 
 old chief sat up, crying out " Howoh ! " but, seeing 
 fae was taken, lay down again in silence. 
 
 All submitted. Annawan ordered his women tc 
 prepare supper for Church and his men, and they 
 supped together harmoniously. Then all fell asleep, 
 except the leaders, who lay Idoking at each other for 
 nearly an hour; when Annawan arose and brought 
 the regalia of Philip, which he presented on his knees 
 to Church, saying: "Great v:aptain, you have killed 
 Philip and conquered his country ; for I believe that 
 I and my company are the last that war against the 
 English. The war is ende^i by your means. These 
 things belong to you." 
 
 He then handed him two brosi/J belts richly worked 
 in wampum, one of which, Tring.^d with red hair from 
 the Mohawks' country, reached from the shoulders 
 nearly to the ground. H<2 also gave him two horns 
 of powder and a red cloth blanket. He said that 
 Philip was accustomed to ornament his person witl 
 this regalia upon state occasions, 
 
 Death and Destruction. 
 
 The chief facts of this long and eventful conflict 
 with Philip are thus summarized by Baylies : " In this 
 war, which lasted but little more than a year and a 
 half, six hundred Englishmen were killed; thirteen 
 
1 
 
 T 
 
 ^m 
 
 ^JO WARS OF THE COLONIES WITH THE INDIANS. 
 
 towns in Massachusetts, Plymouth and Rhode Island 
 were destroyed and many others <;reatly injured; 
 almost every family had lost a relative ; six hundred 
 dwellings had been burned ; a vast amount in goods 
 and cattle had been destroyed, and a great debt 
 created. But the result of the contest was decisive , 
 the enemy was extinct, the fertile wilderness was 
 opened and the rapid extension of settlements evinced 
 the growing prosperity of New England." 
 
 **Tlie Sr.vages Rushed In.** 
 
 Up to the time of Philip's war the people of Maine 
 ind New Hampshire had but litde to complain of in 
 -he conduct of the Indians of their country. But 
 after the date of the opening of hostilities (1675) 
 they were of course continually under suspicion ; in 
 fact, from that time there were many uprisings and 
 massacres in these two colonies. Captain Church v/as 
 sent against them, and he vaged the war with his 
 visual energy and more than his accustomed cruelty. 
 
 In the summer of 1689 ^^^ Indians made an attack 
 on Cocheco (Dover), where Major Waldron was in 
 command with a considerable force. The savages 
 were burning to avenge a wanton insult and injury 
 mflicted upon them, the major having k Jnapped and 
 sent to Boston two hundred Indians, of whom eight 
 or ten were hanged and the rest sold as slaves. The 
 attack upon Cocheco was made at night. Two old 
 squaws, having obtained permission to sleep in the 
 garrisoned houses, arose at night and ynbarred the 
 doors, when the savages rushed in and completeb' 
 
lNS, 
 
 le Island 
 injured; 
 hundred 
 in goods 
 eat debf 
 decisive , 
 ess was 
 1 evinced 
 
 >f Maine 
 lin of in 
 y. But 
 
 (1675) 
 cion ; in 
 
 ngs and 
 
 irch v/as 
 
 ivith his 
 
 cruelty. 
 
 1 attack 
 
 was in 
 savaofes 
 I injury 
 )ed and 
 n eight 
 ;. The 
 wo old 
 
 in the 
 red the 
 ipleteh' 
 
y 
 
 y. 
 
 in 
 
 'Si 
 
 O 
 
 
WARS OF THE C0IX)N1ES WITH TIJE INDIANS. 101 
 
 bverpovvered the troops, among the captives being 
 [ajor Waldron. Although eighty years of age, he 
 lefended himself with desperate bravery, but was 
 inally struck down by a blow from behind. Bruised 
 ind mangled, he was placed in a chair on a table, 
 md the savages gathered round glutted their long- 
 :herished hatred by torturing him. 
 
 **I Cross Out my Account.** 
 One of their charges against him was that he had 
 :heated them in trading transactions. It was reported 
 LHiong tliem that he used to estimate the weight of 
 lis fist to be a pound ; also, that his accounts were 
 lot crossed out according to agreement. As they 
 rashed his naked breast, each said, " I cros., out m}' 
 Lccount." T'ley would then cut a joint from hi^ 
 inger. with the question : " Will your fist weigh a 
 [pound now?" These fiendish barbarities ^continued 
 indl he fainted from loss of blood, when he was 
 [placed out of misery for ever. 
 
 In January, 1699, the war with the French being 
 [over, the Indians of Maine and New Hampshire con- 
 [cluded a treaty with the colonies. But in May, 1702, 
 [war was again declared, and all the old difficulties 
 [broke out again with renewed bitterness. Fate, it 
 (seemed, never intended white and red men to live in 
 [peace. One of the most famous episodes of the wars 
 nth these Northeastern Indians was Lovewell's fight, 
 'he engagement took place near Saco Pond, in 
 [aine, the Indian in command being Pangus, chief of 
 the Pequawkets, His men numbered eighty, while 
 
 187142 
 
r 
 
 Ml 
 
 I • 
 
 i;! 
 
 
 t '' 
 
 I 
 
 102 WABS OF THE OOLO^^IES Wllfl THE INDIANS. 
 
 Love well had but thirty-four. This border fight has 
 been celebrated in a rather vigorous ballad, modelled 
 on that of Chevy Chase ; the author is unknown. As 
 to Lovewell, he had, not long previously, been promi- 
 nent in another affair. 
 
 The cruel and barbarous murders committed by 
 the Indians in these regions had induced the general 
 court of Massachusetts to offer a bounty of five hun- 
 dred dollars for each Indian's scalp brought in. Love- 
 well, with forty men, coming upon a small body of 
 Indians sleeping round their fires, killed and scalped 
 all of them ; then, with their trophies mounted on 
 hoops, they marched in triumph to Boston and re- 
 ceived their five thousand dollars. 
 
 Lovewell Fatally Shot. 
 
 Lovewell left Dunstable on the i6th of April, 1725. 
 Early on the following morning, while at prayers, they 
 heard the report of a gun. Leaving their packs, they 
 pressed forward to meet the Indians. Pangus dis- 
 covered the packs, and thereby learning the inferior 
 strength of the enemy, boldly advanced and provoked 
 battle. On the morning of the 8th, Ensign Wyman 
 discovered an Indian who was returning from a hunt, 
 having in one hand some fowls which he had killed, 
 and in the other two guns. Perceiving that his hour 
 had come, he levelled a gun at Captain Lovewell and 
 mortally wounded him, though he did not imme- 
 diately fall, but was able to lead his men in the 
 second engagement, which occurred soon after when 
 they had returned to the place where they had left 
 
WARS OF THE COLONIES WITH THE INDIANS. lOS 
 
 their packs. Here the Indians fell upon jhem from 
 [an ambuscade. The unknown poet mentioned above 
 i describes the scene in these lines: 
 
 " Anon, there eighty Indians rose, 
 
 Who'd hid themselves in ambush dre«d ; 
 Their knives they shook, their guns they aimed, 
 The famous Pangus at their head. 
 
 "John Lovewell, captain of the band, 
 
 His sword he waved, that glittered bright; 
 For the last time he cheered his men, 
 And led them onward to the fight !" 
 
 [At first the Indians held up ropes and asked the Eng- 
 !lish if they would surrender; they replied by charg- 
 ing and firing, thus driving back the savages, who, 
 ; however, soon rallied and, in turn, forced the Eng- 
 [lish to retreat. Lovewell now fell. The fight con- 
 tinued obstinately until night, the Indians howling, 
 yelling and barking like dogs, and the English 
 cheering each other with huzzas. Pangus, chief of 
 the red men, and Powan, another chief, were slain. 
 Fourteen of the. English escaped from the battle- 
 ground at midnight, and, although fifty miles from any 
 setdement, succeeded in reaching their friends. 
 
 A Miraculous Escape. 
 
 One Solomon Keyes, who had received three 
 .vounds from the Indians, had a remarkable escape. 
 Thinking to crawl away and die in some spot where 
 the Indians could not scalp him, he crept along the 
 shore of the pond and found a canoe, into which he 
 rolled himself and was floated away by the wind. To 
 his amazement, he found that during the night he had 
 
■ 
 
 104 WARS OF THE (.'OLONIKH WITH THE INDIANS. 
 
 •'I! 
 
 m 
 
 ' n 
 
 ' 
 
 iji 
 
 been drifl^ed to within a short distance of the fori 
 called Ossipee, which Lovewell's men had built as 
 a refuge. Here he found a few companions, and, 
 eventually recovering from ' his wounds, returned 
 home with them. 
 
 Another sadly memorable event of the wars of the 
 :jorthern New England settlers with the Indians was 
 the destruction of Deerfield in Massachusetts, which 
 event formed part of a deep-laid plan of the Canadian 
 French and the Indians for laying waste the entire 
 frontier. The scheme was, however, but partially 
 "successful. Deerfield had been palisaded and twenty 
 soldiers quartered there in different houses. But 
 these guards forgot their duty. The snow afforded 
 easy access over the fortifications to the town, and 
 the conquest of the place was made with the great- 
 est ease. 
 
 The story shall be given in the words of the Rev. 
 John Williams : " On Tuesday, the 29th of February, 
 1703—4, not long before break of day, the enemy 
 came in like a flood upon us, our watch being un- 
 faithful — an evil whose awful effects, in the surprisal 
 of our fort, should bespeak all watchmen to avoid 
 as they would not bring the charge of blood upor 
 themselves. They came to my house in the begin 
 iiing of the onset, and by their violent endeavors to 
 break open doors and -^/indows with axes and hatch- 
 ets awakened me out of sleep ; on which I leaped 
 out of bed, and, running toward the door, perceived 
 the enemy making their entrance into the house. 1 
 
 t 
 
WARS OF THE COLONIES WITH THE INDIANS. lOI 
 
 called to awaken two soldiers in the chamber, and 
 returning toward my bedside for my arms, the enemy 
 immediately brake into my room, I judge to the num 
 
 BURNING OF DEERFIELD BY THE INDIANS. 
 
 oer of twenty, with painted faces and hideous accbi- 
 mations. 
 
 ** I reached up my hands to the bed- tester for my 
 pistol, uttering a short petition to God, expecting a 
 present passage through the valley of the shadow (A 
 
11 
 
 
 ii! 
 
 ■^30^^' 
 
 106 WARS OF THE COLONIES WITH THE INDIANS. 
 
 death. Taking down my pistol, I cocked it and put 
 it to the breast of the first Indian who came up, but 
 my pistol missed fire. I was seized by three Indians, 
 who disarmed me and bound me, naked as I was, in 
 my shirt, and so I stood for near the space of an 
 hour.^' 
 
 FrightAil Slaugfhter. 
 
 In the mean time the work of destruction went on. 
 Forty-seven persons were killed, and the entire town 
 burned with the exception of one house, which stood 
 next to Mr. Williams', and in which seven men with- 
 stood the entire force of three hundred French and 
 Indians. Mr. Williams continues : " About sun an 
 hour high we were all carried out of the house for a 
 march, and I saw many of the houses of my neigh- 
 bors in flames, perceiving the whole fort, one house 
 excepted, to be taken. We were carried over the 
 river to the foot of the mountain, about a mile from 
 my house, where we found a great number of our 
 neighbors, men, women and children, to the number 
 of one hundred, nineteen of whom were aftierward 
 miurdered by the way and two starved to death 
 near Coos in a time of great scarcity or famine the 
 savages underwent there. When we came to the 
 ';6ot of our mountain they, took away our shoes 
 and gave us Indian shoes to prepare us for our 
 journey." 
 
 At this point a few English who had escaped, and 
 a few from Hatfield, attacked the Indians and pressed 
 them hard — so much so that the French leader sent 
 
 
WARS OF THE COLONIES WITH THE INDIANS. 107 
 
 a command to have the captives slain. Luckily, 
 however, the messenger was killed on the way. 
 
 They now commenced a journey of three hundred 
 miles through a trackless wilderness, consuming forty 
 days in its accomplishment. Boughs of trees formed 
 the only beds of women enceinte and the only resting- 
 place of little children ; the latter were, in generav 
 treated well, probably because they desired to obtain 
 ransom for them. At the first encampment some of 
 the Indians became intoxicated, and in their fury 
 killed Mr. Williams' negro-man. 
 
 Death Brings Relief. 
 
 On the second day's march occurred the death* of 
 Mrs Williams. Having recently been delivered of a 
 child, she was very feeble. Moreover, she had, on 
 the occasion of the capture in Deerfield, received a 
 terrible shock through the murder of two of her 
 children at her own door, together with a black 
 woman belonging to the family. At the upper part 
 of Deerfield meadow it became necessary to cross 
 Green River. The Indian who captured Mr. Wil- 
 liams was unwilling that he should speak to the other 
 captives ; but on the second day he had another 
 master, who allowed him both to speak to his wife 
 and to help her along. This was their last meeting; 
 sue very calmly told him that she was dying. 
 
 Having now reached the river, and Mr. Williams* 
 old master returning, the two were separated. In 
 crossing the stream, which was very rapid and about 
 two feet deep, Mrs. Williams became thoroughly 
 
,f 
 
 ■^ [l: 
 
 n 
 
 s- 1 
 
 ii 
 
 :^ 
 
 i i 
 
 Hi 
 
 I 
 
 108 WARS OF THE COLONIES WITH THE INDIANS. 
 
 wet by falling down. Her husband learned this> and 
 other subsequent facts concerning her from others, 
 he himself being farther on in the van. Directly 
 after she had emerged from the water she felt unable 
 to proceed, and the wretch whose captive she wa:> 
 slew her with one stroke of his hatchet. 
 
 Others were killed and many died from cxposureo 
 It was debated whether they should not take the life 
 of Mr. Williams also, but his master prevailed upon 
 them not to do so. A young woman who was 
 enceinte, being unable to proceed without continually 
 falling down, was told by her master that she must 
 die. She obtained leave to talk a few moments with 
 her minister, Mr. Williams, and, then returning, was 
 executed. 
 
 In 1 706 fifty-seven of these Deerfield people were 
 sent in a flag-rhip to Boston, but many never left 
 Canada. The Jesuits made strenuous endeavors to 
 convert Mr. Williams and others ; their efforts were 
 successful with his daughter Eunice, who after- 
 ward married an Indian (by whom she had several 
 children), and passed her life in a wigwam.. After 
 her marriage, dressed in the Indian garb, she visited 
 her ^riends at Deerfield, and was kindly received 
 by them, but all attempts to regain her proveii 
 unavailing. 
 
 ^ « '' 
 
< 
 
 O 
 
 Q 
 
 12; 
 
 
 h 
 
 o 
 
 U 
 
 iz; 
 
 en 
 
 o 
 
INDIANS SURPRISED AND DEFEATED. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 War with the Six Nations. — Horrible Massacres 
 
 and Tortures. 
 
 We now turn to the colonial wars with the Iroquois, 
 or Six Nations. The massacres that followed the 
 defeat of Braddock were numerous and bloody. The 
 principal Indian leaders were Shingis and Captain Ja- 
 cobs, whose headquarters were at Kittanning, on the 
 Allegheny River. In 1756, Colonel John Armstrong^ 
 widi three hundred men, proceeded against them, the 
 attack beginning on the 8th of September. The 
 savages fought desperately in their log cabins, and 
 when told that they would be burned if they did not 
 surrender, one of them replied that he did not care, 
 as he could kill four or five before he died. As the 
 fire approached them, some began to sing, while 
 others, darting from tlie flames, were shot. Captain 
 Jacobs was killed. 
 
 Shingis was reputed to be one of the most famous, 
 daring and cruel warriors of his time. He was a 
 terror to the whole frontier of Pennsylvania. Yet 
 Heckewelder credits him with magnanimity. He 
 says: " Passing one day with him, in the summer of 
 1762, near by where two prisoner boys (about twelve 
 
 ~* 109 
 
110 
 
 WAR WITH THE SIX NATIONS. 
 
 years of age) were amusing themselves with his own 
 sons, and he observing me looking that way, inquired 
 what I was looking at. On my replying that I was 
 observing his prisoners, he said : * When I first took 
 them they were such, but they are now my children , 
 eat their victuals out of one and the same bowl ;' 
 which was saying as much as that they were in all 
 respects on an equal footing with his own children — 
 alike dear to him." 
 
 The Frencli Defeated. 
 
 One of the great conflicts of this epoch occurred in 
 1775 at Lake George, between the French and In- 
 dians, under General Dieskau, and the English, 
 under General William Johnson (superintendent of 
 Indian affairs in America) and the brave Mohawk 
 chief, Hendrick. After a stubborn fight the French 
 were defeated. General Dieskau was found wounded 
 and leaning against a stump for support. Supposing 
 that his captors wanted plunder, he put his hand in 
 his pocket to draw out his watch ; but one of the 
 soldiers, mistaking it for a movement to secure his 
 pistol, shot him again in the hips. He lived to reach 
 England, but died soon afterward. It is related that, 
 before the battle, upon General Johnson consulting 
 the opinion of Hendrick upon the advisability of de- 
 taching a certain portion of his force, and asking him 
 if he thought the number sufficient, he replied : " If 
 they are to fight, they are too few ; if they are to be 
 killed, they are too many." Hendrick was killed in 
 the engagement. 
 
WAR WITH THE SIX NATIONS. 
 
 Ill 
 
 Speaking of this brave man recalls a very pretty 
 anecdote of him and General (or Sir William) John- 
 son. Not long after his arrival in America, Sir William 
 "received from England some very richly embroidered 
 suits of clothes. Hendrick was present at the time, 
 and could not help expressing a great desire for a 
 share in them. He went away very thoughtful, but 
 returned not long after and called upon Sir William, 
 telling him that he had dreamed a dream. Sir Wil- 
 liam very concernedly desired to know what it was. 
 Hendrick readily told him he had dreamed that Sir 
 William had presented him with one of his new suits 
 of uniform." 
 
 Sir William's Dream. 
 
 Of course, Sir William could not refuse ; the suit 
 was given, the Indian departed to show himself, and 
 left the general to tell the story. Not long after. Sir 
 William met Hendrick and informed him that he had 
 dreamed a dream. To Hendrick's inquiry as to its 
 nature, the general replied that he had dreamed that 
 Hendrick had presented him with a certain tract of 
 land (about five hundred acres of the best in the 
 Mohawk Valley). Hendrick answered, " It is yours;" 
 but, shaking his head, said : " Sir William, I well nevei 
 dream with you again." 
 
 One of the noblest chiefs of the Iroquois, the most 
 magnaminous and friendly Indian of the times, waa 
 the famous Logan. He took no part in the French 
 wars of 1 760, except to act as peace-maker. It was 
 the murder of members of his family that roused his 
 
112 
 
 WAR WITH THE SIX NATIONS. 
 
 I i, 
 
 fury against the whites, the circumstances of this 
 brutal outraoie being as follows : In the spring of 
 1774 some englishmen were exploring lands about 
 Wheeling, Ohio, for the purpose of settling there. 
 The Indians were said, or thought, to have robbed 
 them ; the land-jobbers, regarding this as a demon- 
 stration of hostility, and learning that there were two 
 savages on the river above, sent against them Captain 
 Michael Cresap, who succeeded in killing tjiem, and 
 direcdy afterward several more, among whom were 
 members of the family of Logan. 
 
 A Hideous Crime. 
 
 In a short time from this another brutal murder 
 occurred, by which Logan lost a brother and sister, 
 the enceinte condition of the latter aggravating 
 the hideousness of the crime. Two wretches near 
 Wheeling, named Greathouse and Tomlinson, with 
 thirty others, resolved to massacre a party of Indians 
 who were assembled on the opposite shore of the 
 Ohio River, and bent on revenge for the murder of 
 their two friends. Greathouse, enticing a part of 
 them to drink rum with him at his house across the 
 stream, murdered them all in, his house after they had 
 become considerably intoxicated. 
 
 The remaining savages, hearing of the slaughtet: 
 of their friends, senc over two canoes manned with 
 warriors; but being fired into by an ambushed party 
 of the whites, they were obliged to retreat and seek a 
 place of safety. 
 
 After an ominous lull, Logan, with eight followers. 
 
WAR Uiixi THE SIX NATIbNS. 
 
 113 
 
 suddenly appeared on the Muskingum, where he was 
 least expected, and, attacking some men who were at 
 work in a field, killed one and took two prisoners, the 
 latter being compelled to run the gaundet. I think 
 that nothing could possibly show the comparative 
 humanity and gentleness of Logan more than his 
 kind treatment of one of these men, notwithstanding 
 the deep and terrible injuries which he had received 
 at the hands of the English. "He not only instructed 
 the prisoner, whose name was Robinson, how to run 
 the gaundet with the least possible harm, but, when 
 he was tied to the stake to be burned, cut the cords 
 that bound him, and afterward had him adopted into 
 ian Indian family. This man subsequently became 
 Logan's scribe. 
 
 Other tribes now joined In the war, all having 
 sufficient prevocations to whet their rage. The 
 iShawnese took the field under their. famous chief 
 Cornstalk (of whom more anon), and the Delawares 
 ialso assisted, being justly provoked by the cold- 
 blooded murder of their inoffensive old chief, Bald 
 Eagle. This old man was accustomed to wander up 
 [and down among the whites, visiting at those houses 
 where he was best entertained. As he was ascending 
 the Kanawha alone in his canoe one day, he was 
 foully murdered by a man who had suffered many 
 wrongs from the Indians. Placing the aged chief 
 upright in his canoe, he let it drift down the river with 
 the current. For a long time no one suspected tha; 
 
 he was dead ; *^ii" when at last the deed was dis 
 u 
 
114 
 
 WAR WITH THE 81X NATIONS. 
 
 covered, the most fierce resentment dwelt in the 
 breasts of his tribe. 
 
 Troops Hurryiiiff to the Front. 
 
 When the news of the breaking out of hostilities 
 was received the Virginia legislature was in session. 
 Governor Dunmore at once issued orders for the as^ 
 sembling of three thousand men, one half of whon^ 
 were to march for the mouth of the Great Kanawha, 
 under the command of General Andrew Lewis ; and 
 the remainder, under the governor in person, were to 
 proceed to some point on the Ohio above the former, 
 in order to fall upon the Indian towns between while 
 the warri jrs should be drawn oft" by the approach of 
 Lewis in the opposite direction. He was then ^o pass 
 down the Ohio and form a junction with General 
 Lewis at Point Pleasant, whence they were to march 
 according to circumstances. 
 
 On the nth of September the forces under Gen- 
 eral Lewis, amounting to eleven hundred men, com- 
 menced their march from Camp Union for Point 
 Pleasant on the Great Kanawha, distant one hundred 
 and sixty miles. The country between was a track- 
 less wilderness; the army was piloted by Captain 
 Matthew Arbuckle ; all the baggage was transported 
 by pack-horses, and the expedition consumed nine- 
 teen days on the march. 
 
 Before General Lewis could learn the whereabouts 
 d( Governor Dunmore, he was attacked by a large 
 force of the Indians, and the famous battle of Point 
 Pleasant was fought. The savages*^ were said to 
 
 ^^ 
 
WAR v,*rH THE SIX NATIONS. 
 
 116 
 
 cover four acres of ground as closely as they could 
 stand side by side." 
 
 A Mortal Wound. 
 
 The general, upon learning of the approach of the 
 enemy, deliberately lighted his pipe and gave orders 
 to his brother, Colonel Charles Lewis, to advance with 
 jtwo regiments and reconnoitre. The foe was soon 
 encountered ; the colonel was mortally wounded, and 
 his regiment driven back ; but another coming up, the 
 [Indians were forced to retreat behind a breastwork of 
 (logs and brush which they had constructed. They 
 had chosen their ground well, and, in the event of a 
 [victory on their part, not an Englishman would have 
 escaped -from the narrow neck of ground on which 
 the batde was waged. They had stationed men on 
 both sides of the river to prevent any that might at- 
 tempt flight by swimming from the apex of the trian- 
 gle made by the confluence of the two rivers. 
 
 The batde v/as obstinately contested. Colonel 
 [Fleming conducted himself with great bravery ; not- 
 withstanding he had received two balls through the 
 [left wrist, he continued to exercise command with the 
 [greatest coolness; his voice was continually hearc 
 [iabove the din of battle, crying, " Don't lose an inch 
 [of ground ! Advance ; outflank them ; get between 
 [them and the river!" 
 
 The entire line of the Indian breastworks now be- 
 [came one blaze of fire, which lasted the rest of the 
 lay. H^re the Indians under Logan, Cornstalk, 
 |£linipsico, Red Eagle and other mighty chiefs of the 
 

 I Mi] 
 
 It 
 
 ;[; 
 
 ;i 
 
 i\ t 
 
 JH 
 
 116 
 
 WAR WITH THE SIX NATIONS. 
 
 tribes of the Shawanese, Delawares, Mingoes, Wyan- 
 dots and Cayugas, amounting, as was supposed, to 
 fifteen hundred warriors, fought as men will ever do 
 for their country's wrongs with a bravery which coultl 
 only be equalled. Above the din of strife the voice 
 of the mighty Cornstalk was often heard during the 
 day, calling on his men in these words : " Be strong ! 
 be strong!" And when, by the repeated charges of 
 the whites, some of his men began to waver, he is said 
 to have sunk his tomahawk into the head of one who 
 was cowardly endeavoring to desert. 
 
 Shrewd Stratagrem. 
 
 At length the day was decided by three companies 
 of the English getting in the rear of the Indians and 
 rushing down upon them. Thoy, supposing that rein- 
 forcements were at hand, at once fled across the Ohio 
 and set out for their villages on the Scioto. A 
 stratagem employed by the English in this fight was 
 the holding out of a hat from behind a tree to be 
 fired at, and dropping it at the first shot ; when the 
 Indian, running froni his shelter to scalp his supposed 
 victim, was easily picked off. The chief of the men 
 raised for this service were " prime riflemen " and 
 " the most expert woodsmen in Virginia." 
 
 The troops of Governor Dunmore marched to 
 Chillicothe, where, much against the desire of the 
 soldiers, a treaty with the Indians was entered into. 
 This was the occasion which gave rise to the world- 
 famous speech of Logan : 
 
 " I appeal to any white to say if ever he entered 
 
is, Wyan- 
 posed, to 
 1 ever do 
 lich could 
 the voice 
 uring the 
 e strong! 
 harges of 
 he is said 
 one who 
 
 ompanies 
 
 iians and 
 
 that rein- 
 
 i the Ohio 
 
 cioto. A 
 
 fight was 
 
 ree to be 
 
 when the 
 
 supposed 
 
 the men 
 
 len " and 
 
 irched to 
 re of the 
 ^red into. ^= 
 he world- 4 
 
 e- entered 
 
r 
 
 !i 
 
 i I: ii 
 
 iSf 
 
 
 n 
 
 ■ 1 
 
 
 I . 
 
 
 MANDAN CHIEF MAH-TO-TOH-PA AND SQUAW. 
 
WAR WITH THE SIX NATIONS. 
 
 117 
 
 Logan's cabin hungry, and he gave him not meat ; if 
 ever he came cold and naked, and he clothed him not. 
 
 " During the course of the last long bloody war 
 Loofan remained idk in his cabin, an advocate for 
 peace. Such was my love for the whites that my 
 countrymen pointed as they passed and said, ' Logan 
 is the friend of white men.' I had even thought to 
 have lived with you, but for the injuries of one man. 
 Colonel Cresap, ::he last spring, in cold blood and 
 unprovoked, murdered all the relr.tions of Logan, not 
 even sparing my women and children. 
 
 " There runs not a drop of my blood in any living 
 creature. This called on me for revenge. I have 
 sought it. I have killed many. I have fully glutted 
 my vengeance. For my country I rejoice at the beams 
 of peace. But do not harbor a thought that mine is 
 the joy of fear. Logan never felt fear. He will not 
 turn on his heel to save his life. Who is there to 
 mourn for Logan ? Not one ! " 
 
 A Telltale Note. 
 
 Unsuccessful attempts have L,een made to clear the 
 skirts of Cresap of this crime of wanton butchery, 
 and they would have succeeded but for an incident 
 which would seem to make it doubly certain that lie 
 was the guilty one. A note tied to a war-club wiiich 
 was sent to Colonel Preston in Fincastle county, Va , 
 reads as follows : 
 
 " Captain Cresap, what did you kill my people on 
 Yellow Creek for? The white people killed my kin 
 
rs 
 
 WAR WITH THii SIX NATIONS. 
 
 ;■ I 
 
 : 
 
 at Conestoga a great while ago, and I thought noth- 
 ing of that. But you killed my kin again on Yel- 
 low Creek and took my cousin prisoner. Then i 
 thought I must kill too ; I have been three times 
 to war since, but the Indians are not angry ; only 
 myself. 
 
 *' {Signed) Captain John Logan." 
 
 Not long after the treaty of Chillicothe, Logan was 
 foully murdered as he was returning home from 
 Detroit. Previous to his deadi he had forfeited his 
 manhood by excessive drinking. 
 
 Heroic Death. 
 
 The great chief, Cornstalk, was also barbarously 
 
 killed in the fort at Point Pleasant, to which he had 
 come for the purpose of notifying his white friends 
 of the impending storm of war that was about to 
 break upon them, and. which he was unable to avert. 
 Just before his death he had been drawing on the 
 floor, for the information of those present, a map of 
 the country between the Mississippi and the Mis- 
 souri, when a call being heard from the opposite sid<, 
 of the river Ohio, he recognized the voice of his son 
 Elinipsico, who, prompted by deep filial affection, had 
 Iraveled far to se«* him. (Cornstalk, Red Hawk and 
 others had been detained in the fort as hostages after 
 they had given their friendly, warning.) 
 
 On the day following the arrival of Elinipsico an 
 Englishman was murdered by the Indians near at 
 hand, and the body .was brought over to the fort; 
 
WAR WITH THE SIX NATIONS. 
 
 119 
 
 whereupon an infuriated band of men, with a certain 
 Captain Hall at their head, cried omc, " Let us kill the 
 Indians in the fort ! " As the murderers approached, 
 Elinipsico discovered agitation, which, when Corn- 
 stalk saw, he said, " My son, the Great Spirit has 
 seen fit that we die together, and has sent you to 
 that end. It is his will, and let us submit." They 
 shot him through with seven bullets. He fell and 
 cMed v/ithout a struggle. 
 
 Mr. Withers, a writer on the. Indians, says of him : 
 ' Thus perished the mighty Cornstalk, sachem of the 
 Shawnees and king of the northern confederacy in 
 1/74 — a chief remarkable for many and good quali- 
 ties. He was disposed to be at all times the friend 
 of white men, as he ever was the advocate of honor- 
 able peace. But when his country's wrongs called 
 aloud for battle, he became the thunderbolt of war 
 p.nd made her oppressors feel the weight of his 
 upli^te ; irm. His noble bearing, his generous 
 and . '^ tiitested attachment to the colonies when 
 the thuJiJer of British cannon was reverberating 
 through Ui<; land, his anxiety to preserve the fron- 
 L • ' f Virginia from desolation and death, — all con- 
 spired to win ior him the esteem and respect of 
 others, while deep indignation was excited by his 
 death." 
 
 ^ lonel Wilson, who heard Cornstalk deliver a 
 spect ?)efore Governor Dunmore in 1774, says: 
 "When he arose he was \n no wise confused or 
 daunted, but spoke in a distinct and audible voice, 
 
120 
 
 WAB WITH THE SIX NATIONS. 
 
 |i 
 
 without stammering or repetition, and with a peculiar 
 emphasis. His looks, while addressing Dunmore, 
 were truly grand and majestic, yet graceful and 
 attractive. I have heard the first orators in Virginia 
 — Patrick Henry and Richard Henry Lee — but never 
 have I heard one whose powers of delivery surpassed 
 
 those of Corn- 
 stalk." This is 
 high praise from a 
 competent critic. 
 The colonial 
 wars with Pon- 
 tiac, chief of the 
 Ottawa nation, in 
 the region of the 
 present Michigan 
 and Wisconsin, 
 may next engage 
 our attention. 
 Of the Ottawas 
 one who knew 
 them says : " The 
 Indians on the 
 lakes are gener- 
 al 1 y at peace 
 with one another, having a wide extended and fruit- 
 ful country in their possession. They are formed 
 into a sort of empire, and the emperor is elected from 
 the eldest tribe, which is the Ottawas, some of whom 
 inhabit near our fort at Detroit, but are mostly farther 
 
 \;.=^^»*^' 
 
 PONTIAC 
 
WAR WITH THE SIX NATIONS. 
 
 12. 
 
 westward, toward the Mississippi. Pontiac is their 
 present king or emperor, who has certainly the 
 largest empire and greatest authority of any Indian 
 chief that has appeared on the continent since our 
 acquaintance with it. He puts on an air of majesty 
 uid princely grandeur, and is greatly honored and 
 revered by his subjects." 
 
 "I Stand in the Path." 
 
 In 1760, Major Rogers marched into the country 
 of Pontiac, who advanced to meet him with great 
 pompousness and kingly pride, demanding to know 
 why he had dared to enter his country without per- 
 mission from him. He was told that the design was 
 not tc molest the Indians, but to drive out the French. 
 To which he replied, " I stand in the path you travel 
 in till to-morrow morning ;" which signified that they 
 must advance no farther until permission was given 
 them. 
 
 But his intentions were friendly ; food was supplied 
 to the detachment, and one hundred warriors were 
 detailed to help drive the cattle which had been 
 brought along for the use of the soldiers. He also 
 sent word to the surrounding Indian towns that 
 Majox- Rogers had his permission to march through 
 the country. He manifested the liveliest curiosity 
 concerning the accoutrements of the English, and 
 also often expressed his desire to visit England^ 
 offering the major a part of his kingdom if he would 
 take him there. He was a strong character and pos- 
 sessed great influence among his people. 
 
/I; 
 
 ( t 
 
 i'i2 
 
 WAR WITH THE SIX NATIONS. 
 
 / 
 
 Pontiac always declared a willingness to have the 
 Enci^lish settle in his dominions, provided his rights as 
 sovereign were respected ; and it seems probable diat 
 the breakinor out of the hostilities was due to the in- 
 discreet treatment of him by the English. 
 
 Singular Kind of Money. 
 
 Under the rule of this great chief were the Miamis\ 
 Ottawas, Chippewas, Wyandots, Pottawatomies, Mis 
 sissagas, Shawanese, Ottagamies and Winnebagoes 
 He was a person of great shrewdness and force of 
 intellect ; as an instance of his superior understand- 
 ing it may be mentioned that in his war in 1763 (of 
 which I am now about to speak) he issued bills of 
 credit, all of which he afterward redeemed. The) 
 were of a singular nature, it must be confessed, con- 
 sisting of pieces of the inner bark of trees, on which 
 was pictured the object which he wished to obtain. 
 The government stamp, so to speak, was the figure 
 of an otter drawn, under the article desired, on each 
 piece of the bark; this animal was the totem or 
 escutcheon of his nation. 
 
 The first outbreak occurred at Fort Michillimacki 
 nac. Traders had several times warned commanding 
 officer Etherington of the unfriendliness of the In- 
 dians ; but he refused to listen to the stories, and 
 threatened to send as a prisoner to Detroit the next 
 man who should come to him with such false rumors. 
 Gradually, the Indians assembled around the fprt 
 until their number amounted to four hundred ; but 
 slight attention was paid tr* them, however. On the 
 
WAR WITH THE SIX NATIONS. 
 
 123 
 
 4th of June, which was the king's birthday, the savages 
 began to play in front of the fort a game called 
 baggatiway, a kind of rackets, and with them a 
 favorite amusement. 
 
 An Indian Game. 
 
 The sport, which is the national diversion in Canada 
 and called lacrosse, is of this character : There are 
 two posts, say a mile apart ; the ball is placed on the 
 ground midway between them ; the players are divided 
 ifito two bands, the object being to see who can drive 
 the ball against the opponents' post. The rackets are 
 a kind of curved bats. In such a game the ball is, of 
 course, thrown in every direction in order to avoid 
 the adversary. Nothing, therefore, could be more 
 natural than that, in the ardor of the sport, it should 
 be tossed over the pickets of the fort; this occurred 
 several times, that suspicion might be averted. 
 
 The last time, however, when a large body had 
 rushed in after the ball, the word was given, and, 
 dispersing rapidly in all directions, they took posses- 
 sion of the fort with scarcely any difficulty. Seventy 
 of the garrison were killed and the remaining twenty 
 retained as slaves. 
 
 Pontiac was the instigator of this affair; and, in- 
 deed, in a few days after the massacre he was in 
 possession of all the garrisons in the West except 
 three. Detroit alone was cut off from assistance. 
 The story of the narrow escape of this city is most 
 thrilling. When Pontiac arrived with his braves he 
 brought maav women and children with hlmj as well 
 
124 
 
 WAR WITH THE SIX NATIONS. 
 
 n 
 
 
 
 ff 
 
 !' ' !i 
 
 as goods for traffic, for the purpose of quieting sus- 
 picion. Having encamped, he sent word to Major 
 Gladwin that he wished to trade, but would first like 
 to hold a council with him " to brighten the chain of 
 peace." 
 
 Assent was given, and the next morning appointed 
 for the meeting, no distrust having been aroused. 
 The plot, however, was revealed by a squaw, who 
 had made for Major Gladwin a pair of moccasins out 
 of a curious elk skin. Being much pleased with them, 
 he requested her to make another pair for him to 
 present to a friend, and to keep what was left to con- 
 vert into a pair of shoes for herself. She was then 
 paid for her work and dismissed, but was afterward 
 found loitering within the gates. Being asked what 
 she wanted, she did not reply, and she w^as again 
 summoned before the major, when, after much con- 
 fusion and trepidation, she revealed the following plot 
 for the massacre of the garrison on the morrow : 
 
 Ready for the Attack. 
 
 Each chief was to come to the council with such a 
 piece cut from the end of his gun that it could be 
 concealed under his blanket ; also, as many as possi- 
 ble, armed in the same manner, were to enter outside, 
 ostensibly for the purpose of trading. The woman 
 was sent away and the news imparted to the men. 
 In the morning all, being prepared, nervously await- 
 ed the hour for the meeting. 
 
 At ten o'clock Pontiac appeared with thirty-six 
 chiefs and a train of warriors. He observed, with 
 
 ^K^^^Sp^^v 
 
WAR WITH THE SIX NATIONS. 
 
 120 
 
 some uneasiness, the unusual spectacle of troops 
 marching from place to place, and some investing, or 
 at least facing, the council-house, but was reassured 
 upon being told that it was only parade. The council 
 began by a speech from Pontiac. The signal for 
 attack was known to be the presentation of a wam- 
 pum peace-belt to Major Gladwin in a certain* man- 
 ner. As Pontiac reached this part of his speech, and 
 was about to offer the belt, the officers around the 
 major half drew their swords from their scabbards, 
 the soldiers clutched their guns more firmly, and the 
 chiefs saw at once that they had been betrayed. 
 Pontiiic turned as pale as it is possible for an Indian 
 to do, and the chiefs exchanged glances of the utmost 
 astonishment. Pontiac, however, having regained his 
 composure, finished his spe 3ch as though nothing had 
 occurred. When Major Gladwin began his reply he 
 at once charged the treachery upon Pontiac, who 
 endeavored to excuse himself, but the major stepped 
 quickly to the nearest chief, and, pulling aside his 
 blanket, revealed the short gun. Of course nothing 
 further could be said, and they were told to leave the 
 fort instantly, as the soldiers could with difficulty be 
 restrained from cutting them to pieces. 
 
 On the following day the Indians began a furious 
 attack. They endeavored to set on fire the stockade, 
 and in several places commenced to cut it with axes, 
 so as to form a breach. Major Gladwin finally in- 
 structed the men not only to permit the opening to 
 be made, but to assist them by cutting away on the 
 
126 
 
 WAR WITH THE SIX NATIONS. 
 
 
 inside. As soon as the passage was effected the In 
 dians rushed forward to enter it; but at that moment 
 a brass four-pounder was discharged at the opening 
 from within, and made dreadful havoc amongst them. 
 After this they contented themselves with blockading 
 the fort. 
 
 Battle of Bloody Bridge. 
 
 There was much difficulty in relieving Detroit, 
 owing to its great distance from the other extreme 
 Western forts. At length, on the 29th of July, 1763, 
 Captain Dalyell arrived with succor. Shortly after, 
 sallying forth with two hundred and forty-seven men, 
 he was attacked by the Indians in ambush, and 'lat 
 is known as the battle of Bloody Bridge was f ^J. 
 This engagement derived its name from the bridge 
 where the attack was made. The main body of the 
 English effected a retreat, but they left the bridge 
 actually blocked up With, their dead, showing the des- 
 perate character of the struggle. 
 
 It seemed almost impossible for any ship bringing 
 aid to escape the detection of Pontiac. Upon one 
 occasion a schooner laden with provisions appeared 
 near the fort, and Pontiac determined to attempt its 
 capture. The vessel tacked short about, followed by 
 the canoes, the savages, pertinacious as hornets, often 
 coming so close to the vessel as to be severely burned 
 by the powder from the guns. They had picked off 
 nearly all the crew, and were at length clambering 
 over the sides of the vessel and up the shrouds, when 
 the captain, being determined not to fall into thei* 
 
WAR WITH THK SIX NATIONS. 
 
 12\ 
 
 hands alive, commanded the gunner to fire the 
 mas^^azine. 
 
 A Huron chief, understanding a little English, 
 overheard the order and communicated it to the rest, 
 wnereupon they precipitately fled the ship in the 
 greatest alarm, and the remnant of the crew were 
 then enabled to bring the vessel safely to the fort, 
 Vhis schooner had been sent from Niagara with a 
 force of eiofhteen, twelve of whom were Mohawk 
 Indians. So gratified was Major Gladwin by the 
 bravery of the men in rescuing the garrison from the 
 horrible and certain fate of starvation that he caused 
 silver medals, descriptive of the event, to be struck 
 and presented to each of the survivors. 
 
 The fame of these wars of Pontiac spread even to 
 Europe. Finally, General Bradstreet, with three 
 thousand men, took the field against him. Thereupon 
 the chief sued for peace, which was granted, and he 
 afterward became apparently a firm friend of the 
 whites. The manner of his death is not certainly 
 known. 
 
 "S' 
 
 »> 
 
■ 1 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Hostilities on the Frontier. — Rescue of Captives. 
 
 — Thrilling Scenes. 
 
 During hostilities at Fort Detroit, Fort Pitt had 
 been closely besieged by the Indians. After Pontiac 
 abandoned the siege at the former place, it was 
 decided by the English (in July, 1763) to send relief 
 to Fort Pitt, which was situated on a point of land 
 made by the junction of the Mononoahela with the 
 Ohio. Captain Ecuyer, the brave commander of the 
 place, had suffered severely from the unceasing and 
 gajiing fire of the Indians, as well as from the great 
 floods which had nearly destroyed the foundations oi 
 his fort. He wac two hundred miles from any settle 
 ment, and could send no word of his danger. 
 
 General Amher.t appointed Colonel Henry Bou- 
 quet leader of che relief expedition, and the forces 
 (consisting of about five hundred men) were to 
 rendezvous at Carlisle, Pa. As soon a,5 the Indians 
 learned that the colonel was en route^ they broke up 
 the siege a;"5d resolved to waylay him. Accordingly, 
 on the 4th <cA July they made an attack from an am* 
 buscade at a place called Bushy Run. The English, 
 embarrassed by their convoy of horses laden with 
 flour, were being much distressed and harassed by 
 
 ^^mmm^ 
 
HOSTILITIES ON THE FRONTIER 
 
 12S 
 
 the savager. when the night closed in and fc jed them 
 to desist from fighting. But the same scene was 
 again enacted, until Colonel Bouquet bethought him 
 of a stratagem which undoubtedly was the means of 
 saving his force from destruction. He feigned a 
 retreat, and the Indians rushed forward into a circle 
 prepared for them by sending one of the wings oi 
 the army around a hill where they were unperceived 
 by the enemy, who, being now attacked on aP sides, 
 were completely vanquished. In this battle fifty 
 whites and sixty Indians were killed. In a few days 
 Colonel Bouquet arrived at Fort Pitt. 
 
 Important Expedition. 
 
 The next year, the depredations of the Indians upon 
 the back settlements continuinp-. it was resolved to 
 
 O' 
 
 send out a still larger force and awe the India.ns into 
 submission. Colonels Bradstreet and Boi'quet wefe 
 appointed to co-operate — the former proceeding by 
 way of the great lakes and falling upon the rear of 
 the VVyandots, Ottawa s and Miamir, while the latter 
 set out from Carlisle with a force of fifteen hundred 
 men. On reaching Fort Pitt, various conferences 
 were held with the craft)^ redskins, who wi re thor- 
 oughly frightened and expressed a desire for peace, 
 finding they had no trifler to deal with in the person 
 of Colonel Bouquet, who, while stern and exacting, 
 was magnanimous as well, and desirous of avoianig 
 ihe shedding of blood. 
 He had been sent word by Bradstreet that he had 
 
 concluded a peace with the Delawires and Shaw- 
 I 
 
130 
 
 HOSTILITIES ON THE FRONTIEB. 
 
 '* 
 
 anese ; but Colonel Bouquet would place no reliance 
 upon the good faith of the Indians, and told them so. 
 He demanded of them, in the first place, to prove 
 their sincerity by permitting to return to him in safety 
 two messengers whom he was about to send to Col- 
 onel Bradstreet. In the mean time he moved on to 
 Tuscarawas, and, finding here his messengers safely 
 returned, he gave notice that hw would hold a council 
 with the chiefs. 
 
 At this meeting the Indians in the most abject Tiin 
 ner sued for peace. The colonel dismissed them, 
 saying that he would confer with them the next day. 
 At the appointed time, after recounting to them all 
 their outrages and treachery, he gave them twelve 
 days in which to deliver up their captives. 
 
 A Resolute Demand. 
 
 He demanded that all prisoners should be surren 
 
 dered, " Englishmen, Frenchmen, women and chil- 
 dren ; whether adopted, married, or living among them 
 under any denomination or pretence whatsoever ; and 
 to furnish horses, clothes and provisions to carry them 
 to Fort Pitt." When these terms had been complied 
 with they were to be informed of the conditions of 
 peace. 
 
 Moving forward to the Forks of Muskingum, in 
 what is now the State of Ohio, Colonel Bouquet 
 caused houses to be built for the reception of the 
 captives ; and by the 9th of November two hundred 
 and six had been delivered into his hands, of whom 
 ninety were Virginians and one hundred and twenty 
 
HOSTILITIES ON THE FRONTIER 
 
 131 
 
 six Pennsylvanians, one hundred and twenly-five 
 being women and children. 
 
 The meeting of the adult prisoners with theif 
 friends and relatives, many of whom were with the 
 army, was a scene that beggars description Of the 
 children, many clung to their adopted Indian mothers, 
 and at first refused to depart with their real parents^ 
 A number of the Indians d'iclined to be separatee^ 
 from their white captives, and followed the army on 
 its return to Philadelphia. Thus, having completely 
 humbled the Indians and obtaihed their promise to 
 send, in the spring, one hundred more captives who 
 were off on distant hunting expeditions, hostages be- 
 ing taken to secure the faithful performance of this 
 stipulation. Colonel Bouquet returned to Pennsylvania. 
 
 Diabolical DeedH. 
 
 It is not necessary to detail these events of *^he 
 
 Indian colonial wars in strict chronolt ^acal rder. 
 and, indeed, it would be difificult to do so. I shall, 
 therefore, at once pass from these events in the 
 North-west to others which happened farther east, in 
 Pennsylvania and Ohio. 
 
 In the year 1782 was committed the diabolical 
 murder of the inoffensive Christian Indians of Gna 
 denhuetten, Salem andSchonbrunn in Ohio. In Feb 
 ruary a party of Sandusky Indians had massacred a 
 family consisting of a man, his wife and five or six 
 children. The settlers on the Pennsylvania frontier 
 concluded that either the Moravian Indians at Gna- 
 denhuetten were the guilty parties, or that the mur 
 
132 
 
 HOSTILITIES ON THE FRONTIER 
 
 derers were quartered amongst them. Accordingly, 
 organizing themselves into a band of eighty or ninety 
 men, mounted and provisioned, they set out for 
 Gnadenhuetten under the command of a certain 
 David Williamson. It should here be mentioned that 
 these praying Indians, as they were called, had, the 
 previous autumn, narrowly escaped destruction, 
 having been carried off to Detroit by the notorious. 
 Captain Pike (an Indian) by command of the gov- 
 ernor at that fort. However, since it was found 
 impossible to prove any wrong against them, they 
 had been released, and were now (the 6th of March) 
 out in the fields gathering in the Indian corn which 
 they h?':' left in the fields the autumn previous when 
 they were taken away. 
 
 Building-s Turned to Slaug-hter-Houses. 
 
 The white guerillas informed them that it was 
 their purpose to remove them to Fort Pitt for safety. 
 Much pleased, chey at ^nce laid down their arms. 
 Those at Salem were then summoned, and all were 
 placed in guarded houses. Colonel Williamson, then 
 drawing up his men in line, put t! * question whether 
 the Indians should be taken prisoners to Fort Pitt 
 or put to death, requesting those who favored the 
 former movement to step forward and form a new 
 line. Only sixteen or eighteen men are said to have 
 advanced. The savages, in the mean time, having a 
 presentiment of their fate, were praying, singing 
 hymns and exhorting one another to remain firm. In 
 a short time the two buildings were converted into 
 
 ^SPw^i^- 
 
HOSTILITIES ON THE FRONTIER. 
 
 133 
 
 slaughter-houses, filled with the mangled and bleeding 
 bodies of these innocent people — gray-haired men, 
 women and tender children ; none v/ere spared the 
 fatal wounds of the tomahawk, club, spear and scalp- 
 ing-knife ! I said none ; but two young lads did 
 indeed escape — one by feigning death, and the other 
 by creeping unobserved into a cellar, whence he 
 emerged in the night and fled to the woods. 
 
 A Thrillingr Speech. 
 
 There is a speech, preserved by Heckewelder, ot 
 the noted Captain Pike above mentioned, which is so 
 remarkable a piece of oratory that it deserves to be 
 given entire. Having made an expedition against 
 the Americans in the Revolutionary War, he had 
 come before the Eiiglish commandant of the fort at 
 Detroit to make report of his undertaking. He was 
 seated in front of his Indians, and held in his hand a 
 stick to which a scalp was fastened. After the usual 
 pause, he arose and spoke as follows : " Father " 
 (then he stooped a little and, turning toward his 
 audience with a countenance^ expressing sarcasm, 
 said in a low tone of voice) : "I have said 'Father,' 
 though indeed I do not know why I am to call him 
 so, having never known any other father than the 
 French, and considering the English only as brothers. 
 But as this name is also imposed upon us, I shall 
 make use of it and say" (at the same time fixing his 
 gaze upon the commandant) " Father, some time ago 
 you put a war- hatchet into my hands, saying, ' Take 
 this weapon and try it on the heads of my enemies, 
 
134 
 
 HOSTILITIES ON THE FRONTIEB. 
 
 :Ji 
 
 the Long- Knives, and let me afterward know if it 
 was sharp and good.' 
 
 "Father, at the time when you gave me this 
 weapon I had neither cause nor inclination to go 
 to war against a people who. had done me no injury ; 
 yet, in obedience to you who say you are my father 
 and call me your child, I received the hatchet, well 
 knowing that if I did not obey you would withhold 
 from me the necessaries of life. Father, I have said 
 that you may perhaps think me a fool for thus thought- 
 lessly rushing on your enemy ! Do not believe this, 
 father. Think not that I want sense to perceive that 
 although you now pretend to keep up a perpetual 
 enmity to the Long-Knives, you may, before long, 
 conclude a peace with them. 
 
 " Father, you say you love your children, the In- 
 dians. This you have often told them ; and, indeed, 
 it is to your interest to say so to them, that you ma)/ 
 have them at your service. But, fikther, who of us 
 can believe that you can love a people of a different- 
 color from your own better than tliose who have a 
 white skin like yourselves ? Father, pay attention 
 to what I am going to say. While you, father, are 
 setting me on your enemy, much in the same manner- 
 as a hunter sets his dog on the game, while I am in 
 the act of rushing on that enemy of yours with the 
 bloody, destructive weapon you gave me, I may, per- 
 chance, happen to look back to the place whence you 
 started me; and what shall I see? Perhaps I may 
 p^'. my father shaking hands with the Long-Knives; 
 
 ^Bww**,- 
 
HOSTILITIES ON THE FRONTIER. 
 
 13fi 
 
 yes, with these very people he now calls his ene- 
 mies. 
 
 " I may then see him laugh at my folly in obeying 
 orders ; and yet I am now risking my life at his com- 
 mand ! Father, keep what I have said in remem- 
 brance / Now, father, here is what has been done 
 with the hatchet you gave me" (with these wOrds hei 
 handed to the commandant the stick with the scalp 
 upon it). "I have done with the hatchet what you 
 have ordered me to do, and found it sharp. Never- 
 theless, I did not do all that I might have done. No, 
 I did not. My heart failed within me. I felt com- 
 passion for your enemy. Innocence had no part in 
 your quarrels ; therefore ! distinguished, I spared. 
 I took some live flesh, which, while I was bringing 
 to you, I spied one of your large canoes in which 
 I put it for you. 
 
 " In a few days y ou will recover this flesh and find 
 that the skin is of tlie r=ame color with your own. 
 Father, I hope you will not destroy what I have 
 saved. You, father, have the means of preserving 
 that which, with me, would perish for want. The 
 warrior is poor and his cabin is always empty ; but 
 your house, father, is always full." 
 
 Nothing could better distinguish the difference 
 between a savage and a civilized race than the last 
 two or three sentences of this speech of Captain Pipe, 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Romantic Adventures of Daniel Boone — Ex 
 ploits and Hair- breadth Escapes. — A Capti 
 vating Story. 
 
 The exploits of Daniel Boone in Kentucky form 
 one of the most interesting chapters in the history of 
 the colonial Indian wars, both on account of hia 
 thrilling and romantic adventures in a land of en' 
 chanting beauty and fertility, and from the noble 
 personal character of this hero of the events. 
 
 Daniel Boone was born in 1735 near Bristol, on 
 the Delaware River. His ancestors were from 
 Devonshire, England. Both his grandfather (George 
 Boone) and his father (Squire Boone) had large fami- 
 lies, and were characterized by a love f the freedom 
 and advantages to be found in newh settled lands. 
 It was this roving and independent spirit that led 
 George Boone to emigrate to America, and that 
 influen'^ed his son. Squire Boone, to remove from 
 jPennsylvania to North Carolina. This characteristic 
 was inherited in full by Daniel. He was eighteen 
 years of age when his father went to their new home ; 
 and as early as 1 764 he had visited the eastern border 
 of Kentucky, which was not far from his dwelling- 
 place on the banks of the Yadkin. 
 
 '''hMKKl.^ 
 
THE riONSBR HERO, DANIEI. BOONE. 
 
138 
 
 ADVENTURES OF DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 In 1 767, John Findlay, with a companion, discovered 
 and traversed the lonely region of Central Kentucivy 
 and Tennessee, and brought to the Carolina settlers 
 flowing accounts of the country. Among his listeners 
 was Boone, who was now married, and who, with his 
 instinctive dislike of crowded settlements, had left his 
 father and settled in a log cabin in the Yadkin Valley 
 as its first resident. But already others were coming 
 in, and he therefore listened eagerly to the descrip- 
 tion of the beautiful lands to the westward. 
 
 On the first of May, 1769, with a small company 
 of comrades, Boone started on his first expedition 
 into that region, which was hereafter to be the scene 
 of actions that were to make him immortal. They 
 found the country beautiful with flowers, green grass 
 and pleasing prospects, and abounding with buffaloes 
 and all varieties of game. 
 
 Alone in a Yast Wilderness. 
 
 Near the Kentucky River, Boone and a friend 
 named Stewart were taken captive by the Indians, 
 but escaped on the seventh day. Daniel and his 
 brother erected a small cabin, and remained here all 
 winter, Stewart having been killed by the savages, 
 and the remainder of the party having returned to 
 Carolina. In May, 'Squire Boone set out alone to 
 return to the settlements for the purpose of procuring 
 two horses and ammunition, thus leaving Dianiel alone 
 and (as he says) without bread, salt or sugar; deprived 
 of the company of his fellow- creatures, or even a 
 horse or dog ; alone in the vaiit wilderness and five 
 
 *lWWtsJ'- 
 
ADVENTURES OF DANIEL BOONE, 
 
 139 
 
 hundred miles from the nearest settlement. For 
 three months he continued his solitary existence, 
 going on exploring expeditions, and often so fearful 
 of the approach of the Indians that he dared not 
 sleep in his cabin. At length his brother returned 
 with the horses, and the two explored the region 
 between the Cumberland and the Green rivers. 
 When they again reached the Kentucky River they 
 resolved to make their future home there. 
 
 After a time they revisited North Carolina, but 
 only with the intention to return and inherit this 
 ^^^oodly land which they had seen and admired. A 
 company did actually start ; but among the moun- 
 tains seven young men of their party, having strayed 
 from the rest, encountered the Indians, who killed six 
 c. them, including one of the sons of Boone. This 
 so disheartened the little band that they turned aside 
 to the settlements on Clinch River, in Virginia. Dur- 
 ing the next year (1773-74) Boone performed various 
 services as guide and explorer for the Virginia gov- 
 ernment. 
 
 In the autumn of 1774 the singular Transylvania 
 Company was formed. Eight private gentlemen, at 
 the head of whom was Richard Henderson, cone -ved 
 and carried out the bold scheme of purchasing from 
 the Cherokee Indians a large tract of country in the 
 West. A council was held, and the red men ceded to 
 them all that region between the Kentucky and Cum- 
 berland rivers. With this remarkable self-constituted 
 §;overnment Daniel Boone entered into relations, con- 
 
I« 
 
 I ' 
 
 senting to act as guide and leader of a small colony 
 to be planted in the newly-purchased territory. This 
 advance guard was to make a road through the 
 wilderness, and Colonel Henderson would then fol- 
 low with pack mules and wagons. When within 
 fifteen miles of the present Boonesborcuigh the 
 pioneers were attacked by the savages and four 
 men were killed. 
 
 A Wonderf^il Fort. 
 
 Upon reaching the banks of the Kentucky the 
 first duty was to build a fort, and this was accom- 
 plished by Boone with his characteristic thoroughness. 
 This structure subsequently became^ the great tower 
 of defence for the young and struggling colony. It 
 was a wonderful work for that time and place, and filleci 
 the Indians with alarm and dismay. Its form was 
 that of a parallelogram, and it enclosed nearly an acre 
 of ground. They first dug a trench four or five fee- 
 deep, in which were planted heavy picke^-s, about a 
 foot in thickness and pointed at the upper ends, so 
 placed as to form a solid wall about twelve feet high. 
 The soil was then pressed hard around the base. At 
 the corners were projecting squares, or houses ol 
 logs (called flankers), with oblique port-holes, so that 
 the defenders could rake with their fire the external 
 front of the fort without being exposed to attack from 
 without. Ingress and egress were effected by means 
 of a gate with two immense folding valves. 
 
 The houses inside the enclosures appear to have 
 been ranged along the pickets contiguously, in order 
 
 "^mm^ 
 
A^'V^tlNTUKES OF DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 141 
 
 This 
 
 LilC 
 
 to Strengthen Hie defence. It was rather unfortunate 
 that the clearing was no laig'^r than tne fort, as the 
 woods would afford shelter to the enemy. In two 
 months and a half the structure was completed, and 
 was no doi L* regarded with feelings of pride by all. 
 
 Planting: a Colony. 
 
 Boone now returned to North Carolina for his 
 family, Mrs. Boone being the first woman to brave 
 the perils of the wilderness. Colonel Henderson 
 soon arrived with forty men ; the clearing of land 
 began; a land-office was opened, where ground was 
 leased in the name of " The Proprietors of the Colony 
 of Transylvania in America." Consciour that their 
 bold claims would be disputed, the compa y took all 
 possible steps to establish themselves fir ily. Soon 
 there were four settlements and forts in he region, 
 and in 1775 all the pioneers, in the capacity of a leg- 
 islature, assembled in the open air at Boonesborough 
 in response to a call to form a sitate ! This was cer- 
 tainly the most extraordinar^^^ legislature that ever 
 met. They, however, with the parliamentary formali- 
 ties, passed bills and transacted business with all 
 possible gravity. 
 
 The first difficulty with the Indians was the capture,' 
 on July 14, 1776, of three young girls, two of whom 
 were the daughters of settlers who had come in, and 
 the other the daughter of Boone. They had care- 
 lessly crossed in a canoe to the opposite side of the 
 Kentucky p.iver (the fort being on the bank of that 
 stream) at a late hour in the afternoon. The trees 
 
142 
 
 ADVENTURES OF DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 fl 
 
 and shrubs grew sick along the shore. The merry 
 girls, playing and splashing in the water, permitted 
 the canoe to drift to i;he opposite side. Lurking 
 there, were five hideous savages, on^j of whom, crawl- 
 ing stealthily down the bank, seized the rope attached 
 to the boat and drew it away out of sight of the fort. 
 The shrieks of the maidens were heard; but the 
 canoe was the only one, and none dared risk the 
 chance of swimming the river, lest a large body of 
 Indians might be concealed in the woods. Boone was 
 absent at the time, but the next m.orning he and 
 others were on the track of the Indians, and came up 
 with them just as they were kindling a fire to cook 
 their meal. Firing on them, they wounded or killed 
 two, and routed the remainder so suddenly that they 
 had, no time either to injure the; "broken-hearted" 
 girls or to take their moccasins and tomahawks 
 with them. 
 
 It will be impossible here to give all the details of 
 the Indian wars of Kentucky ; only a few of the most 
 important and thrillinfr adventurv::s can be related. 
 
 A Daring- Scout. 
 
 "* One of Boone's bravest and mos*: fearless scouts 
 was Simon Kenton, whose life vas a continual 
 romance. Eight times did he run the gauntlet, three 
 times he was tied to the stake, once nearly killed by 
 a blow from an axe. At one time, when he had 
 taken an Indian horse, he was seized and beaten by 
 his captors until their arms were tired ; they then pro 
 ceeded to secure him .in tlie following manner for th(, 
 
144 
 
 ADVENTURES OF DANIEL BOONS. 
 
 i|. ■■I 
 
 i!i I 
 
 night : Being placed on his back, his legs were drawn 
 apart and each foot lashed firmly to stakes driven 
 into the ground. A pole was then laid across his 
 breast, his hands tied to each end and his arms 
 lashed round it with thongs. Finally, a strap was 
 passed round his neck and the end secured to a 
 stake in the ground, his head being stretched back to 
 prevent his choking. 
 
 This being the time of the Revolutionary War, the 
 savages used frequently to visit their British employ- 
 ers and allies at Fort Detroit. To this place Kenton 
 was taken, and there won, by his deportment, the in- 
 terest of the wife of an Indian trader named Harvey. 
 
 Roinautic Escape. 
 
 A little romance followed, for thi-; lady promised 
 to assist the escape of Kenton and two other Ken- 
 tuckian captives, and the opportunity soon presented 
 itself. On the 3d of June, 1 779, the Indians assembled 
 near the fort to have a " spree," which meant to get 
 gloriously drunk on British whiskey. They stacked 
 their guns near Mrs. Harvey's house. When it wa? 
 dark she stole silently out, and, selecting three of the 
 weapons, hid them in a patch of peas in her garden. 
 Hastening to Kenton, she told him what she had 
 done, and instructed him to come with the others at 
 midnight to her palisaded garden, where they would 
 find a ladder, by means of which they could climb 
 over and secure the guns. ♦ 
 
 She also tcld him of a hollow tree at some distance 
 from the .own in which she had concealed such 
 
 ^HWMl^.n 
 
ADVENTURES OF DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 145 
 
 articles of clothing, food, ammunition, etc. as they 
 would require on their journey. At the appointed 
 time the captives appeared at the garden. No time 
 was to be lost, as the yells of the drunken savages 
 could be heard and daylight would soon appear. 
 Taking an affectionate leave of his benefactress, 
 Kenton set out with his companions and escaped 
 safely to Kentucky. 
 
 ■ ' Taken Captive. 
 
 One of the great needs of the colonists was salt. 
 Boone headed an expedition to the Blue Licks for the 
 purpose of making it by evaporating in kettles the 
 water of the famous salt springs situated there. The 
 undertaking was successful as far as the immediate 
 object of it was concerned, but was otherwise dis- 
 astrous, since all the party were captured except the 
 three who had gone to the fort with the salt which 
 had been manufactured during the month in which 
 they were not disturbed by the redskins. This was 
 the beginning of the long and remarkable captivity 
 of Boone, of which I shall presently speak. 
 
 Before the capture the following famous incident 
 is said to have occurred : Boone, while hunting in the 
 woods near the Licks, came upon two Indians. Per- 
 ceiving that it was useless to think of attempting a 
 retreat, he slipped behind a tree to let them come 
 within rifle-shot, and then exposed himself; the fore- 
 most levelled his gun ; at the flash Boone, who well 
 knew how to dod^e bullets, again stepped behind tl-e 
 tree. In the same manner the next Indian was 
 
146 
 
 ADVENTURES OF DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 1 
 
 % 
 
 induced to throw away his bullets, and while they 
 were trying, with eager, trembling hands, to reload, 
 he was upon them and succeeded in shooting one of 
 them dead. 
 
 The two antagonists, now on equal grounds, the 
 one unsheathing his knife, the other raising his toma 
 hawk, rushed toward the body of the Indian lying 
 between them. Boone caught the well-aimed toma 
 hawk of his foe on the barrel of his rifle ; and, being 
 at close quarters, with only the slain savage interven- 
 ing, as the redskin, in poising his weapon, exposed 
 himself to attack, he plunged his knife up to the hilf 
 into his body. Thi<: occurrence is commemorated in 
 sculptured stone in a group placed over the northern 
 door of the Capitol at Washington. 
 
 Boone in the Hands of the Savagr^s* 
 
 • But to return from our digression. After the In- 
 dians had captured Boone, he took what proved to 
 be the wisest course, submitted quietly and ingra- 
 tiated himself in their favor, and, when they met 
 the rest of the party at the Licks, signed to them 
 also to surrender. Reposing the greatest co'^fidence 
 in him, they did as directed, and this, no doubt, was 
 the means of saving the fort ; for if the savages had 
 not been conciliated here, but had fought and been 
 victorious, they would certainly have gone on to attack 
 this structure, as this had been a part of their pro- 
 gramme. They were Shawanese from Chillicothe, 
 and thither they immediately returned, taking Boone 
 with them. 
 
 
ADVENTURES OF DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 147 
 
 They next conducted their illustrious captive, by a 
 long journey, to Detroit, to exhibit him to their friends 
 and gratify their vanity. The comrades of Boone 
 delivered up to Commandant Hamilton at 
 
 were 
 
 Detroit, who offered the Indians a large ransom for 
 their prisoner ; but they would not accept it. The 
 taciturn, quiet, gentle and unassuming nature of this 
 hero pleased the savages, and they purposed adopting 
 him into their tribe. They occasionally met with a 
 white man who assimilated himself to their ways by 
 virtue of some subtle affinity with their nature, and 
 they thought Boone was one of these. They returned 
 to Chillicothe, and by the profoundest dissimulation 
 he succeeded in almost completely lulling suspicion 
 in their minds. He was formally adopted by a distin- 
 <^uished old chief named Blackfish, who had recently 
 lost a son, and remained with the tribe four months, 
 hunting with them and contending with them at their 
 shooting matches, where he was careful not to excel 
 them too often, as they took great delight in surpass* 
 ing him. 
 
 A Painful Ordeal. 
 He won the confidence of their king, who often 
 permitted him to hunt alone. To still further insure 
 their confidence, he submitted to the ceremony a 
 adoption, which was a rather severe ordeal. By a tfr 
 dious and oainful process the hair was plucked from 
 the head, li » . ^^ only a scalp-lock tuft, which was 
 dressed up in feathers and ribbons. He was then 
 thoroughly washed and taken to the council-house 
 
148 
 
 ADVENTURES OF DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 ! ■(' 
 
 ]U 
 
 where a speech was made to him, and finally he was 
 generously overspread with paint, the ceremony con- 
 cluding with a feast and pipe-smoking. 
 
 Still, his captors did not entirely trust him, but care- 
 luUy counted the bullets given him for hunting, so 
 that he could not conceal any for future use ; but 
 Boone outwitted them by halving the balls and using 
 light charges of powder. 
 
 The Captive's Flight. 
 
 At length, when he saw four hundred and fifty war- 
 riors painting, pow-wowing and otherwise preparing 
 for an expedition against Boonesborough, he deter- 
 mined to escape if possible. Having always care- 
 fully concealed from them his accurate knowledge of 
 the Shawanese dialect, he thus learned all their plans. 
 They had ascertained that during his absence the fort 
 had fallen out of repair, and anticipated an easy sub- 
 jugation of it. Although appearing to evince no 
 interest in their preparations, and having seemingly 
 become an adopted son of the tribe, the heart of 
 Boone was secretly filled with anguish at the thought 
 of his wife and children, whom he believed to be at 
 the fort, although they, with the exception of one 
 daughter, had in reality returned to the home of his 
 father-in-law. 
 
 On the 1 6th of June he arose very early, went out 
 to hunt and never returned. The flight of Boone to 
 the, fort on the Kentucky River, one hundred and 
 sixty miles away, is one of the most daring and thrill- 
 ing adventures to be found in the annals of Indian 
 
 '^Pwl^^ . 
 
ADVENTURES OF DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 149 
 
 warfare. The risk was, terrible. Four hundred and 
 fifty fleet-footed warriors were on his track, stung to 
 fury by his ingratitude, by the deception he had 
 practised on them, and by the consciousness that he 
 possessed their secrets. In this remarkable flight 
 Boone occupied four days, during which he had but 
 one regular meal, which consisted of a turkey that ho 
 had shot after crossing the Ohio River. He was nof 
 an expert swimmer, and had anticipated great diffi- 
 culty in crossing this stream, which was then swollen 
 from continued rains ; but he luckily found an old 
 canoe, which he repaired and which bore him safely 
 to the other side. 
 
 A Steady Storm of Lead. 
 
 So disconcerted were the Indians by his escape that 
 they were unable to recover from their surprise for 
 three weeks. In the mean time Boone had repaired 
 and strengthened the fort in anticipation of the cer 
 tain siege that was to come. The Indians soon ar- 
 rived, four hundred and fifty strong, under command 
 of Captain Du Quesne and Blackfish. Boone des- 
 patched a messenger to Colonel Arthur Campbell for 
 assistance, and then used every device to gain time. 
 During a truce of two days the besieged were 
 strangely permitted to bring into the fort water and 
 provisions. 
 
 After a treacherous attempt to seize Boone and 
 eight others during a council, hostilities bigan. A 
 siege had now opened which lasted nine days and 
 nights without intermission. The enemy, from thcix 
 
150 
 
 ADVENTURES OF DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 shelter in the woods, poured in a steady hailstorm of 
 If ad against the fort ; but they did but Httle damage 
 to any one, and the one hundred and twenty-five 
 pounds of bullets which were picked up outside of 
 the fort at the close of the siege had been thrown 
 away to Httle purpose. 
 
 The garrison fought heroically, having only two 
 men killed and four wounded ; one of the former was 
 the victim of a negro who had deserted from them, 
 carrying with him the skill in shooting which he had 
 acquired in the fort. This renegade had climbed a 
 tree and was firing into the building, when Boone, 
 marking him and taking advantage of a moment when 
 he exposed his head, sent a bullet toward him. After 
 the battle the negro was found dead with a ball in his 
 head, the shot of Boone having been made at a dis- 
 tance of five hundred and twenty-five feet. At length 
 the siege was raised, and the Indians returned in deep 
 chagrin at their failure to secure Boone, whom they 
 had destined to a dreadful death. 
 
 The terrible blow which the whites received in 
 August, 1782 at the battle of Blue Licks is too 
 familiar to render necessary more than mere allusion 
 to it here. The number of settlers slain in that battle 
 was seventy-seven, among whom was a son of Boone. 
 
 **Xow, Boone, we Got You." 
 
 The Indians were now ever on the alert to gain 
 possession of Boone. He owned a farm near Boones- 
 borough, and upon one occasion four savages very 
 nearly succeeded in capturing him on that place. He 
 
ADVENTURES OF DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 151 
 
 related the incident at the wedding of his grand- 
 daughter a few months before his death. He had 
 raised near his cabin a small patch of tobacco for tlie 
 benefit of his neighbors (for he never used it himself), 
 and had also built a small drying and curing house, in 
 which he was one day standing on the rails that sup- 
 ported the second tier of drying sticks, and engaged 
 in removing the dry tobacco from the first to the 
 third tier, when suddenly four burly Indians, with 
 guns in their hands, entered the low door below and 
 said : " Now, Boone, we got you. You no get away 
 more. We carry you off to Chillicothe this time. You 
 no cheat us any more." 
 
 The Savages Outwitted. 
 
 Boone saw the guns pointed at his breast, and 
 recognized in his visitors some of his old captors. 
 He feigned great joy at seeing them, said he would 
 gladly go with them, and only asked them to bridle 
 their impatience until he could finish removing his 
 tobacco, telling them to watch him closely. He then 
 arranged a number of sticks of very dry tobacco just 
 where they would fall upon their heads ; and, gather- 
 ing an armful of the dry and dusty weed, he leaped 
 down upon them, filling their upturned mouths and 
 eyes with the pungent, biting dust, and so blinding 
 them that they could not follow him. While running 
 toward his cabin he looked over his shoulder and 
 beheld the Indians, blinded and suffocated, with out- 
 stretched hands, feeling in various directions and 
 cursing him for a villain and themselves for fools I 
 
152 
 
 ADVENTURES OF DANIEL BOONE. 
 
 As late as 1786, although crowds, of settlers had 
 come into Kentucky, it was not yet free from the 
 incurs* ">ns of the savages. A thrilling and at the 
 same time rather ludicrous incident which happened 
 this year deserves to be related. Two lads, named 
 respectively Downing and Yates, living near a fort, 
 started out one day to hunt for a stray horse. 
 Toward evening they found themselves in a wild 
 valley some six or seven miles from their starting- 
 point. Downing now became alarmed and repeatedly 
 told his companion that he heard the cracking of twigs 
 behind them, and felt sure the Indians were following 
 them. Yates ridiculed his f ts ; but Downing, noti- 
 cing that in whatever direction they turned, the same 
 ominous sounds continued, now became thoroughly 
 alarmed; and presently, while his companion was 
 loudly singing some woodland song, he sprang aside 
 and hid himself in a clump of bushes, leaving Yates to 
 pass on out of sight. 
 
 Chased by Redskins. 
 
 Scarcely had he done so when, to his horror, he 
 observed two Indians cautiously peering out in the 
 direction his comrade had taken. Fearing that they 
 had seen him step aside, he determined to fire upon 
 them, but was so nervous that the gun was discharged 
 before it reached his shoulder. Starting off at full 
 speed, he soon came up with Yates, and the two 
 rushed on together, the savages now being in sight. 
 Coming to a deep gully, Yates sprang across success- 
 fully, but Downing jumped short and fell back at fulu 
 
 ^■wam^. 
 
ADVENTURES OF PANIEL BOONE. 
 
 163 
 
 length upon the bottom of the ditch. The Indians did 
 not appear to notice him and continued the pursuit of 
 Yates. Recovering s'trength, he walked slowly along 
 the gully, which continually grew more shallow, and 
 was ere long detected by a returning Indian. 
 
 A Bun for Life. 
 
 Having neglected to reload his gun, his only course 
 was instant flight. Throwing away his weapon, he 
 ran for his life. His pursuer was gaining on him 
 rapidly, and evidently desired to take him prisoner, 
 when he arrived at a huge poplar that had been 
 blown down by the wind ; he was running along one 
 side of the tree and the Indian on the other, when 
 suddenly an unexpected incident occurred which 
 turned the table in Downing's favor. 
 
 A huge bear was suckling her cubs in a bed which 
 she had made at the root of the tree, and, the Indian 
 thus unceremoniously surprising her, she at once 
 sprang upon him, growling ferociously. The savage 
 yelled ar i stabbed her with his knife ; she re*:unied 
 the compliment with several most affectionate hugs. 
 In the mean time, Downing, devoutly wishing her suc- 
 cess, ran off to the fort, where he found Yates, who 
 had reached there two hours before. 
 
 A word as to the latter years of Boone, who expe 
 rienced the usual fate of great benefactors. He lost 
 his farm in Kentucky, owing to some quibble about 
 the title ; and afterward, when he had removed to 
 Missouri and had been granted a large tract of land 
 in that territory by the Spanish Government, he was 
 
I 
 
 i 
 
 I 
 
 ' .1 
 fi 1 
 
 ) 
 
 1 1 
 
 154 
 
 ADVKNTURES OF DANIKF. B(X)NK. 
 
 ckiprived of that also by the United States authorities. 
 These despicable acts of injustice will ever be a stain 
 upon the escutcheons of Kentucky and the United 
 States, notwithstanding the fact that he did finally 
 receive from the United States Government a pett\ 
 grant of eight hundred acres in Missouri, upon whicl- 
 he lived until his death ; or at least made this his 
 headquarters, for even in extreme age his passion 
 for hunting did not forsake him, and he made many 
 long excursions on foot or by canoe, and often 
 entirely alone, into the interior regions of Missouri. 
 He died in 1820 at the age of eighty- six, and was 
 buried in the grave he had designated. In 1845 the 
 legislature caused his remains lo be brought to 
 Frankfort, Ky.. and reinterrsd in ihe cemetery of 
 that place witli cf^T^monial hoaot. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 (ndian Captivities. — How the Captives Suffered 
 
 Perhaps, all things consiciered, the most fascina 
 ting and instructive reading in literature of Indian 
 warfare is to be found in the personal narratives of 
 the captives who were carried off by the savages. 
 They are, for the most part, the simple and quaint 
 stories of unsophisticated people, who had no induce- 
 ment to assert anything but the plain, unvarnished 
 truth, which in these instances is certainly stranger 
 than fiction. Besides, through these recitals of the 
 captives we gain more knowledge of the life of the 
 red men, of their strange customs and terrible nature, 
 than we could obtain in almost any other way. I 
 shall, therefore, proceed to lay before the reader, 
 without preface or remark, some of tl^e most inter- 
 esting portions of these narratives, which are all 
 by the captives themselves. 
 
 The first in chronological order is that of John 
 Gyles, commandant of the garrison on St. George's 
 River, in Maine. 
 
 On the 2d day of August he and his father, two 
 brothers and some laborers went to one of his 
 father's farms, situated near Pemmaquid Falls, to 
 gather in the harvest. They had just finished dinnei. 
 
 / Ub 
 
156 
 
 INDIAN CAPTIVITIES. 
 
 at the farm-house, and were taking their " noonhig 
 near by, when they were startled by the reports ol 
 several p^reat guns at the neighboring fort, Charlf.s, 
 The next moment they were astonished by a volley 
 of shot from the guns of thirty or forty Indians, wlic 
 vvere concealed near the barn. The terrible yells of 
 the savages, the ping and whistle of their bullets and 
 the voice of his father crying **What now? what 
 now ? " so terrified young Gyles that he at once ran 
 for his life. - ' , ' 
 
 Looking back over his shoulder, he saw a 3tout 
 painted savage pursuing him with a glittering cutlass 
 posed in the air, which he expected every moment to 
 feel in his brains. He presently fell down, when the 
 savage seized and bound him ; then, pointing toward 
 the place where the laborers stood, told him by signs 
 that he should go that way. \s they proceeded he 
 passed near to his father, who, very pale and bloody, 
 was walking very slowly. . ^ . r * ' 
 
 Wlien they reached the laborers they found two of 
 them shot down, and one oi tjvo more knocked on 
 the head with hatchets, and crying, " Oh, Lord ! oh, 
 Lord ! ' One of his brothers escaped to a vessel 
 lying on the other side of the river ; the other was 
 ivaken prisoner. The Indians, by gestures, directed 
 them to go eastward. Presendy they again ruet their 
 father, who was told by one of the captors who under- 
 stood a litde English th;,t it was strange Indians who 
 had shot him, and that they were sorry for it. Thoi \as 
 Gyles replied that he was a dying man, and wanttd 
 
INDIAN CAPTIVITIES. 
 
 w 
 
 no favors of them except liberty to pray with his 
 children. This was something which even inhuman 
 barbarity could not refuse. , ■ 
 
 Brutal Murder. 
 
 The privilege was granted, and, although pale and 
 exhausted by reason of his great loss of blood, which 
 now gushed out of his shoes, he yet gave them his 
 benediction and parting advice wis.): a cheerful voice, 
 and the hope that they would meet in a better world. 
 The Indians then led him aside, and although the 
 sons heard the blows of the Ratchet, neither shriek 
 nor groan reached their ears ; they afterward learned 
 that at the first volley of the savages he had received 
 seven shot-holes throurrh his waistcoat. 
 
 Of the almost incredible hardships endured by 
 young Gyles during the long years of his captivity 
 one or two incidents will suffice to give an idea. 
 One winter, as he and his masters were moving from 
 place to place in the wilds of Maine, a moose was 
 killed, and he and a young Indian were ordered to 
 carry home the best parts of it. It being late in the 
 evening when they came to where the moose lay, 
 they had not time to collect materials for a fire. At 
 the same time a heavy snowstorm set in and continued 
 all night. They made such little fire as they could, 
 and sat by it until morning, when they set out on the 
 return march. Their clothes were soaked with the 
 melted snow, and they had not travelled far before 
 the moose-skin coat of Gyles (which constituted his 
 •entire apparel) was frozen stiff around his knees like 
 
! I 
 
 i 
 
 a hoop, while his snow-shoes and snow-moccasins 
 were frozen fast to his feet. 
 
 During the entire day he continued th^ weary 
 march, without food or fire, sick, drowsy and dis- 
 heartened. The young Indian, who was better clad, 
 soon left him behind. In his narrative he says that 
 at times his spirits would strangely revive as though 
 he had partaken of the richest cordial. At length he 
 reached the wigwam, and, crawling in, the Indians 
 cried, "The captive is frozen to death!" 
 
 When they removed his pack, they found that the 
 place where it had lain on his back was the only part 
 of his body not frozen. His snow-shoes were cut off 
 and the leather clouts removed from his numbed and 
 frozen feet. After sitting by the fire a short time, 
 the blood began to circulate ; his feet and ankles 
 turned black and swelled with bloody blisters, painful 
 to the last degree. The savages said, " His feet will 
 rot and he will die." 
 
 Terrible SiilFeniigs. 
 
 Soon afterward the skin came off his feet entire, 
 like a shoe, as high as the ankles, leaving his naked 
 toes without nails and the ends of his great toe-bones 
 bare, which in a short time turned black, so that he 
 was forced to cut off the first joint with his knife. 
 The Indians furnished him rags with which to bind 
 up his feet, advising him to apply fir balsam, but at 
 the same time suggested that it was scarcely worth 
 while, as he would undoubtedly die. But by means 
 of his elbows and a stick in each hand he pusher' 
 
 .&■ 
 
INDIAN (JAFnVITIEft. 
 
 lf.9 
 
 himself along until he had obtained sufficient to make 
 a salve, which he prepared in a clam-shell over the 
 fire and then spread over his feet. 
 
 In a short time he was enabled to walk about on 
 his heels with the aid of a cane. In ten or fifteen days 
 the Indians again set out, having made for him two lit- 
 de hoop-like shoes, which they sewed to his feet, so thai 
 he was able to follow them, though often in the most 
 excruciating torture from the snow end water. Gyles 
 seems to have been one of those unfortunate lad.9 
 who are ever undergoing a remarkable number of 
 nearly fatal mishaps, and yet always recovering with 
 the tenacious vitalitv of a nine-lived cat. 
 
 Kemark«ble Adventures. 
 
 On one occasion, as he lay in the wigwam, a scaf- 
 fold supporting moose-meat broke, and he was stunned 
 and badly bruised by a fragment of the wood, which 
 struck him on the head. At another time, being up- 
 set in a canoe, he was forced to remain underneath it 
 for a quarter of an hour, imprisoned by the cross-bar 
 and unable to swim, but was at length drifted to the 
 shore. Upon still another occasion the Indians or- 
 dered him to dive across a deep hole where they were 
 bathing, when he sank like lead to the bottom ; ht 
 was rescued by an Indian girl, who discovered his 
 position by the bubbles that rose to the surface.. He 
 was finally sold to a Frenchman in Canada, and years 
 afterward returned to Boston in an English vessel. 
 
 In March, 1690, the town of Salmon Falls, New 
 Hampshire, was taken and destroyed by the Indians 
 
160 
 
 INDIAN CAPTIVITIES. 
 
 h !l 
 
 One of the captives was Robert Tvogers (nirknamed 
 "Robin Pork," on accouut of his corpulence). This 
 fat wight was so harassed by the almost insupportable 
 burden which the savages had laid upon him that he 
 <^ndeavored to escape. 
 
 Fiendish Torture. ^ ^ ?* t 
 
 The Indians, starting in pursuit, soon found the 
 place where his pack had been cast aside, and directly 
 after tracked him to a hollow tree in which he had hid- 
 den. Pulling him out and stripping him, they spurred 
 him forward with the points of their knives until they 
 reached the camp. As the reader has seen in other 
 parts of this volume, the savages deem it an unpar- 
 donable offence for a captive to endeavor to escape. 
 Accordingly, poor Robin was tied to a tree ; the In- 
 dians then prepared their supper and with ghastly 
 merriment sang and danced around him. They next 
 gathered a quantity of wood, and, cutting off the top 
 of a small red-oak tree, left the trunk for a stake. A 
 fire was kindled near at hand and Rogers told to take 
 leave of his friends, " which," says the narrative, " he 
 did in a doleful manner, such as no pen, though made 
 of a harpy's quill, could describe the dolor of it." 
 
 They then gave him time to say his prayers, which 
 he did with extreme fervency and agony. He was 
 next bound to the stake, th" other orisoners beino 
 seated around, and the fire thrust upon him witli 
 much laughter and shouting. Then, not to kill hin 
 too soon, they drew off, and presently began then 
 fi«ndisb dance, at every turn rutting collops of flfsi 
 
INDIAN CAPTIVITIEa 
 
 161 
 
 from his body and throwing them into his face. After 
 he was dead they set his body down upon the glow- 
 ing coals, and thus left him tied to the stake, where 
 he was afterward found by some English who were 
 ,on the trail of these miscreants. 
 
 Hot Coals and Fire-Brands. 
 
 In October, 1754, the house of a Scot^-.hman, named 
 Peter Williamson, who lived near the forks of the 
 Delaware River; was attacked by the Indians during 
 the night and Williamson taken captive ; his wife was 
 fortunately absent on a visit to a neighboring farm. 
 Williamson suffered all the usual tortures, but his ex- 
 perience was not so terrible as that of several others 
 ,vho were captured at the same time. He gives an 
 account of the inflictions to which they were sub* 
 jected. ^ ' ■ ^ '■ ■ 
 
 Going to the house of an old man named John 
 Adams, they murdered his wife and four small chil- 
 dren. In vain he entreated them to kill him. Placing 
 a heavy pack of their pilfered goods upon his back, 
 they forced him to follow them. At their halting- 
 places they diverted themselves by inflicting bar- 
 barous cruelties upon him, sometimes stripping him 
 naked and painting his entire body with various 
 colors ; at other times plucking the white hairs 
 from his head and mockingly telling him that he 
 had lived too long; again, tying him to a tree, they 
 would whip him, and at times v^ould scorch hi^- 
 cheeks with red-hot coals and burn his legs wJH 
 fire-brands. 
 
V;if 
 
 
 I 4 Jlj 
 
 1 
 
 162 
 
 INDIAN CAPTlVlTlbc5. 
 
 Another party of savages, having- with them three 
 prisoners and twenty scalps, joined themselves to the 
 band that held possession of Williamson. Almost 
 dead with hunoer and harsh treatment, these three 
 captives attempted escape, but were retaken, and 
 their fate, the reader need not be told, was death by 
 torture with the usual accompaniments, includino 
 the ripping open of their bellies with knives and the 
 burning of their bowels before their eyes. 
 
 The third victim was buried in the crround, with 
 only his head left in view. After scalping him, he 
 was left thus in his agony for several hours ; a fire 
 was then kindled near him, and amidst his anguished 
 cries his brains were literally roasted. They then cut 
 off his head and buried it with the other bodies, Wil- 
 liamson being obliged to dig the graves. 
 
 Williamson's Escape. 
 
 finally, he determined to escape, and one night when 
 *11 were sleeping soundly, as only Indians could, he 
 employed several tests to see if their slumber was 
 real or feigned. Being satisfied that it was genuine, 
 he next tried in vain to obtain one of the g-uns from 
 imder their heads, where they are always kept durino^ 
 sleep. He then commenced his flight, but in such 
 terror that he would stop every few yards and look 
 back to see if he were being pursued. After pro 
 ceeding some distance he started on a run for iht 
 foot of the mountains, but to his horror he now heard 
 the ciy of the savages which told that his escape had 
 been discovered. Terror lent him wings. 
 
pro 
 111. 
 Heard 
 haJ 
 
'% ■ 
 
 164 
 
 INDIAN CAPTIVITIES. 
 
 ;r 
 
 i ' 'I 
 
 Onward he pressed with all the speed he could 
 summon, scarcely knowing where he trod, and often 
 falling and bruising himself in a most woeful manner 
 against stones and logs. At daybreak he crept into 
 a hollow tree, and, although his pursuers passed quite 
 near him, he remained there safely during the day, 
 and at night continued his flight, arriving safely at 
 the house of his father-in-law in Chester county 
 Pennsylvania. 
 
 Capture of Colonel Smith. 
 
 It is with a feeling of relief and pleasure that one 
 
 passes from the perusal of these revolting scenes 
 to the highly entertaining narrative of the captivity 
 of Colonel James Smith, This account, written by 
 himself, is taken from journals which he kept during 
 his residence with the savages, and is as attractive as 
 Robinson Crusoe, being told in the same simple lan- 
 guage. It contains few or no instances of blood- 
 sheddinor, other tb ■ those connected with himself 
 Its great value lies '-^ rehearsal of the intimate 
 private life of the Indians of Northern Ohio, especially 
 the Caughnawagas, by whom Colonel Smith was 
 adopted and with whom he lived for five years. 
 
 In May, 1755, the province of Pennsylvania ordered 
 Dut three hundred men to cut a wao^on-road from Fort 
 Loudon to the three forks of the Youghiogheny. James 
 (afterward Colonel) Smith was then living at Cono- 
 oocheague, and resolved to assist his brother in the 
 construction of this roadway. He states that he was 
 ia love with a young lady^ but being born between 
 
 ""■ * .— 
 
r6« 
 
 INDIAN CAPTIVITIES. 
 
 the Stars Venus and Mars he concluded to try his 
 fortunes in this semi-military adventure. In a short 
 time he was captured by some Delaware Indians, and 
 carried, first to Fort Du Quesne, then to Fort Pitt, at 
 which place he saw the return of the Indians from the. 
 defeat of Braddock and witnessed their bacchanalian 
 orgies outside the fort. 
 
 From Fort Pitt 'le was led by the Indians into the 
 interior of Ohio, and was here adopted into the tribe. 
 His adopted brother was named Tontileango. Almost 
 the entire life of the Northern savages is passed in 
 hunting for meat, making maple sugar, cultivating 
 their maize patches, trapping, etc. Young Smith 
 was at first given a gun, but he soon fell into dis- 
 grace by getting lost in the woods one night; the 
 weapon was then taken from him and replaced by^a 
 bow and arrows, but it was restored to him at the end 
 of two years by reason of his display of Indian forti- 
 tude on two trying occasions. ^ . . .» 
 
 ^ An Infernal Stratagem. 
 
 One day shortly after his adoption he was out 
 hunting with an Indian called Mohawk Solomon, who, 
 while they were tracking up some buffaloes, told him 
 a queer story about the Catawba Indians. He stated 
 that this tribe once came near one of their hunting 
 camps, lying in ambush at some distance off; and 
 that, in order to entice them out, they (the Catawbas) 
 durinor the niofht sent two or three of their warriors 
 past the camp with buffalo hoofs fastened on their 
 feet, so as to make artificial tracks. 
 
• I 
 
 INDIAN CAPTIVITIES. 
 
 167 
 
 Tke next morning those in the camp followed up 
 these traces, and were attacked by the Catawbas and 
 several o{ them killed. The remainder fled, collected 
 a party and started in pursuit of the foe; but they, in 
 their subtle tiendishness, had brought with them rattle- 
 snake poison, which was corked up in a joint of cane- 
 stalk, and had also carried a supply of small reeds 
 about the size of rye straws. These they made 
 sharp at the end, like a pen, and, dipping them into 
 the poison, stuck them in the ground among the 
 irrass alon^j the line of their own tracks, and in such 
 a way that they would pierce the legs of their pur- 
 suers. It happened as was expected ; a number of 
 them were lamed at once ; and the Catawbas, having 
 set spies to report, turned back upon hearing of b- 
 success of their stratagem, and killed and scalped all 
 their disabled victims. ' ' 
 
 On the Move. 
 
 When the savage had concluded his story, he said 
 to Smith, " You don't know — Catawba velly bad 
 Indian ; Catawba all one devil, Catawba." 
 
 Smith was now taken N( rth by his Indian relations ; 
 they led, in fact, a nomadic life, never remaining 
 many months in one place, but moving about in 
 search of game. Their longest tarryings were when, 
 they settled for the cold season. The first winter he 
 was with Uien: they built a cabin on the banks of a 
 small creek that emptied Into Lake Erie, between 
 CanesadooiiciriL: and Cuyahoga. The hut was con- 
 structed in the following manner: They cut logs about 
 
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 INDIAN CAPTIVITIES. 
 
 
 
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 fifteen feet long, and laid one upon the other, keeping 
 them together by driving posts into the ground at 
 each end, these latter being tied together at the top 
 with bark. In this way they raised two walls opposite 
 each other, al^ut four feet high, which were the sides 
 of the cabin. 
 
 Next, at the centre of each end they drove long 
 forked pieces of wood into the ground, and laid a 
 stout beam in the forks to serve as a ridge-pole, from 
 which to the two sides they placed their slanting 
 rafters ; on these they tied small cross-poles, which 
 they covered with lynn bark. This bark may be 
 stripped from the tree even in winter. They would 
 cut down a tree that promised well, insert the handle 
 of the tomahawk under a piece five or six inches 
 broad near the top, and then strip it down, in this 
 manner sometimes obtaining pieces thirty feet long, 
 which they cut into the required lengths. 
 
 At the ends of their huts the Indians set up split 
 timber, leaving spaces for two^doors, one at each end. 
 The chinks were filled up with moss by the squaws ; 
 bear-skins hung at the doors, and alciig {.he middle 
 of the cabin were fires which the women built of dry 
 split wood. 
 
 Indian Hospitality. 
 / It was some time in December when they were 
 settled in their really comfortable little cabin. But 
 now a new difficulty arose — they had nothing to eat. 
 The Indians, as is well known, are improvident in the 
 extreme, eating voraciously and even wastipg their 
 
INDIAN CAPTIVITIES. 
 
 169 
 
 lood when they have plenty, and lying idly about 
 uiuil it is gone. They are highly offended if they 
 detest any one attempting to hide anything for a 
 future emergency. They are very hospitable, and 
 never, under any circumstances, refuse food to any 
 one who asks, so long as they have a morsel in theii 
 house ; and it is considered very impolite to refuse tc 
 (It with them when invited. They have no regular 
 meal-times, but take their food when hungry. 
 
 What Indians flat. 
 
 Colonel Smith tells us that on one occasion, when 
 L Wyandot Indian came to their camp during the 
 absence of Tontileango, he gave him a shoulder of 
 venison which he had by the fire ready roasted. The 
 visitor thanked him and received it gladly, for he was 
 very hungry. When his adopted brother returned, 
 Smith told him what^ he had done. He said, " You 
 have done well, and I suppose you gave him maple 
 sugar and bear's oil to eat with his venison." Smitl 
 replied that he had not done so, as these articles 
 were down in the canoe, and he had not gone foi 
 them. Tontileango then told him that he had acted 
 just like a Dutchman, and asked him if he did not 
 .iiow that when strangers came to the cabin they 
 p^Mst always give them the best they had. 
 
 Smith acknowledged his error, and his adopted 
 brother said he could excuse him, as he was but 
 young, but that he must learn to behave like a 
 warrior, do great things, and never be found in such 
 ^itde actions. In summer the food of these Caugh- 
 
170 
 
 INDIAN CAPTIVITIES. 
 
 nawagas consisted of hominy, roast fowls, and some 
 times, as a luxury, bread made of corn-meal pounded 
 in a hominy block and mixed widi boiled beans, the 
 whole being baked in cakes under the ashes ; in the 
 fall they hac' fat roasted and boiled venison ; in the 
 winter, bear's meat and beaver ; in the spring, maple 
 sugar, bear's oil and dry venison, the latter being 
 eaten by dipping it in a mixture of sugar and bear's 
 oil. , \, . •?..•--.•:"■ .,. 
 
 Their maple sap was caught in vessels of bark and 
 boiled in brass kettles ; but if not possessed of these 
 they let Jack Frost make maple molasses for them 
 by exposing the sap in shallow bark vessels and re- 
 moving the ice as it formed on the surface, repeating 
 this process several times. The saccharine particles 
 do not freeze, and the liquor left in the dishes would 
 be very brown and sweet. ^ 
 
 Method of Killing Bears. 
 
 Their method of killing bears in winter was as 
 follows : They searched about until they found a tree 
 that had been scratched by the bear in climbing, and 
 discovered if the hole was large enough to admit him. 
 Then, when it was possible, :hey would fell a sapling 
 in such a way that it would fall against or near the 
 opening, when one of them would climb up and drive 
 Bruin from his retreat. If the saplings or trees near 
 at hand leaned the wrong way, they gathered some 
 rotten wood and tied it in bunches with bark ; then, 
 making a wooden hook and ta.ving a long pole, one 
 of them would ascend a neighboring tree, draw \ip 
 
INDIAN CAPTIVITIES. 
 
 171 
 
 the pole by means of a hook which he reached from 
 limb to limb as he climbed, and, igniting his spunk- 
 wood, place it in the cavity. Presently the bear would 
 come forth and be shot by the one below. 
 
 Their fare was varied with raccoon and fox meat, 
 these animals being caught in dead-fall traps. Hick 
 ory-nuts and red and black haws were also gathered 
 in extreme emergencies. On one occasion the In- 
 dians with whom Smith lived decided that they must 
 have horses with which to bring in their game ; other- 
 wise, the women, children and old men were liable to 
 go hungry much of the time, as the men were unable 
 to carry sufficient meat on their backs to keep them 
 supplied. Accordingly, two of the warriors painted 
 themselves, blustered about for a day or two and then 
 set out for the war-path on the frontier. Some time 
 afterward they returned with two horses and two 
 scalps. '^ ' • 
 
 Catchingr Beavers. 
 
 Their method of taking beaver was as follows: 
 Before the waters were frozen they caught them In 
 wooden and steel traps ; ifter that they hunted them 
 on the ice. When the animals were in their houses, 
 and not in subterranean lodgings in the banks, the 
 Indians, taking mauls and handspikes, broke all the 
 hollow ice to prevent them from getting their heads 
 above the water under it. They then forced open 
 the houses, and the beavers, escaping, would run to 
 the open places to breathe, where the savages would 
 either catch them by the hind legs, throw them out on 
 
I 
 
 172 
 
 INDIAN CAPTIVITIEft. 
 
 the ice and tomahawk them, or else shoot them when 
 their heads appeared above the water. Tecaughre- 
 tanego (adopted brother of Tontileango) told Smith 
 that the dams made by the beavers served them in a 
 variety of ways ; for example, in raising the water 
 over the mouths of their lodging-places in the bank 
 and also by enabling them to cut down saplings with 
 out going out much upon the land ; for, as they live 
 chiefly upon the bark of trees, and are extremely 
 slow and awkward when out of the water, they would 
 be killed by their enemies if found far from the banks, 
 
 Saved by a Hollow Tree. 
 
 Once, when Smith had gone out beaver-huntinc^ 
 with Tecaughretanego and others, they discovered 
 some raccoon tracks in the snow, and sent Smith to 
 look them up ; if he found them, he was to halloo. 
 He soon came upon th*^m, but when he gave the 
 signal received no answer. He at once retraced his 
 steps and struck into the trail of the others ; but, a 
 violent storm of snow having come up, the tracks 
 were speedily obliterated. The air too became almost 
 as dark as at night by reason of the thick driving 
 snow. His situation was now dismal indeed, having 
 with him only his bow, arrows and tomahawk, with 
 no means of striking a fire. At length he reached a 
 hollow tree with a hole at one side large enough for 
 him to enter, being three feet in diameter and six 
 feet high. 
 
 Inside was a quantity of soft, dry rotten wood ; he 
 therefore concluded cO stop up the doorway and take 
 
WDIAN CAPTIVrniS. 
 
 178 
 
 A 
 
 up his quarters in this inexpensive inn. Stripping 
 off his blanket, which was all the clothes he wore 
 except a breech-clout, leggings and moccasins, he 
 proceeded to cut up the top of a tree that lay near 
 by and set the wood on end against the opening 
 until it was three or four feet in thickness all around, 
 excepting a hole sufficiently large for him to pass 
 through. For covering this little doorway he pro- 
 cured a block to be pulled in after him, and also 
 threw in a number of small sticks with which to fill 
 up chinks after he went inside. When he had entered 
 he cut down all the dry rotten wood he could find, 
 and, pounding it small, made a kind of "goose-nest 
 or hog-bed," as he called it. 
 
 Lost in the Forest. 
 
 He next, stopped up the crevices with the small 
 sticks, and then danced in the centre of his bed for 
 about half an hour for the purpose of warming him- 
 self. By this time the snow had fallen over such 
 little cracks as remained and it became quite dark 
 inside. Coiling himself in his blanket, he passed a 
 tolerably comfortable night. When he judged it must 
 be morning, he endeavored to move the large block,, 
 but did not succeed at the first attempt ; this confused 
 and terrified him ; but after a second effort it yielded 
 sufficiently to cause an aperture of nine inches, when, 
 to his delight, the blessed light of day penetrated his 
 dungeon. He now saw that the fall of snow had 
 been very heavy — three feet in depth, in addition to 
 what was on the ground before. 
 
r 
 
 174 
 
 INDIAN CAPTIVITIES. 
 
 Taking his weapons, he started out, his only guide^ 
 boards being those of the woodman. He knew tliat 
 the moss generally grows on the north-west side ol 
 straight trees ; that the limbs are larger and more 
 numerous on the south side ; and that the tops of 
 pine trees generally lean to the south. Led by these 
 guides, he finally reached the camp, where he found 
 his friends just setting out to search for him, though 
 with little hope of seeing him alive. They were over- 
 joyed at his return, and man'fested their delight in 
 the most extravagant manner. This was one of the 
 adventures that led the Indians to buy him a gun at 
 Detroit. 
 
 The other was a similar occasion, when, getting 
 benighted in the woods, he displayed great fortitude, 
 dancing and hallooing all night to keep from freezing, 
 although suffering extremely from cold and exposure. 
 
 A Runaway Wife. 
 
 One winter, toward the close of Colonel Smith's cap- 
 tivity, they had buried their canoes for the season near 
 the Falls of the Sandusky River, and had gone into the 
 interior of Ohio to hunt. Here, one day, Tontileango 
 happened to whip his step-son for some offence, instead 
 of ducking him, which was the usual custom with the 
 Indians in punishing boys. By this act his wife waa 
 made so angry that she gathered up her effect^ 
 (which were always kept separate from those of hei 
 husband) and rode off to the home of her father-in- 
 law. Tontileango went after her and made up the 
 quarrel, but did not return to his encampment 
 
INDUS CAFnvrriEs. 
 
 175 
 
 again, and seems to have stayed with his wife, thus 
 leaving one boy and the old man, Tecaughretanego, 
 with Smith. 
 
 Cold and Hunger. 
 
 Their experience this winter was an unenviable onCv 
 as it was difficult to obtain sufficient meat to keep 
 them from starving. Smith wa?, of course, obliged 
 to do all the hunting, and was often unsuccessful. 
 The old man was quite a Socrates, and the sober and 
 stately speeches made by him, and which Smith noted 
 down in his journal, would do honor to Seneca or 
 Martin Tupper, to say the least. 
 
 They remained in their hut until April, 1758 (they 
 could only guess at the time of year), when they con- 
 sti acted a bark canoe and started down a certain 
 river; but the water being too shallow, Tecaughre- 
 tanego concluded to land and pray for rain. In order 
 to purify himself before addressing the deity, he put 
 himself through a sweating process in one of those 
 sweating-huts which seem to be peculiar to the North 
 American Indians. Descriptions of these structure?* 
 zr: often met with in Indian books. 'According to 
 Catlin, they are used for purposes of luxury and health 
 oy the Mandan Indians. 
 
 Tecaughretanego first made a framework of hoops 
 which he covered with blankets and skins. He next 
 prepared hot stones, which he rolled into the hut, a.id 
 then went in himself, carrying in his hand a little ket- 
 tle of water mixed with a variety of odoriferous h.,rbs, 
 which he had carried in his pack dried and cured 
 
176 
 
 INDIAN CAPTIVITIES. 
 
 I 
 
 After telling- Smith to pull the blankets down close, 
 he began to pour water on the hot stones and to sing 
 aloud. He remained in this extremely hot place for 
 about fifteen minutes. 
 
 A Singular Ceremony. 
 
 When he came out he began to burn tobacco and 
 pray, commencing each petition with Oh, ho, ho, ho, 
 words which express ardent aspiration : 
 
 " O Great Being ! I thank thee that I have ob- 
 tained the use o^ my legs again — that I am now able 
 to walk about and kill turkeys, etc., without feeling 
 exquisite pain and misery. I know that thou art a 
 bearer and helper, and therefore I will call upon thee. 
 
 "■Oh, ho, ho, ho. 
 
 "Grant that my knees and anr ' 
 and that I may be able not on' 
 and jump logs as I did last fall. 
 
 ''Oh, ho, ho, ho. 
 
 "Grant that on this voyage we may frequently kill 
 bears as they may be crossing the Scioto and San- 
 dusky. 
 
 ''Oh, ho, ho, ho. 
 
 " Grant that we may kill plenty of turkeys along the 
 banks to stew with our fat bear meat. 
 
 "Oh, ho, ho, ho. 
 
 "Grant that rain may come to raise the Ollentangy 
 about two or three feet, that we may cross in safety 
 down to Scioto, without danger of our canoe being 
 wrecked on the rocks. And now, O Great Bein 
 
 may be right well, 
 » walk, but to •'un 
 
 ft' 
 
 thou knowest how matters stand; thou knowest that 
 
INDIAN CAFnVITIKB. 
 
 177 
 
 I am a great lover of tobacco, and, though I know not 
 when I may get any mce, I now make a present of 
 the last I have unto thee as a free burnt-offering; 
 therefore I expect thou wilt hear and grant these 
 requests, and I, thy servant, will return thee thanks 
 and love ttiee for thy gifts." 
 
 During all of this strange ceremony Smith had 
 preserved a decorous gravity, but when the burning 
 of the tobacco took place he smiled. The old man 
 observed it and rebuked hini gently. His companion 
 confessed his error, and they smoked a pipe of red 
 willow-bark in token of reconciliation. 
 
 Smith Escapes. 
 In the spring of 1759, Tecaughretanego, his son 
 Nungany, and Smith went from Detroit to Montreal 
 in a canoe. Here Smith slipped away from his old 
 and long-tried acquaintances and got aboard a French 
 ship which contained a number of English prisoners. 
 Hearing that these were to be exchanged, he joined 
 them voluntarily. They were given their liberty 
 about four months afterward at Crown Point. 
 Smith returned to Conococheagiie early in 1 760 ; his 
 peop'« who had been entirely ignorant of his fate 
 during his five years' absence, received him with 
 great joy, and were surprised to see him so much 
 like an Indian both in his walk and bearing. He 
 says he leaves it to his readers to judge of his feel- 
 ings upon learning that his sweetheart had married a 
 few days before his return. He lived to a good old 
 age, having served with great distinction in various 
 
178 
 
 INDIAN CAPTIVITliJiO. 
 
 'capacities during the Revolutionary War, his inti- 
 mate knowledge of InJian manners and customs 
 rendering him an extremely valuable aid to the 
 leaders and generals of the American army. He 
 died about the year 18 1 3, in Kentucky, where he had 
 lived for many years. 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 MEDICINE MAN IN FANTASTIC COSTUMS. 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Thrilling Adventures of Indian Captives. — Ex- 
 citing Story of Alexander Henry and Others. 
 
 The story of the captivity of Alexander Henry 
 among Hur«>n Indians contain* much that is enter- 
 taining and new. Henry was i, trader, »nd his narra- 
 tive begins at Michillimackinac ;.: tht time of the 
 capture of that fort by th^: Indians under Pontiac. 
 Shortly after his arrival at this place he received 
 many visits from a Chippewa named Wawatam, who 
 manifested for him the warmest esteem, and at last 
 came one day with his entire family, bringing c..so a 
 large present of skins, sugar and dried meat. 
 
 He then made a speech, in which he informed the 
 trader that, some years before, he had observed a 
 fast, during which he had dreamed of adopting an 
 Englishman as his brother, and that as soon as he 
 had seen Henry he had recognized him as the one 
 vhom the Great Spirit had directed him to take into 
 his family. Henry could not do otherwise thai, 
 accept the gifts and express his pleasure at having 
 so good a man for his friend and relative. He made 
 a present in return, which Wawatam received, and, 
 after thanking his host for the favor he had done him, 
 set out on his winter's hunt. (It is the custom o/ 
 
 1T» 
 
 .^">^^' 
 
180 
 
 EXCITING ADVENTURES. 
 
 f i' 
 
 
 these Northern Indians to separate by families during 
 the cold weather, that they may support life more 
 comfortably by hunting.) 
 
 In the year that intervened Henry had almost for- 
 gotten his new brother, when one day, j'jst before the 
 massacre, he appeared again in a melancholy and 
 thoughtful mood, and endeavored, by every indirect 
 means which he could devise, to induce the trader to 
 leave Michillimackinac with him, even hinting at the 
 danger from the Indians who were prowling around 
 m large numbers. The language of Wawatam (like 
 that of all Indians) was extravagantly figurative, and, 
 as he spoke in the Chippewa tongue, Henry did not 
 fully comprehend what he said, and so iTiade light of 
 his fears. Finally, he and his wife departed, both 
 shedding tears. 
 
 Drinking the Blood of their Victims. 
 
 On the following morning occurred the ball game and 
 the horrible butchery of the garrison. Henry was in 
 his house writing at the time. He at first seized his 
 gun and wentto the window, but, seeing resistance use- 
 less, he fled to the house of a Mr. Langlade, a Frencl 
 Canadian, who, with his family, was at the window 
 indifferently watching the massacre. Henry besought 
 him to conceal him in some place of safety, but the 
 Frenchman shrugged his shoulders and turned again 
 to the window, saying he could do nothing for him. 
 
 The trader was in despair, but an Indian slavt 
 beckoned him to follow her, and, conducting him to a 
 door, told him that it led to a garret. She locked the 
 
EXCITING ADVENTUREa 
 
 181 
 
 door after him and took the key av -»y. From an 
 aperture in the attic Henry looked ou pon the aw- 
 ful scene which was being enacted below in the yard of 
 the fort. He saw the writhing and shrieking victims, 
 the scalped and the mangled, and the fiends drinking 
 the blood of their victims from the hollow of their 
 hands. 
 
 The Pursuers Near. 
 
 Presently he heard some Indians enter the house 
 in which he was hiding. The garret floor formed the 
 ceiling of the room below, so that he could hear all 
 that was said ; they were inquiring for him. M. 
 Langlade showed a serene indifference to his fate, 
 telling them thi.t they might search the house. 
 
 Notwithstanding some delay attendant upon getting 
 the key of the attic door, Henry had barely time t€ 
 hide himself in a heap of vessels of birch-bark whick 
 were used for making maple sugar when four savages 
 entered, armed with tomahawks^ and stained with 
 blood from head to foot. It seemed to him as though 
 the beating of his heart would surely betray him ; but, 
 although they passed very near, they did not detect 
 him, owing, he thought, to the dark color of his 
 clothes and the absence of windows in the room. 
 
 When they had left the trader was so exhausted by 
 his recent agitation that he threw himself upon a 
 feather bed and slept until toward evening. He was 
 awakened by the entrance of the wife of M. Langlade, 
 who had come to cover a hole in the roof, for it had be- 
 gun to rain ; she seemed much surprised to see him. 
 
182 
 
 EXaTING ADVENTURKfcx 
 
 As she was leaving Henry begged her to send him 
 a litrie water to drink, which she did. 
 
 He was utterly unable to think of any plan by 
 wrhich he could escape eventual capture. He was 
 four hundred miles from Detroit, the nearest Eng/ish 
 station, and the entire distance lay through the lands 
 of hostile Indians. At the same time, death seemed 
 inevitable should he remain long where he then was. 
 In the morning the savages returned, saying he could 
 not be found among the slain, and they suspected that 
 he must be concealed somewhere near. 
 
 Henry*8 Life Spared. 
 
 Henry now heard the wife speaking to her husband 
 in French, urging him to deliver up the trader, lest 
 the Indians might kill her children should he escape 
 through their instrumentality. M. Langlade at first 
 resisted, but finally yielded and led the way to the 
 garret. Henry rose to meet his captors, who entered 
 in a state of intoxication and entirely naked except 
 about the loins. One of them, named Wenniway, 
 whom the trader had formerly known, was more than 
 six feeit in height; except a circle of wh'te about 
 each eye, his entire body was covered with charcoal 
 dust and grease. This sinister giant approached 
 Henry and graspec nirr jy the collar with one hand, 
 while in the other .le held a large carving-knife. 
 
 Looking him steadily in the eyes for a few seconds, 
 he let his arm drop, saying that he would spare his 
 life and adopt him in place of a lost brother of his. 
 After various fortuues, he, with other captives, was 
 
EXCITING ADVENTURES. 
 
 183 
 
 taken in canoes bound for the Isles du Castor at the 
 mouth of Lake Michigan. During the passage =» 
 prisoners were offered bread which the savages cue 
 with knives besmeared with the blood of their friends. 
 
 On the 17th of June, 1763, Wawatam suddenly 
 entered the lodge in which Henry was living, and, 
 giving him his hand in passing, walked toward the 
 great chief Menehwehna, by the side of whom sat 
 Wenniway. The most profound silence prevailed ; 
 each smoked his pipe, and when this was finished 
 Wawatam arose and as he passed out said to Henry, 
 "Take courage." 
 
 After the lapse of an hour (during which time 
 several chiefs had entered, as if a council were prepar- 
 ing), Wawatam and his wife came in loaded with 
 merchandise, which they laid before the chiefs, the 
 former making the following speech : " Friends and 
 relations, what is it that I shall say ? You know what 
 I feel. You all have friends, brothers and children, 
 whom as yourselves you lo\ e ; and you, what would 
 you experience did you, like me, behold your dearest 
 friend, your brother, in the condition of a slave — a 
 slave exposed every moment to i.isult and to menaces 
 of death ? This case, as you all know, is mine. See 
 there, my friend and brother among slaves, himself a 
 slave ! 
 
 " On the day on which the war began you were 
 fearful lest, on this very account, I should betray 
 your secret. You requested, therefore, that I would 
 leave the fort and even cross the lake. I did so, but 
 
184 
 
 EXCITING ADVENTURES. 
 
 V 
 
 did it with reluctance, notwithstanding that you, 
 Menehvvehna, promised to protect my friend. I now 
 come, offering you these goods for his ransom." 
 
 Arrayed in Indian Costume. 
 
 After a refilHng of pipes, a smoke and a furthei 
 silence, Menehwehna arose and made a speech, at 
 the close of which he expressed his gratification at 
 the escape of Henry, accepted the ransom and told 
 Wawatam that he might take his brother home with 
 him. 
 
 Henry was welcomed by the family of his deliverer 
 with many expressions of gladness. Food was set 
 before 'him, and he was then arrayed as an Indian, in 
 order to escape insult and ^jossible death from other 
 savages. In the winter they set out upon their 
 annual hunting-jaunt, which was a source of satisfac- 
 tion to Henry, since it relieved him of his continual 
 apprehensions from the conduct of other tribes. 
 
 During his stay with this family Henry witnessed 
 and participated in what they call the Feast of the 
 Dead. On returning from hunting one evening, he 
 found the fire extinguished and the opening in the 
 top of the lodge covered over with skins, in order to 
 exclude external light. Dry sand was sprinkled 
 over the fire-place, from which the ashes had been 
 removed. A fire was then built outside and a kettle 
 set to boil. Indian etiquette demanded that he 
 should ask no questions, but await the pleasure of 
 the master of the house. 
 
 As soon as it was dark all were invited into the 
 
EXCITING ADVENTURES. 
 
 lf» 
 
 tent. Henry was requested not to speak, as the 
 spirits delighted in complete silence. Each one on 
 entering was presented with a spoon, and a dish into 
 which Wawatam, who was master of ceremonies, put, 
 two ears of corn. He then began a speech to the 
 manes of the dead, entreating them to be present 
 and partake of the food which had been prepared, 
 and also to assist him in the chase. When he had 
 finished, they proceeded to eat their corn in silence ; 
 being only half boiled, it took about an hour for 
 Henry to masticate the two ears that were his por- 
 tion. He was requested not to break the cobs, as 
 this would be displeasing to the ^'eparted. When all 
 was consumed the master of the family made another 
 speech, which concluded the ceremonies. 
 
 Conclusion of the Feast. ' 
 
 A fire was then kindled with fresh sparks from the 
 flint and steel ; pipes were smoked ; the cobs left from 
 the feast were carefully buried in a hole dug in the 
 ground within the lodge ; and finally a dance ensued, 
 which continued nearly all night. This feast was 
 observed on the first night in November. A "similar 
 ceremony took place subsequtndy on the occasion 
 of killing a bear, whose winter quarters in the 
 trunk of a colossal pine tree, near the top, had been 
 discovered by Henry. Chopping with their light 
 axes for a day and a half brought down the tree ; 
 for a moment all was silent, and they began to be 
 disappointed; but Madame Bruin was only a little 
 stunned, and presently walked out to see what was 
 
186 
 
 SXCITING ADVENTUEES 
 
 the matter, when, of course, she was at once shot. 
 Her weight could not have been less than five 
 hundred pounds. 
 
 Only the she-bears lodge in the tops of trees ; they 
 bring forth their young in the winter, and then seek 
 these secure places in order to protect their cubs 
 from the attacks of wolves and other animals. After 
 the bear was dead the men and women went up to it, 
 took its head in their hands, and, stroking and kissing 
 it, begged its pardon a thousand times for having 
 taken its life, called it their relation and grand- 
 mother, and asked it not to lay the blame upon them, 
 gince it was the Englishman that had put it to death. 
 
 strange Superstitions. 
 
 After the animal had been cut up and removed to 
 the lodge, the head was adorned with all the trinkets 
 in the family possession, such as silver arm- and wrist- 
 bands and belts of wampum. It was then placed 
 uoon a scaffold erected to receive it, and a large 
 quantity of tobacco placed under its nose. 
 
 The next morning a feast was made to its manes. 
 The lodge was swept and garnished, and a new 
 blanket, which had never been used, was spread 
 under the head of the bear. Pipes bt ing lit, Wawa- 
 tamblew smoke into its nostrils, directing Henry to 
 do the same. Nothing could cc nvince the Indians 
 that this part of the bear was not in some way ani- 
 mated by the powerful spirit of the slain animal. The 
 master of the family then addressed to it a depreca- 
 tory speech, after which all ate heartily of its flesh ; and 
 
EXCITING i-.xJVENTURES. 
 
 187 
 
 in two or three days even the head was put into the 
 pot and boiled. 
 
 In April they set out with their venison, furs and 
 peltries for Michillimackinac. At La Grande Traverse 
 they met a large body of Indians, who were in great 
 terror of the vengeance of the^ English, and who 
 became firmly convinced that Henry had the power' 
 of foreseeing the future by means of dreams. When 
 he was asked to tell them if he knew of any design 
 to attack them, and he pleaded his ignorance of any 
 such intention, they became suspicious and thought 
 that he was concealing his knowledge from them. At 
 length it became necessary to tell them that he knew 
 there was no enemy, and they could with safety go 
 on to Michillimackinac. 
 
 Ridiculous Ceremonies. 
 
 Of the various other superstitions recorded by 
 Henry ; of their ceremony of the Great Turtle (an 
 imposture by which the priest pretends to consult the 
 Great Spirit as to future events, and to receive an 
 audible answer in a voice like that of a young 
 puppy) ; of their ridiculous deprecatory prayers to 
 rattl makes ; and of other similar customs, — I cannot 
 here ireat in detail. Suffice it to say that our trader, 
 Mr. Henry, arrived safely at Fort Niagara, and that 
 both he and the Indians were rec Mved by Sir William 
 Johnson with the kindness which ever characterized 
 him in his dealings, with his friends. 
 
 These accounts of captivity among the red men 
 nust now be concluded with one that tor wild, lurid 
 
188 
 
 EXCITING ADVENTURES. 
 
 
 terror and spectacular eiFect outvies all the rest. The 
 story of the burning of Cape Florida Lighthouse and 
 the besieging of the keeper, John Thompson, upon its 
 summit, scarcely comes under the head of captivities, 
 it is true, yet it was a narrow escape from bondage, 
 and may with propriety be narrated here. 
 
 An Awful Scene. 
 
 On the 23d of July, 1836, Thompson discovered a 
 large body of Indians behind the kitchen as he was 
 passing from that place to the lighthouse. Calling 
 to an old negro, they ran for the tower, reaching the 
 door amid a shower of bullets, and just in time to 
 lock it before the savages reached them. Thompson 
 stationed the negro at the door, and, taking his three 
 muskets, which were loaded with ball and buckshot, 
 went to the second window, and by firing from this 
 and other windows succeeded in keeping them at 
 bay until dark. The savages continued pouring in a 
 heavy fire of balls, and at length set fire to the light- 
 house ; then began a lurid and awful scene on that 
 lonely point in the darkness of the night — enough to 
 make one's blood run cold. 
 
 The balls of the enemy had penetrated the tin 
 tanks containing two hundred and twenty-five gal 
 Ions of oil, which, escaping, saturated everything — 
 woodwork, clothes and bedding. The flames, fed 
 by this unctuous fluid and by the yellow-pine lumber, 
 spread fast and fiercely. When.,driven away by the 
 fire, the heroic keeper took a musket, balls and keg of 
 gunpowder to the top of the house; then, goin^ be- 
 
EXCITING ADVENTURES. 
 
 U9 
 
 low agaiin, began to cut away the stairs halfway from 
 the bottom. 
 
 The negro now coming up, he with difificulty drew 
 him up over the space already cut ; in a short time 
 both were driven by the flames to the top of the build- 
 ing. Covering the scuttle that led up to the lan- 
 tern, they succeeded in keeping the fire from them 
 for some time. At length the dreadful moment came ; 
 the flames burst through, and at the same time the 
 savages began their fiendish yells. The poor old 
 negro looked at his master with tears in his eyes, 
 but could not speak. They went out of the lantern, 
 Mch was now full of flames, the lamps and side 
 glasses bursting and flying in all directions. 
 
 Terrific Explosion. 
 
 With their clothes on fire and their flesh roasting 
 they lay down on the edge of the platform, which was 
 two feet in width ; to move now from this spot would 
 be almost certain death from the balls of the Indians. 
 To more quickly end his excruciating sufferings, the 
 keepei then threw the keg of gunpowder down the 
 icuttle, hoping to be instantly blown into eternity; 
 but in this he was disappointed ; the explosion indeed 
 shook the tower from top to bottom, and for a mo- 
 ment checked the progress of the fire by throwing 
 down the staircase and all the woodwork near the 
 top of the lighthouse. But soon the fierce element 
 again raged relentlessly. At this point the old negro 
 died. 
 
 Thompson had received six balls, three in each foot, 
 
 *^ 
 
190 
 
 EXCITINfl ADVENTURES. 
 
 and, finding that he was roasting alive, he resolved to 
 jump off. Going outside of the iron railing and rec 
 ommending his soul to God, he was on the point of 
 precipitating himself on the rocks below, when some- 
 thing whispered to him to return and lie down. He 
 did so, and in two minutes the fire fell to the bottom 
 of the house, and in a very short time died out. A 
 brisk and cool breeze now sprang up, which was a 
 great blessing to him. 
 
 The Indians, thii'.king him dead, next set fire to the 
 dwelling-house, kitchen and other outbuildings ; and 
 began to carry their plunder down to the little sloop 
 belonging to the keeper. About ten o'clock the next 
 morning they departed. Thompson's position was 
 now almost as desperate as before. A burning fever 
 was on him ; his feet were shot to pieces ; his clothe? 
 burned from his body; he had nothing to eat or drink 
 a hot sun was overhead, a dead man by his side, with 
 no friend near or likely to be ; and between seventy 
 and eighty feet from the ground, with no prospect 
 of getting down. About twelve o'clock he thought 
 he perceived a vessel not far off. His eyesight had 
 suffered from the fire, but served him well upon this 
 occasion. , 
 
 Taking a piece of the negro's trousers, that had 
 escaped the flames from being saturated with blood, 
 he made a signal. In the afternoon, seeing his sloop 
 coming in tow of two boats, he felt sure that the In- 
 dians had noticed his sign and were returning to mur- 
 der him. But it proved to be boats of thf* United 
 
EXCITING ADVENTURES. 
 
 im 
 
 States schooner, Motto, Captain Armstrong, with 9 
 detachment of seamen and marines. They had re 
 taken Thompson's sloop after it had been divested 
 of everything. They told him that they had heard 
 his explosion twelve miles, away, and had at once 
 sailed to his assistance, although scarcely expecting 
 to find him alivs. 
 
 Night coming on, they were forced to return on 
 board, but assured him of their prompt assistance in 
 the morning; at which time they tried to send a line to 
 him by means of a kite which they had made during 
 the night. But this not succeeding, they next fired 
 twine from their muskets, tying it to the ramrods 
 This effort proved successful. Thompson hauled up 
 a tail-block, made it fast to an iron stanchion and 
 dropped the twine through the pulley, by which 
 means those below hoisted a strong rope. Two men 
 were then raised, by this means, to the wounded man, 
 whom they soon had on the ground He stated that 
 after being received aboard the Motto, every man, 
 from the captain to the cook, endeavored to alleviate 
 his sufferings. He was taken to the militan' hos 
 pita! in Charleston, S. C„ where he eventually recoi 
 ered. althoueh he remained a ^npple all his iife» 
 

 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 The Famous War with the Creeks and Other 
 Hostiles, — Bloodthirsty Savages and Valiant 
 White Men. 
 
 Passing now from Colonial wars with the Indians to 
 the contests of the States, and beginning, as before, 
 with the Southern tribes and nations, we have first to 
 speak of the Creek Wan 
 
 All these Indian hostilities centre about the great 
 chiefs who inspired them. One of the great chiefs in 
 the Creek War of i8i 2 was Weatherford. His father 
 was a sordid, treacherous and reven«^eful peddler, and 
 his mother a fuU-bloode^d Seminole, he is said to have 
 partaken of all the bad characteristics of both his 
 parents, and to have ddded to them many more of 
 his own. He was avaricious, treacherous, blood- 
 thirsty, lustful, gluttonous, and at the same time 
 (such is Nature's compensations) he possessed elo 
 ^uence, genius and daring courage. 
 
 Disdaining to weaken his importance among his 
 cxssociates by too frequent speech, he was seldom 
 heard in council; but when he did proclaim his 
 sentiments he was listened to with delight and 
 deference. His fine judgment procured for him the 
 respect of the old ; his daring and his defiant vices 
 
 1S2 
 
FAMOUS WAR WITH THE CREEKS. 
 
 193 
 
 attached to him the young. He was tall and well 
 proportioned ; his black eye piercing and command- 
 ing ; his nose thin, aquiline and elegant in its 
 symmetry ; while every feature of his face indicated 
 an active and disciplined intellect. He had a great 
 passion for wealth, and owned an estate which he 
 cultivated and embellished, often retiring to it in the 
 intervals of war. 
 
 This remarkable man was the leader in the massacre 
 at Fort Mimms. Major Beasley, who was in command 
 at this place in the country of the Creeks, had been 
 warned of the intentions of Weatherford; but such 
 was the carelessness at the fort that on the 30th of 
 August, 181 3, this noted chief entered the open gate 
 with fifteen hundred warriors, or, rather, made the 
 attempt, for before very many had passed within 
 they were met; by Major Beasley at the head of his 
 men, and an obstinate and sanguinary struggle for 
 the possession of the gate ensued. 
 
 Slaughter of the Innocent. 
 
 The number of persons in the fort was two hundred 
 
 and seventy-five, of whom only one hundred and sixty 
 were soldiers ; but they were all heroes and the wo- 
 men heroines. When nearly all of the military had 
 been killed at the gate, the women and children shut 
 themselves in the block-house and began a defence , 
 but their place of retreat was set on fire and all either 
 perished in the flames or were shot down in attempt 
 ing to escape. 
 One sickens at these atrocities of the red men per 
 
194 
 
 FAMOUS WAR WITH THE CKEKKS. 
 
 petrated upon the. innocent and the helpless. It 
 almost passes belief that these tigers in human form 
 could take delight in the murder of women and chil- 
 dren. But such is the Indian nature. Incredibly 
 stoical and inured to all kinds of physical pain them 
 t>el\ 5, they care little for inflicting it upon others. 
 
 When the news of this terrible massacre spread 
 abroad, loud were the cries for revenge from all parts 
 of the country, and two large armies were soon 
 marching south. The Indians, finding resistance use- 
 less, surrendered; and one morning General Jackson 
 was astonished to see Weatherford humbly enter his 
 tan* to beg for peace for his people, the Creeks. 
 
 At one time the army of Jackson was in desperate 
 need of provisions ; but the general, who was not the 
 man to yield to trifles, as he chose to call them, wrote 
 to Governor Blount that while they could procure an cay 
 of corn apiece they ivould not give up the expedition. 
 
 One morning a soldier with a woeful countenance 
 approached him, stating that he was almost starved 
 and knew noi what to do. The general was seated 
 at the foot of a tree, and was observed to be eating 
 something, which no doubt caused the complaint from 
 the soldier, who hoped thereby to obtain something 
 for himself. The general replied that he never turned 
 away a hungry person when he had anything to give 
 him, and thereupon pulled from his pocket a handful 
 of acorns, which he offered to him with the remark 
 that that was his fare and he was welcome to share it. 
 The hungry suppliant went away and told his com- 
 
 
ANDREW JACKSON -"OLD HICKORY." 
 
 tub 
 
 *A. 
 
196 
 
 FAMOUS nTAB WITH THS CREEKS. 
 
 panions that they should not murmu'- after this. Out 
 of this incident is said to have arisen the story that 
 General Jackson once invited his officers to dine with 
 him, and set before them nothing but a tray of acorns 
 and some water. 
 
 The Celebrated Mcintosh. 
 
 Another name about which clusters much that is 
 interesting is that of William Mcintosh, who was a' 
 Creek half-breed, In 1823 this nation had become 
 partially civilized, with a written code of laws and a 
 regularly constituted government. They inhabited a 
 most beautiful tract of country of about nine hundred 
 square miles in extent, bounded on the north by 
 Tennessee, east by Georgia, south by the Floridas 
 and west by the Mississippi. 
 
 Intermarriages between the Creeks and the whites 
 were numerous ; and the women, instead of being 
 the slaves of men, had, to a great extent, taken their 
 proper place in the household, while the men culti- 
 vated the fields. 
 
 In the year 1823 the United States Government 
 determined to obtain possession of a part of the land 
 held by this nation, for the purpose of satisfying 
 Georgia. Mclatosh and 1 few of the leading men 
 were in favor of selling, but the majority were stoutly 
 opposed. As tillers of the soil they were beginning 
 to value their estate as wild tribes rarely do. But at 
 length the land was actually made over by treaty to 
 the Georgia commissioners. Only thirteen of the 
 signers were chiefs, the remainder being obscure and 
 
 \/'^ 
 
^'AlEKJS WXA WITH THE CREIOKS. 
 
 197 
 
 unknown. Thirty-six chiefs who were present refused 
 to subscribe their names, and the entire party of 
 Mcintosh numbered not a tenth part of the nation. 
 The commissioners, however, assured them that 
 the United States considered the Creeks sufficiendy 
 represented by them, and were ready to enter into 
 negotiations. This party of the Creek chief un- 
 doubtedly hoped that they would receive all the 
 pay for the land themselves. That Mcintosh himself 
 had been tampered with there can be but little ques- 
 tion. The following letter, which he sent to John 
 Ross, President of the. Creek council of chiefs, 
 proves his guilt : 
 
 "Newtown, 21st Oct., 1823. 
 "Mv Friend: 
 
 " I ' n going to inform you a few lines as a friend. 
 
 I want you to give me your opinion about the treaty^ 
 
 whether the chiefs will be willing or not. If the 
 
 chiefs feel disposed to let the United States have the 
 
 land, part of it, I want you to let me know. I will 
 
 make the U. States commissioners give you 2000 
 
 dollars, A. McCoy the same, and Charles Hicks 3000 
 
 for a present; and nobody shall know it ; and if you 
 
 think the land woulden sold I will be satisfied. If the 
 
 land should be sold, I will get you the amount before 
 
 the treaty sign, and if you get any friend you want 
 
 him to receive, they shall receive. Nothing more 
 
 to inform you at present. 
 
 " I remain yr. affectionate friend, 
 
 "John Ross. Wm. McIntosm. 
 
 \ 
 
198 
 
 FAMOUS WAR WITH THE CREEKS. 
 
 " An answer return. * 
 
 "N. B. The whole amount is ;ji 12,000, you can 
 divide among your friends exclusive ^7000." 
 
 Mcintosh found that he had mistaken th*^ character 
 of this man, for Ross read this letter at the next 
 meeting of the council, when the author of it himself 
 was present, and he was thus publicly exposed. In 
 fine, he was besieged in his house by a committee of 
 the nation, consisting of Muaw-way and about one 
 hundred Okefuskee warriors. His home was set on 
 fire, and he, in attempting to escape, was shot 
 own. 
 
 War with the Seminoles. 
 
 The next great event to which our attention will 
 be directed is the Seminole War. At the time of the 
 opening of hostilities in 1835 the Seminoles of Florida 
 were thought to number about two thousand warriors, 
 who, as is well known, were among the bravest In- 
 dians in the country, desperate and tenacious of their 
 rights to the last degree. 
 
 Shortly after the cession of Florida to the United 
 States by Spain a treaty was made by which this 
 tribe agreed to give up the best of their lands and 
 retire to the centre of the Peninsula, a region bf dry 
 sand and pine barrens of the dreariest description, 
 and ending southward in vast and impassable marshes 
 or everglades. By the treaty of Moultrie Creek the 
 Indians had consented to restrict themselves to cer- 
 tain definite boundaries and refrain from approaching 
 anywhere within fifteen miles of the coast. For any 
 
J?^5iOfTB Waa ^iTH THE CREEKS. 
 
 199 
 
 losses which they might sustain in the removal the 
 government promised to make restitution, and at 
 the same time to provide agricultural tools, schools, 
 presents of corn, meat, etc., and to pay, in addition, 
 an annuity of five thousand dollars for twenty years. 
 The savages, on the other hand, were required to 
 deliver up fugitive slaves who should take refuge in, 
 their territory. For a number of years all of the 
 terms were complied with ; but after a time there 
 vv( re loud clamors against the Seminoles on account 
 ot their remissness in delivering up runaway ne- 
 
 groes. 
 
 At length it was decided that in some manner the 
 Indians must be removed out of Florida, and to effect 
 this object the treaty of Payne's Landing was devised, 
 by which they were to consent to emigrate in a body to 
 the country allotted to the Creeks west of the Missis- 
 sippi. As a recompense the government was to pay 
 fifteen thousand dollars on their arrival in their new 
 home, and in addition give to each man, woman and 
 child one blanket and one homespun frock. One in- 
 explicable clause of the contract, which stipulated that 
 they should first give up all their stock, was c^fterward 
 the cr.use of much difficulty. In fact, shortly after the 
 treaty it became evident that they had no intention 
 of leaving. 
 
 General Thompson, Government agent in Florida, 
 in a council held by him at Fort King, and at which 
 the soon-to-be-famous Osceola appeared, delivered a 
 long speech, in which he endeavored to persuade the 
 
200 
 
 FAMOUS WAR WITH THE CREEKfi. 
 
 : 
 
 II 
 
 Indians that they ought to remove. They retired for 
 consultation, when Osceola, in a bold and animated 
 strain, argued against emigration, saying that he who 
 proposed ii- should be regarded as the enemy of his 
 country, 
 
 A Crafty Chief. 
 
 Throusfhout the council Osceola was the leading 
 spirit and continually urged the other chiefs to re- 
 main firm. At the close he informed the general 
 that he had the decision of the leading men, and that 
 nothing more was to be said. Subsequently, in a 
 private conversation, Micanopy (who was king of 
 the nation and distinct from its first chief) said he had 
 heard much of his great father's regard for his red 
 children. It had come upon his ears, but had gone 
 through them; he now wanted to see it with his eyes, 
 that the father took land from other red skins to pay 
 them for theirs, and by and by he would claim that 
 also. The white skins had forked tongues and hawks 
 fingers. It was his desire, he said, to sleep in the 
 same land with his fathers, and he wished his children 
 to lie by his side. 
 
 The chief Osceola, who here appears upon the 
 scene, is to figure so prominently during this account 
 of the Seminole War that it may be interesting to 
 give a description of his personal appearance. He 
 was not an ' reditary chieftain, but had gained his 
 position by a i tue of his personal daring and 
 ability. His father is said to have been an English- 
 man and his mother a Creek, He was a member 
 
 ^■B***'" 
 

 OSCEOLA. CHIEF OF THE SEMINOLKS. 
 
 30t 
 
tD2 
 
 FAMOUS WAR WITH THE CREEKS. 
 
 I 
 
 of the Red Stick tribe. Although his figure was slight, 
 he was well formed and muscular and capable of en- 
 during great fatigue. In military manoeuvres he could 
 not be excelled by any white man. His complexion 
 was somewhat light ; his voice clear and shrill ; his 
 eyes deep and restless. He was about thirty-five 
 years of age, and is said to have conducted in person 
 almost every important battle of the war. 
 
 Not discouraged by the unsuccessful result of the 
 first council, General Thompson prevailed upon a 
 number of chiefs and sub-chiefs to meet him and 
 execute a written agreement to comply with the 
 treaty of 1832. Osceola was extremely irritated by 
 this conduct of the general, and remonstrated with 
 him; a dispute followed, and as a result the chief was 
 put in irons for a couple of days. His proud spirit 
 naturally chafed under this indignity, and from this 
 time he nursed the deadliest resentment against the 
 whites. At the same time, he manifested the most 
 profound cunning in concealing his enmity ; Teigned 
 to submit, came to Fort Key with seventy-nine of 
 his people, and signed the treaty. 
 
 The three years allowed the Seminoles for prepara 
 tion having expired in December, 1835, ^^^ Indian 
 agent notified such of them as he could of the fact,; 
 and told them that they must now make ready to 
 move. Acts of violence had been committed during 
 the previous summer. A party of whites, having dis 
 covered some Indians hunting beyond their limits, 
 had whipped them with cowhides ; guns were used 
 
^.WlfOUS WAR WITH THE CREEKS. 
 
 203 
 
 on both sides and two of the savages killed. A mail 
 carrier had also been murdered, presumably by the 
 red men. Still, the greatest surprise and consterna- 
 tion prevailed among the settlers when it was dis- 
 covered that, instead of obeying the order to prepare 
 lor emigration, the Indians had sent their women and 
 children into the interior, and, with arms in their 
 hands, were rapidly moving here and there. 
 A Cold-blooded Massacre. 
 
 On the 5th of January, 1836, a band of about thirty 
 Indians struck a blow at the whites by murdering the 
 entire family of the lighthouse -keeper at New River, 
 a place about twenty-two miles to the north of Cape 
 Florida. Mr. Cooley, the father of the family, was 
 absent '%i the time, the six victims being his mother, 
 wife and three children, together with a man named 
 Flinton, the children's preceptor, whom Cooley found 
 horribly mutilated ; the two older children, shot through 
 the heart, were lying near their teacher, with the books 
 they had been using by their side. His wife and the 
 child at her breast had apparently been killed by the 
 same bullet. The miscreants found rich plunder, 
 carrying off twelve barrels of provisions, thirty hogs, 
 three horses, four hundred and eighty dollars in sil- 
 ver, one keg of powder, two hundred pounds of lead 
 and seven hundred dollars' worth of dry goods. 
 
 Another family, consisting of Thomas Godfrey, his 
 wife and four little girls, having fled to a swamp, had 
 a very narrow escape. Near the end of the fourth 
 day the moans of the infant at the mother's breast 
 
204 
 
 FAMOUS WAR WITH THE CREEKS. 
 
 
 \ 
 
 i 
 
 (which could no longer yield it nourishment} at 
 tracted the attention of a negro who was passing 
 He rushed toward them with uplifted axe; but the 
 recollection of his own children, who were then in the 
 power of the whites, served to stay his hand, and he 
 resolved to make an attempt to restore them to their 
 friends — a very dangerous proceeding, since the hi 
 dians held possession of the entire surrounding 
 country. He brought them food and blankets. On 
 the following day, a party of whites having defeated 
 the Indians, he conducted the family safely into the 
 camp of the whites, and then ran away. 
 
 A Deplorable Fatj. 
 
 ' On the 20th of December, as General Call with a 
 body of troops was marching toward Fort Drain, his 
 advanced guard discovered a house on fire near 
 Micanopy, and an Indian trail leading to a pond or 
 bog. Surrounding the marsh, which was full of 
 bushes and logs, they killed four savages who were 
 lurking there. Although the war had now become 
 serious and general, yet, with one exception, no 
 measures had been taken by the United States Gov- 
 ernment to quell it. This exception was the case of 
 Major Dade, who arrived at Fort Brooke late in 
 December with a small body of United States in 
 fantry from Key West. The fate of this litde band 
 of one hundred and ten men was deplorable. Its 
 destination was Fort King, then in command of Gen- 
 eral Clinch, and thought to be in great danger from 
 the Indians. 
 
FAMOUS WAR WITH THE CBIEEKi. 
 
 205 
 
 On the 24th of January they started from Fort 
 Brooke ; five days afterward, about ten o'clock in 
 the morning, they were attacked by a large body of 
 Indians and negroes, who were ambushed in the tall 
 palmetto grass of a thinly-wooded region through 
 which the soldiers were marching. Every officer 
 fell, as did also every soldier except three, who es- 
 caped, terribly mangled, and gave the details of the 
 engagement. The company was marching in sepa- 
 rate columns (light infantry extension) when the 
 painted savages started, up between the very files 
 before they were discovered, and poured round after 
 round into the brave and desperate little band. 
 
 An official report says: " Muskets were clubbed, 
 knives and bayonets were used and parties were 
 clenched ; in the second attack our own men's mus- 
 kets from the dead and wounded were used against 
 them ; a cross-fire cut down a succession of artillerists 
 at the fence, from which forty-nine rounds were fired ; 
 the gun-carriages were burnt ; the guns sunk in a 
 pond ; a war-dance was held on the ground." Many 
 negroes took part in this attack, and pierced the 
 throats of all who showed signs of life ; but no scalps 
 were taken. The three survivors only escaped by 
 feigning death. One hundred* of the negroes were 
 well mounted, naked' and painted hideously in red 
 and black. 
 
 After the arrival of General Gaines in Florida he 
 sent Captain Hitchcock to visit the battle-ground two 
 months after the conflict. In his report the captain 
 
t 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 206 
 
 FAMOUS WAK WITH THE CREEKS. 
 
 describes it as one of the most affecting and appall 
 ing scenes he had ever beheld. They first came 
 upon some broken boxes ; then a cart, the two oxen 
 of which were lying dead, as if they had fallen asleep, 
 their yokes still on them ; a litrie to the right were 
 one or two horses. They next reached a small tri- 
 angular enclosure made by felling trees, so as to form 
 a breastwork for defence. Within and along two 
 faces of it were about thirty bodies, mostly mere 
 skeletons (although much of the uniforms remained), 
 and lying almost in the position which they occupied 
 in the fight — their heads next to the logs over which 
 they had delivered their fire, and their bodies stretched 
 in regular parallel rows. Other bodies were found 
 in the vicinity, generally behind the trees to which 
 they had resorted for defence. A little in advance, 
 in the middle of the road, was a group of bodiep 
 which were the vanguard ; in the rear were the re- 
 mains of Major Dade and Captain Frazer. 
 
 Interment of the Dead. 
 
 It was in the interval between the first av>d the 
 second attack that the little band of thirty threw up 
 the triangular breastwork, Avhich, however, was too 
 hastily constructed to afford much protection. The 
 officers were all identified and buried by friends who 
 accompanied Captain Hitchcock, and a cannon set 
 upright at the head of their grave ; the soldiers also 
 were properly interred.* 
 
 *One of the most surprising facts in connection with this sad affair was, th«t »^ 
 tkc pcnonal Taluables of the officers aad nen were found untouched ; the bocoip 
 
FAMOUS WAR WITH THE CREEKS. 
 
 2or 
 
 On the same day that Major Dade and his com- 
 pany were slain occurred the massacre at Fort Kinor, 
 ihv. commander here being Genl. Thompson, who, it 
 will be remembered, had put Osceola in irons a short 
 time before. The Indian chief had been heard to 
 swear that the commander should atone for that act 
 with his life. On the fatal day Thompson, with nine 
 other gentlemen, was dining at the store-houce oi 
 Mr. Rogers, situated about two hundred and fifty 
 yards from the fort. The doors being open (the 
 genial climate permitting this, although it was mid- 
 winter), the Indians deliberately fired a volley of 
 about one hundred shots at the guests, who were 
 seated at the table. Five were instantly killed; the 
 remainder jumped through the windows and escaped 
 to the fort. After the first fire the savages rushed 
 into the house with loud yells. The cook, a negro 
 woman, escaped by hiding behind a barrel back of 
 the counter. General Thompson fell, pierced by fif 
 teen bullets ; Mr. Rogers, sixteen. Their heads were 
 scalped entire, as far as the hair extended. 
 
 Prompt Action. 
 
 Hard upon these sanguinary events followed the 
 battle of Ouithlacoochee River. General Clinch, the 
 commander in this engagement, had been lying in gar 
 rison at Fort Drane, a stockade about thirty miles from 
 Fort King. On the 24th of January, 1836, Brigadier- 
 pins of the former, their watches, and the gold and silver in their purses had been 
 undisturbed. Nothing could more plainly show that the war had been under- 
 taken by the Seminoles for the sole purpose of defending their right to theu 
 native land. 
 
208 
 
 FAMOUS WAR WiTH THE CREEKS. 
 
 
 J 
 
 
 general Call arrived with volunteers called into ser- 
 vice by G. R. Walker, acting governor of F'lorida. 
 As the time of the volunteer service would shortly 
 expire, prompt concerted action was determined 
 upon; the enemy was met at Ouithlacoochee' River, 
 and a sharply-contested fight ensued. The result, so 
 ^ir as could be ascertained, was a drawn battle, and 
 on the following day, the volunteers having retired, 
 the detachment fell back to Fort Drane. 
 
 A Bold Fighter. 
 
 In this engagement Osceola was constantly seen 
 in the front, wearing a -red belt and with three long 
 feathers in his head. Taking position behind a tree, 
 he would step boldly forth, level his rifle and bring 
 down his man at almost every shot ; the tree which 
 formed his shelter was literally cut to pieces. He 
 aimed several times at General Clinch, who escaped, 
 however, with several bullet-shots through his clothes. 
 
 An ofticer of General Clinch declares that he dis- 
 played the most intrepid bravery throughout the 
 conflict. In a moment of confusion among the troops 
 some soldiers gave the word " Retire," when the gen- 
 eral immediately advanced to the front, his horse 
 staggering beneath him, dismounted, and, amid a per- 
 fect hailstorm of bullets from the enemy, announced 
 that before he would retire he would die upon the 
 field. The greatest enthusiasm prevailed among the 
 men through this act, and, reassured, they kept 
 the field for three hours longer, when they crosst J 
 the river in good order. 
 
FAMOUS WAR WITH TKE CREEKS. 
 
 209 
 
 General Gaines, with his troops, arrived by ship at 
 Tampa on the 4th of February, having engaged in 
 several skirmishes while moving down the Ouithla- 
 coochee. The Indians, having lost many of '■heir best 
 men in the recent battles and being obliged to 
 slaughter their horses for food, were now gready 
 discouraged. On the night of the 5th, about ten 
 o'clock, a call was heard in the woods, and an Indian 
 appeared saying that they were tired of fighting and 
 desired peace. General Gaines sent word that they 
 iTiight despatch a messenger in the morning with a 
 white flag to parley. After some discussion a sus- 
 pension of hostilities was agreed upon. 
 
 ;A Gallant Defence. 
 But, notwithstanding their wishes for peace, skir- 
 mishes continued to take place. A peculiar episode 
 that occurred at this time was the defence of Camp 
 M'Lemore. About the 5th of April, General Scott 
 ordered forty men to erect a block-house on the 
 Ouithlacoochee, in the heart of the Indian countiy, 
 and to remain there until relieved by himself or Major 
 M'Lemore. Fortunately, their presence was not dis- 
 coverer^ until four days after their arrival, when their 
 little fort was completed and a small spring dug out 
 near its edge. The Indians now surrounded them; 
 various skirmishes ensued ; '♦their boat (which was 
 their only means of escape) was captured ; and they 
 had nothing to eat except corn without salt. At 
 length three men volunteered to attempt to reach the 
 army of the whites, and, succeeding, the littie garrison 
 

 210 
 
 FAMOUS WAR WITH THE CREEKS. 
 
 was brought off by a steamer on the 24th of May 
 without the loss of a man. 
 
 On the 15th of September another melancholy 
 event occurred near Jacksonville. The house of a 
 Mr. Johns was attacked, he himself shot dead and his 
 wife scalped and dreadfully wounded. Both were 
 about twenty yards from their home when they saw 
 the Indians emerging from the corner of a fence. 
 They ran in and bolted the door. The savages, peep- 
 ing through the logs, ordered tnem to come ojt, 
 which they refused to do; whereupon the door was 
 burst open, Mr. Johns was shot through the head, 
 and his wife, receiving two bullets in her body, fell 
 upon his prostrate form. The Indians, after scalping 
 her, applied fire to her clothing and to the house, and 
 retired. Dragging herself from the burning building, 
 she succeeded, after fainting several times, in reaching 
 a swamp, where she obtained water. Eventually she 
 recovered. 
 
 Foigiiing to be Drowned. 
 , About the 28th of September some fifty Indians 
 attacked a house near Orange Grove and killed the 
 inmates. A Mr. Hunter living there jumped into a 
 pond, where by keeping his body immersed in the 
 water for twenty-four hours, feigning to be drowned, 
 he escaped destruction. The perpetrators of this 
 deed were supposed to be Creeks, and it should be 
 mentioned here that throughout the v/ar this nation 
 and the Cherokees took side3, now with one party 
 ^nd now with another. 
 
FAMOUS WAR WITH THE CREEKS. 
 
 211 
 
 The war waged with unabated fury all through the 
 autumn, the white leaders being Colonel Lane and 
 Governor Call. Two severe battles were fought at 
 Wahoo Swamp — the almost impregnable fastness of 
 the Seminoles — and where, in October, a deputation 
 of Creeks visited them and advised them to submit. 
 Osceola replied that the Seminoles would never 
 yield ; the land was tbeirs and they would die upon 
 it. ^ 
 
 Tjbejjegiiming ;of >837i<yuiTd^ General Jessup in 
 command of the troops in Florida. A battle was 
 fought at Lake Monroe, which resulted disastrously 
 to the Indians ; they feigned submission ; several of 
 the chiefs signed a treaty ; and, notwithstanding fre- 
 quent murders, there was no new outbreak of hostili- 
 ties. By the first of May, Osceola had come in to 
 Fort Mellon, and in a short time there were assembled 
 there about thirty-five hundvr'.^ Indians, men, women 
 and children, to whom Oi." .Uousand rations were 
 issued. All things progress^^v' i; v'orably, and General 
 Jessup felt onfident that at iasi the Indians were 
 sincere and willing to ^ Osceola even slept in the 
 tent of one of his chief officers, a. id both parties 
 reposed the greatest confidence in each other. 
 
 f^efore the middle of May the general had twenty 
 transports at Tampa in w:-;ch to remove the red men, 
 but on the 2d of June he ij'j:id, to his dismay, that 
 nearly all of them had fled to their fastnesses in the 
 sw?mps and >r» rests. The general has been unjustly 
 censured foi irusdng the savages so implicidy. He 
 
 
212 
 
 FAMOUS WAR WITH THE CREEKS. 
 
 
 I 
 
 
 could not have done otherwise. Had he attempted 
 to detain the chiefs in the fort or restrain their move 
 ments in any way, he would onl) have frightened away 
 the body of the people. There was at least some 
 prospect of success in the course which he pursued 
 and the confidence he reposed in the good faith oi 
 the chiefs, : v ^ v 
 
 Important Capture. ; j^ 
 
 In the following October, 1837, John Kl ;, the chief 
 of the Cherokees, prepared at Washington an address 
 to the Seminoles, urging them to come to terms. But. 
 although this was carried to them before it could be 
 discussed, they experienced a severe shock in the cap- 
 ture, by General Jessup, of eight more of their lead- 
 ers, among whom was Osceola. It_occurred in this 
 manner: The Indians, approaching as near Fort Pey- 
 ton as they dared, sent a request to General Jessup 
 to come out and talk with them. He returned no 
 answer, but instructed Lieutenant Peyton to entice; 
 them into the fort if possible, and then seize them. 
 But this not succeeding. General Hernandez was or 
 dered to go out with two hundred men and parley 
 with them. At the same time Lieutenant Peyton was 
 to learn whether Hernandez's questions were an- 
 swered satisfactorily or not ; he presently reported 
 that the replies were evasive, whereupon General 
 Jessup ordered Major Ashley and General Hernan 
 dez to capture them ; which was accomplished without 
 firing a shot on either side, although the Indians had 
 Jo«ided guns in their hands. 
 
FAMOUS WAR WITH THE CREEKS. 
 
 213 
 
 Some have condemned General Jessup for this act, 
 but it should be remembered that he was dealing with 
 treacherous, unprincipled savages, who only a short 
 time previously had served him in an exactly similar 
 manner in the abduction of the old King Micanopy 
 and others, whom he had nearly ready for Arkansas. 
 He had been a long time in Florida, had been baf- 
 fled and derided by the Indians and vituperated at 
 Washington ; at length he determined to strike one 
 blow at least by pursuing the same course that his 
 opponents, the Indians, were accustomed to follow. 
 
 The next great event of this war, the battle of Okee- 
 chobee Lake, was (with the exception of that in which 
 Major Dade and his company were slain) the most 
 sanguinary of the conflicts. Large numbers of the 
 Indians were under the leadership of Abiaca and 
 Alligator; General Zachary Taylor commanded the 
 whites. Fifteen miles from Lake Okeechobee he 
 learned from a prisoner that about twenty-five miles 
 distant was encamped Alligator, with all the Semi- 
 nole warriors and one hundred and seventy-five Mika- 
 saukies. Many of General Taylor's men were inca- 
 pable of serving, owing to lameness caused by the 
 saw-palmetto cutting their feet and legs. With the 
 remainder the general advanced, and discovered the 
 Indians in one of the strongest places and one of the 
 most difficult of access in Florida. A desperate 
 struggle ensued, resulting in the final victory of the 
 whites. The Indians retired, twenty of their number 
 having been slain ; the whites lost twenty- eight killed 
 
3rl4 
 
 FAMOl^S WAR WITH THE CREEKS. 
 
 / 
 
 and one hundred and eleven wounded, among the 
 Tormer being almost all of General Taylor's officers. 
 
 The Indians Surrender. 
 
 On the 30th of January, 1838, died of catarrhal 
 fever the i^ous^^Q§<^o|a,M^^pliv^ 
 
 prison at St. i'Vugustine for safe-keeping. 
 
 On the 7th of February, General Jessup, by fair 
 means or foul, succeeded in capturing twelve hun- 
 dred Indians and negroes, of whom three hundred and 
 nineteen were warriors. Other bodies surrendered 
 to different commanders, many chiefs had been sent 
 out of the country, and by April twenty-four hundred 
 Indians had laid down their arms and been sent west 
 of the Mississippi. 
 
 But many horrible outrages were still perpetrated. 
 Those who remained fought with the desperation of 
 woundeJ ild beasts or poisonous snakes. At length 
 their crimes became so insupportable that the people 
 of Florida resolved to take the management of the 
 war into their own hands, offering a reward of two 
 hundred dollars for every Indian killed. About this 
 time great indignation was created throughout the 
 country by the rumor that bloodhounds were to be 
 used in the attacks against the Indians. Very few, 
 however, were actually so employed. 
 
 There exists an account of an Indian, somewhere 
 in the middle of Florida, being captured by these 
 dogs, who held him by the throat until the whites 
 c^^^>e up and took him. Another story is told of nine 
 
FAMOUS WAR WITH THE CREEKS. 
 
 215 
 
 oi these animals which were to be taken by a Colonel 
 Twiggs on a proposed expedition to the Ocklawaha. 
 Desiring to test them beforehand, the officers caused 
 an Indian prisoner to be sent to a distance of five 
 miles, where he was made to climb a tree. The 
 hounds were then let loose and put upon the trail; 
 the leader went directly to the tree and attempted 
 to climb it, having actually reached a height of six 
 feet when the officers arrived. 
 
 Ludicrous Costumes. 
 
 Another tragi-comic incident of these days was the 
 adventure of some actors in Florida. A certain Mr. 
 Forbes, thinking that perhaps the people would be 
 interested in witnessing a counterfeit tragedy as a 
 change from the monotony of so many genuine ones, 
 started with his theatrical company for that country. 
 On the 23d of May, as they were passing in wagons 
 from Picolata to St. Augustine, they were attacked by 
 a large number of Indians under Wild Cat. Four of 
 the actors were killed, but Forbes and the women 
 escaped. Soon after the savages appeared at Fort 
 Searle equipped in the most ludicrous fashion in the 
 costumes of the company- Wild Cat wore the turban 
 of Othello, and others were gaudily bedecked with 
 sashes, spangles and tinsels of every kind. The 
 chief afterward showed a rich velvet dress to some 
 negroes, and declared that he would not take a 
 hundred head of cattle for it. 
 
 The last event of note connected with this desper- 
 ate struggle of the Seminoles was the expedition, in 
 
216 
 
 FAMOUS WAR WITH THE CREEKS. 
 
 i 
 
 1839, of Colonel Harvey into the Everglades, those 
 vast malarial swamps of Southern Florida which ex- 
 tend over one hundred square miles, and consist of 
 stretches of shallow water dotted with innumerable 
 low, flat islands generally covered with trees and 
 scrubs. A great part of the water is covered by a 
 thick saw-grass as high as a man's head, with little 
 channels running here and there. The suspicion 
 that the Indians had long occupied these marshes as 
 their retreat was confirmed by the testimony of a 
 negro who came in at Cape Florida after having lived 
 with them there since 1835. 
 
 Colonel Harvey, with this negro, John, as guide, 
 proceeded with ninety men in boats to traverse the 
 great trackless region. He found his conductor 
 trustworthy, and landed upon an island where he 
 took thirty-eight of the Indians prisoners and killed 
 two. The savages proved to be the band of Chai-ki- 
 ka, the daring villain who had led the attack on In- 
 dian Key and treacherously massacred Colonel Har- 
 vey's men at Synebol. That these charges were true 
 was proved by the fact of their finding here two 
 thousand dollars' worth of the goods taken at Indian 
 Key, as well as thirteen Colt's rifles which had been 
 lost at Synebol. As a compensation for these atroci- 
 ties the colonel hung five of ^he ten warriors and 
 retained the tenth for a future guide. 
 
 Turning now to the wars of the States with the 
 Iroquois Indians and other Western tribes, I take up 
 the thread of my narrative where it was dropped 
 
FAMOUS WAR WITH THE CREEKS. 
 
 217 
 
 when we were considering the conflicts of the 
 colonies with these nations. That part of our his- 
 tory, it will be remembered, closed with a speech of 
 Captain Pipe's. The next event of note was the de- 
 feat of St. Clair in the country of the Miamis 
 (Southern Ohio and Indiana;. At this time Little 
 Turtle was the chief of the tribe and commanded his 
 braves in the battle. The result of the sanguinary 
 engagement was an overwhelming subjugation of St. 
 Clair's army. Five hundred and ninety-three of 
 the Americans, with thirty-eight officers, were killed 
 and missing; two hundred and sixty-seven were 
 wounded. 
 
 Desi>erate Battle. 
 The Indians fought with the most desperate 
 bravery, rushing on the very guns and using the 
 tomahawks with fatal effect. Colonel Butler, who 
 commanded the right wing, was severely wouided 
 and left on the field. The infamous Simon (jirty 
 approaching, the. colonel entreated him to put him 
 out of his misery, which he refused to do, but turn- 
 ed to an Indian near by and explained that this was 
 the commander of the army. Thereupon the sav- 
 age buried his tomahE.wk in his skull. Others now 
 coming up, they scalped him and cut out his heart, 
 which they divided into as many pieces as there were 
 tribes in the battle, giving one part to each. In token 
 that the object of disputt 'n this contest was land, 
 the enemy filled the mouths of the dead with earth, 
 as though to ask, *'Ha\^. ^^ou land enough now?** 
 
218 
 
 FAMOUS WAR WITH THE CREEKS. 
 
 Many interesting anecdotes are related of Little 
 Turtle. His residence was upon Eel River, near 
 Fort Wayne, where the United States Government 
 had built a house for him in the hope of its serving 
 as a good example to his tribe. Unfortunately, how 
 ever, it had only the effect of arousing hatred and 
 jealousy in the minds of the others. When Litde 
 Turtle came to Philadelphia in 1 797, the philosopher 
 Volney, then in America, sought his acquaintance for 
 the purpose of making a vocabulary of his language. 
 This lexicon is in the appendix to his Travels. 
 
 Painted by the Sun. 
 
 During the time which had elapsed between the 
 defeat of St. Clair in 1791 and Little Turtle's visit 
 to Philadelphia (1797), he had become convinced 
 that resistance to the whites was useless; and his 
 present errand was to solicit aid from Congress and 
 from the Society of Friends for the purpose of estab- 
 lishing his people in agricultural pursuits. At the 
 time of Mr. Volney's interview with him he was 
 dressed in English clothes, and his skin, where not 
 exposed, the philosopher says, was as white as his 
 own. Little Turtle said: "I have seen Spaniards 
 In Louisiana, and found no difference of color be- 
 tween them and me. And why should there be any? 
 In them, as in us, it is the work of the father of colors, 
 the sun, that burns us!' 
 
 On Mr. Volney remarking that it was the opinion 
 of some people that the Indians were descended from 
 the Siberians, he replied: "Why should not these 
 
FAMOUS WAR WITH THE CREEKS. 
 
 2ld 
 
 i^ y 
 
 Siberians, v*/ho resemble us, have come from Amer- 
 ica? Is there any reason to the contrary?" 
 
 When Mr. Volney asked him why he did not live 
 among the whites r^atjier than upon the banks of the 
 ■VikfiSf^Stt^i)^ t' filings toj^ether, you 
 
 have th^ advahtage over us , but here I am deaf and 
 dumb; I can neither hear nor make myself heard 
 When I walk through the streets I see every person 
 in his shop employed about something ; one makes 
 shoes ; another, hats ; a third sells cloth ; and every 
 one lives by his labor. I say to myself, 'Which of 
 all these things can you do?' Not one. I can make 
 a bow or an arrow, catch fish, kill game or go to war, 
 but none of these is of any use here. To learn what 
 is done here would require a long time. Old age 
 comes on. I should be a piece of furniture^useless 
 to my nation, useless to the whites and useless to 
 myself. I must return to my country." 
 
 Description of Little Turtle. 
 
 Kosciusko met Little Turtle during this visit to 
 Philadelphia, and was so much pleased with him that 
 he presented him with a beautifully-mounted pair of 
 pistols and an elegant robe made of sea-otter's skin. 
 
 This interesting chief died of the gout at Fort 
 Wayne in 1812, and was buried with the honors due 
 him as a commander and as a personally distinguished 
 man. In person he was six feet high and of a rather 
 morose countenance, which, to some, seemed to indi- 
 cate craft and cruelty. His dress consisted of mocca- 
 sins; a blue petticoat that reached halfway to his 
 
 '4 
 » 
 
 ■ >• . 
 
220 
 
 FAMOUS WAR WITH THE 0KEEK8. 
 
 
 ^i'^n 
 
 I 
 
 knees; a European waistcoat and surtout ; on hia 
 head was an Indian cap that hung halfway down his 
 back and was almost entirely filled with silver brooches, 
 probably to the number of two hundred or more; in 
 each ear were two earrings, the upper parts of which 
 were formed of three silver medals about the size of 
 a dollar, the lower parts being made of quarters of 
 dollars, the entire ornament falling more than twelve 
 inches from his ears ; one of the earrings hung in 
 front over his breast, the other over his back. He 
 also wore three very large curiously-painted nose- 
 jewels of silver. - 
 
 He was at one time having his portrait painted in 
 Philadelphia. An Irishman, who prided himself on 
 his ability in joking, was sitting for his at the same 
 time. Little Turde received the cue, and much merry 
 badinage was indulged in at their several meetings. 
 One morning the Indian took but little notice of the 
 Irishman and preserved a very dignified and serious 
 mien. At length the Hibernian began to intimate 
 that he had probably retired from the game from a 
 consciousness of his inferiority in the sport. But the 
 savage answered through the interpreter, "He mis- 
 takes ; I was just thinking of proposing to this man 
 to paint us both on one board, and there I would 
 stand face to face with him and blackguard him to 
 all eternity." 
 
 The next cycle of events to be recorded centres 
 about the name of the great Mohawk chief, Brant 
 pr Thayendanega. This prominent Indijip leader re- 
 
FAMOUS WAR WITH THE CREEKS. 
 
 221 
 
 ceived a good English education at Moor's charity 
 school in Lebanon, Connecticut, where he was placed 
 by Sir William Johnson, then English agent for In- 
 dian affairs. Brant also visited England in 1775. 
 His benefactor (who died in 1774) was held in great 
 esteem by the red men, whom he used to entertain 
 with liberal hospitality at his elegant estate on the 
 north bank of the Mohawk, about forty miles from 
 Albany. Sometimes he would receive several hun- 
 dred at once, and so great was their respect for him 
 that they v/ere never known to disturb or appropriate 
 any of his possessions. At times he would assume 
 their styh; of dress ; he also took as a sort of com- 
 panion sister of Brant named Molly. This treat 
 ment c ...e Indians by Sir William was no doubt the 
 secret of their faithful adherence to the cause of the 
 English against the Colonies in the succeeding Revo- 
 lutionary War. Not far from his residence lived the 
 Butlers — John and Walter — soon to become famous 
 by their atrocities at Cherry Valley and Wyoming. 
 
 In 1775 a letter of Brant's to the Oneida chiefs 
 was found in an Indian path. In it he subscribes 
 himself "secretary of Guy Johnson" (Guy was the 
 son-in-law of Sir William Johnson). The letter was 
 as follows : 
 
 "Written at Guy Johnson's, May, 1775. This is 
 your letter, you great ones, or sachems. Guy John- 
 son says he will be glad if you get this intelligence, 
 you Oneidas, how it goes with him now, and he is 
 now more certain concerning the intention of the 
 
222 
 
 FAMOUS WAR WITH THE CREEKS. 
 
 Boston people. Guy Johncon is in great fear of 
 being taken prisoner by the Bostonians. We Mo 
 hawks are obliged to watch him constantly." 
 
 Brant accompanied Johnson and the Butlers when 
 they fled to Canada, but having a quarrel with 
 Johnson, he returned to New York and took up the 
 war-hatchet. 
 
 Herkimer's Mortal Wound. 
 
 In 1777 was fought the battle of Oriskany, which, 
 after a hard struggle, was won by the Americans 
 under General Herkimer, who was marcfeiii|^Ni^the 
 head of two regiments to the relief of Fort Stanwix, 
 then ' ested by Brant. The Indians were ambushed 
 in a raviiie through which ran a corduroy road, and 
 in which General Herkimer's regiments were nearly 
 cut to pieces by the yelling, murderous red fiends 
 around them ; they wf re only rescued by a timely 
 reinforcement from the fort. 
 
 In this battle General Herkimer received a wound 
 which eventually resulted in his death. At the begin- 
 ning of the battle he was also severely wounded in 
 the leg. Directing his saddle to be placed on a little 
 knoll, he leaned upon it and continued to direct the 
 fight. Upon being asked if he had not better remove 
 to a safer place, he said : " No ; I will face the 
 enemy," and thereupon very ccolly and deliberately 
 took from his pocket his tinder-box, lighted his pipe 
 and smoked with great composure. The loss in thi* 
 batde was heavy on both sides. 
 
CHAPTER Xill. 
 
 The Massacre of Wyoming. — Inhuman Butch- 
 eries.— A Ghastly Tale.— The Celebrated Red 
 Jacket. 
 
 Next in chronological order comes the heart 
 rending and world-renowned event of the massacre 
 at Wyoming. In the spring of 1778 it was known 
 that a large force of Tories and Indians was assem- 
 bling at Niagara for the purpose of harrying the 
 frontier; but Congress was much occupied with 
 other momentous affairs, ana nothing was done. 
 Early in July sixteen hundred men were found to be 
 irv possession of Fort Wintermoot, near Wyoming ; 
 at the latter place were four hundred Americans 
 under Colonel Zebulon Buder, cousin of John Butler, 
 the leader of the Tories and Indians. 
 
 The two bodies came into conflict near Wyoming, 
 and the American force was literally cut to pieces, 
 so that out of the original number who set out, only 
 about twenty escaped, among whom, however, was 
 Colonel Zebulon Butler and several officers. The 
 fort and Wyoming were now besieged, and presendy 
 Colonel Zebulon Butler proposed a parley with his 
 cousin. This was agreed to ; but when the Ameri- 
 cans marched out the other party kept retreating, at 
 the same time waving the white flag, and alleging 
 
 323 
 
 k: 
 
i 
 
 J 
 
 224 
 
 MASSACRES BY TORIES AND INDIANS. 
 
 fear as a motive for their withdrawal. Through this 
 diabolical stratagem the Americans were treacher- 
 ously drawn into an ambuscade ; the enemy sur- 
 rounded them, and " the work of death raged in all 
 !ts fury." Qut of the hundreds who went forth only 
 a few reached the fort. To msult the besieged the 
 enemy sent in a pretended summons to surrender, at 
 the same time exhibiting one hundred and ninet^'-six 
 bloody scalps. When asked what terms they would 
 give, Butler replied, "The hatchet." 
 
 Having finally been obliged to yield, the garrison 
 was assailed by the fiendish enemy, who, after select- 
 ing a few prisoners, shut the remainder (men, women 
 and children) in the houses and barracks and burned 
 them alive ! Seventy Continental soldiers in another 
 fort near at hand surrendered without conditions, and 
 were immediately butchered to a man. And, as if 
 their hellish fury could not be sated in the slaughter 
 of human beings, they shot and wounded the cattle 
 in the fields, occasionally cutting out their tongues 
 and leaving them alive ! 
 
 Diabolical T<sture. 
 
 One of the prisoners, a Captain Badlock, was tor 
 tured by having his bcdy pierced with splinters of 
 pine knots and a fire of dry wood made around him. 
 His two companions. Captains Ranson and Durkee, 
 were also cast into the fire, and held down with pitcn- 
 forks until dead. A fellow named Partial Terry, who 
 had joined the Indians, sent his own father word that 
 he hoped to wash his hands in his heart's blood ; and 
 
225 
 
 
 I 
 
226 
 
 MASSACRES BY TORIES AND INDIANS. 
 
 this unnatural miscreant did actually murder hib 
 -ither, mother, brothers and sisters, scalped them, 
 and ended by cutting off his father's head ! It is well 
 known that the Tories often dressed like the Indians 
 and excelled them in ferocity. In the same vallc) 
 with Wyoming were the towns of Wilkesbarre and 
 Kingston, which were also destroyed. The settlers 
 of these towns were from Connecticut, and out of 
 one thousand families had furnished one thousand 
 men for the Revolutionary War. 
 
 Many are familiar with the remarkable story of 
 "the lost sisior of Wyoming," Frances Slocum, hei 
 captivity and wanderings among the Indians. This 
 woman, it will be remembered, was captured when a 
 child by three Delaware ^iidians. For sixty years she 
 was lost, and then by merest chance discovered. She 
 died in 1849 ^^ the age of "jd, half a savage, unable 
 to speak English and with a lingering distrust of her 
 own race. She was married twice to Indian chiefs, 
 having by her second husband, a Miami named She- 
 Pan-Can-Ah, two daughters. The Indians seized her 
 shortly after the battle of Wyoming, in her father' 
 cabin, pitched on the site of the city of Wilkesbarru 
 and when finally found she was living in Indiana. 
 
 In November following the Wyoming massacre 
 Cherry Valley met a similar fate. Colonel Icha- 
 bod Alden was in command, and it was to his fatal 
 sense of security and disregard of repeated warnings 
 that the destruction of the place was due. On occa- 
 sion of the first admonition he said it was only bravado, 
 
MASSACRES BY TORIES AND INDIANS. 
 
 ?27 
 
 but that he would send out scouts. He did so, but 
 one of them kindled a fire and laid down by it. The 
 Indians, approaching, captured all of them. On the 
 morning of the iithof November, 1778, the Indians, 
 being favored by a heavy fog, approached the for; 
 with its surrounding houses. A Mr. Hamble was 
 fired upon as he was passing from his house to the 
 
 ort. He gave the warning, but the infatuated colonel 
 
 crain derided it. 
 
 Felled by the Tomahawk. 
 
 In a few moments the place was in the hands of 
 the enemy, and the soldiers and inhabitants were being 
 'aughtered. Colonel Alden was killed while running 
 from his house. A Mr. Wells was slaughtered while 
 at prayer, and his daughter, an amiable young lady, 
 fled to the wood-pile for safety, but was pursued by 
 an Indian, who coolly wiped his long, bloody knife on 
 his leggings, stuck it in his belt, and then seizing her 
 by the arm, regardless of her entreaties for mercy, 
 killed her by one blow of his tomahawk. 
 
 Three years after this sad event Walter Butler, thr 
 wretch who, with Brant, led the attack, was murdered 
 in the Mohawk country. It is gratifying to learn that 
 he was wounded in a skirmish with sixty Oneida In- 
 dians commanded by Colonel Willet. He begged for 
 quarter, but an Indian cried out with a dreadful voice, 
 "Cherry Valley," and sunk his tomahawk into his 
 held. 
 
 At the close of the Revolutionary War, King George 
 bestowed upon Brant a valuable tract of land on the 
 
 11 
 
2211 
 
 MASSACBES BY TORIES AND INDIAN& 
 
 western shore of Lake Ontario, where he settled and 
 lived after the English fashion. 
 
 Some account must now be given of the Senecas, 
 their great chiefs and their wars and troubles with the 
 States. One of their greatest leaders was Red Jacket, 
 who was much respected by all who came in contact 
 with him. This famous orator and chief for manjf 
 years before his death lived about four miles froiri 
 Buffalo, ill a log house on the Seneca reservation. 
 His fame as an orator, his noble demeanor and the 
 astuteness of his intellect drev^ many a visitor to his 
 house during his later years, who regarded him as a 
 \iving cu'riosity. 
 
 His great infirmity at that time was the too free in- 
 dulgence in ardent spirits. He had a great anipathy 
 to the black>coats (as he called the missionaries) and 
 to their attempts to force the Christian religion upon 
 his nation. In 1821 he addressed a striking memorial 
 no the governor of New York, praying for relief from 
 the plague of "black-coats," who brought only dis- 
 sensions, quarrels and misery among them by their 
 sectarian disputes, and by their inevitably bringing in 
 their train other whites, who robbed and plundered 
 his nation. 
 
 A Shrewd Beply. 
 
 The Indians, with their unenlightened minds, only 
 laughed at the metaphysical doctrines of the Chris- 
 tians. When told that 
 
 <* In Adam's faU 
 We stnn«d all," 
 
MASSACRES BY TORIES AND INDIANS. 
 
 229 
 
 they .quietly remarked that they were not included in 
 that number. Red Jacket once said to a preacher (Rev. 
 Mr. Brackenridge) who was exhorting him: "Brother, 
 if you white men murdered the Son of the Great 
 Spirit, we Indians have had nothing to do with it, and 
 it is none of our affair. If he had come among us, 
 we would not have killed him ; we would have treated 
 him well. You must make amends for thac crime 
 yourselves." 
 
 During the war of 1812, Red Jacket took part with 
 the Americans. Having heard that Colonel Snelling 
 (to whom he had become much attached) had been 
 ordered to a distant post, Red Jacket came to him 
 and said : " Brother, I hear you are going to a placr 
 called Governor's Island ; I hope you will be a governoi 
 yourself. I understand that you white people think 
 chtldren a blessing; I hope you may have a thousand. 
 And, above all, I hope wherever you go you may 
 never find whiskey more than two shillings a quart." 
 
 At one time in his lite Red Jacket lost favor with 
 his nation. To regain it, he induced his brother to 
 announce himself as a prophet, commissioned by the 
 Great Spirit to redeem them out of their miserable 
 condition of drunkenness and immorality. The re- 
 sult was that the superstitious Indians were induced 
 to abstain almost entirely from their evil practices. 
 But the fires of superstition being now aroused, many 
 were accused of witchcraft ; ajnong the number was 
 Red Jacket, who, upon being brought to trial, acquitted 
 himself in a three hours' speech, which was a wonder 
 
 
 
230 
 
 MASSACRES BY TORIES AND INDIANS. , 
 
 ful feat, considering the powerful hold of superstition 
 on the minds of his judges. 
 
 Speech by Bed Jacket. 
 
 At the trial of a certain Seneca chief named Tom 
 jemmy for the crime of cutting the throat of a witch, 
 Red Jacket made the following speech on the witness 
 stand, in allusion to some Americans who had ridiculed 
 the Seneca witch superstition ; and it must be con- 
 fessed that his logic was cogent and, in fact, unanswer- 
 able : " What ! do you denounce us as fools and 
 bigots because we still continue to believe that which 
 you yourselves sedulously inculcated two centuries 
 ago? Your divines have thundered this doctrine 
 from the pulpit ; your judges have pronounced it 
 from the bench ; your courts of justice have sanc- 
 tioned it with the formalities of the law ; and you 
 would now punish our unfortunate brother for ad- 
 herence to the superstitions of his fathers ! Go to 
 Salem ! Look at the records of your government, 
 and you will find hundreds executed for the very 
 crime which has called forth the sentence of condem- 
 nation upon this woman and drawn down the arm of 
 vengeance upon her." 
 
 Before Red Jacket was admitted upon the witness 
 stand he was asked to state if he believed in a future 
 condition of rewards and punishments and in the ex- 
 istence of God. Fixing a terrible and piercing look 
 upon the questioner, he replied : " Yes, much more 
 than the white men, if we are to judge by their actions." 
 
 Another Seneca chief of marked intellectual power 
 
MASSACRES BY TORIES AND INDIANS. 
 
 5,31 
 
 was Farmers - Brother. One of his most famous 
 speeches was that delivered at a council at Genesee 
 River in 1798. This chief, notwithstanding his love 
 of peace, was engaged in one shameful butchery at 
 least — that which occurred at what is called the 
 ' Devil's Hole," near the Falls of Niagara, a ravine 
 about three and a half miles below th'^ falls on the 
 A.merican side, and near the road. It is, or was, a 
 most dismal spot, a sombre chasm, horrid with the 
 shade of dark evergreens and birches. The time was 
 thai; of the French and Indian wars. Some English 
 teamsters were passing along the road whistling 
 gayly to their oxen, when Farmers-Brother and his 
 ambushed warriors, with loud yells, leaped out upon 
 them and killed all but two, hurling me.i, oxen and 
 wagons over into the chasm. Of the two who es- 
 caped, one owed his deliverance to a fleet horse : the 
 other, to the circumstance that when thrown over the 
 precipice he was caught upon a projecting root, and 
 evaded the notice of the savages. 
 
 In the war of 181 2, Farmers-Brother one day dis- 
 covered a Mohawk spy in the camp of his warriors. 
 At once walking up to him, he said : " I know you 
 well. You belong to the Mohawks. You are a spy. 
 Here is my rifle, my tomahawk, my scalping-knife. 
 Say which I shall use: I am in haste." (What Spartan 
 sententiousness and deadly brevity in these words !) 
 The young Mohawk saw that nothing was to be said: 
 he chose the rifle ; was directed to lie down ; he did. 
 so, and was immediately shot through the head. 
 
 
 I 
 
I 
 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 The Celebrated Tecumseh. — Black Hawk's 
 War. — The Sioux, Sacs and Foxes.- -San- 
 guinary Conflicts. 
 
 Of the great war of Tecumseh in the West but little 
 that is of special interest to us of this day appears to 
 have been preserved. As is well known, Tecumseh 
 had formed a deeply-laid conspiracy with all the tribes 
 in Ohio, Indiana and neighboring regions to beat 
 back the whites beyond the Ohio River, The hatchet 
 had been taken up for some months when the war of 
 the States with England (i8 1 2) broke out. According 
 to the usual policy of the English, Tecumseh was of 
 course sought as an ally. He was made brigadier 
 general in the British army, and after appearing in 
 several engagements he was killed at the battle of the 
 Thames, near Detroit, being then in his forty-fourth 
 year. ^ 
 
 He was born near what is now Chillicothe, war, 
 one of triplets, one of his brothers being the famous, 
 imposter-prophet, Ellskwatawa ; and the other, Kum 
 shaka, meaning "a tiger that flies in the air." T^, 
 cumseh signifies "a tiger crouching for his prey" 
 This chief possessed a dark, ambitious and sombr(^ 
 character; his manner was austere and silent, his 
 
 282 
 
BLACK HAWK'S WAR. 
 
 233 
 
 bearing dignified, his eye piercing. Unlike most 
 savages, he cared nothing for gaudy ornaments or 
 dress ; his clothing consisted of a simple coat and 
 pantaloons made of deer-skin. 
 
 He was an excellent judge of military position, and 
 had a keen eye for the topographical features of the 
 regions through which he passed ; a map which he 
 once drew with the point of his seal ping-knife on an 
 extended roll of elm-bark elicited much commenda- 
 tion from General Brock of Detroit. 
 
 Bravest of the BrRve. 
 
 Another famous chief of the time of which I am 
 writing was Petalesharoo, son of Letelesha of the 
 Pawnee tribe. His face and form were attractive in 
 the extreme, and so daring was he that he was called 
 " the bravest of the braves." It was the custom of 
 warriors of his tribe to occasionally sacrifice war cap- 
 tives to "the great star" Venus, in order to ensure 
 success in bauie. In one of their expeditions against 
 the Iteans'a woman was taken captive and condemned 
 to be burned at the stake as a sacrifice. A vast crowd 
 of spectators had assembled ; but in the mean time 
 Petalesharoo had stationed two swift horses near at 
 hand, and at the opportune moment rushed forward, 
 seized the trembling female in his arms, reached his 
 horses and bore her away in safety to her own tribe. 
 
 So strong was the hold of the religious supersti- 
 tion on the mind of the savages that no other man in 
 the tribe would have dared to do such an act ; but his 
 standing was such that no one would have ventured 
 
234 
 
 BLACK HAWKS WAR. 
 
 to express an opinion against his conduct. Wlicn 
 Petalesharoo was afterward in Washington, i!ie young 
 )adies of a Miss White's seminary were so mucii im- 
 pressed by tlie account of this daring and human- 
 act that they presented the young chief with an elc 
 gant silver medal appropriately inscribed and accom 
 panied by the following address : " iirother, accep' 
 this token of our esteem ; always wear it for our 
 sakes, and when again you have the power to save 
 a poor AToman from death and torture, think of this 
 and of us, and fly to her relief and her rescue." 
 
 The chief replied: "This (medal) will give me 
 more ease than I ever had, and I will listen more 
 than I ever did to white men. I am glad that my 
 brothers and sisters have heard of the good act that 
 I have done. My brothers and sisters think that I 
 did it in ignorance, but I now know what I have done. 
 I did it in ignorance, and did not know that I did good, 
 but by giving me this medal I know it." 
 
 It is pleasing to learn that this chief and his fathei 
 soon after succeeded in abolishing the horrid custom 
 of human sacrifice in their tribe. 
 
 Black Hawk's War. 
 
 In the Black Hawk War, which next claims our 
 attention, the following tribes were more or less 
 engaged; ist, the Winnebagoes, numbering about 
 fifteen hundred and fifty, and living on the borders 
 of the Wisconsin River ; 2d, the Menomonees, num- 
 bering about three hundred and fifty-five, and dwell- 
 ing just north of the W^innebagoes, from whom they 
 
BLACK HAWK'S WAR. 
 
 235 
 
 wfre separated by a range of mountains; 3vJ, the 
 Pottawatomies, in number about thirty-four hundred, 
 iiaving their habitation alon^^ the southern portion 
 of Lake Michigan ; 4th, the Sacs and Foxes ol West 
 ern IlHnois, three thousand strong. 
 
 As early as 1827 quarrels had taken place between 
 Sioux and Sac chiefs and the whites, owinir to dissat 
 isfaction caused by the interference of the latter with 
 the bloody feuds and murders of the Sioux and the 
 Chippewas. The Sioux chief, Red Bird, and the Sac 
 chief, Black Hawk, were implicated in various mui 
 derous assaults that occurred during the year above 
 mentioned (iS'ij). They and their accomplices were 
 brc jght to trial before United S<:^tes courts. Some 
 were execui ^«^ ; Red Bird died in prison, and Black 
 Hawk was liberated, owing to insufficient evidence 
 against him. 
 
 But it was not until 1830 that a portion of the tribe 
 of Black Hawk received what it regarded as the final 
 deadly and unpardonable affront, which was expulsion 
 from their ancestral lands on the eastern shore of 
 the Mississippi. The Sac chief, Keokuk, with the 
 approval of a portion of the tribe, had, it is true, 
 formally sold these lands to the United States Gov- 
 ernment by treaty, but Black Hawk, his rival and at 
 that time actual leader, knew nothing of the sale, was 
 deeply offended by it, and, with the support of a 
 strong party of warriors, swore never to leave his 
 ancestral village and acres. This village was on the 
 point of land formed by the Rock River and the Mis- 
 
236 
 
 BLACK HAWK'S WAR. 
 
 sissippi. There were the graves of their fathers, and 
 there also their carefully tilled and rich corn-land 
 amounting to about seven hundred acres. 
 
 Great Iiidij^natiou. 
 
 Keokuk afterward saw his mistake, and promised 
 Black Hawk to go to the whites and do all in his 
 power to recover their homes and their land. In the 
 winter of 1830 the tribe set out on its annual hunt; 
 when tiiey returned they found settlers in their own 
 wigwams and lodges and eating their own corn. It 
 is not surprising, then, that deep indignation fired 
 their souls when they thus witnessed this assumption 
 of their rights and possessions. They determined to 
 jccupy the land in conjunction with the whites, rather 
 thaii yield up their homes. The whites dared not 
 expel them, but did not rcruple to insult tlien: in 
 every possible way ; they punished their squaws and 
 young men for the most trifling offences, and wJti 
 that brutality which has generally characterized the 
 boider-ruffian of the West; in their bargains with 
 them they practised fraud and deception. 
 
 By an article of the tre?tv the Indians were not ob 
 liged to leave their lands until they were actually sold 
 to private parties ; they continued, therefore, to retain 
 possession, for a time at least. Finally, the whites 
 sent complaints (how justly cannot be determined) to 
 Governor Reynolds of Illinois that their lands were 
 being encroached upon by the Indians. The governor 
 through some measures, seems to have persuaded 
 himself that the reports were true, and by som^ 
 
BLACK HAWK'S WAR. 
 
 237 
 
 ;rs, and 
 rn-land 
 
 •omised 
 in his 
 In the 
 il hunt; 
 iir own 
 3rn. It 
 )n fired 
 in-iption 
 lined to 
 i, rather 
 red not 
 :hen: in 
 iws and 
 ad witi 
 zed the 
 ns with 
 
 not ob 
 illy sold 
 r> retain 
 whites 
 ned) to 
 Is were 
 vernor 
 ■suaded 
 { somR 
 
 sophistication of intellect reached the amazing con- 
 clusion that the section of the State near Rock Island 
 was " invaded " b> a band of hostile Sacs ! and called 
 out the militia, under General Gaines, to suppress 
 the invasion. 
 
 The Crisis at Hand. 
 
 The Indians fled across the Mississippi to avoid 
 massacre, and sent a white flag to Gaines. A treaty 
 'y/a.s made, but the supply of corn which had been 
 promised them proving insufificient, they were driven 
 by famine to steal it from their own fields (as they 
 pathetically called them) across the river. As a con- 
 sequence, bloodshed and a rupture of the treaty 
 ensued. 
 
 In ihe spring of 1832 complaints were again 
 entered against the Sacs for occupying their old 
 village. General Atkinson, rt the head of the Sixth 
 regiment of United States infantry, was sent against 
 them. He despatched word to Black Hawk (who 
 was now ascending Rock River with his party in 
 the delusive hope of receiving promised aid from the 
 Pottawatomies and Winnebagoes) that he must at 
 once leave the country. The chief refused, and 
 defied him to do his worst. 
 
 On the 14th of May an advance party of two hun- 
 dred and seventy, under Major Stillman, was com- 
 pletely routed by Black Hawk with only forty men. 
 This retreat of the white militia was a shameful 
 flight, scarcely two men keeping together, and many 
 of them running such a distance and so dispersedly 
 
238 
 
 BLaCK HAWK'S WAR. 
 
 chat they did not reach the rendezvous at Dixon's 
 Ferr)' for two or three days. 
 
 Blood having now been shed, the customary 
 reprisals of the Indians upon any whit-tf? whom they 
 met began to be practised, ind the entire frontier 
 was harassed by the usual atrocious depredations 
 and murders. Congress ordered General Scott tc 
 the relief of the settlers, and nine companies of 
 artillery and eleven companies of United States 
 infantry w?re also directed to co-operate ; but nearly 
 all of these troops were swept away by the appalling 
 ravages of the cholera. ..> ': ; ,. ' * 
 
 The Iitdiaus Retreat. : . v- 
 
 On the 2 1 St of July, Black Hawk was defeated on 
 the Wisconsin by General Dodge, who then joined 
 his forces with those of General Atkinson, and pro- 
 ceeded with great haste and by forced marches in 
 pursuit of Black Hawk, in the hope of overtaking him 
 before he could cross the Mississippi.- After a severe 
 march of four days through a roughly- wooded moun- 
 tainous region, the great trail continually giving evi- 
 dence of the movements of the Indians, the army 
 came up with them just as they were preparing to 
 cross the Mississippi near Prairie du Chien. That 
 they had not succeeded in reaching the opposite side 
 on the day previous was due to the fact of their 
 encountering a steamboat as they v/ere on the point 
 of passing over. , 
 
 The captain, disregarding their flag of truce, merci- 
 lessly shot them down with his iix-pounder canister 
 
BLACK HAWK'S WAR. 
 
 239 
 
 shot. On the next day, the 2d of August, Black 
 Hawk's entire band was cut to pieces by the efforts 
 of these combined forces. No quarter was given 
 f^xcept to women and children ; if they attempted 
 escape by' swimming, they were struck down by the 
 sharpshooters; if they endeavored to flee up the 
 river, they were met by troops sent to intercept 
 them. 
 
 Black Hawk escaped for a time, but on the 27th 
 oi August he and the prophet Wabokieshick were 
 brought ^o General Street at Prairie du Chien by 
 two Winnebago Indians named Dacorie and Chaetar. 
 In their formal speech attendant upon delivering up 
 their illustrious captives they reminded the general 
 of his promise to favor their tribe. The two prisoners 
 were in full dress of very white tanned deer-skins. 
 It may be safely inferred that the prophet Wabokie- 
 shick was the prime instigator of the war, having, by 
 his conjurations, encouraged and incited his followers 
 to the trial. He was an ill-looking fellow, his ex- 
 pression indicating deliberate cruelty and his entire 
 presence suggestive of secret assassinations and the 
 gallows. " '' '■ 
 
 Magrnificeiit Warriors. 
 
 The prisoner chiefs and warriors, to the number of 
 about sixty, were conveyed to Jefferson Barracks neai 
 St. Louis, and all were heavily ironed. A gentleman 
 who visited them during the time of their conhnement 
 here states that he was forcibly impressed by the 
 gigantic and symmetrical proportio.is of most of the 
 
340 
 
 BLACK HAWK'S WAR. 
 
 warriors. They looked like statues of the old Romans 
 as they reclined, half naked, in their quarters. The 
 visitor further states that they were clad in leggings 
 and moccasins of buckskin, and wore their blankets 
 after the manner of the Roman toga. Their faces 
 were painted with bright vermilion and transversely 
 streaked with red and black. The only hair on the 
 heads of the Sacs was a single tuft, which they some- 
 times covered with vermilion and then trimmed the 
 edges, leaving it in shape like a cock's comb. 
 
 The brother of the prophet was named Neapope, 
 and possessed the same wicked, Thug-like expression. 
 When Catlin, the artist, was painting his portrait he 
 seized the ball and chain which were fastened to his 
 leg, and, raising them on high, said, with a look of 
 scorn: "Make me so, and show me to the great 
 father." When the artist refused to do so, he put 
 on a variety of grimaces in order to prevent him 
 from catching the natural expression. 
 
 In September, 1832, final treaties were made with 
 the Winnebagoes, Sacs and Foxes, by which all their 
 lands east of the Mississippi (including the valuable 
 lead-mines, and amounting in all to about ten million 
 acres) were formally ceded to the United States Gov- 
 ernment. As compensation the government agreed 
 to pay an annuity of |i20,ooo for thirty years ; to sup- 
 port an additional blacksmith and gunsmith; to pay 
 their debts and supply them with provisions. Black 
 Hawk, his two sons, the prophet. Neapope and five 
 other principal warriors, were to be retained as 
 
BLACK HAWK'S WAR. 
 
 241 
 
 hostages during the pleasure of the President of 
 the United States. / - , ~ 
 
 Excitement Over the Chiefs. 
 
 On the 23d of April, 1833, these captive chiefs 
 arrived in Washington, and after a remarkable trip 
 through the principal cities of the East, where the 
 wildest excitement prevailed in the desire to see 
 them, they were confined at Fortress Monroe, from 
 which, however, they were soon liberated and sent 
 West. — . 
 
 After ati Interview with the President at Washing- 
 ton, they were shown the great cities and their special 
 attractions, in order to impress them with the power 
 and importance of the whites. It is said that at the 
 Capitol they expressed most surprise and pleasure 
 at seeing the portraits of Indian warriors preserved 
 there. The exhibition at the Navy Yard led Black 
 Hawk to remark that he suspected the great father 
 was getting ready for war. At Fortress Monroe they 
 were treated with great consideration. 
 
 On the 4th of June orders were received to the 
 effect that they should be liberated and taken West, 
 after a tour through the large cities. Everywhere 
 vast crowds assembled to see them, and in their 
 tumultuous excitement to catch a glimpse of these 
 gaudily painted and sp!endidly decorated human 
 tigers, the crowd in Baltimo-e tore down the balusters 
 and windows ; thereafter the i^idians were obliged to 
 exhibit themselves on the balconies and platforms. 
 While at Baltimore they visited the Washington 
 
I 
 
 
 I 
 
 242 
 
 BLACK HAWK'S WAR. 
 
 Monument. At first they feared to climb its circular 
 stairs, saying that it was the white people's God ; but 
 finally they were induced to take courage and ascend. 
 
 Arrival in New York. 
 
 They went to New York' by a steamer of the 
 
 People's Line. It happened that as the boat came up 
 to Castle Garden an aeronaut was about making an 
 ascension in a large balloon. When it became known 
 that the Indians were on the boat, the crowd cheered 
 lustily, as also did many sailors in neighboring boats ; 
 the chiefs were at first terrified by the supposition 
 that they were to be attacked by the excited crowd 
 When the aeronaut ascended in his balloon the 
 Indians were asked to express their opinions regard- 
 ing the sight. Black Hawk said: "That man is a 
 great brave. I think he must be a Sac." Another 
 chief remarked : " If he is a Sac, he'll get none of his 
 brothers to follow in his trail. None of *em will ever 
 see the smoke of his wigwam. He will have to live 
 alone, without any squaw." When the balloon was 
 almost out of sight. Black Hawk exclaimed, "I think 
 he can go to the heavens, to the Great Spiiit." 
 Powahoe said : " I think he can see the country ot 
 the English." 
 
 While in New York a gentleman gained admittance 
 to them for the purpose of giving them some religio is 
 instruction, aiid began by addressing Black Hawt's 
 son, a remarkably handsome and athletic yourt^ 
 brave. When he understood the object of the worthy 
 zealot's visit h^ said, " I iazee," and, covering his face 
 
BLACK HAWK'S WAR. 
 
 24a 
 
 with his blanket, laid himself upon a sofa and fell 
 asleep. 
 
 They next visited Albany, and left that place by 
 way of the Erie Canal. When they saw the mysteri- 
 ous workings of the locks, one of them remarked that 
 the canal must be the work of a Manitou, for it war^ 
 the first river they ever saw go over hills and across 
 other rivers. 
 
 At Buffalo and Detroit, Black Hawk recognized 
 places where he had formerly been when he was 
 serving the British in the war of r Si 2. 
 
 Black Hawk iu a Passfiimi. 
 
 The party was liberated at Fort Armstrong, Rock 
 Island. Keokuk, now the principal chief of the tribe, 
 arrived soon, and a council was held. Major Garland 
 said that he wished it distinctly tjnderstood by all 
 present that Keokuk was to be recognized as the 
 principal chief of the nation, and that he wished and 
 expected Black Hawk to listen and conform to his 
 counsel. Owing to a mistake of the interpreter, 
 Black Hawk understood the major to say that he 
 must conform to the coimsel of his rival : he became 
 uncontrollably excited ; arose in his place, and uttered 
 a few wild, passionate words to the effect that he wa;. 
 an old man with gray hair, and would yield to the 
 judgment of no one. He afterward repeatedly ex- 
 plained that he did not know what he said in this 
 short speech, and wished it to be forgotten. But his 
 high spirit had been irreparably wo'jnded and his pride 
 most deeply touched. In the evening Major Garland 
 
244 
 
 BLACK HAWK'S WAR 
 
 held a sort of Indian reception at which pipes were 
 smoked, J:he wine-cup passed around and smooth and 
 amicable speeches made. 
 
 Indians Visit the East. 
 
 In 1837 the Sioux and Sacs (deadly enemies of old) 
 fought a battle near the mouth of the Otter River 
 During the same year a delegation of Sacs and 
 Foxes, and another of the Sioux and loways, visited 
 Washington and Boston ; at the latter place they 
 were treated with great consideration, and largr 
 meetings were held at Faneuil Hall and the State 
 House. The Sioux, however, did not remain to at- 
 tend the meeting at the State-House, since it was 
 rather uncomfortable for them to be so near their old 
 enemies, the Sacs and Foxes, and not be able to scalp 
 them. 
 
 We must now take leave of these Indians of the 
 North-west, orly pausing to note the death of Black 
 Hawk, which occurred in his seventy-third yeai at 
 Des Moines, on the 3d of October, 1838. He was 
 buried, at his own request and as his father had been, 
 not in a grave, but in a sitting posture on the ground, 
 leaning on his cane, which he held in his hands be 
 tween his knees, as if meditating in the long reverie 
 of death. Slabs and rails were then heaped around 
 his body. 
 
./ ■ CHAPTER XV. . ; 
 
 Las^ x^ance of the Pottawatorni' (#. — Amazing 
 Spectacle. — Bloody Encounter with the Ca- 
 manches. ' 
 
 In August of the year 1S35, ^ ^^"1^ previous to 
 the time at which our kibtory has arrived, occurred 
 at Chicago (then an infant city) a startHng and pic- 
 turesque episode in the great drama. I refer to the 
 iast war-dance of the Pottawatomies prior to their 
 departure for their new homes beyond the Missouri. 
 The IlHnois tribe were formerly in possession of the 
 State of that name ; their power had been destroyed 
 by the Iroquois, and they were finally exterminated 
 by the Pottawatomies and Ottawas. 
 
 At the above-mentioned date the entire tribe of the 
 Pottawatomies assembled at Chicago to receive for 
 the last time their annuity from the government ; and 
 here their eight hundred warriors resolved to hold 
 their last solemn war-dance. It was a wonderful and 
 terrible spectacle. They assembled at the^ court- 
 house on the north side of the river. 
 
 An immense concourse of citizens and farmers 
 from the surroundinjgf country had convened to wit- 
 ness the scent;. With the exception of a strip of 
 
 846 
 
246 
 
 DANCE OF THE POTTAWATOMIEa 
 
 cloth around the loins, the Indians were entirely desti- 
 tute of clothing ; their bodies were covered with 
 brilliant paints ; their faces were especially hideous, 
 being marked with curved stripes of red or vermil- 
 ion, which were edged with wedge-shaped black 
 points, making the v^ntire face to appear full of grin 
 ning mouths. Their long, black hair, coarse as a 
 horse's mane, was gathered into scalp-locks and 
 decorated with ribbons and feathers ; they were 
 irmed with tomahawks and war-clubs, and were 
 accompanied by one of their odious tom-tom bands 
 of music. 
 
 The dance took the form of a march or prr ^ssion 
 through several parts of the city ; they proceeded up 
 the north side of the river, stopping at every house 
 "> perform some unusual manoeuvre ; then crossed 
 the bridge to the south side, passing on their way 
 the Sauganash Hotel, then a fashionable boarding- 
 house. The inmates gazed with astonishment at the 
 procession of painted savages. 
 
 Fierce Yells. 
 
 The morning was exceedingly warm, and the per- 
 spiration trickled down their bodies in streams ; theii 
 eyes were wild and bloodshot ; their faces expressed 
 the most ferocious passions — anger, hate, revenge 
 cruelty ; their muscles stood out in hard knots 
 strained almost to bursting ; they brarrdished their 
 tomahawks with a ferocity and energy born of the 
 most terrible excitement, at the same time uttering 
 blood-curdling- veils pitched in a piercingly high key. 
 
DANCE OF THE POTTAWATOMIEa 
 
 247 
 
 The dance consisted of convulsive and spasmodic 
 leaps and lunges, now forward, now backward, now 
 sideways, while the body was contorted into every 
 possible attitude. 
 
 Their frantic gesticulations seemed inspired by the 
 actual presence of the foe ; and their yells were ren- 
 dered more appalling by clapping the mouth with the 
 hand, thus breaking up and multiplying their cries. 
 It was indeed a scene fearful to witness, this raging 
 r^ea of dusky, painted, naked fiends thronging the 
 streets, leaping, dancing, gesticulating, and foaming 
 at the mouth with simulated rage (and possibly not 
 wholly feigned). The spectators, by a little effort of 
 the imagination, might have believed that they were 
 witnessing the escape of fiends from the regions of 
 the condemned. Manv of the ladies at the windows 
 were entirely unnerved by the scene, and trembled at 
 tHe thought of this pretended fury turning to reality. 
 At length this weird performance came to an end, 
 and the tribe passed westward to fulfil its destiny in 
 new lands. 
 
 Serious Conflicts. 
 
 From the close of the Black Hawk War to the time 
 of the Minnesota massacre in 1861 no great "^.nd ter- 
 rible uprising of the Indians occurred. Unul uie 
 discovery of gold in California they roamed at will 
 over the vast region between the Mississippi and the 
 Rocky Mountains, hunting and engaging in the old 
 internecine feuds amongst themselves, but in gen- 
 tral little disturbed by the white men. Still, there 
 
248 
 
 DANCE OF THE POTTAW ATOMIES. 
 
 were occasional bloody encounters and some few 
 small battles. 
 
 During the Mexican War there were some serious 
 conflicts with the Indians. One of th6 most spirited 
 of these was an attack by a detachment of Colonel 
 Doniphan's men upon a party of Lipan Indian? 
 near El Paso. The colonel was marchinij from Chi 
 huahua to Saltillo on the 13th of May, 1847, and 
 had sent Captain Reid, with thirty men, on to El Paso 
 as an advance guard. About nine o'clock in the 
 morning the captain observed a party of Indians 
 emerging from a gap in the mountains about five 
 miles distant, and advancing toward El Paso. They 
 were sixty strong, and were returning with much 
 booty of prisoners, horses and mules from a neighbor- 
 ing Mexican town which they had attacked. 
 
 The Red Skins Koutcd. 
 
 Although they were double the number of his men, 
 
 the captain determined to attempt the rescue of their 
 prisoners, and immediately charged upon them with 
 his mounted troops. For some time the battle 
 wavered. The superior horsemanship of the Indians 
 served them well. They swayed their bodies to and 
 fro in. their saddles, galloped swiftly up and down, 
 and managed to elude the rifle balls of the whites 
 The latter, however, finally gained ground ; pres 
 ently the Indians fled, leaving fifteen dead upon the 
 field, and carrying away on their horses as many 
 more, as well as their wounded. N.ine Mexican 
 orisoners were set at liberty by the Americans, and 
 
DANCE OF THE POTTAWATOMIEa 
 
 249 
 
 the herd of a thousand horses and mules restored, as 
 far as practicable, to their proper owners. 
 
 AfiOther battle of this year (1847) was that of 
 1 ieutenant Love with a body of Camanche Indians 
 ?n the north-eastern frontier of New Mexico. On 
 the 23d of June the lieutenant encountered a line 
 of provision-wagons destined for Santa Fe. The 
 drivers reported that on the previous day the Ca- 
 manches had driven off st:venty of their yoke oxen, 
 and that they (the teamsters) had been obliged to 
 burn the wagons and provisions thus left without the 
 means of conveyance, to prevent their falling into the 
 hands of the enemy. 
 
 On the 26tli, Hayden's provision-train, under the 
 protection of a party belonging to Love's troops, was 
 attacked by a large force of Camanches and Mexi 
 cans, and one hundred and thirty yoke of oxen wert 
 driven off The Americans pursued and a battle fol- 
 lowed, in which our men were defeated, owing in part 
 to the circumstance that they were assailed from the 
 rear by a well-mounted band of the enemy, and also, 
 as stated by an officer, to the unmanageable state of 
 their horses, almost all of which were new to the 
 service. 
 
 The Air Thick with Missiles. 
 
 During the battle so numerous were the balls, 
 lances and arrows hurled over the heads of the 
 Americans that the air was darkened as if by a flock 
 of birds. These Indians of Arizona and New Mex- 
 ico (Apaches, Camanches and Arrapahoes) have 
 
I 
 
 • 250 
 
 DANCE UF THE POTTAWaTOMIES. 
 
 ever been like hornets' nests to the settlers in their 
 neighborhood, and have often been subdued by 
 United States troops ; yet such is their persistent 
 ferocity and ruffianism that it would seem as if noth- 
 inof but extermination would make the settlers secure 
 
 upon the discovery of gold in California crowds 
 of emigrants came across the plains, and the govern- 
 ment was under the necessity of making treaties with 
 the various tribes of the great interior, by which they 
 agreed to restrict themselves to certain definite lim- 
 its, with the privilege of hunting only over the belt 
 reserved for a great highway to the Pacific. In con- 
 sideration of this grant of a right of way the govern- 
 ment agreed to pay t \e Indians ^50,000 per annum 
 for fifteen years. The region assigned to the Chey- 
 ennes and Arrapahoes included the greater part of 
 Colorado ; the Sioux and the Crows agreed to occupy 
 the land of th*" Powder River route. 
 
 In a few tars gold was discovered In Colorado 
 ^Iso, and with the infiux of settlers it again became 
 necessary to make a treaty with the Indians in order 
 to avoid conflict and bloodshed. By this new con- 
 tract of February 18, 1861, they consented to confine 
 themselves to a small district upon both sides of the 
 Arkansas River and along the northern boundary of 
 New Mexico. The United States, on their part, 
 pledged themselves to afford them protection, pay 
 an annuity of ^30,000 to each tribe for fii'teen years, 
 and tc provide stock and agricultural implements to 
 such '/f them as desired to forsake the hunter's life. 
 
■Or 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. '^ ^ 
 
 The Minnesota Massacre and its Horrors. — A 
 Reign of Terror in the North-west. 
 
 Prominent in the bloody annals of Indian life dur 
 inL'' the past three hundred years stands the uprising 
 ot che Sioux in Minnesota in the year 1862. Being 
 in one sense but an episode in the War of the Rebel- 
 lion, it was overshadowed by the vaster events of that 
 struggle; hence it is not so well I^nown as though it 
 had occurred at any ocher time. It was, however, a 
 ragedy of awful and thrilling interest, not only on 
 account of its extent, the character of its leader and 
 the Thug-like brutality of the Indians concerned in 
 it, but also for the many stones of the white captives, 
 the personal portraits of Indians, and the final catas- 
 trophe in the drama — namely, the simultaneous exe- 
 cution, by hanging, of thirty-eight of the Indians. 
 
 The tribes engaged in the massacre were almost 
 ail of the M'dewakanton, Wahpekuta, Wahpeton and 
 "^'"sseton tribes of the Sioux or Dakota Indians, 
 rhey formerly lived in the north-eastern part of 
 Iowa, the south-westerti half of the State of Minne- 
 so a, the western portion of Wisconsin and abo in 
 sec. ions of Dakota. By various treaties they had 
 ceded portion after portion of their broad ancestral 
 
 i6i 
 
 m ' 
 
 h 
 
 I 
 
unn 
 
 
 I 
 
 
 
 
 ifflR 
 
 
 i^lH^Vl 
 
 1 i 
 
 Ml 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 tw 
 
 i 
 
 
 2b2 
 
14 
 
 ■I 
 
 THE MINNESOTA MASSACRE. 
 
 253 
 
 domains, until, at the outbreak In 1862, they had been 
 reduced to a strip of land about sixty miles in width 
 lying along the Minnesota River and extending from 
 near Fort Ridgely for one hundred and fifty miles to 
 Lake Traverse. The M'dewakantons and Wahpeku 
 tas dwelt below the Yellow Medicine River, in what 
 was known as the " Lower Reservation," and the 
 Wahpetons and Sissetons occupied the part above 
 the river, called the " Upper Reservation." For the 
 superintendence of these wards of the nation (the 
 delivery df their goods, annuities, etc.) two agencies 
 were established — one, fourteen miles above Fort 
 Ridgely and called the 'Lower" or "Redwood 
 Agency;" the other, at the mouth of the Yellow 
 Medicine, and called tlie " Upper " or " Yellow Medi- 
 cine Agency." 
 
 Fariiier Tiidiaiis. 
 
 These Sioux lived, some in houses of brick con 
 structed by the government ; some in circular wigwams 
 of bark ; and others in canvas " tepees." Part of 
 them (about one hundred families) had been induced 
 to become "farmer Indians;" that is, they had their 
 hair cut short, wore the dress of the whites, attended 
 ^he churches and schools, buried their dead, were 
 .Tiarried by a clergyman, and elected their chief or 
 president. 
 
 They were regarded with jealousy and contempt by 
 the other Indians, for the government agents took pains 
 to discriminate in their favor whenever it was possible. 
 The majority, however, retained their usual customs 
 
 
 ^i 
 
 
 ;>#i^#- $■ 
 
 ■ 7 \ 'I |.- ;,■, \::ipr 
 
254 
 
 THE MINNESOTA MASSACRE. 
 
 
 i* ' fc vi 
 
 — painted and feathered themselves, wore blankets, 
 breech-cloths, leggings and moccasins ; kept their 
 hair long and uncombed ; married as many wives as 
 they pleased, and placed their dead on scaffolding 
 in the open air, as their fathers had done before 
 them. 
 
 • With these Indians the highest virtue was to kili 
 men ; the greatest hero was he who had the most 
 feathers on his head as tokens of the number of his 
 murders. The fireside talk of young braves was 
 generally of their killing exploits, of their expedi- 
 tions against their enemies, the Chippewas, and their 
 individual feats of prowess. 
 
 Upon the reservation, grouped around the agencies, 
 were churches, schools, warehouses, stores, residences 
 and shops. Near the Yellow Medicine River lived 
 the missionaries. Rev. S. R. Briggs and Dr. William 
 son. On Big Stone Lake, at the upper end of the 
 ' j-iervation, were other trading-posts. At Lac qui 
 Parle was the dwelling-house and school of the mis- 
 sionary, Rev. Mr. Huggins, together with a store and 
 blacksmith shop belonging to the government. 
 
 The reservation was well adapted to agriculture ; a 
 good road ran through It ; over the marshes and 
 streams were numerous excellent bridges ; here were 
 saw-mills, corn-mills, brick-yards, blacksmith shoos and 
 carpenter shops. About three thousand acres wvire 
 cultivated. At the time of the outbreak large and 
 valuable crops were ready to be gathered, and every- 
 thing gave indications of prosper' tv- No one sus 
 
THE MINNESOTA MASSACRE. 
 
 255 
 
 pected danger, and the agent, Mr. Galbraith, was re- 
 joicing in the bright prospects for the future. 
 
 Causes of the Uprising. 
 
 What, then, were the causes that led these Indian*; 
 to rise and murder their white neighbors and fellow- 
 townsmen? They were many and deep-seated, and 
 first m. '/ be mentioned the repugnance of race This 
 instinctive enmity was increased by the extortions of 
 the traders, who also debauched the Indian women 
 and sold to the men the liquors that made wrecks 
 of them. 
 
 Another grievance was the prohibition of their 
 wars upon the Chippewas, which seemed to them 
 tyrannical and as if making children of them. More- 
 over, they sagely remarked that it was illogical, since 
 the wh':.es themselves were engaged in a bloody war 
 with their own brothers in the South. Deprive the 
 Indians of the privilege of warfare and they deem 
 ti.eir chief glory departed, and have no means by 
 v/hich to distinguish themselves ; in their judgment, 
 they are then no better than squaws. 
 
 Their hatred for the traders was further augmented 
 by the knowledge that these were the men who had 
 been instrumental in depriving them of their lands, 
 These traders sold goods to .e Indians on credit^ 
 knowing well idiat the government would, sooner oi 
 later, buy the land, and expecting to receive their 
 money when it was paid for. Possessing a know- 
 ledge of the Indian language, and having in their 
 employ many half-breeds and relatives of the Indian-s. 
 
 
 I ^! 
 
256 
 
 THE MINNESOTA MASSACRE. 
 
 they both persuaded them to sell their lands, and, 
 when the treaties were made and their services were 
 required as interpreters, only agreed to act as such 
 and as persuaders of the Indians to the measure, 
 provided the indebtedness of the Indians to them 
 should be paid out of the treaty money. 
 
 Fjrther, upon the payment of the annuities (after 
 the execution of the treaties) it was the custom of 
 these traders to arrange with the government for the 
 deduction of their own bills from the amount. This 
 course naturally exasperated the Indians ; their hon 
 esty was questioned. Call a man a thiet, and he may 
 become one* 
 
 Fraud and Knavery. 
 
 Then claims for depredations on white settlers 
 were also taken from the annuities at Washington ; 
 they were frequently spurious or absurdly exag- 
 gerated. Moreover, it was an injustice to punish 
 the whole tribe on account of the theft of one man. 
 It often happened that the advantage accrued to the 
 thief, since the value of his stolen property exceeded 
 by far the deduction made in his shr.re of the annuity. 
 Other acts of fraud and knavery were also practised. 
 
 In addition to the appropriation of over 5^400,000 
 of the cash payment due them under the treaties of 
 185 1 and 1852 (to the traders an old indebtedness), 
 there was a sum of $55,000 that was given to a cer- 
 tain Hugh Tyler for his instrumentality in passing 
 the treaties through the. Senate and for " necessary" 
 expenses in gaining the assent ol the chiefs. In 1857 
 
 •f-,. 
 
THE MINNESOTA MASSACRE. 
 
 267 
 
 they were defrauded out of ^12,000 by a trader who 
 induced them to sign certain papers — the same man 
 who at another time secured $4500 for goods which 
 he sSaid had been stolen from his warehouse. 
 
 At the time of the massacre the Indians had sold 
 aearly all their land and had received but a tithe of 
 its value, their annuities amounting to only fifteen 
 dollars apiece when nothing was deducted. During 
 the winter and spring preceding the massacre they 
 suffered severely from hunger and some died of 
 starvation. The Sissetons of Lake Traverse were 
 obliged to eat their dogs and horses. This distress 
 was in part due to the destruction of the crops by the 
 ravages of the cut-worm. 
 
 The dissatisfaction arising from all these causes 
 was greatly enhanced by the failur*^ of the govern- 
 ment to make their payment that year (1862) at the 
 usual time (June), and from their inability to obtain 
 credit from the traders in consequence. They were 
 informed that on account of the financial pressure on 
 the government in those war-days it was doubtful if 
 it could make more than a half payment. 
 
 £2xasperating Stories. 
 
 Various fooliwh tales iil»f)nt the War of the Rebel- 
 lion were told to them by the half-breeds, as that the 
 
 niggers" were about to take Washington, and that 
 khey woiild give the Indians nothing. The impression 
 was given that the North was entirely exhausted and 
 would soon he vanquished, since wherever they went 
 in Minnesota they saw only women, children and old 
 
 mMMBi 
 
258 
 
 THE MINNESOTA MASSACRE. 
 
 men ; they were told also that even the employes 
 of the government were enlisted. 
 
 All these things provoked resentment ; moreover, 
 they entertained a childish idea that they would re 
 ceive help from the English. Old men remembered 
 that in the war of 1812, when they had taken 3 
 cannon from the Americans and presented it to the 
 English, the latter had told them that they would 
 keep it, and if they (the Sioux) were ever in danger 
 they should let them know, and they would send it to 
 them with men to work it. The Sioux themselves 
 could muster thirteen hundred warriors armed with 
 double-barrelled shot-guns. They hoped also to en- 
 list other tribes in ihe uprising, so as to wholly drive 
 out the whites from Minnesota. They boasted thai 
 they could camp in the streets of St. Paul, They 
 relied upon assists nee from the Winnebagoes, the 
 Chippewas, the Yank.ons, the Yanktonais and the 
 Tetawn Sioux. 
 
 In July the Indians, to the number of five thousand, 
 belonging to the Upper Agency came down to the 
 government buildings by the Yellow Medicine River 
 and encamped there, saying they feared they would 
 not receive their money. While there they suffered 
 extremely from hunger; they dug up roots and ate 
 them, and the corn which was given them was de 
 voured raw. On the 4th of August they broke into 
 the government store-house, and, with guns cocked 
 and levelled and in the presence of one hundred 
 soldiers, took out provisions. Finally, they were in 
 
THE MINNESOTA MAS8ACBK. 
 
 259 
 
 duced by the issue of a large quantity of stores t 
 return to their homes. 
 
 A Secret Lodge. 
 
 The Indians of the Lower Reservation were evec 
 more threatening, because they did not hunt so muci^ 
 and had come more in contact with the wliites 
 About the ist of July they formed the "Soldiers 
 Lodge," a secret organization of the tribe, whos( 
 object was to make head against the traders and 
 prevent them from getting money from the annuity, 
 or, if that was .msuccessful, to drive them off or kill 
 them. After the establishment of this lodge, when 
 an Indian asked for credit he was met with the reply. 
 " Go to the Soldiers' Lodge and get credit ;" to which 
 the Indian would angrily retort: "Yes, if I was your 
 kept squaw I could get all the credit I wanted ; bu; 
 since I am a man, I cannot." 
 
 On Sunday, the 17th of August, a slight quarrel 
 between fifteen Indians served as a spark to set 
 the whole powder-train of dark passions in a fis me. 
 They were walking over the prairie near Acton v hen 
 they came upon some hen's eggs in the grass. One 
 proposed eating them ; another said that he must net 
 touch them, for they were eggs of a tame fowl anc 
 i)e^longed to a white man. The dispute waxed warm; 
 the eggs were dashed to the ground by the man who 
 had proposed to eat them ; the other called him a 
 coward, to disprove which assertion the first one 
 drew his bow and shot an ox ; the epithet coward WoS 
 bandied about, and finally they separated into t^^ » 
 
 
 I 
 
?6C 
 
 THE MINNESOTA MASSACRE. 
 
 parties, saying that they would prove their bravery by 
 killing white men. They awaited an opportunity to 
 carry out this resolve. 
 
 Sudden Attack. 
 
 Four of them soon came to the house of a Mr. 
 Robinson Jones, who, with his wife and a lady named 
 Clara D. Wilson, were then within. After a quarrej 
 with Jones concerning a gun that one of them had 
 borrowed, but failed to return, they proceeded to the 
 next house — that of Mr. Howard Baker and wife — 
 Mr. and Mrs. Webster being also present. The 
 Indians asked for water, which was given them ; then 
 for tobacco, and sat down to smoke. 
 
 Presently Jones (who was Baker's father-in-law) and 
 his wife came over, and the quarrel about the gun was 
 renewed. Mrs. Baker asked Mrs. Jones if she had 
 given them any whiskey ; she replied, " No ; we don't 
 keep whiskey for such black devils as these." The 
 Indians seemed to understand the conversation, and 
 looked black and threatening. After some tricks of 
 the Indians in exchanging guns and shooting at a 
 mark, they suddenly fired upon the whole party while 
 the guns of the men were unloaded. i . 
 
 Baker, Webster and Mrs. Jones were killed almost 
 instantly. Mr. Jones started for the woods, but a 
 second shot stopped him. He was a man of splendid 
 physique, and did not die without a struggle. The 
 Indians at once returned to the house of Jones, shot 
 Miss Wilson, and then fled. Seventy persons a^^- 
 tended the inquest, and the greatest consternation 
 
THE MINNEHOTA Mi»88ACRE. 
 
 2H\ 
 
 prevailed, owing to their complete uncertainty as to 
 what would occur next. It was felt that there was 
 no security against further depredations. 
 
 These events occurred in the Lower or Redwood 
 Agency. As soon as the relatives of the murderers 
 heard what had been done, they resolved to begin 
 the massacre at once, in order to save the assassins 
 from being given up to justice. At an early hour on 
 Monday morning they started for the house of Little 
 Crow, a man prominent among the Indians in intelli- 
 gence and power. By the time they reached his 
 house they numbered one hundred and fifty men, 
 all mounted, all yelling and frantic to begin the 
 butchery. '' 
 
 The Die C«st. 
 
 Crow, who had not yet arisen, was awakened by 
 the noise, a^d sat up in bed while they questioned 
 him as to what they should do. He was for a mo- 
 ment in the deepest perplexity, and beads of per- 
 spiration came out on his forehead. He had been 
 to Washington, and knew well the great power of 
 the whites, and yet he was exceedingly ambitious, 
 and had recently been defeated for the speakership 
 'of the tribe through bribery and a suspicion of his 
 Sympathy with the whites. He was a powerful orator 
 and knew that if he yielded now to their wishes his 
 abilities would at once . -ke him leader of his nation. 
 He decided for war. He said: "Trouble with the 
 whites is, sooner or laier, inevitable. It may as well 
 take place now as at any other time. I ajxi with you; 
 

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 WEBSTER, N.Y. 145^0 
 (716) 872-4503 
 
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 262 
 
 THE MINNESOTA MASSACRE. 
 
 let US go to the agency, kill the traders and take 
 their goods." 
 
 At once they rode off, sending word to the other 
 bands and breaking up into small squads as they 
 entered the town. The inhabitants were totally un- 
 prepared, and their fate was sealed. Agent Galbraith 
 had, only two or three days previously, sent forty- 
 five men from this place to Fort Snelling to enlist 
 them for the Southern war. There was no armed 
 force in the town. 
 
 The first shot was fired at Myrick's store. James 
 Lynde, the clerk, was instantly killed. One of the In- 
 dians exclaimed before he fired, " Now I will kill the dog 
 who would not give me credit." Two other occupants 
 of the store were shot at the same time. Myrick's son 
 ^as up stairs, and when he heard the firing concealed 
 himself under a dry-goods box. The Indians feared 
 to go up lest he would shoot them, and to force him 
 to come down they proposed to burn the building. 
 Thereupon, young Myrick clambered out through 
 the scutrie, slipped down the lightning-rod and ran 
 for the Minnesota River ; but a shot from a Sioux 
 brought him down mortally wounded. 
 
 Death-dealingr Miscreants. 
 
 As the Indians entered another store a clerk, r© 
 solving to attempt an escape, rushed through their 
 midst and succeeded in getting about two hundred 
 yards from the store, when he received two shots. 
 The Indians, coming up, stripped him and piled some 
 logs over him to prevent his escape, saying that they 
 
THE MINNESOTA MASSACRE. 
 
 263 
 
 4rouId return soon and cut hi.n up. While suffering 
 the (greatest torture he succeeded in extricating him- 
 Belf and making his escape. When all were butch- 
 ered that could be met with at the agency, the 
 miscreants scattered themselves over the adjoining 
 country, slaughtering people on their way. 
 
 At the ferry Mauley, the heroic ferryman, continued 
 to carry over all who came, and was killed just as he? 
 had taken the last man across. He was disembowelled 
 and his hands, feet and head cut off and thrust into 
 the cavity. Among the killed was a fat, good-natured 
 
 ' and inoffensive barber, a violinist of ability, and always 
 In demand at entertainments. 
 
 The atrocities committed in this war almost surpass 
 belief. Seven hundred people perished, most of them 
 under circumstances of the most heartrending cruelty. 
 
 . Neither age nor sex was regarded; all human instincts 
 s'^emed to have left the savages ; tears and appeals 
 for mercy only provoked laughter. Their great am- 
 bition seemed to be to outvie each other in new and 
 most refined forms of devilish torture. Girls of a 
 tender age were tied to the ground and violated suc- 
 cessively by an entire gang of ruffians until death 
 from exhaustion ended their sufferings. 
 
 A father returned home to find almost his entire 
 family killed. He succeeded in conveying to St 
 Peters one boy who had been left for dead. One who 
 saw him there said : " He was asleep, but occasionally 
 a low, heart-piercing moan escaped his lips. At times 
 he would attempt to turn over ; and then, in the agony 
 
2(J4 
 
 THE MINNESOTA MASSACRE. 
 
 occasioned by the movement, would groan most pite- 
 ously. At length he awoke, his lips quivered with 
 pain, and the meaningless expression of his eyes 
 added new horror to the dreadful sight, until, sickened 
 to my soul, I left the room." 
 
 Before noon of the first day of the outbreak the 
 news reached the fort, and Captain Marsh started for 
 the agency with forty-eight men in wagons. He was 
 a brave and daring officer who had recently served in 
 the Civil War, escaping many dangers only to die now 
 by the hands of the red men. 
 
 Death of Brave Marsh. 
 
 Disregarding the repeated warnings of fugitives, 
 he pressed on to the ferry. The Indians were con- 
 cealed behind logs on the opposite side. They also 
 sent a force, by a long detour, across the river, and, 
 unknown to Marsh and his men, succeeded in sur- 
 rounding them. Being told that it was certain death 
 to cross. Marsh reluctantly gave the order to about 
 ^ace. At this moment the Indians, with hideous yells, 
 poured in a storm of lead upon the whites, and hall 
 of their number fell at the first volley. Marsh, with 
 nine of his men, succeeded in getting two miles down 
 the river. Perceiving that the Indians were inter 
 cepting him, he gave the word to cross the stream 
 and gallantly led the way himself, holding his revolver 
 over his head in one hand and his sword in the other. 
 Suddenly, in the middle of the current he was seen 
 to be sinking. Two men went to his assistance, but 
 were too late. Being an excellent swimmer, it is 
 
THE MINNESOTA ICASeACRS. 
 
 26A 
 
 inferred that he was seized with cramp. The nine 
 men reached the fort in safety. 
 
 The next movements of the Indians consisted in 
 attacks upon New Ulm and Fort Ridgely. The agent 
 of the reservation, Galbraith, was at St. Peter's when 
 the news reached him. His men spent the night in 
 running bullets, and in tV»e morning assembled thr 
 inhabitants. Every one who had a gun enlisted. 
 Judge Flandreau was elected commander. The ful' 
 number of the Indians was now about four hundred, 
 and these were divided in council and scattered w 
 quest of plunder. Galbraith, with a squad of men, 
 made his way into Fort Ridgely, and Ex-sheriff Board- 
 man, with a party of fifteen mounted men, dashed at 
 full speed into New Ulm just as a division of the 
 enemy had begun an attack upon the outskirts of 
 the town and had killed several. 
 
 Four Thousand Hostiles. 
 
 The inhabitants, mostly Germans, were in a statf: 
 of panic and utter helplessness. They were huddled 
 together in the centre of the town, within a barricade 
 of wagons, barrels, etc. When Boardman an ived 
 they sallied forth and lent their assistance in driving 
 off the enemy. Judge Flandreau arrived in the 
 evening with one hundred men, and soon succeeded 
 in getting affairs into military shape. 
 
 On Wednesday, at three o'clock. Little Crow (or 
 Crow) made an attack on Fort Ridgely, and on 
 Friday he and his men fell back to the agency. 
 Here he found that the Upper Indians had come to 
 
 
 E *■ 
 
 
200 
 
 THE MINNESOTA MASSACRE. 
 
 his assistance, and all, numberinc^ four hundred and 
 ifty, returned to tjie fort. Conceal! n^^ themselves 
 near at hand, they sent out twenty warriors, who ap- 
 peared on the prairie wavin!:^ their blankets and 
 uttering cries of derision and defiance, in order to 
 entice the defenders out of the fort. 
 
 Not succeeding in this, the entire force poured m 
 a shower of lead on the fort. The ravines were 
 fairly alive with Indians, and for five hours they 
 maintained a persistent attack. A determined charge 
 would undoubtedly have resulted in the fall of the 
 fort, as a portion of the squares of which it was com- 
 posed consisted only of wooden buildings, which the 
 bullets of the enemy pierced in showers. 
 
 Among those in the fort were Messrs. Wykoff, 
 Hatch and Ramsey, who had with them <{i7 2,000 in 
 coin to make the payment. They had arrived on 
 Monday, the day^of the uprising. Had they reached 
 there on Saturday the massacre would probably noi 
 have occurred! 
 
 A short time previous to the first attack on the 
 fort a man named Henry Balland left it, and was soon 
 so surrounded by the Indians in the woods that he 
 was unable to move in any direction. For several 
 hours he lay concealed in the bushes ; many times 
 the Indians approached so near to him as to almost 
 discover him. During the attack a heavy thunder 
 storm occurred, and about one hundred Indiaris as 
 sembled close to where Balland was lying, holding 
 their guns under their blankets to keep tliem dry 
 
THK MIM^ISSOTA MASSACRE. 
 
 ^<J7 
 
 At dark he escaped. When about thirty niile£> dis- 
 tant he met a soldier who informed him that he was 
 going to the fort. Balland warned him that he would 
 never reach it alive; and indeed he did not, being shot 
 down by the brother of Little Crow when he had 
 almost arrived at his destination. 
 
 Thrilling Spectacle. 
 
 On Saturday, the 23d of August, the Indians made 
 another and far more se> "ous attack upon New Ulm. 
 Judge Flandreau conducted his men to the open prai- 
 rie about a half mile from the town, the better to 
 recriive and repel the charge of the enemy. About 
 ten o'clock the Indians bore down upon the band of 
 two hundred and fifty whites, at first slowly and then 
 with increasuig velocity. It was a thrilling and ter- 
 rible spectacle to this inexperienced militia to see 
 four hundred and fifty mounted savages charging in 
 the bright sunlight over the prairie. 
 
 When within about a mile and a half of the whites 
 the Indian force spread out like a fan, increasing the 
 velocity of approach continually. When within dou- 
 ble rifle shot they uttered a terrific yell and charged 
 with swift impetuosity. The whites, somewhat dis- 
 concerted by the terrific yell, at first fell back, and 
 committed the error of allowing the Indians to gain 
 possession of the outlying houses of the town. 
 
 The fight continued for hours with varying fortune, 
 the Indians gradually approaching nearer and nearer 
 to the town behind the burning houses. In the after- 
 noon about sixty Indians made a charge from the 
 
 I 
 
268 
 
 THE MINNESOTA MASSACRE. 
 
 river-side, dashing furiously forward, some on ponies 
 and some on foot. This was the critical point of 
 the action, but several hours' fighting had served to 
 steady the men, and they advanced with a cheer, scat 
 tering the Indians in every direction. At dark the 
 enemy withdrew. During the night the besieged dug 
 a series of rifle-pits and otherwise strengthened theii 
 
 AWAITING THE ATTACK. 
 
 defences, but on the following morning the Indians 
 made but a feeble renewal of the attack, and soon 
 retired with a considerable decrease in their number. 
 The loss of the whites was about ten killed and fifty 
 wounded. But for the gallantry of the white men in 
 repelling the charge of the Indians, more lives would 
 have been lost in the end. 
 
THE MINNESOTA MASSACRE. 
 
 269 
 
 After the engagement had ceased on Sunday morn- 
 ing, an Indian who had been firing from a house near 
 the white lines escaped by coolly marching off with 
 a feather bed on his back. His person was com- 
 pletely concealed, and the whites, supposing him to 
 be a citizen, one of them remarked, " What a fool 
 that man is to expose himself in that way !" When 
 the wily Indian was out of rifle-shot he threw aside 
 the bed and danced and shouted derisively. 
 
 Revolting^ Crimes. 
 
 Details of individual sufferings attendant upon the 
 
 first outbreak form a shocking narrative. One of 
 the killed was Mr. Amos Huggins, who was engaged 
 in teaching an Indian school at Lac qui Parle. He 
 was born among the Indians and had passed his life 
 in their midst, befriending them and treating them 
 with self-sacrificing kindness. Yet these were the 
 men who shot him down. 
 
 In one place twenty-seven bodies were discovered, 
 bloody, ghastly and mutilated, lying in a heap in an 
 obscure spot. A little child was striving to draw 
 nourishment from its dead mother's breast, and was 
 the only thing that showed signs of life. 
 
 Four Indians went to the door of a man named 
 Anderson, shook hands with him and asked for some 
 milk ; after drinking it and returning the pan, they 
 raised their guns and shot him dead ; they also shot 
 and killed the son, who had gone to the garden to 
 dig potatoes for them. 
 
 Dunng those fearful days many persons wandered 
 
 
270 
 
 THE MINNESOTA MASSACRE. 
 
 over the prairies' or through the woods in a fitate o{ 
 starvation. Cattle were, rotting on the pr«.iries on 
 every side. Tens of thousands of acres, with crops 
 just ready to be harvested, either decayed in the fields 
 or were trodden under foot. Over an area of twenty 
 thousand square miles the fire-brand and the toma 
 hawk reigned supreme. 
 
 Settlers Fleeingr for their Lives. 
 
 In all this region no white person was seen, except 
 
 the affrighted fugitive hiding by day and fleeing for 
 his life in the darkness of the night. A story is told 
 of a beautiful young lad who had lain down by the 
 side of '•he road at night, and covered himself with 
 pullea grass to escape detection. As a band of In- 
 dians pa'^'^'^d that way during the night, one of tht 
 horses .d at something in the grass ; an Indian 
 dismoviiti^d, and, discovering the boy, kicked him and 
 asked him in a gruff voice: "What are you doing 
 here?" The boy, startled out of slumber, raised his 
 face covered with his long, beautiful hair, and stared 
 for a few seconds with a wild, confused look; the 
 next instant the tomahawk crushed into his skull. 
 The head was cut off, but even in death the face re 
 tained that first wild, startled look of surprise. 
 Surely the death that fixed it there must have been 
 almost painless ; there is at least this consohng 
 thought regarding this pitiable case. 
 
 During the time that these frightful scenes were 
 transpiring the anxiety of the people of Minnesota was 
 viuch increased by the fear that the Chippewas nnd 
 
THE MINNICSOl'A MASSACRE. 
 
 271 
 
 Winnebagoes would join the Sicux. This would 
 have meant the total annihilation of the people of the 
 vState. The Chippewas could muster four thousand 
 warriors, many of whom were within two days' march 
 of St. Paul. Hole-in- the-Day, their most distinguished 
 :hief, advocated war, and secret messages had been 
 passing back and forth between the various reserva 
 tions in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michi^ran. That 
 the State was saved was probably due to the fact that 
 the uprising took place in a time of war. for there 
 happened to be in the State at this period several 
 thousand men partly armed who had enlisted under 
 the call of the President for volunteers. 
 
 Pursuit of the Savas^es. 
 
 Governor Ramsey requested the Hon. H. H. Sibley 
 to take charge of these troops and move up the Min 
 nesota River. He at once accepted, and soon after 
 the expedition had started he found his force, by 
 various additions of mounted and other troops, aug- 
 mented to about four thousand mea Yet, such was 
 the peculiar nature of Indian warfare, that extreme 
 caution had to be exercised. Colonel Sibley had 
 three grand objects in view : to save the frightened 
 Inhabitants along the Minnesota Valley ; to take the 
 guilty Indians prisoners or destrov them ; and to pre- 
 vent them from massacring their numerous captives. 
 The task was a heavy and burdensome one, but 
 Colonel Sibley was equal lo tne occasion. 
 
 The story of the march uo the Miniiv,sota is full of 
 interest. At St. Peters the greatest excitement and 
 
272 
 
 THK MINNESOTA MASSACRE. 
 
 confusion prevailed. Oxen were killed and cooked 
 in the streets, the grirt-mills were given up to the use 
 of the public. The desire of protecting property 
 yielded to that of saving life. The houses and the 
 very stables were full of people. 
 
 The report having been spread abroad that New 
 Ulm was wholly surrounded by Indians and in great 
 peril, Colonel Sibley sent to their relief Captain 
 Anderson with forty mounted men and twenty foot- 
 soldiers in wagons. These men were in a most 
 ludicrous state of panic, probably not so much from 
 actual cowardice as from .ack of discipline and 
 service. Numerous false alarms were given, but not 
 an Indian was to be seen. At night they camped 
 eight miles from New/Ulm. Near them was a de- 
 serted farm-house, the owners of which were evi- 
 dently persons of refinement. There were flowers, 
 pictures and books ; the table was set, the half- 
 tasted food upon the plates, and the chairs pushed 
 back as if their occupants had run suddenly for their 
 lives. The m^^n supplied themselves with vegetables 
 from the garden and with oats from a field in which 
 the newly-bound sheaves gave evidence of recent 
 work there. They barricaded themselves with rails, 
 and passed an uneasy and restless night, jaded, 
 drenched with rain and wishing for the dawn. 
 
 Terrible Suspense. 
 
 Out in the tall wet grass were the pickets, with 
 orders to shoot the first man who approached, ami 
 then run They construed every noise into an ad 
 
 
THE MINNK80TA MASSACRE. 
 
 273 
 
 % ince of the enemy. One of them whispered to 
 anothei, who had come out to see that all was in 
 order: "There! don't you hear that signal cry? they 
 will soon attack us." But it proved to be only the 
 low too-whoo of an owl. " Be still," said another to 
 the man who was inspecting ; *• I have heard for some 
 time the tramping of an Indian pony over there, and 
 am only waiting to catch a glimpse of him before I 
 shoot ;" and, drawing him to the ground, they waited 
 with guns cocked ready to take airr It was the 
 picket on the next beat, who was walking to and fro 
 to keep warm. Two or three of these valiant pickets 
 fell asl'i !p and snored so loudly that they could be 
 beard all over the camp. 
 
 Finally the day dawned, the bright warm sunlight 
 broke forth, and the party galloped quickly into New 
 Ulm. They had expected to cut their way through 
 the enemy, but none appeared ; all was silent as 
 death. Oxen, cows and horses were decaying in the 
 sun, their legs pointed stiffly upward ; the headless 
 body of a man was found in the street ; there were 
 many new-made graves with boards fixed at the 
 head; the doors of the unburned houses stood open; 
 loopholes and bullet-marks studded the buildings; 
 the silence was suspicious. 
 
 Another scene of Knickerbocker valor occurred. 
 " Go up yonder street," thundered the captain to the 
 foot-soldiers. They hesitated. " Forward !" cried the 
 captain ; " the first man who falters I will shoo} 
 dead." Then, striking up " a wild German war-song,' 
 
 I 
 
 
274 
 
 THE MINNESOTA MASSACRE. 
 
 they rushed forward ; at the same time the horsemen 
 dashed up another street "yelling like demons." But 
 nothing opposed them, says the chronicler, except a 
 few curs that came yelping out. They returned to 
 St. Peters, and found that Colonel Sibley had left for 
 Fort Ridgely. 
 
 A Wounded Fugitive. 
 
 During Monday night one of the colonel's senti- 
 nels, seeing a person approach the camp, called out, 
 * Who goes there ?" " A Winnebago," was the reply. 
 The sentinel twice snapped his gun, but without effect. 
 A lucky accident, for it was soon discovered that the 
 supposed Winnebago was a white woman who had 
 mistaken the camp for that of the Sioux. She Iiad 
 travelled seventy miles without tasting food, and 
 carrying her babe upon her back. The savages had 
 shot her tfifrouofh the shoulder, the same shot cutting 
 off her babe's finger. The child cried very much, bui 
 whenever there was danger and the mother crouched 
 in the grass, as if by instinct it kept perfectly quiet. 
 
 One of the most disastrous battles to the whites 
 which occurred during the Sioux outbreak was that 
 of Birch Coolie, in which a company of about one 
 hundred and fifty men, under Major Joseph R. Brown 
 had a narrow escape from being cut to pieces. The 
 major had been sent to the Lower Agency by Col- 
 onel Sibley for the purpose of burying the dead 
 and obtaining news of the enemy. 
 
 "Fouringr in a Heavy Fire." 
 
 On Wednesday, September ^d, guns were heard 
 
THE MINNESOTA MA8SACRR 
 
 2V6 
 
 in the direction of the agency ; a detachment was at 
 once sent forward with a mountain howitzer and was 
 soon engaged with the enemy. As the main body 
 approached Birch CooHe the Indians came swarming 
 
 YOUNG SIOUX SQUAW. 
 
 through the woods, and, scattering along the line, 
 waved their blankets with shouts of defiance. Un- 
 able to entice the troops into the woods, they took 
 shelter and beg m pouring in a heavy fire. But their 
 
 ! 
 
276 
 
 THE MINNESOTA MASSACRE. 
 
 balls flew too high ; skirmishers were thrown out and 
 some, skilfully-thrown shells soon put them to flight. 
 The scene around the tents of Major Brown was a 
 terrible one. Twenty-three men had been killed or 
 mortally wounded, forty-five severely injured, while 
 the remainder had been hit or their clothing perfor- 
 ated with balls. Ninety dead horses, with their bodies 
 riddled, were piled up around the camp. The tents 
 were pierced with bullet-holes. Ditches had been 
 dug and horses and dirt piled beside them for protec- 
 tion. A more unfortunate spot could not have been 
 chosen for a camp. A ravine and an elevation of 
 ground aflbrded the enemy the protection they needed. 
 But the spot had been selected without reference to 
 the Indians, since it was believed that there were none 
 in the neighbordood. The men, extremely fatigued 
 by their march and the labor attendant upon burying 
 about fifty dead bodies, had fallen asleep with no sus- 
 picion of danger. However, pickets were stationed 
 around the camp with orders to give the alarm at 
 once if peril threatened. 
 
 Fourteen Days without Food. 
 
 About daybreak one of the sentinels thought he 
 perceived something in the grass creeping toward 
 him. He fired at it, and instantly the crack of" three 
 hundred guns broke the dead silence of the camp. 
 For more than three hours the Indians kept up an 
 almost incessant volley of shots. 
 
 As soon as the first fire was over the men began to 
 dig, their took being one pick, three spades, a couple 
 
THE MINNESOTA MASSACRE. 
 
 277 
 
 of old axes, knives, bayonets and sticks. When the 
 main body came up they had been thirty-one hours 
 without food or water, engaged in a desperate strug- 
 gle for existence. Only one horse remained alive in 
 the camp. That the entire band was not completely 
 annihilated was due, undoubtedly, to the coolness and 
 ^erve displayed by Major Brown and Captain An- 
 derson. 
 
 One strange incident connected with this conflict 
 deserves mention. A woman had been found in the 
 woods by an officer in Major Brown's company on 
 the day previous to the attack. She had been four- 
 teen days without food except a few berries, and was 
 nearly dead from exhaustion and hunger. She was 
 placed in a high wagon in the centre of the camp, 
 where she remained during the engagement, and, 
 although several bullets pierced the sides of the wa- 
 gon, she escaped unhurt. 
 
 Soon after the battle of Birch Coolie the Indians, 
 who had been retreating slowly before Colonel Sibley's 
 force, began to talk of making terms. They recog- 
 nized the hopelessness of the contest, now that the 
 whole region was aroused and their own men out- 
 numbered by those of the colonel. Indian councils 
 were held and many speeches made* the substance of 
 which was reported subsequently by half-breeds who 
 were present. From the first there had been trouble 
 between the Upper and the Lower Indians for two 
 important reasons : first, the pride of the Upper In- 
 dians was hurt b^-cause their advice had not been 
 
 
 I 
 
 
 
278 
 
 THE MINNESOTA MASSACRK 
 
 asked before hostilities began ; second, a promised 
 division of booty had not been made by the Lower 
 Indians. Therefore in the councils that now met the 
 Upper Indians stood opposed to Little Crow and the 
 others, and counselled peace. The Lower tribes 
 knew that they were too deeply implicated to make 
 peace desirable for them. 
 
 What Little Crow Had to Say. 
 Upon leaving the battle-ground of Birch Coolie, 
 Colonel Sibley had tied to a stake the following note : 
 "If Little Crow has any proposition to make, let him 
 send a half-breed to me, and he shall be protected in 
 and out of camp. 
 
 (Signed) "H. H. Sibley, Colonel Commanding 
 
 Military Expedition^ 
 
 It was found by the Indians, and Little Crow re- 
 plied in a note as follows : 
 
 "Yellow Medicine, September 7, 1862. 
 "Dear Sir: 4 
 
 " For what reason we have commenced this war I 
 will tell you. It is on account of Major Galbraith 
 (the agent). We made a treaty with the govern- 
 ment, and beg for what we do get, and can't get that 
 till our children fare dying with hunger. It is the 
 traders who commenced it. Mr. A. T. Myrick told 
 the Indians that they would eat grass or dirt. Then 
 Mr. Forbes told the Lower Sioux that they were nol 
 men. Then Roberts was working with his friends to 
 defr?:id ys of our moneys. If the young braves have 
 
THE MINNESOTA MASSACRE. 
 
 279 
 
 pushed the white men, 1 have done this myself. So 
 
 I want you to let Governor Ramsey know this. I 
 
 have a great many prisoners; women and children. 
 
 It ain't all our fault. The Winnebagoes were in the 
 
 engagement, and two of them were killed. I want you 
 
 '.o give me an answer by the bearer. All at present. 
 
 " Yours truly, 
 
 ' his 
 
 "Friend Little X Crow. 
 
 mark 
 
 ''Addressed, 'Governor H. H. Sibley, Esq., Fort 
 Ridgely.' " 
 
 Following is Colonel Sibley's reply: 
 
 " Little Crow : 
 
 "You have murdered many of our people without 
 sufficient cause. Return me the prisoners under a 
 flag of truce, and I will talk to you then like a man. 
 
 " H. H. Sibley, Colonel Com tanding 
 Military Expedition. ' ' 
 
 Many other letters were sent in by the Upper In- 
 dians, exculpating themselves, proposing to secretly 
 bring over the prisoners and offering help in making 
 p^Jice. The time for prompt action had come, and 
 there was haste to get under cover and make terms 
 with the white men. 
 
 ** Asleep or Crazy ? ** 
 
 One of the most prominent orators and leaders of 
 the Upper Indians, Paul Ma-za ku-ta-ma-ne, a civil- 
 ized Indian and deacon of Mr. Riggs' church, was very 
 bold and brave in his speeches at the councils of the 
 
280 
 
 THE MINNESOTA MA8SACRK. 
 
 Indians. He was among those who opposed pro- 
 longing the war. A few sentences from one of his 
 speeches will serve to show the state of mind of the 
 Upper Indians : " Lower Indians, you are fools. We 
 
 want nothing to do with you You must give 
 
 up the prisoners or we will fight you. I and a hun- 
 dred others have made up our minds to wait here for 
 the soldiers. I want to know whether you were 
 asleep or crazy. In fighting the whites you are fight 
 ing thunder and lightning. You will all be killed off. 
 You might as well try to bail out the waters of the 
 Mississippi as to whip them. You say you can make 
 a treaty with the British Government. That is im- 
 possible. Have you not yet come to your senses? 
 They are also white men, and neighbors and friends 
 to the soldiers. They are ruled by a petticoat, 
 and she has the heart of a squaw. What will she 
 do for men who have committed the murders you 
 have ? " 
 
 Paul proceeds to call the Lower Indians cowards for 
 killing women and children — tells them to keep back 
 on their own lands and face the troops. During this 
 speech J.v- yciinger braves became intensely excited, 
 and some cried out, " Kill him ! kill hin ' " But Paul 
 continued in a loud voice: 
 
 "Some of you say you will kill me. Bluster away. 
 I am not afraid. I am not a woman, and I shall not 
 die alone. There are three hundred around me 
 whom you will also have to kill before you have 
 finished." 
 
THE MINNESOTA MASSACRE. 
 
 281 
 
 Host of the chiefs supported Little Crow in op- 
 posing a treaty ; only two agreed with Paul, but one 
 of these was Standing Buffalo, chief of the Upper 
 Sissetons. 
 
 A Would-be Suicide. 
 
 On the 1 8th of September, Colonel Sibley again 
 marched northward from Fort Ridgely in search ol 
 the enemy. As the last party was crossing the ferry 
 a fugitive German approached the fort from the west. 
 Faint and bewildered with hunger, he at first mis- 
 took the scouts who rode up to him for Indians, and 
 at once began cutting at his throat with his knife ; 
 but the edge being too dull, his intended suicide was 
 happily frustrated. 
 
 On the morning of the 23d of September the In- 
 dians joined battle with Colonel Sibley's force at 
 Wood Lake. It was the taunts of the Upper Indians 
 that' incited them to fight in the open plain. Little 
 Crow had designed to ambuscade the whites, but the 
 Upper Indians had derided this as giving evidence of 
 cowardice. They were determined to make their 
 rash brethren bear the brunt of the storm they had 
 raised. The result of this battle was the defeat of 
 the Indians, with a loss of fifteen or more killed. 
 When the Upper Indians recognized the fact that de- 
 feat was inevitable, they left the field. The Indian 
 dead were all scalped by the soldiers, that they might 
 have trophies with which to confirm their accounts of 
 the battle hereafter, 
 
 i 
 
282 
 
 THE MINNESOTA MASSACBE. 
 
 Reckless Bravery. 
 
 The friendly Indian, Other Day, found himself in 
 slight disgrace on the march up by allowing his horse 
 to be carried off by two of the enemy. He was ex- 
 ceedingly brave and much dreaded by the enemy, 
 and was therefore stung by the ridicule thrown upon 
 him by Colonel Sibley, who would not allow him to 
 have another horse, but forced him to walk. Other 
 .Day vowed that he would take two horses from the 
 enemy and kill their riders ; which he did, and 
 throughout the engagement exhibited the most reck- 
 less bravery, often dashing into the midst of the 
 enemy artd having many shots fired at him by the 
 whites, who mistook him for a foe. He was dressed 
 entirely in white, his knife in his belt, a knotted hand- 
 kerchief around his head and his rifle in his hand. 
 " His teeth glistened like finest ivory through his 
 slightly parted lips ; his eye was ablaze with fire ; 
 his face of bronze radiant with the joy of battle; 
 his exultant utterances came thick and fast in a sort 
 of purr, pitched upon a high key and soft as the du> 
 cet tones of an Italian woman." 
 
 On the day after the battle Little Crow, with about 
 two hundred men and their families, took flight 
 Colonel Sibley then took possession of the Indian 
 camp, which consisted of nearly one hundred tepees 
 furnished with carpets and other stolen furniture 
 Here he found the captives, nearly two hundred and 
 fifty in number, and he felt amply repaid for all his 
 anxious planning and scheming to save the lives of 
 
THE MINNESOTA MA88ACRK 
 
 283 
 
 these poor captives by seeing their tears of joy and 
 hearing their exclamations of gratitude. 
 
 Siimuiary Ycngreauce. 
 
 The wan and haggard faces of these half-naked, 
 half-starved people presented a pitiable sight. They 
 now discarded the Indian dress, which they had been 
 compelled to adopt, for their own. It was thought 
 that if Colonel Sibley had marched to the Indian 
 camp immediately after the battle, the prisoners would 
 all have been slaughtered. But one prisoner, how- 
 ever, was killed during the entire contest. One of 
 the Indians, having adopted a little boy, was in the 
 habit of painting his face. One morning the boy 
 cried because this was not done as usual, and the 
 enraged brute shot him — not fatally, but sufficiently 
 to arouse the tiger instinct in the Indian boys, who 
 beat him to death with clubs and threw him over 
 a cliff. 
 
 Many Indians, with their squaws, now came volun- 
 tarily into the camp and gave themselves up. All the 
 "braves" were disarmed and placed under guard. 
 Among the captives was the famous mulatto Godfrey, 
 his Indian name being Otakle, or " He who kills many." 
 In the trial that followed he played a remarkable 
 part as witness. He denied having killed any one, 
 and as it was impossible to prove a murder against 
 him, he escaped with imprisonment. When the camp 
 was taken he was found leaning unconcernedly against 
 a wagon-box. He wore moccasins on his feet, and 
 '^n one side of his head' an old plush cap with large 
 
 \ 
 
284 
 
 THE MINNESOTA MASSACRE. 
 
 ear-flaps. It is said his voice was one of wonderfifi 
 sweetness. 
 
 On the return march, as the troops passed through 
 New Ulm with the prisoners* they found the returned 
 inhabitants engaged in disinterring and removing the 
 dead to suitable resting-places. When it became 
 known that they were passing, men, women anH 
 children rushed out in a state of the utmost fun 
 
 4 
 
 armed with guns, hoes, pitchforks, stones and bricks 
 and fell upon the captives wherever they could force a 
 way to them through the guards. The wretches cow- 
 ered low in the wagons, covering their faces with their 
 blankets. The women were especially violent ; one 
 of them beat an Indian so severely as to break his 
 jaw' and knock him backward out of the wagon. 
 
 Scene at the Trial. 
 
 The next and by far the most interesting scene in 
 the drama was the trial of the prisoners by a military 
 commission composed of five officers and a recorder. 
 The captives were arraigned upon written charges, 
 signed by Colonel Sibley or his adjutant-general, 
 and based upon facts furnished by Rev. S. R. Riggs 
 who, it will be remembered, had lived as a missionary 
 among the Sioux. His information was gained b> 
 questioning the half-breeds and others in a separate 
 tent, his intimate acquaintance with the Indian Ian 
 guage and manners making him a fit man for the 
 duty ; and it has been said of him that upon this 
 occasion he filled the position of a grand jury in his 
 own person. If the circumstances in th^ case were 
 
THE MINNESOTA MASSACRE. 
 
 285 
 
 40t SO peculiar, if these Indians had not been more 
 like panthers and ratdesnakes than men, we should 
 feel inclined tc censure severely this semi-military, 
 semi-civil prosecution. 
 
 Many ludicrous scenes were enacted during the 
 trial. It was impossible to find a man who had killed 
 any one. Most ot them admitted having fired, but 
 denied having struck anybody. The reasons given 
 by those who disclaimed having shot at all were most 
 remarkable : those in the prime of life said that their 
 hair was too gray for them to go into battle, and the 
 young men from eighteen to twenty-five asserted that 
 they were too young and timid. Whole platoons were 
 anxious to have the commission believe that during a 
 certain battle they were all writhing in agony with the 
 colic on the top of a large hill. Vast numbers had 
 crept under the same large stone (an imaginary one) 
 on the days of the battles at the fort. Scores of them 
 affirmed that during the uproar and tumult of batde 
 at the fort, Wood Lake, Birch Coolie and New Ulm 
 they were reclining complacently near at hand, roast- 
 ing and eating corn and beef all day. 
 
 A Yoiiu^ Tliiigr. 
 
 A. certain brave told the commission that at the 
 cattle of the fort he had felt so badly at seeing the 
 whites shot at that he had fallen asleep on the spot, and 
 not wakened until the battle was over. A boy stated 
 ihat he had always 'attended church, and had never 
 done anything worse in his life than run after a chick- 
 en, and he did not catch that. But the evidence proved 
 
286 
 
 THE MINNESOTA MASSACRE. 
 
 I 
 
 that this young Thug had been active in some of th<; 
 worst massacres. 
 
 The report makes mention of one of the tribe with 
 an enormously broad and perfectly flat face who was 
 in a state of continual slumber during the entire trial, 
 with lower jaw dropped and eyes closed, except when 
 the president gave the order, " Wake him up ! sti 
 him up !" when his eyelids would slowly unclose " like 
 those of some sleepy bird of prey gorged with carrion,' 
 but would shut again before they were fairly open. 
 
 One of the most revolting attrocities was that com- 
 mitted by Cut-Nose. At Beaver Creek a party of 
 helpless women and children were to be massacred 
 As they cowered in the wagons with their shawls ovei 
 their heads, Cut-Nose leaped into one containing 
 eleven, mostly children, and deliberately butchered 
 them all, cleaving open tlieir heads, one after an- 
 other, with the dull, crushing blows from his toma- 
 hawk. On this occasion others took an infant from 
 its mother's arms and riveted it to the fence by driving 
 a bolt through its body. After holding the mother 
 a while before this dreadful spectacle, they cut off her 
 arms and legs, and left her thus to die. ■ 
 
 Thirty-eigrht Indians Hungr* 
 
 On Monday, the 26th day of February, 1863, thirty 
 eight of the prisoners were hanged by order of the 
 President of the United States. The condemned 
 received their sentence with the customary Indian 
 stoicism. Several smoked their pipes complacently 
 during the reading, one or two knocking out the ashes 
 
THE MINNESOTA MASSACRE. 
 
 287 
 
 and refilling them with their favorite kin-ne-kin-nick. 
 which they quietly rubbed out in their hands. Shortly 
 before their execution the Indians made statements 
 to their spiritual adviser, Mr. Riggs, in which many 
 of them frankly confessed their crime. In making 
 rheir confessions several of them were greatly ex- 
 cited, but were told by the calmer ones (who were in 
 the majority) that they might as well tell the truth, for 
 they were all dead men. Some sent messages to 
 their friends to the effect that they expected to go 
 and live with the Great Spirit, and hoped their friends 
 would join them. On Tuesday evening they engaged 
 in a wild death-song and dance. The authorities, 
 fearing that this might be intended to conceal some 
 attempt to escape, had their chains fastened to th*^ 
 floor. 
 
 On Wednesday they were permitted to send fo? 
 such of their friends or relatives as were confined in 
 tlie same prison, in order to bid them good-bye and 
 to send messages to their friends. In speaking o( 
 their wives and children almost all of them shed 
 tears. Tazoo said: "Tell our friends that we arc 
 being removed from this world over the same path 
 they must shortly travel. I expect to go direct to 
 the abode of the Great Spirit, and to be happy when 
 i get there ; but we are told that the road is long and 
 the distance great ; therefore, as I am slow in all my 
 movements, it will probably take me a long time to 
 reach the end of the journey ; and I should not be 
 surprised if some of the young, active men we leave 
 
 h 
 
 
288 
 
 THl MINNESOTA MA8SAC8E. 
 
 ii<f 
 
 ..^fc.3f 
 
 behind us will pass me on the road before I reach the 
 place of my destination." 
 
 Eager for the Scaffold. 
 
 On the morning of the execution they shook hands 
 with the officers, bidding them good-bye, as if about to 
 start on a long journey. They had freshly painted 
 their faces with vermilion and blue ; presently they 
 struck up an exciting death-chant, which was repeat- 
 ed after a few hours. After the process of pinioning 
 them was completed a Catholic priest read the prayer- 
 book to them. The white muslin caps were then put 
 on their heads, but rolled up so as to permit them to 
 see The wearing of the caps being regarded by 
 them as a deep humiliation, there was now no more 
 singing and but little conversation. They went 
 eagerly to the scaffold, jostling each other to get in 
 advance, and exhibiting their Indian stoicism to the 
 last. 
 
 On the scaffold they again sang their death-song, 
 making the most hideous and tumultuous noises. 
 This singing, like the whistling of the boy in the 
 woods, had the effect of keeping up their courage ; 
 one was smoking a pipe ; one was composedly smok- 
 ing a ciga-; another, a pipe. One of the wretches 
 introduced into his death-song a refrain, the burden 
 of which was that if a body should be found at New 
 Ulm with the head cut ofC and placed in a certain in- 
 delicate part of the body, it was he who did it. At 
 the same time he suited the action to the word, and 
 exposed to the assembled throng an indecent part of 
 
THP: MINNESOTA MASSACRE. 
 
 289 
 
 e I reach the 
 
 his body. Three siow, distinct drum-beats were now 
 ^nven ; instantly the trap fell and thirty-eight lifeless 
 bodies were swinging in the air. During the giving 
 of the signal many of the condemned clasped the 
 hands of their neighbors, and remained thus joined 
 together until the bodies were cut down. They were 
 ill buried in one grave, without cofifins. 
 
 Fomenting' War. 
 
 Nearly five hundred miles north-west of St. Paul, 
 in the Territory of Dakota, is the celebrated Lake 
 Miniwakan, or Devil's Lake It is sixty-five miles in 
 length, and its waters are as salt as these of the 
 ocean. With the exception of a few trees upon the 
 shore, the entire country is one vast rolling plain 
 dotted with little lakes of sal. water. This briny sea 
 is full of fish, is frequented by flocks of ocean birds 
 and has its shores strewn with petrified bones and 
 wood. 
 
 It was to this region that Little Crow and his men 
 retired after their defeat. During the winter he en- 
 deavored to enlist other tribes in a war against the 
 whites. He war. refused ammunition and land on 
 which to settle by the authorities at Forts St. Joseph 
 ind Garry in the British possessions. Early in the 
 spring small bands of the Indians made raids upon 
 the settlements and repeated the scenes of the pre- 
 vious year. A second expedition was organized 
 against them by General Sibky, who after the cam 
 paign on the Minnesota River had been made briga 
 dier-general. This second foice fought and defeated 
 
290 
 
 THE MINNESOTA MASSACRE. 
 
 the Sioux in a number of engagements called thy 
 1 battles of the Missouri River. 
 
 Death of Little Crow. 
 
 * It only remains to narrate the death of Little Crow. 
 On Friday evening, July 3, 1863, as a certain Mr, 
 Lampson and his son Chauncey were travelling along 
 the road six miles north of Hutchinson, they saw two 
 Indians picking berries. Mr. Lampson crept up be- 
 
 - hind a large poplar tree sheltered with vines, took 
 good aim, fired, and severely wounded the elder In- 
 dian, whose identity he was ignorant of. With a yell 
 the wounded man threw up his hands and fell back- 
 ward to the ground, but presently crept after Lamp- 
 son, who was retreating to the shelter of some 
 
 . bushes, and fired ; at the same dme the other Indian 
 
 * and Chauncey also discharged 'heir weapons. 
 Chauncey's ball killed the wounded Indian, whose 
 own bulltt only grazed the cheek of the former. A 
 buckshot from the gun of the younger Indian struck 
 the elder Lampson, wounding him 'in the shoulder, but 
 not seriously. , -. - . 
 
 These Indians were Little Crow (Tah-o-ah-ta-doo- 
 ta) and his son Wa-wi-nap-a. The latter escaped, 
 and was picked up in a half-starved condition, nearly 
 a month afterward, by a party of soldiers near Devil'? 
 Lake. As soon as the event became known a de- 
 tachment of cavalry immediately went to the spot 
 where the body of Little Crow was lying. It was 
 scalped, and the body, after being exhibited for some 
 liours in Hutchinson, was thrown into a pit used as a 
 
ed tha 
 
 Crow, 
 in Mr. 
 »• alon<i 
 iw two 
 up be- 
 3, took 
 ier In- 
 1 a yell 
 i back- 
 La mp- 
 some 
 Indian 
 sapons. 
 whose 
 ler. A 
 I struck 
 der, but 
 
 i 
 
 ; 
 
 I 
 
 jutostyevjiw.. 
 
 ,i^3ft 
 
292 
 
 THE MINNESOTA MASSACRE. 
 
 receptacle for the offal of a slaughter-house. At the 
 time of his death Little Crow was between fifty and 
 sixty years of age ; his hair was sprinkled with- gray ; 
 his front teeth were large and double like the back 
 ones ; the bones of his right arm had been broken 
 and never set, which prevented the use of his right, 
 hand ; his left arm was withered. 
 
 Thus perished the chief orator and warrior of the 
 Sioux — one who had been force d into the war by the 
 rashness of others, as well as tempted by his great 
 ambition, and who, after once entering on his course, 
 never faltered or turned back, but justified with 
 stern resolve the most cruel and atrocious actions of 
 his tribe. We can say of him that he met the fate 
 which he merited by his merciless conduct in the past. 
 His natural gifts were great, and might have procured 
 for him honor and happiness had he remained in- 
 differeat to the voice of ambition. 
 
 A Bloody Crime. 
 
 In the fall of 1864 ^ most lamentable and brutal 
 slaughter of Cheyenne and Arrapahoe Indians took 
 place at Fort Lyon, and is known as the Chivington 
 Massacre. The Indians under Black Kettle and 
 other chiefs had come to Fort Lyon and asked for 
 peace. Major E. W. Wynkoop told them that he did 
 not feel authorized to treat with them, but gave them 
 a pledge of military protection until he should see the 
 governor of Colorado at Denver, who was at thja/ 
 time superintendent of Indian affairs in the regi»n 
 
 The governor was of the opinion that it would /be 
 
THE MINNESOTA MASSACRE. 
 
 293 
 
 unwise to treat with them until they had been pun- 
 ished for their war against the government. He also 
 stated that the third regiment of Colorado troops had 
 been ra'sed, on his representation at Washington, for 
 the purpose of killing Indians, and Indians they must 
 kill. Wynkoop then ordered the savages to move 
 thei^ villages and their women and children nearer 
 the fort, which they did. In November, Wynkoop was 
 removed, and Major Anthony of the First Colorado 
 Cavalry ordered to take command of the fort. The 
 Indians, in number about five hundred men, women 
 and children, were assured by him of their safety. 
 About this time Colonel Chivington marched from 
 Denver to Fort Lyon with the Third Colorado and a 
 battalion of the First Colorado Cavalry. On the 
 morning of the 29th of November he surrounded the 
 Indian camp and slaughtered, without mercy, the en- 
 tire band of men, women and children. The most 
 hideous cruelties, mutilations and scalpings have made 
 memorable this terrible crime. No mercy was shown 
 and no quarter given. The result was a war which 
 cost the government thirty millions of dollars aud the 
 border settlem*^r>ts untold misery. 
 
 I 
 
;f * 
 
 ..■>■. v 
 
 - '4 
 
 \ . 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 , • . * 
 
 General Sully's War with the Sioux on tht 
 Missouri River. — Colonel Brown's Exciting 
 Campaigns on the Republican River. — Other 
 Sioux Matters. 
 
 The death of Little Crow was by no means con- 
 temporaneci^s with the close of the Sioux War. There 
 were many Viattles with these desperate men for 
 several years, and their horrible outrages on the 
 settlers in Minnesota and elsewhere were continually 
 occurring. 
 
 The sanguinary engagements between the Sioux 
 tribes of the Upper Missouri and the forces of Gen 
 eral Sully were rich in picturesque and thrilling ad- 
 ventures. The writer of the following paragraphs, Mr. 
 W. R. Balch, took part in this expedition, and is there- 
 fore able to speak from personal knowledge as to 
 the chief events and to give many interesting details 
 which the dry official reports do not furnish. The 
 following is Mr. Balch's graphic narrative: - 
 
 "The troops consisted of the Second Nebraska 
 Cavalry, Colonel Furnas commanding ; two com- 
 panies of the Seventh Iowa Cavalry ; a battalion of 
 the Sixth Iowa Cavalry, Major House commanding; 
 and two companies of infantry with the train to serve 
 as guard to the supplies. We moved up the Mis 
 
 394 
 
 ■0 
 
 ■n 
 
 O 
 C 
 
 X 
 
I 
 
 
296 
 
 GENERAL SULLY'S WAR WITJI SIOUX. 
 
 souri and established a supply depot at Fort Sully 
 nearly opposite old Fort Pierre. 
 
 " Early in the month of August, 1863, we marched in 
 search of the Indians. The weather being intensely 
 hot, we made but slow progress, advancing in the cool 
 i( the day and resting during the afternoon. We 
 had reached Cannon-Bail River, and were proceeding 
 toward Painted Wood River, when the scouts discov- 
 ered and brought in an old Indian named ' Keg,' who 
 had been inhumanly abandoned by his tribe and left 
 to die by the side of a small stream. 
 
 " His statement was to the effect that he had frozen 
 his feet during the past severe winter, and, tl^e hot 
 weather having so inflamed his sores as to render 
 travelling impossible, the rest had stolen his ponies 
 and blankets and then abandoned him to his fate. 
 General Sully furnished him food and clothing after 
 having his wounds cared for ; which kindness so 
 touched the old Indian that he did not hesitate to 
 give all the information he possessed relative to the 
 movements of his tribe. He said they had gone to 
 the lakes, some hundred miles away, to hunt buffal- 
 oes, and would remain there a long time in order to 
 secure sufficient meat to last them during the (?\\ 
 and winter. 
 
 Men Flying Across the Prairie. 
 
 " Upon receiving this intelligence General Sully gave 
 the order to advance, and took old 'Keg* along as 
 guide. Scouts were out daily in search of the Indians 
 and fresh trails, and skeletons of recently killed buffa- 
 
GENERAL SULLY'S WAR WITH SIOUX. 
 
 297 
 
 Iocs gave evidence that the enemy was not far dis 
 tant 
 
 "One evening while passing among a series of beau 
 tifui litde lakes, which ' Keg' informed us were in the 
 hunting-grounds of the tribe, we came upon some 
 buffaloes which had evidently been killed but a few 
 liours before, and Major House was at once sent oui 
 to scout for the Indians. After he had left, nearly all 
 those remaining in the camp, myself included, sought 
 rest in the tent and soon fell asleep, being extremely 
 fatigued from marching nearly all the previous night 
 'n order to avoid the heat of the sun. 
 
 "About three o'clock in the afternoon I wa.** 
 iwakened by a great tumult, and upon going oul 
 of my tent saw the men rushing westward over the 
 prairie. Instantly inq^inng the cause, I learned that 
 Major House had discoveied thj Indians encamped 
 not far off on a lidge, and that a great battle was 
 about to begin. Not stopping to dress, I buckled on 
 my revolvers, mounted my pony, placed myself at the 
 head of my squad of men and galloped off for the 
 battle-field, eleven miles distant, arriving just as the 
 sun was setting. The Indians were drawn up on a 
 ridge, with their women, children and ponies en 
 sconsed behind them in a hollow. General Sully was 
 on the ground directing the movements of the troops 
 as they came up. The Indians were now surrounded, 
 and driven back on a spur of ground that jutted out 
 into a deep ravine. They were evidently appalled at 
 the sight of our great numbers. 
 
298 
 
 GENERAL SULLY'S WAR WITH SIOUX. 
 
 "At this moment an orderly was seen to gallop up 
 to Major House and deliver a message from General 
 Sully. As we at once suspected and afterwarc 
 learned, it was an order to hold the Indians in check, 
 and defer an attack until he had concluded a council 
 which he was then holding with some of the chiefs 
 A murmur of disappointment ran along the lines, 
 and Captain Bayne of the Second Nebraska Cavalry, 
 resolving to take advantage of the moment ere he 
 had as yet received positive orders, stepped out be- 
 fore the men and said : ' Boys, we have come a long 
 way to fight the Indians, and now that we have got 
 them I am in favor of whaling them. Shall we ad- 
 vance ?' — ' Yos, yes,' was the cry all along the lines. 
 
 Shot by a Little Diitchmau. 
 
 •"Bayne called out, 'Each man pick his. Indian.' 
 Every soldier at once levelled his gun. An Indian 
 now advanced, wrapped in a garrison flag, and cry- 
 ing out, • How, how !' moving his hand up and down 
 as if in greeting. As yet not a shot had been fired. 
 The Indians stood perfectly still, wrapped in their 
 blankets, their guns concealed under them, and only 
 the top of a bow visible here and there. 
 
 " When the Indian who was advancing was close to 
 our line, a little Dutchman on the left fired and killed 
 him. He gathered the flag abouc him for a winding 
 sheet as he fell. More shots were fired and the action 
 became general. About one hundred and twenty- five 
 of the savages had gone up on the hill where General 
 Sully was holding a consultation. When the battle 
 
GENERAL SULLrS WAR WITH SIOUX. 
 
 29U 
 
 commenced these began to retreat, but the general 
 ordered his body-guard, consisting of two companies 
 of cavalry, to take them prisoners, which was accord- 
 ingly done. 
 
 A Ht&rd Battle. 
 
 "The Indians fought with desperate bravery, which 
 ^as still more apparent as the darkness came on. 
 They charged upon us with their ponies, yelling vehe- 
 mently and endeavoring to force their way through 
 our lines. The soldiers resisted obstinately with 
 clubbed muskets, and Indians, white men and ponies 
 rolled on the ground together in that desperate hand- 
 to-hand struggle. The battle raged and surged amid 
 a darkness lighted only by the thick flashes of the 
 guns. Many Indians cut their way through and 
 escaped. We lost a little ground after dark, and 
 bivouacked where we were, hearing all night the cries 
 of our wounded, but with no suspicion of the treat 
 ment th'^y were receiving at the hands of the enemy. 
 
 "In the morninor we discovered that durino- the niofht 
 die squaws had come down from the hill, and, attack- 
 inor our wounded with lone-handled tomahawks, had 
 beat out their brains and then cut out their tongues 
 with butcher-knives. . < ^ 
 
 " Lieutenant Levitt was one of the victims of these 
 furies. He had been wounded early in the action, 
 and, his horse having fallen on his leg, he was unable 
 to escape when the men fell back. Lying close to 
 his dead horse and pardy hidden by his saddle, he 
 hoped to escape notice. But a squaw who came uf 
 
 
300 
 
 GENERAL SULLY'S WAR WITH 8IO0X 
 
 to rifle the saddle-bags discovered and struck at b m 
 with her tomahawk. He made a thrust at her with 
 his sabre, but could not reach her. After repeated 
 efforts to kill him, she, by her cries, brought a half 
 dozen other squaws around her, ahd all united in 
 their attacks upon him, making feints and motions 
 and then suddenly striking him. 
 
 Couru^i^eoiiM Figrhteri 
 
 " For a long time the lieutenant kept them at bay 
 by holding his left arm over his head and thrusting 
 at them with his sabre. But nearly every finger of 
 his left hand was broken, and the flesh on his left arm 
 so gashed and bruised that it was laid bare to th*^^ 
 bone from the vrist to the shoulder while the ten- 
 dons were severed at the elbow. At last, making a 
 desperate thrust, he severely wounded a squaw, who 
 thereupon gave vent to such a distressing cry o{ 
 anguish that her companions carried her off, and the 
 lieutenant was left unmolested, but so exhausted from 
 loss of blood that he fainted as soon as they were 
 gone. The next day he was found and brought to 
 camp, but died after a cay of intense suffering. 
 
 "The Indians had a'i fled before morning. We 
 pursued them, and found nearly every buffalo- wallow 
 filled with their dead and wounded, the former num 
 bering two hundred and twenty-five. We held one 
 hundred and twenty-five prisoners, in addition to seven 
 hundred head of Indian stock killed, wounded or cap 
 tured. Our own loss amounted to fifty-eight men ii 
 killed and wounded. The miscreants returned onc< 
 
GENERAL SULLY'S WAR WITH SIOUX. 
 
 301 
 
 »nJ made a feeble attack, which was soon repulsed. 
 They had hoped to surprise us and liberate the pris- 
 oners, but not a man escaped. We were unwilling 
 to part with the trophies of our victory. 
 
 Pathetic CrieH. 
 
 " General Sully ordered the Indian camp to be de- 
 stroyed ; it was a very large one, and occupied some 
 time. Tepees were pulled down and heaped together 
 on the lodge-poles, and on top of these were thrown 
 bales of robes, meat and wood. The entire mass 
 was then set on fire, and watched until consumed. 
 
 "A most pathetic scene was witnessed while the 
 camp was burning. The Indian dogs that had been 
 left to guard the tents wandered around howling 
 most piteously. Little shafts were strapped to their 
 sides, and on these were tied domestic articles, and 
 often Indian babies. 
 
 " During the night many of these animals became 
 frightened, and hid among the rocks and ravines, so 
 that the mothers who fled at night were obliged to 
 leave without their babies. The dogs, true to their 
 trust, would allow no one to come near them, but fled 
 over the hills when any one approached. They 
 would soon return, however, and, sitting on the hill- 
 top, cry plaintively as they gazed at the burning 
 town. The little babies, however, did not utter a 
 sound, although the dogs trundled them over ditches 
 and rocks, jolting them most vigorously. The soldiers 
 deemed it advisable to shoot these dogs, and some- 
 times killed a baby by mistake, which was more mer- 
 
302 
 
 GENERAL SULLY'S WAR WITH SIOUX. 
 
 ciful than would at first appear, since it saved them z^ 
 death by starvation on the prairie. 
 
 "Gemeral Sully now determined to follow up the 
 Indians and inflict further chastisement. Lieutenant 
 Bayne was detached with sixty men to scout. On 
 the first day he saw before him two Indians making 
 their way on foot to the hills ; one of them seemed to 
 be wounded, and was leaning on the shoulder of the 
 other. When the lieutenant calLd out, 'There are 
 two of them ; let us go for them ; gallop, march !' 
 the savages, who had been walking slowly, quickened 
 their gait into a march. The guide, an old and expe- 
 rienced frontiersman, said to Bayne, * Look out, lieu- 
 tenant ! they are a decoy ; look bow the lame one 
 mends his pace !' — ' Silence,' said Bayne ; ' I com- 
 mand here, not you.' The guide said not a word, but 
 reined up his horse, allowed the column to pass him, 
 and then, putting spurs to his horse, flew to the camp 
 
 "We are jLoLt!" 
 "Lieutenant Bayne followed the two Indians up the 
 cafion, and when within pistol-shot of them they sud- 
 denly disappeared. Immediately the hills swarmed 
 with Indians. 'They are in our rear,' called out the 
 men; and, looking back, Bayne saw thre^, or fouj 
 hundred of them blocking up the way by which he 
 had come. Look ! look !' shouted Sergeant Bain ; 
 and looking up the canon, the lieutenant saw two solid 
 lines of savages marching down upon him from that, 
 direction. * We are lost ! ' cried Bayne, utterly pa 
 ralyzed and unnerved at the thought of what he had 
 
GENERAL SULLY S WAR WITH SIOUX. 
 
 303 
 
 done. ' Fours, riofht-about wheel !' shouted Scrgfeant 
 Bain. * Now, ones and fours, cut right and left , and, 
 twos and threes, go ahead ; steady column ! forward ! 
 gallop ! march !' 
 
 "Away we.it the column, and, dashing upon the sav- 
 ages, rode or cut down all who opposed them. Fast 
 and furious fell the sabre-strokes ; and the enemy, 
 appalled at the terrific onset, parted and allowed the 
 column to pass through to the plain. Lieutenant 
 Bayne at one time fought with the most'^desperate 
 valor in order to allow some troopers, who had fallen 
 behind, to come up. Although many horses were 
 wounded, yet, strange to say, but one man was killed. 
 
 ■ A Brave Act. 
 
 "As the column was flying over the plain with the 
 Indians in full pursuit, the horse of brave Sergeant 
 Bain was seen suddenly to stagger and drop on his 
 knees. The sergeant turned aside, allowed the 
 column to pass by, and then shouted to some 
 troopers to stop and take him up behind on one of 
 their horses ; but the demoralized horsemen paid no 
 attention to his requesc. Mounting again, he rode on, 
 hoping to overtake the column ; but observing that 
 his horse was each moment growing more feeble, and 
 that, in consequence, he was fast losiiiv; ground, he 
 resolved to turn aside from, the trail and ride acriss 
 the prairie, so that, by drawing after him as many In^ 
 dians as possible, he might increase the chances of 
 escape for his brother-soldiers. * 
 
 "We saw this gallant man dashing across the prairie^ 
 
304 
 
 GENERAL SULLY'S WAR WITH SIOUX. 
 
 followed by a hooting rabble of the savages. Sud- 
 denly his horse stopped and fell dead on the ground. 
 Taking shelter behind it, he levelled his Enfield rifle 
 and shot one of the Indians dead ; quickly reloading, 
 he despatched another; then drawing his revolver, 
 he killed eight more. They drew him, weak and 
 bleeding, from behind his horse and scalped him, but, 
 on account of his bravery, abstained from mutilating 
 his body. Sergeant Bain was of the Second Nebras- 
 ka Cavalry, and had been ' broken ' by General 
 Sully. He was reduced to the lanks as a private on 
 account of his ferocious cruelty in leaping into a 
 buffalo- wallow and tomahawking twenty-seven wound- 
 ed and dying Indians, in revenge for the squaws 
 cutting out the tongues of our wounded. But after 
 his gallant conduct on this occasion the dead man 
 was reappointed to his-position as sergeant, and then 
 buried. 
 
 Colonel Brown's Expedition. 
 "In 1864 the Indians, under the famous chief of the 
 Sioux, Spotted Tail, had become very violent in their 
 outrages upon the settlers, and an expedition was 
 organized against them, under the command of 
 C^'onel Brown. The rendezvous was near North 
 Platte on the Platte River. The force consisted of 
 the First Nebraska, the Twelfth Missouri, a detach- 
 ment of the Second United States, and the Seventh 
 Iowa Cavalry. The snow was quite deep on the 
 plains, and it was considered a favorable opportunity 
 to attack the Indians who were encamped on tlvi 
 
 i 
 
GENERAL SUW.VS Waj* WITH SIOUX. 
 
 >05 
 
 1 
 
 Republican River, a'Ad would be encumbered witix 
 their villages, wom'E.n and children. We had many 
 Indians in our force, among them a large number of 
 Pawnee scouts. 
 
 " Early ir> Ja'^iuary the expedition started, marching 
 southward toward the Republican River. After es- 
 tablishing a depot of supplies on the river, the scout- 
 ing began. One day Lieutenant James Murie, who 
 had marched out to Short-Nose Creek with a party 
 of scouts, was attacked by a large body of Sioux, 
 and six of hir> men weie wounded. It was a source 
 of regret tc Colonel Brown that the Indians had seen 
 the scouts, for he feared they would be frightened 
 away before an assault could be made. And so it 
 proved, for when the force reached Solomr/n's Fork, 
 not one was to be seen. 
 
 " While we were encamped at the d6p6t of supplies, 
 Colonel Brown offered a purse of five hundred dollars 
 to any scout who would discover an Indian village 
 nr\d I ^ad the command to it. The piize was a tempt- 
 ; ' J ^i % but few had the courage to attempt to win 
 it. '.]•';:: re were two sharp, shrewd men, however, 
 who came forward — Sergeant Hiles of the First 
 Nebraskr and Sergeant Rolla of the Seventh 
 Iowa. 
 
 "On the day following the departure of Hiles and 
 
 <olla a guide, named Nelson, and myself obtained 
 
 permission to scout. We took several days* supplies 
 
 on a mule and set out on our ponies, travelling by 
 u 
 
306 
 
 GENERAL SULLY'S WAR WITH SIOUX. 
 
 night, and by day hiding in the brush and keeping a 
 sharp lookout for the enemy. One morning, while 
 lighting a fire to cook breakfast by, I heard several 
 shots fired, apparently four or five miles distant. 
 Feeling sure that the guns were those of the main 
 force, which was to pass in that direction on its way 
 to the Solomon, I proposed that we should go to 
 meet them, which was at once acceded to. After 
 riding up the i m about five miles and finding no 
 trail, I expresses surprise at the long distance at 
 which a rifle-shot could be heard, but was informed 
 by Nelson that it was no unusual thing for the report 
 to be heard from ten to twenty miles along the bot- 
 tom-land of a creek. 
 
 " After proceeding about five miles farther, we saw 
 in the distance a frightened riderless horse approach- 
 ing us at great speed. It proved to be the one on 
 which Sergeant Hiles had stared out — a superb ani- 
 mal named Selim ; and, as it was without saddle, 
 we at once concluded that Hiles was killed by the In 
 dians, while his horse had escaped from their hands. 
 
 " Fearing the savages would soon be upon us, we 
 retreated down the creek and camped for the night 
 among the bluffs. At 9 o'clock I arose to watch, and 
 soon after midnight, the moon rising bright and clear, 
 I awoke Nelson and proposed that we should saddle 
 up and cross over to Cedar Creek. 
 
 " Presently we came upon a very recent Indian trail, 
 and, realizing our imminent danger, we struck out on 
 a forced march, only stopping a few hours at a time 
 
/ 
 
 GENERAL SULLY'S WAR WITH SIOUX. 
 
 307 
 
 to rest the ponies. On the fifth day we reached thft 
 camp, and there learned that it was Sergeant Rolla, 
 and not Sergeant Hiles, who had been killed. The 
 latter related his adventures, and I will give the recital 
 in his own words. 
 
 Hiles; Thrilling Stoi-y. 
 
 " He said : ' Rolla and I traveled several days, and 
 ifinally pulled up on Prairie Dog Creek. We had seen 
 no Indians and were becoming careless, believing that 
 there were none. One morning just about daybreak, 
 while Rolla and I were warming ourselves by a freshly- 
 made fire, we were attacked by about forty Indians. 
 Rolla, pierced through the heart, died instantly. How 
 I escaped I know not, for the balls whistled around 
 me, knocking up the fire and even piercing my cloth- 
 ing, yet I was not so much as scratched. 
 
 '"Running to my horse, which was saddled and tied 
 near by, I flung myself upon his back and d?-shed 
 across the prairie. The Indians followed, whooping 
 and yelling like devils ; but although their ponies were 
 fleet, they could not overtake my swift footed Selim. 
 Getting. well in advance of them, and congratulatins 
 myself upon my narrow escape from a terrible death 
 ] might soon have passed entirely beyond their read 
 had not Selim suddenly fallen headlong into a raviiic 
 which was filled with drifted snow.' In vain I tried t: 
 extricate him ; the more he struggled the deeper he 
 sank. Knowing that the Indians would soon reach 
 us, I cut the saddle-girths with my knife, that the horse 
 might be more free in his movements ; then bidding 
 
30^ 
 
 GENEBAl. SULLY'S WAH WITH SIOUX. 
 
 him \c stilL I took my pistols and burrowed into tiie 
 snow beside him. 
 
 •"After digging down a litde way I struck off into 
 the drift and worked my way along it toward the val~ 
 ley. I had not tunnelled far before I heard the sav- 
 ages approaching. Pushing up my head, I cut a small, 
 hole in the c>ust of the snow to enable me to peep 
 out. As they came up they began to yell, and Selim, 
 making a great bound, leaped upon the solid earth at 
 the edge of the ravine. Dragging himself out of the 
 drift, he galloped furiously across the prairie. Oh 
 how I wished I was then on his back ! for I knew the 
 noble fellow would soon bear me out of reach of all 
 ianger. 
 
 " * The Indians separated, part of them going after 
 the horse and part searching for me. They examined 
 almost every foct of ground in the ravine, punching 
 the snow all around me, and once passing within a 
 few feet of my hiding-place. The perspiration stood 
 on my forehead, and I expected every moment to be 
 dragged out and scalped. But, resolving to sell my 
 life as dearly as possible, I grasped my pistols and 
 remained quiet. After a prolonged search my foes 
 gave up the task, but I did not dare to venture forth, 
 knowing well that the place was being watched. On 
 the second night I crawled out, so benumbed as 
 hardly to be able to walk. Fortunately, the first 
 day out I shot an antelope, which furnished me raw 
 meat, and in two days and a half I reached the 
 camp/* 
 
BENEKaL SULLY'8 war with SIOUX. 
 
 309 
 
 Wolves Attack the Snow-Hut. 
 
 "While we lay in camp on Medicine Creek, Colonel 
 Brown sent for me and ordered me to look up and 
 map the country in the Capacity of topographical 
 engineer. I one day found myself bewildered in the 
 neighborhood of a certain creek and unable to guess 
 the direction of the army. Presendy I met two 
 friendly Indians who were likewise seeking the com- 
 mand. Darkness coming on and the air growing 
 bitterly cold, we decided to camp for the night. We 
 dug out the snow (which in the bottom was three feet 
 deep) and piled it high up around us, then kindled a 
 blazing fire. Opening a passage for a short distance 
 through the snow, we cleared another place, where we 
 corralled our horses and provided them with armfuls 
 of small Cottonwood limbs to eat. We made our 
 beds of small dry twigs, piled more logs on the 
 blazing fire, cut, spitted and roasted some elk-meat, 
 and made ourselves quite comfortable, while without 
 the north wind and the coyotes were howling in wild 
 and dismal emulation. To preserve our elk-meat 
 from prowling wild animals, we cut off the limb of a 
 tree near by and hung our food upon the stump ou' 
 of reach even of wolves and coyotes. We had to 
 contend with both Indians and wild beasts. 
 
 •' About midnight I was awakened by the snapping 
 and snarling of wolves, and on opening my eyes I 
 could see, by the light of the low-burning fire, the 
 red, glaring eyes of A doz^n of them looking down 
 over the wall of our warm snow-cellar. Reachini: 
 
110 
 
 GENERAL SULLTfe WAR WITH SIOUX 
 
 i 
 
 my gun, 1 sat up to warm my feet and watch these 
 unwelcome visitors. It was a poor night for peaceful 
 slumber. 
 
 An Ominous Howl. 
 
 " After a while I heard a long wild howl from the 
 woods, and knew by the *whirr-ree, whirr.-ree,' that 
 it came from the throat of the dreaded buffalo wolf, 
 or Kosh-e-nee of the prairies. For a time all was 
 quiet and I was beginning to doze, when suddenly I 
 was startled by the jump of a great gray wolf, which 
 scattered the coals over me and then leaped up over 
 the opposite snow-bank. Standing up and looking 
 out into the darkness, I could see scores of sombre 
 shadows moving about and a cluster gathered under 
 our elk-meat. 
 
 "I wakened the Indians and told them that we were 
 surrounded by a pack of gray wolves. Our only fear 
 was lest they should attack the horses, who were paw- 
 ing and snorting in terror ; however, upon speaking to 
 them they became quiet. We grasped our guns and 
 awaited developments. Presently, a huge gray wolf 
 gathered himself up and made a spring for the elk- 
 meat ; but, barely missing it, fell headlong into the 
 tire, where we instantly killed him with two shots. 
 Removing him from the coals, we proceeded to des- 
 patch eight more as they successively jumped for the 
 meat. After several discharges from my double- 
 barrelled shot-gun we succeeded in driving them off. 
 Throwing out the carcasses, we made a bright fire, 
 well knowing that the light would protect us from 
 
GENERAL hOBLTS WaR WITH SIOUX. 
 
 311 
 
 6jrther molestation. Two of us then slept while the 
 other watched. 
 
 "In the morning we set out, and on the third day ol 
 our wanderintrs determined to return to the Medicine 
 and follow up the trail of the command from that 
 point. On reaching it we found the force still there, 
 having deferred their march on account of cold and 
 foggy weather. 
 
 Daugrers of the Overland Route. 
 
 "During this campaign of Colonel Brown's I was 
 sent with thirty men from Camp Cottonwood to Gil- 
 man's Ranche, fifteen miles eastward on the Platte, 
 with orders to remain, protect the ranche and furnish 
 guards to HoUiday's overland stage-coaches. In 
 former days Oilman's had been the great trading- 
 place of the Sioux, who brought' in their furs here 
 loaded on ponies. From the Republican co this 
 spot there were two or three trails, and these were 
 still often frequented by the Sioux, though now for 
 purposes of war and not for trade. The overland 
 stage-coaches offered o;reat temptation to the brutal 
 Sioux ; for if they succeeded in capturing one they 
 obtained money, horses and scalps, and often white 
 women, as the reward of their enterprise. 
 
 "Troops were placed in small squads at every sta- 
 tion, about ten miles apart, and between which points 
 they rode on the tops of all the coaches as a guard 
 — a decidedly unenviable position this, offering one's 
 self as a target for the Indians who lurked in ravines 
 and in the tall prairie grass. Although the first fire 
 
312 
 
 OENEKAL SULLY'S WAR WITH SIOUX. 
 
 of the savages almost invariably killed one or mor\ 
 horses and knocked a soldier or two from the coach, 
 yet the men performed their duty unflinchingly. 
 
 Startling^ Discovery. 
 
 "One evening I buckled on my revolvers and started 
 out in search of my pony, that had strayed away. As 
 ♦lie dusk deepened, to my alarm I found myself about 
 four miles from the station, and was about to take a 
 short cut for home, when I saw on the crest of the 
 ravine in which I was dark objects moving on all 
 fours toward the road, and which, in the uncertain 
 light, looked like ponies. Thinking mine might be 
 of the number, I ran up the bank, Jt had not pro- 
 ceeded far when the sound of low voices startled me. 
 Peering into the grass, I could discern five or six In- 
 dians, who mistook me for one of their own, and I was 
 quite willing that they should do so. Walking care- 
 lessly on until the top of the hill was almost reached, 
 I suddenly came upon a dozen more of the red skins. 
 One of them in a gruff voice ordered me down, and 
 I crept along with them through the grass, though at 
 a respectful distance. 
 
 "When we took up our position in the long grass by 
 the wayside to await the arrival of the coach, I found 
 myself in a peculiar and anomalous situation. Sup 
 pose I should be shot by the coach-guards. Imagine 
 my position if it were published in the newspapers 
 •that I had deserted my post and joined the Sioux for 
 the purpose of robbing a United States mail-coach. 
 1 became very nervous as my imagination led me iv^ 
 
GENERAL SULLY'S WAR WITH SIOUX. 
 
 313 
 
 think I heard the rumbling of wheels. The coach 
 did not appear, however, and the Indians, getting 
 impatient, moved off down the roiad. I made a feint 
 of following them, but when their backs were turned, 
 dropped fiat on my face and kept perfectly still, and 
 thus escaped attracting their notice. 
 
 Death to Travellers. 
 
 "As soon as they were out of sight I started for the 
 ranche, but left it at once, accompanied by soldiers 
 and citizens, to meet the coach. Our object was de- 
 feated, however, as we did not reach it until after the 
 Indians had made their attack and succeeded in kill- 
 ing one horse and one passenger, besides wounding 
 tvo others. They had at length been beaten off, 
 carrying with them two of their number dead of 
 seriously wounded. 
 
 "Among the soldiers stationed at Oilman's Ranche 
 were a number of Omaha and Winnebago Indians 
 who belonged to my company. They were but par- 
 tially civilized, and would persist in frequently return- 
 ing to their barbarous tribal practices. One evening, 
 being in a jovial mood, they obtained leave to have a 
 dance, and thereupon began a scalp-dance round a 
 telegraph-pole in front of the house. One ot them 
 pounded vigorously upon a piece of . ather stretched 
 over an empty keg, while the rest timed their guttural 
 chant to the music of this rude drum and the rattling 
 of pebbles in some oyster-cans which they shook o\ er 
 their heads. They made the night hideous with their 
 songs until about twelve o'clock, when, being weary 
 
 M 
 
314 
 
 c»ENiniAL SULLY'S WAR WITH SIOUX. 
 
 of such a din, I asked them to finish by giving us 
 some Sioux war-songs, which they did. 
 
 " These, like all Indian songs and dances, terminate 
 in a kind of wild yell or whoop, and when they had 
 uttered this we were much surprised to hear the cry 
 answered back at no great distance on the prairie. 
 Springer, a half-breed, assured me that it was not an 
 echo, but the cry of other Indians. He was right, for 
 on going to a back window of the ranche I could see 
 by the light of the rising moon three Indians sitting 
 on their ponies not far off and listening. 
 
 A Clever Capture. 
 
 "Finding that they were our deadly enemies, the 
 Ogallala Sioux, I called excitedly to Springer, trying 
 him to kindle a fire and have the Indians stri up 
 the death-song and scalp-dance of the Sioux in order 
 to entrap the Ogallalas. The ruse succeeded. They 
 lann't quite near and asked Springer what the sing- 
 ing Was for. The half-breed, being part Sioux, spoke 
 their language perfectly, and answered that they were 
 dancing the scalps of four white soldiers. 
 
 " ' How did you kill them ?' asked one of the 
 Ogallalas. 
 
 " • You see,* said Springer, ' we were coming down 
 from the Niobrara and going over to the Repub 
 lican to see Spotted Tail and our friends the Ogalla 
 las, when some soldiers fired on us here, and, seeing 
 there were but four of them, we attacked and killed 
 them. They are now lying dead inside ; come, get 
 down and help dance their scalps.' This two of 
 
%jfciNr3iAL SULLYS WAR WITH SIOUX. 
 
 3Tfi 
 
 them did, leaving the other to hold the ponies. 
 When the dance was over Springer said : 'Come, 
 let us bring out the scalps ;' and turning to the two 
 Indians, he asked them if they would look at the 
 bodies inside. 
 
 " About half of the Indians had already gone into the 
 ranche under pretence of bringing out the scalps, so 
 the two did not hesitate to enter with Springer. As 
 soon as they were inside the door was closed and 
 two burly Omahas placed themselves against it. A 
 light was struck by kindling some dry grass on the 
 hearth, and when the blaze flamed out the Sioux saw 
 themselves surrounded b\ Omahas and a dozen re- 
 volvers levelled at their heads. The yell of rage and 
 despair which they raised was heard by the one out- 
 side, and he escaped with the ponies, though a dozen 
 shots were fired at him. 
 
 "The other two, bound and fettered, were laid in a 
 corner till morning ; at which time I was awakened by 
 a terrible yelling, and looking out saw my Indians 
 dancing round the telegraph-pole, near, which they 
 had a large fire kindled. Springer came in and stated 
 that thev were intensely eager to have the prisoners. 
 I refused, saying it was my duty to take them to 
 Colonel Brown. Upon this the Indians became 
 frenzied, rushed into the ranche and carried off the 
 prisoners to an island on the Platte, where, after 
 building a fire, they tortured them to death in the 
 usual horrid malnner. I was sick at heart, but know* 
 ing that it was but the treatment which we ourselvei. 
 
316 
 
 GENERAL SULLY'S WAR WITH SIOUX. 
 
 would have received at their hands had the positions 
 been reversed, I conchided to let the matter be hushed 
 up as an affair between Indians alone. 
 
 The Raiicbe at Night. 
 
 "In the yjar 1865, being still on duty at Fort Cot- 
 tonwood as adjutant of my regiment, the First Ne- 
 braska Volunteer Cavalry, I was once detailed with 
 thirty Indian soldiers to garrison Jack Morrow's 
 ranche, twelve miles west of the fort, on the south 
 side of the Platte River. It was feared that it would 
 be burned by the hostile Sioux, and was deemed too 
 valuable a property to be sacrificed. It consisted of 
 a three-story building, with outbuildings adjacent, and 
 a fine large stable, the whole being surrounded with 
 a vast stockade of cedar palisades. The owner was 
 absent in the East, and the place was thus left with- 
 out a protector. 
 
 "We arrived at the ranche late at night, and my 
 usually noisy Indians were all asleep in the huge ox- 
 wagons which had been provided for their trans- 
 portation. I found the front of the buildings lighted 
 up by fires, and, thinking the occupants might be 
 savages, I halted the teams, quietly awakened the 
 Indians and told them not to emerge or give any 
 sign unless I should give the signal by yelling. Hold 
 ing my pony's nose with my hand to prevent him 
 from making a noise, I peeped through a hole in the 
 stockade and saw a curious but familiar scene. 
 Grouped around three small fires sat some ten or 
 twelve tanned and weatherbeaten men, whose hair 
 
GENERAL SULLT'S WAR WITH SIOUX 
 
 17 
 
 hun^f CO their shoulders, and each on6 of when wore 
 a slouched hat, a pair of revolvers and a good, stout 
 knife. All were intent upon a supper of coffee, slap- 
 jacks and fried bacon. 
 
 " * Hallo !' I shouted, * have you got supper enough 
 for one more?* — 'Yes,' was the answer, 'if you are 
 white or red ; but if black, no.' To this was added 
 ^n invitation to show myself; while riding into the 
 stockade I overheard such remarks as, * An army 
 cuss,' * One of those little stuck-up officers,' etc. 
 
 *' Feigning not to hear them, I dismounted and in- 
 quired who they were. They stated that they were 
 wood-haulers, and would like to know who I was ^nd 
 where I was going so late at night. Enlightening 
 them as to whom they were addressing, J further in- 
 formed them that my destination was reached ; but 
 their reply was to the effect that they guessed it was 
 rather * mixed ' about staying there if ! liad any 
 stock along, as the stables were all full, and the ranche 
 too, for that matter. 
 
 Bncouiiter with Rongrhs. 
 
 " I told them that two teams of mine were outside, 
 and that it was my intention to put t e mules and my 
 pony in the stable, and if there was not room enough, 
 some of their stock must be turned out. To this 
 they replied that they were permanently occupying 
 that ranche since Jack Morrow had gone East, prob- 
 ably never to return ; that they were stronger in 
 numbers than myself and my two drivers; and that if 
 I did not move they would make me. 
 
318 
 
 GENERAL SULLY'S WAR WITH SIOUX. 
 
 "Receiving no reply from me, the leader of the 
 roughs said, ' Well, what are you going to do about 
 it?' Repeating my intention, I rode out to the 
 stables, near which stood my teams, and ordered the 
 drivers to unhitch, and, if they could not find enough 
 vacant stalls, to turn out the mules and put our 
 animals in. Several of the teamsters having followed 
 me close to the stable-door, one of them said 1 * might 
 «ave ' myself ' the trouble of unhitching them mules,' 
 for I * was not agoin' to put them in that stable,' and 
 the first man who attempted it would be * fixed.' 
 
 "I said we had better not have trouble about it. 
 'You go to h — 11!' was the reply. I answered, 'I'll 
 see about that;' and calHng, 'Turn out! turn out!' 
 in the Ind'an language, my men jumped from the 
 canvas-covered wagons, yelling like demons and 
 brandishing their carbines and revolvers in a threat- 
 ening manner. Never were men so filled with con« 
 sternation as th^se rough teamsters. Feeling sure 
 that we were Sioux, they started to run, but I detained 
 them and explained. There was found to be sufficient 
 room in the stables without the necessity of removing 
 any of their mules. Finding doors and windows de 
 stroyed and the place otherwise inju ed by them, J 
 gave them the privilege of remaining only until morn 
 ing, at which time they must leave. 
 
 Surprise*? by the Foe. 
 
 "While the troops lay at Camp Cottonwood the 
 scurvy broke out among the men, causing great suf- 
 fering. When they were convalescent the doctor 
 
GENERAL SULLY'S WAR WITH SIOUX. 
 
 319 
 
 tor 
 
 ordered a fruit diet, and a pium-grove about four 
 miles distant (the wild fruit of v- hich was deemed very 
 wholesome) afforded the patients a fine opportunity 
 to obey instructions. One morning, Captain Mitchell, 
 of the Seventh Iowa Cavalry, procured an ambulance, 
 and, taking with him a driver named Anderson, ar 
 orderly named Cramer and seven hospital patients, 
 started for the plum -grove. 
 
 " As they were returning they fell in with two 
 soldiers, named Bentz and Wise, who had been sent 
 out by the quartermaste ■ to look for some stray 
 mules. Both being well armed, they felt secure in 
 lingering behind the ambulance to gather a few 
 plums ; while eating they were suddenly fired upon 
 by about a dozen Indians. 
 
 "At the first shot Bentz had his belt cut away and 
 lost his revolver, and as the turned to fly he re- 
 ceived a ball in his) side, wou. iing him seriously. 
 Riding down the cailon in the hope of overtaking 
 Captain Mitchell and the ambulance, they discovered 
 a party of the redskins ahead of them, evidently with 
 the intention of cutting them off. Wise gave Lientz 
 one of his revolvers, and told him to ride hard; but 
 the wounded man was so feeble and dizzy as to be 
 scarcely able to keep his saddle. He was moi .tcd 
 on an old mule, while Wise rode a superb horse be 
 longing to Lieutenant Cutler, and which he had taken 
 out to exercise. 
 
 " He was finally compelled to abandon his compan 
 ion ; turning his head while rushing with lightning 
 
?ao 
 
 GENERAL SULLY'S WAR WITH SIOUX. 
 
 speed down the ravine, he saw the Indians knock 
 Bentz from his mule. Wise escaped to a settler's, 
 cabin, where he remained to relate his adventures, in« 
 stead of hastening to camp with the news. For this 
 he was afterward severely reprimanded, but offered 
 the plea that, seeing the wagon intercepted by the 
 Indians, and thinking the fate of all was surely sealed, 
 he hesitated to carry such bad news to the camp. 
 
 Anderson Sells his Life Dearly. 
 
 " Let us now soe how it fared with the party In the 
 wagon or ambulance. Only two of the men, Mitchell 
 and Anderson, had arms. The savages tried to arrest 
 their progress, but they dashed up the deep sides 
 of the cailon, and were soon flying over the prairie at 
 the rate of ten miles an hour. The Indians, however, 
 cirdcid round and again began to close in upon them, 
 swinging themselves behind the necks of their ponies 
 and throwing balls and fire-arrows into the wagon. 
 Two of the sick soldiers were already hit, and Cap- 
 tain Mitchell, finding it impossible to defend them 
 while the wagon was in motion (the jolting destroying 
 his aim), ordered Anderson to drive to the top of a 
 hill near at hand and they would fight it out with the 
 rascals. But Cramer took the lines and urged on the 
 horses. 
 
 •* Mitchell ordered Anderson to seize the reins, and 
 in attempting to do so both were thrown from the 
 wagon. Mitchell alighted near a deep gully ; rolling 
 himself into it, he looked out and saw Anderson 
 crawling into a bunch of bushes. The wagon had 
 
 
 ^_ 
 
 v>v 
 
GENERAL SULLY8 WAK WITH SIOUX. 
 
 321 
 
 just crossed the crest of a small hill, and was there- 
 fore concealed from the view of the Indians when the 
 two men fell out. They remained secure until, un- 
 fortunately, just as they were starting out about sev- 
 enty-five Indians approached very near to the spot 
 where Mitchell was concealed. 
 
 "The chief walked up almost to within arm's length 
 of the captain, who now perceived by his spotted 
 dress and his lack of one eye, that it was no other 
 than the celebrated chief Spotted Tail. Captain 
 Mitchell now resolved to sacrifice his life in order to 
 kill this great enemy of his country. He was just 
 preparing to use his two revolvers when a commotion 
 arose and the Indians all broke for cover. They had 
 ^ discovered Anderson, as he was attempting to crawl 
 along into the sage-brush. After firing upon him and 
 receiving no response, one of them approached 
 nearer, when suddenly a small puff of white smoke 
 rose out of the bushes, a loud report rang through 
 the air, and the Indian fell dead. Nine savages were 
 killed by Anderson before they succeeded in captur- 
 ing him, 
 
 "At one time Mitchell was on the point of opening 
 fire, when he heard his brave companion call three or 
 four times in a quick, excited manner, • My arm is 
 broken ; keep quiet ; can't work the Spencer any 
 more.' He reluctantly obeyed. After Anderson 
 was scalped his barbarous captors gashed him with 
 their knives, drove a stake into one oi' his eyes, 
 and, withdrawing it, filled the cavity with powder and 
 
322 
 
 GENERAL SULLY'S WAR WITH SIOUX. 
 
 blew his head to pieces. Spotted Tail was so enraged 
 at the loss of his nine warriors, that he kicked Ander- 
 son's body insultingly. Presently the other Indians 
 returned with the scalps of all who had been in the 
 ambulance, except that of Cramer, whom they had 
 killed." 
 
 •v. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 The Fetterman Massacre. — War with the Sioux 
 in Wyoming Territory. 
 
 Let us now pass rapidly in review the circum 
 stances attending that sad tragedy of the year 1866, 
 the Fetterman Massacre. 
 
 That region in the great West now called Wyo- 
 ming, and which is watered by the fertile basins of 
 the Yellowstone, Big Horn and Tongue rivers, 
 and pardy girt in by the Big Horn and Panther 
 Mountains, is called, in the language of the Crow 
 Indians, Absaraka, which means the " Home of the 
 Crows." 
 
 It is a region unsurpassed in its game resources, its 
 wild fruits, it:s grasses and cereals, while its scenery 
 of snow-crowned mountians, piney forests, luxuriant 
 valleys and crystal streams is such as to make it be- 
 loved by all who have ever made it their home. The 
 Crows loved their land, and fought desperately, but 
 in vain, against the Sioux, the Cheyennes, the Arra 
 pahoes, Blackfeet and Gros Ventres, who disputed 
 with them the possession of their beautiful hunting- 
 grounds. The Sioux and their allies finally suc- 
 ceeded in establishing themselves in the choice val- 
 leys of the Lower Big Horn and Tongue rivers, and 
 were found in undisputed possession in 1866, when 
 
824 
 
 THE FETTERMAN MASSACRR 
 
 the United States Government sent in an invading 
 expedition of whites for the purpose of opening a 
 laew route from Fort Laramie to Montana, vi? 
 
 CROW CHIEF ON THE WAR-PATH. 
 
 Bridger's Ferry and the head-waters of the Tongue 
 und Big Horn rivers. 
 
 This expedition was under th'^ command of Colonel 
 
THE FEXrERMAN MASSACRE. 
 
 324 
 
 iding 
 
 ing a 
 I, vi? 
 
 \''^/^ 
 
 ■'M 
 
 >ngue 
 )lonel 
 
 Henry B. Carrington ; his force consisted of the 
 second battalion of the Eighteenth U. S. Infantry, 
 numbering about two hundred and twenty men. 
 The work of these men was to consist in removing 
 Fort Reno forty miles west, and in building two addl 
 tional forts, the first on or near the Big Horn River 
 and the second on or near the Upper Yellowstone. 
 
 A Desolate Region. 
 
 Fort Kearney, Nebraska, was the rendezvous of 
 the expedition. The force marched from Fort Leaven 
 worth to Fort Kearney in the winter of 1865, when 
 the mercury was often twelve degrees below zero, and 
 two feet of snow had to be shovelled away before a 
 tent couk* be pitched, the prairie winds striking a 
 chill through the thickest garment and the drifting 
 snows often hindering an advance. Absaraka was a 
 terra incognita at that time. The forts were to ba 
 located far away from civilization in the heart of tha 
 wilderness ; all necessary tools and implements, such 
 as mowing-machines, shingle- and brick-machines, 
 doors, sashes, glass, nails and locks, were taken and 
 given to the blacksmiths, wheelwrights, painters, car- 
 penters and house-builders selected out of the force. 
 The Interior Department furnished maps ; Professors 
 Silliman and Dana of Yale College supplied scien 
 tific works ; transit and levelling instruments were 
 provided, and every preparation made for subjugat- 
 ing the new country. 
 
 The expedition reached Fort Laramie in June, 
 1866, at a time when the great council with the In- 
 
826 
 
 THE FETTERMAN MASSACRE. 
 
 dians was being held. The expectation that this 
 conference with the savages would settle all diffi- 
 culties »ras destined to disappointment The Indians 
 
 A BLACKFOOT BOY. 
 
 construed the advance of Colonel Carrington into a 
 determination to seize their land in advance of a 
 treaty. As one of them explained it, " Gniat Father 
 
fti 
 
 THE FETTERMAN MASSACRE. 
 
 327 
 
 this 
 diffi- 
 lians 
 
 8ends us presents and wants new road, but white 
 chief goes with soldiers to steal road before Indian 
 say yes or no !" " 
 
 A Motley Throngr* 
 
 For a time everything promised well ; the Indians 
 seemed friendly, and were engaged in trading at the 
 stores or lounging around the fort in apparent con- 
 tentment. In the stores of the traders they swarmed 
 like bees — squaws, pappooses and warriors mingling 
 with teamsters, half-breeds, emigrants and specula- 
 tors in happy confusion ; here, cups of rice, sugar or 
 coffee were being emptied into the looped-up blanket 
 or skirt of a squaw ; yonder, a fierce warrio»- smiled 
 seraphically as he sucked his long sticks >r pepper- 
 
 o a 
 f a 
 her 
 
 CHEYENNE SCOUTS ON THE MARCH. 
 
 mint candy ; there were flashings of red shawls and 
 gorgeous calicoes; transfers of knives, tobacco, beads 
 4nd nails : munching of cheese and crackers ; aoii 
 
328 
 
 THE FETTERMAN MASSACRE. 
 
 over all there hung a dense cloud of tobacco- smoke 
 serving as a sweet narcotic to the strong nerves of 
 the strange throng. 
 
 But beneath all this there was a fixed and deter- 
 mined current of opposition to the entrance of the 
 whites upon their territory. The Man-Afraid-of-his 
 Horses and Red Cloud made no secret of their dis 
 approbation, and kept aloof from those who favored 
 a treaty. It was eventually found that the number 
 of Sioux Indiana who considered themselves bound 
 by the treaty and remained at peace was about twc 
 thousand. It was the Sioux who subsequently caused 
 most of the trouble at Fort Phil Kearney. The tiib&s 
 who went to war with them were the Minneconjoux, 2 
 portion of the Ogallala and Brule bands, the North- 
 ern Cheyennes and the Arrapahoes, with a few S. ns 
 
 Arcs. 
 
 Gathering: for a Powwow. 
 
 It was the middle of July when the expedition of 
 Colonel Carrington, having marchf:d from Fort Lara- 
 mie, reached the foot of the Big Horn Mountains 
 near the sources of the Powder and Tongue rivers 
 and began to build Fort Philip Kearney, the chosen 
 site being between the forks of the Piney Creek. On 
 July 1 6th about forty Cheyenne Indians appeared foi 
 the purpose of holding a friendly conference. Thr 
 names of some of the chiefs were *' Black Horse," 
 •'Red Arm," "Litde Moon," "Pretty Bear," "The 
 Rabbit-that-Jumps " and " The Wolf-that Lies-Down." 
 
 They were received with ceremonious state and 
 
THE FETTERMAN MASSACRE. 
 
 339 
 
 pK)mp ; bivouacked on the level ground in front of the 
 camp, and were escorted to the council tents with stir- 
 ring music from the band. One very tall warrior with 
 fichly-wrought moccasins and fancy breech-cloth, who 
 could boast no other covering for his person except a 
 large fancy umbrella, presented a most ludicrous ap 
 pearance as he galloped up on his pony in this con- 
 dition. 
 
 There were several ladies, officers' wives, in the 
 expedition, one of whom, the lamented Mrs. Car 
 ringlon, has written an entertaining account of her 
 experiences. She states that the front of the council- 
 tent was open, and the ladies, by parting the folds 
 of the headt^uarters-tent near at hand, had a dress- 
 circle view of the whole proceedings. While the red 
 sandstone pipo passed around, and during the how- 
 hows and speeches, in front of them all sat, with his 
 elbows on his knees and chin buried in his hands, the 
 noted Jani.s Bridger, the veteran frontiersman, who 
 had joined the expedii'on, and whose forty-four years 
 of life on the borders had made him familiar with ali 
 the wiles as well as the vjr'ues of the Indians. 
 
 FabuIoiiH Diamond. 
 
 He had long lived among the Crows as a favorite 
 chie'f, and he well knew, as he sat there keenly and 
 warily watching these Sioux, that they would have 
 given a great price for his scalp. Among the many 
 stories told by and of Bridger is one which credits 
 him with having seen a diamond in the Rocky Mounr 
 tsiins by the Hght of which he traveled thirty miles 
 
330 
 
 THE FETTEHMAN MASSACKE. 
 
 one stormy night ! His sagacity, knowledge of wood- 
 craft and intimate acquaintance with the Indian cha- 
 racter, all made him an invaluable adjunct to the ex- 
 pedition. ' ^ 
 
 The recult of this consultation was satisfactory to 
 the Cheyennes ; but, alas ! the command was soon to 
 realize that the Sioux and their allies were bitterlv 
 implacable. During the time fium July 26th to De- 
 cember 2 1 St. in which Colonel Fetterman, with his 
 command of eighty men and officers, was overpowered 
 and massacred, the hostile Indians had killed ninety- 
 one enlisted men, five officers and fifty-eight citizens, 
 wounded twenty citizens, and driven away between 
 seven and eight hundred head of stock. In this same 
 interval of time they had appeared in from of Fort 
 Phil Kearney, making warlike demonstrations and 
 committing unfriendly acts, upon fifty-one different 
 occasions, and had attacked almost every person and 
 train that attempted to pass over the Montana road. 
 
 Massacre of Fettemian. 
 
 The narration of the maspacre of Colonel Fettor- 
 
 man and his men is fraught with thrilling interest. 
 On ihe morning of the 21st of December the wood- 
 train was attacked about two miles from the fort, and 
 compelled to corral and defend tcself Almost imme* 
 diately a few Indian pickets appeared on one or two 
 of the surrounding heights, and a party o^,^bout 
 twenty near the Big Finey, where the Montana road 
 crosses the same within howitzer range of the fort. 
 Shells were thrown among the Indians, and they fled 
 
THE FETTERMAN MASSACRE. 
 
 331 
 
 k 
 
 
 •\ 
 
 Colonel Carrington now sent out eighty men (fifty 
 infantry and twenty-six cavalry) under command of 
 Colonel Fetterman. The orders (twice and distinctly 
 given) were as follows : " Support the wood-train ; 
 relieve it and report to me. Do not engage or fol- 
 low Indians at its expense ; under no circumstances 
 pursue over Lodge Trail Kidge." 
 
 Kapid Firingr Hcn,rd. 
 
 Colonel Fetterman moved out rapidly to the right 
 of the wood-road, and at about fifteen minutes before 
 twelve o'clock had reached the crest of Lodge Trail 
 Ridge. Soon after the men disappeared over the 
 ridge in ^at disregard of orders, and for reasons that 
 mil now never be known, for not a man returned. 
 Firing began at once, and, continuing with great 
 rapidity, was plainly audible at the fort. Assistant- 
 Surgeon Hines, having been ordered to join Fetter- 
 man, found Indians on a part of Lodge Trail Ridge 
 not visible from the fort, and was thus prevented 
 from reaching the force there struggling to preserve 
 'ts existence. As soon as the firing became rapid 
 Colonel Carrington ordered Captain T^n Eyck, with 
 about seventy-six men (all they had for duty in the 
 fort) and two wagons with ammunition, to join Colonel 
 Fetterman immediately. 
 
 As soon as the captain had reached a summit com 
 mandingt a view of the battle-field he reported that the 
 Peno Valley was full of Indians — that he could see 
 nothing of Colonel Fetterman's party, and asked that 
 a howitzer be sent him. This request >vas net compUed 
 
3S2 
 
 THE FETTERMAN MASSACSE. 
 
 with. The Indians, who at first beckoned to him to 
 come down, now began to retreat ; and Captain Ten 
 Eyck,. advancing to a point where they had been 
 standing in a circle, found the dead naked bodies of 
 Colonel Fetterman, Captain Brown and about sixty- 
 live of the soldiers of their command. 
 
 At this place there were no indications of a severe 
 struggle. All the bodies lay in a space not exceed- 
 ing thirty-five feet in diameter. There were some few 
 cartridges, but no empty shells lying around. A few 
 American horses lay dead a short distance off, all 
 with the'.i' heads turned toward the fort. About a mile 
 farther on were found the dead bodies of Lieutenant 
 Grummond, three citizens and four or five of the old, 
 long-tried and experienced soldiers. A great number 
 of empty cartridge-shells were on the ground at this 
 place, and more than fifty were found about one of 
 the dead citizens who used a Henry rifle. Within a 
 hundred yards in front of this position were ten Indian 
 ponies, dead, and also sixty-five pools of dark and 
 clotted blood. But at no other point were the Indian 
 ponies or pools of blood observed. 
 
 Details of the Slaughter. 
 
 The natural inference, therefore, is that the savages 
 were massed to resist Colonel Fetterman's advance 
 along Peno Creek on both sides of the road ; that 
 the colonel formed his advanced lines on the summit 
 of the hill overlooking the creek and valley, with a 
 reserve near where the dead bodies lay ; that the In- 
 dians, in force of from fifteen to eighteen hundred 
 
 Ai'*' 
 
THE FETTERMAN MASSACRE. 
 
 333 
 
 warriors, attacked him vigorously in this position, and 
 were successfully resisted by him for half an hour or 
 more ; that the command, seized with panic at finding 
 themselves short of ammunition and at the great 
 numerical superiority of the Indians, attempted to 
 retreat toward the fort ; that the mountaineers and 
 old soldiers, who had learned that a movement from 
 Indians in an engagement was equivalent to certain 
 death, remained in their first position, and were killed 
 there ; that immediately upon the commencement of 
 the retreat the enemy charged upon and surrounded 
 the party, who could not now be formed by their offi- 
 cers, and Were immediately put to death. 
 
 Deatn Preferred to Capture. 
 
 Only six men of the whole command lost their 
 lives by balls, and two of these, Lieutenant-Colonel 
 Fetterman and Captain Brown, no doubt inflicted 
 this death upon themselves or each other, both be- 
 ing shot through the left temple, the powder being 
 burnt into the skin and flesh about the wound. Both 
 officers had often been heard to assert that they would 
 not be taken alive by the Indians. 
 
 The United States Senate committee, appointed 
 to investigate che Fetterman massacre, reported that 
 they found no living officer deserving of censure, but 
 that the fault was traced to the orovernment itself in 
 not sending reinforcements of men and ammunition 
 to these new forts in Wyoming, where all was war, 
 instead of permitting them to remain at such places 
 AS Fort Laramie, where all was peace. 
 
334 
 
 THE FETTERMAN MASSACRE. 
 
 Prepared for the Worst. 
 
 Sad indeed were the holidays that December in 
 Fort Phil Kearney. The dead were buried in mourns 
 ful silence and with loving care From the night of 
 the fatal 21st began the unprecedentedly cold wea- 
 ther, sometimes falling as low as forty-one degrees 
 below zero. It became necessary to change the 
 guards half-hourly, to keep them from freezing. Tht 
 costumes of the garrison resembled those of Siberia 
 or Lapland. A settled gloom pervaded, the entire 
 fort. The charades, tableaus, Shakespearian read- 
 ings, the usual evening levee at the colonel's house, 
 ' — all these pleasant diversions, to which the soldiers 
 had been lookinrj forward, were now not thought of 
 Lights burned in all the quarters; each man knew 
 his place and the distribution of the loopholes ; the 
 gunners slept near their weapons ; all were on the 
 alert, ready for the enemy should he appear flushed 
 with his recent victory. The constant and drifting 
 snow-storms soon lifted their crests above the stock- 
 ade, and when a trench was dug outside the next 
 snow or wind would fill it. > - 
 
 A few days after New Year orders were received 
 to remove headquarters to Fort Caspar. Although 
 nearly buried in snow-drifts and almost perished from 
 the unparalleled cold, the party finally reached their 
 destination in safety. 
 
 Belies of the Conflict. 
 "Passing now to the year 1867, 1 return/* says Mr. 
 Balch, "to personal narratives of wars and adventurer. 
 
THE FETTEKMAN MASSACRE. 
 
 335 
 
 with the Sioux, those inveterate enemies of the entire 
 human race, themselves excepted. It chanced that 
 in this year military duty called me to the Powder 
 River country of the Rocky Mountains — the very 
 region, in fact, of the Fort Phil Kearney massacre. 
 Our route lay up the Platte River to Julesburg, thence 
 to old Fort Laramie. We marched to Fort Fetter 
 man, and then to Reno, where I met tl]e command 
 of General Sweitzer, and reported to that officer, 
 who ordered me to Fort Phil Kearney. 
 • " One day, as I was returning with a cavalry company 
 from a ride taken in the interests of an endangered 
 train which was making its way to the fort, I visited 
 the massacre ground with Major Gordon, who pointed 
 out to me where the hardest fighting had taken place. 
 The spot was still covered with the debris of the 
 battle — skeletons of horses and mules, human bone^ 
 pieces of skulls, knapsacks, torn uniforms and broken 
 guns. The major also showed ine the spot where 
 Fetterman made his last stand, and where eighty-six 
 soldiers lay dead in one pile. , ' . 
 
 No Surrender. 
 
 "Another object of interest was the rock behini 
 which Jim Wheatley, the guide, and Captain Brown 
 hajd taken shelter, and in front of which fifteen In- 
 dians lay dead. This massacre was unparalleled in 
 the history of savage warfare. The conflict was dcs- 
 Derate in the extreme, each soldier fighting until his 
 iiiamunition gave out, and then defending himself 
 with rocks and the butt of his gun. One boy was 
 
336 
 
 THE FETTISRMAN MASSACRE. 
 
 seen to knock two Indians down with his bugle before 
 he was run through with an Indian lance. The stones 
 and rocks were still stained with blood and covered 
 with hair where the savages had beat out the brains 
 of the soldiers with their war-clubs. I picked up an 
 old flint-lock Indian gun which bore the brand, * Lon- 
 don, 1777.' The history of that veteran weapon 
 would certamly be curious could it be written. How 
 many battles and skirmishes had it lent its services 
 to? Where had it travelled, and how many wild 
 animals, Indians and white men had it slain ? 
 
 A Hasty March. 
 
 "On the 5th of November a runner came hastily 
 into the fort to announce that Lieutenant Shirly, who 
 had been sent out with a detachment of men, had 
 been attacked by two hundred Indians, and a severe 
 battle fought. At one o'clock at night we left the 
 fort witii two companies of cavalry, Colonel Green 
 commanding. Arriving at the scene of action about 
 daylight next morning, we found wagons overturned 
 and sacks of flour, sugar, rice and bacon scattered 
 over the ground. There were also boxes of crackers, 
 packages of stationery, pipes, tobacco, books, scab 
 bards, swords and broken guns. As the enemy had 
 left, we busied ourselves in looking after the wounded. 
 Lieutenant Shirly was suffering severely from the 
 effects of a ball which had passed through his instep 
 and flattened against the sole of the boot He stated 
 that the principal object of attack by the Indians was 
 the howitzer, they having killed or wounded e\tr 
 
THE FETTERMAN MASSACRC 
 
 337 
 
 man around it in their efforts to capture it. Gather- 
 ing up the stores as well as we could, we took the 
 wounded men and returned to the fort 
 
 " On the 29th of November the pickets on the hill 
 overlooking the fort signalled * Indians,' and in a few 
 moments afterward reported that they were attacking 
 the ox-train three miles distant, i at once saddled 
 up some horses and with a party proceeded to their 
 relief On our approach the Indians, ten in number, 
 fled. Aftei a pursuit of seven miles we succeeded in 
 killing four of them. 
 
 Wonderful CoolnesB. 
 
 " It was wonderful to see the coolness and agility 
 of these .^vages. When one of their number was 
 wounded or killed, the rest would stop, lash him to a 
 pony and then dash forward again. One Indian was 
 tied by the neck to the bow of his saddle and by one 
 leg fo the cantle (or back part of the saddle), the 
 other leg dragging on the ground. 
 
 " Early in December a messenger came to the fort 
 and reported that a train belonging to Mr. McPher- 
 son had been attacked and corralled about forty miles 
 out on the Phil Kearney road. The same night Mr. 
 McPherson's herder came in and confirmed the re- 
 port, stating that the men had been fighting since 
 Sunday morning, and when he left one had been 
 killed and seven wounded. I was ordered out to 
 their relief with a cavalry company and one mounted 
 bowitzei. 
 
 •* Toward morning we were challenged with ' Who 
 
338 
 
 THE FETTERMAM MASSACRE. 
 
 goes there ?' and upon answering, ' Relief from the 
 fort,* cheer after cheer burst from tho throats of the 
 besieged men. They were wild with joy, and many 
 sat down and cried like children when they realized 
 that deliverance was at hand. More than than two 
 hundred Indians had surrounded them, and had left 
 only when they learned of our approach. So closely 
 had they watched that it v/as impossible to get word 
 to the fort, one man having lost his life in attempting 
 to steal through the Indian lines. The herder had 
 escaped at great risk and by crawling among the 
 rocks on his hands and knees for over a mile, ha^ 
 saved his life. 
 
 Horrors of the Battle-field. 
 
 " The battle-field bore evidence of a desperate con 
 flict, arrows, guns, blankets and dead oxen and 
 ponies lying thick over the ground. White human 
 bones were all that remained of bodies that had been 
 drriorged out on the prairie and eaten by the wolves. 
 Not a particle of flesh remained ; even the skulls were 
 broken in and the brains sucked out by the ravenous 
 beasts. 
 
 "On the 2d of January the Indians appeared 
 around the fort, and Dr. H. W. Matthews^ one of the 
 Peace Commissioners on the part of the United 
 States Government, assembled them for the purpose 
 of consultation. Many speeches were made by Sioux 
 and Cheyenne chiefs; they demanded the withdrawal 
 of the troops, the giving up of the road and a prescnl 
 of quantities of powder and bullets. The replies of 
 
THE FETTERMAN MASSACRE. 
 
 339 
 
 the 
 the 
 
 the commissioner were evasive, and the conncil broke 
 up without having arrived at any satisfactory conclu- 
 sion. When asked why Red Cloud did not attend, 
 a chief answered, * He has sent us as the Great Father 
 has sent you ; when the Great Father comes. Red 
 Cloud will be here.* This was to signify that the 
 haughty chieftain would only condescend to treat 
 through his agents unless the President were present 
 in person. 
 
 Eager for Powder and Bullets. 
 
 " After the meeting I went down to the Arrapahoe 
 camp to trade for some buffalo robes, and finally suc- 
 ceeded in getting a fine bridal robe, but for which I 
 was obliged to pay the enormous price of ninety- 
 eight dollars. I presented this to General Smith, and 
 next morning went into the Sioux camp to purchase 
 another, but could not induce them to part with one 
 for money, although they would sell anything they 
 had for powder and bullets, offering four dollars for 
 a single charge and forty dollars for four ounces, 
 
 "On the 8th day of April the Sioux, mounted on 
 fleet horses, appeared in large numbers on the bluffs 
 north of the fort, and rode furiously around the hill- 
 tops, yelling and brandishing their weapons in a hos- 
 tile manner. Many of them carried scalp-poles and 
 were dressed in feathers and war-paint. For several 
 days at different times they manoeuvred round the 
 fort, reconnoitring, demanding food, etc., and we had 
 no doubt that mischief was brewing. Their susp* 
 cious actions forced us to this conclusiop 
 
MM 
 
THK FKTTER'irtAN AAKSACRE. 
 
 341 
 
 X 
 
 < 
 If 
 
 "All if.if.ainccl quiet, however, until the loth of 
 June, when, about five o'clock in the evening, the 
 pickets signalled that a train was approaching. 
 Lieutenant McCaulley, of the Twenty-seventh In- 
 fintry, and myself rode out to meet it. We had 
 ^myie across a small knoll to the south of the 
 pftkets, and passed out of sight of them but a 
 short distance, when suddenly we saw ten Indians 
 riding down upon us. Calling out to McCaulley that 
 they wore hostile, and that we must ride for the fort 
 as speedily as possible, we turned our horses, and had 
 arrived within sight of our destinaticn when we ob- 
 served about twenty savages passing directly between 
 us ar.d the place we were aiming to reach, evidently 
 wiih the intention of cutting us off. As we were 
 riding at the foot of a steep hill at the time, I told 
 McCaulk J that we must climb to the top and defend 
 ourselves until help could reach us. Dismounting 
 and dragging our horses after us, we clambered up; 
 ; ad had gone about halfway when -^ jveral Indians 
 reached the foot of the bluff and fired upon us. 
 This was a declaration of war. 
 
 "We took up our position on the very crest of the 
 hill, and the Indians now began to surround us, climb- 
 ing up in our direction. Sheltering the horses behind 
 the crest on the side where there were no savages, I 
 told McCaulley to hold them while I fought the 
 enemy. Covering a big fellow with my revolver, I 
 was about tp fire when he turned and ran down the 
 hill. I now brought the weapons to bear upon othe** 
 
M2 
 
 THE FETTERMAN MAFfiACRE. 
 
 ! 
 
 parts of the line, but the cowardly rascals ran when* 
 ever I took aim at them. 
 
 Timely Arrival of Cavalry. 
 
 "We were in full sight of the fort and looked 
 anxiously for help, but as yet could see no one com- 
 mg to our assistance. I now examined my revolvers, 
 and, to my horror, discovered but two charges in the 
 barrel and no ammunition with me. Suddenly Mc- 
 Caulley called to me to look out, and, turning, I saw 
 an Indian crawling on the ground within twenty feet 
 of the horses. As McCaulley spoke the savage fired 
 an arrow, which barely missed the lieutenant and 
 buried itself deep in the shoulder of his horse. The 
 poor animal reared and plunged with pain, but his 
 master clungf to him while I took aim at the Indian, 
 who now sprang to his feet and ran down the hill. 
 leaping twenty feet at a jump. 
 
 "Observing that I did not fire, the enemy grev? 
 bolder and approached nearer ; but at length I took 
 aim and killed one of them, which caused them to 
 ret;^at to a distance of about eighty yards and open 
 fire upon us. We let the wounded horse go, and, to 
 ouf delight, many of the Indians ran after him ; a 
 doten still remained, however. At this juncture a 
 shout of joy burst from the lips of McCaulley, and 
 upon looking around I saw the gates swing open and 
 the cavalry come streaming out. 
 
 The Savagres Put to Fligrbt. 
 
 "The savages had seen it too, and were preparing 
 
 |o charge. I infprmed McCaulley that if we could 
 
THE FETTERMAN MASSACRE. 
 
 348 
 
 hold our position a few moments longer we should be 
 saved. We let the other horse go, anil I fired from 
 McCauUey's revolver seven shots in succession, and 
 with such effect as to make the Indians take rapid 
 dight. The shouts of the approaching troops could 
 now be distinctly heard. The savages, mounting 
 their ponies, took flight, but were pursued, and it is 
 thought some of them must have been killed or 
 wounded; how many, owing to the darkness, it was 
 imposs'ble to say. 
 
 *' During the fight one Indian, armed with a rifle, 
 had taken shelter behind a rock on the ridge opposite 
 us (and which commanded our position), and had 
 amused himself for more than an hour by firing at 
 One of the balls ripped open my jacket, another 
 
 is. 
 
 cut Lieutenant McCaulley's sleeve. I also received 
 an arrow through my collar; one struck the vizor 
 of my new unifoim cap, completely ruining it. Not 
 only Was my horse lost, but it had on, when captured, 
 a fifty-dollar saddle and a Mexican hair-bridle for 
 which I had paid one hundred and twenty-five dollars 
 but a few days previously." 
 
 A 
 
I 
 
 K-f— 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 V'' 
 
 Wars with the Cheyennes and Arrapahoes in 
 1868-69. — General Forsyth's Fight on the 
 Arickaree. — Campaigns of General Carr. 
 
 We now leave for a time the ferocious Sioux and 
 turn our attention to the Cheyennes and ^..rrapahoes. 
 The wild Sioux and the Cheyennes have the finest 
 physique, and are the most independent, high-spirited 
 and warlike of all the American Indians. The Chey 
 ennes are at present a small tribe, numbering about 
 two thousand, and live partly in Indian Territory and 
 partly in the region of the Red Cloud Agency in 
 Wyoming, the site of their ancestral home. Catlin 
 says of them that they are fine athletes, that there is 
 scarcely a man who is less than six feet high, and 
 that in his day they we;e thf richest in horses of 
 any tribe on the continent, because they lived in the 
 country where wild horses grazed in vast numbers. 
 Their principal chief at the time of which we are 
 speaking was " Black Kettle," or Moke-to-ve-to. 
 
 The Arrapahoes, sometimes called " Di.cy-Noses " 
 from their sign, which consists in taking the nose be- 
 tween the thumb and forefinger, formerly lived 
 between the south fork of the Platte and ioe Arkan- 
 sas rivers. They hunt with the Cheyennes, and are, 
 like them, partly in Indian Territor) and partly at 
 
 U4 
 
MIPP« 
 
 WARS WITH VARIOUS TRIBES. 
 
 345 
 
 Red Cloud Agency. They are a thievish, fierce and 
 treacherous set, and are distinguished from the Sioux 
 or Dacotahs by superior gauntness of person and 
 boldness of look Ther^ are also minor points of 
 diffeience in the moccasins, arrow-marks and weap 
 ons, At the time of which we speak they numbered 
 about fifteen hundred, iheir head chief being Littlf. 
 Raven, or Oh-nas-tie, who is described as being almost 
 an ideal Indian — manly in form, humai^e and trust- 
 worthy in fi.ce. In several instances he prevented 
 outbreaks of his people against the whites, and in 
 i860 was the recipient of a medal from President 
 Buchanan. Other leaders of the Arrapahoes were 
 Yellow Bear and Bird Chief 
 
 ^ The Expedition Starts. 
 
 In the autumn of 1868 what were called the Dog 
 Soldier Indians of the Cheyenne tribe were making 
 trouble in the region of the Republican and Solomon 
 rivers, and General Phil. Sheridan selected General 
 George A. Forsyth to go out on an expedition against 
 them. At the time there was a paucity of troops at 
 Fort Hays, and General Forsyth recruited a small 
 force of tough and experienced frontiersmen (hunters, 
 guides and scouts), who could move rapidly from 
 place to place, since they would be unencumbered 
 with luggage. Thirty of them, were taken from Fort 
 Harker and twenty from Fort Hays. On the 29th of 
 August the expedition started, Lieutenant F. H. 
 Beecher of the Third Infantry, nephew of Henry 
 W. Beecher, being second in command : Dr. John 
 
¥ 
 
 346 
 
 WARS WITH VARIOUS TRIBES. 
 
 Mowers, surgeon ; and Sharpe Grover, who was 
 chief guide. 
 
 Passing by Fort Wallace and the town of Sheridan, 
 where the Indians had been committing depredations, 
 the party went into camp late in the afternoon of 
 September i8th, at a point on the Arickaree where 
 the water was only eight or nine feet wide and but two 
 or three inches deep. Early the following morning 
 the command was startled by the cry of " Indians !" 
 It proved to be a half dozen of the savages, who were 
 endeavoring to stampede the horses by hideous yell- 
 ing and the firing of their guns, and so far succeeded 
 that several horses and the four p'.-,ck-mules broke 
 their fastenings and ran away. 
 
 Surrouuded by the Enemy. 
 
 A moment afterward nearly a thousand Indians 
 came galloping down upon the party and completely 
 surrounded them. By order of General Forsyth, the 
 men retreated to a small island, tied their horses in a 
 circle to the bushes, and then, throwing themselves 
 upon the ground, began the defence. As soon as 
 possible they threw up a small breastwork. A steady 
 firing was maintained, and General Forsyth was 
 twice seriously wounded ; the surgeon. Dr. Mowers, 
 was badly injured in the head, and soon died ; two of 
 the scouts were killed, and before nine o'clock all of 
 the horses had been shot. 
 
 Soon afterward about three hundred of the mount- 
 ed Do^; Soldiers, led by old Roman-Nose, charged 
 upon tae gallant little band, pouring in upon them 
 
WARS WITH VARIOUS TRIBES, 
 
 347 
 
 volley after volley. It was a brHliant charge, but it 
 was repulsed. The men, reserving their fire until 
 the most favorable moment, sent the lead in among 
 the enemy, and the chiefs Roman-Nose and Medi 
 cine-Man were killed, falling from their horses when 
 within a rod of the whites. The besieged then set 
 up a shout of triumph, and soon the warriors fell 
 back. In this charge several were wounded, among 
 whom was Lieutenant Beecher, fatally. 
 
 In Direful Straits. 
 
 About two o'clock in the afternoon the Indians 
 cikgain made an attack, and were again repulsed with 
 14 heavy loss. With the approach of darkness hostili- 
 ties ceased. The assaulted forces had, out of fifty 
 men, but twenty-eight who were fit for action. The 
 supplies were exhausted, the surgeon de?id and the 
 medical stores captured, so that the wounded could 
 not be properly cared for ; they were one hundred 
 and ten miles from the nearest post, and were sur- 
 rounded by the savages. 
 
 But they did not despair while they had plenty of 
 ammunition on hand, an abundance of water to be 
 had for the digging, and their horses and mules for 
 meat. During the night two of the scouts stole 
 through the Indian lines and started for Fort Wal' 
 lace to obtain relief. One of these, named StillweK 
 was in every respect brave and experienced, though 
 only nineteen or twenty years old. The men now 
 threw up their breastworks higher and heaped the 
 Horses upon them. They dug down to water, and 
 
ijVi 
 
 WARS WITH VARIOUS TRIBES. 
 
 also stored away in the saiid a quantity of horse arui 
 mule-meat to keep it fresh as long as possible. 
 
 Relief Conies. 
 
 Th''; following day the Indians renewed hostilities, 
 but did little damage, as the scouts were well fortified 
 behind their parapets. During the third night two 
 ,more men escaped through the Indian lines, bearing 
 another despatch to Fort Wallace. On the next day 
 only a sufficient number of Indians remained to guard 
 the scouts. By the sixth day some of the wounds of 
 the injured men began to present evidences of gan- 
 grene through lack of proper treatment ; the mule- 
 and horse- meat had become totally unfit for use, and 
 General Forsyth told the men that any who desired 
 to encounter the risk and leave might do so, hjt all 
 declared that they would remain, and, if necessary, 
 die together. 
 
 But relief was at hand. The first two scouts had 
 succeeded in reaching Fort Wallace, and on the 
 morning of the 25th, Colonel Carpenter arrived with 
 a cavalry force and supplies, and the wounded and 
 half-starved men were saved. There was great re- 
 ioicing over this timely relief. 
 
 General Sheridan desired to retaliate upon the 
 Indians for their deeds at the battle of the Aricka- 
 ree, and on the 5th of '^' ^ober the F'ifth Cavalry, 
 under the command of Major- General E, A. Cam 
 set out on its march for the Beaver Creek country 
 with a train of seventy-five six-muie wagons, ambu- 
 lances and pack-mules, besides a number of scouts, 
 
 j,-^j^.'ii-H^i...'jKlv-^'^'i^*^^ 
 
WARS WITH VARIOUS TRIBES. 
 
 349 
 
 aiuj 
 
 among whom was the well-known W. F. Cody, or 
 "Buffelo Bill." " 
 
 One morning, just before daybreak, as they lay 
 encamped near the south fcrk of the Solomon, shots 
 
 THE FAMOUS SCOUT, BUFFALO BILL. 
 
 were heard and pickets came galloping in witli the 
 tidings that Indians were at hand. The companies 
 at once fell into line and considerable excitement 
 prevailed, as many of the men had never been in 
 the Indian country before. The picket who had 
 
 
 .^"W 
 
 I / 
 
350 
 
 WARS WITH VARIOUS TRIBES. 
 
 given the alarm was an Irishman, and h^ maintained 
 stoutly that an Indian had knocked him on the head 
 with a club. 
 
 *' But you must be mistaken," said Colonel Royal. 
 
 "Upon me sowl, colonel, I'm not," said Pat; "as 
 shure ez me name's Pat Maloney, one of thim rid 
 divils hit me on the head wid a club, so he did." 
 
 The Blow explained. 
 
 When morning came the mystery was explained. 
 
 A number of elk-tracks were discovered, and it was 
 these no doubt that had frightened the Irishman, who 
 had knocked his head against a limb as he ran, and 
 had mistaken it for a blow from a club. 
 
 At the south fork of Beaver Creek a large force 
 of the enemy was discovered on some bluffs. Firing 
 soon began, and the Indians, continually increasing in 
 rvmbers and slowly retreating before the fire of the 
 whites, gave evidence that they were fighting only to 
 afford their women and children an opportunity to 
 get away. At dark, as some of the officers were 
 taking supper in the open air, one of the savag'^s 
 appeared on the bluff above the camp and fired a 
 shot which made a hole through one of the plates 
 Major Brown observed that it was a crack shot, 
 which was not a bad pun. The retreating Indian 
 village was closely pursued for several days, the trail 
 being easily followed, since they were continuull) 
 dropping lodge-poles, buffalo robes and other heavy 
 articles. General Carr, after having caused them 
 sufficient alarm, concluded that it was useless to pur- 
 
WARS WITH VARIOUS TRIBES. 
 
 351 
 
 sue them farther, as they would now probably leave 
 the region and pass north of the Union Pacific Rail- 
 road; which, in truth, they did. ^ ^ ^ 
 
 An Order from General Sheridan. 
 
 General Carr soon received orders from General 
 Sheridan to make a winter campaign in the region of 
 the Canadian River, fitting out the expedition at Fort 
 Lyon on the Arkansas River. General Penrose had 
 left Fort Lyon in the latter part of November (three 
 weeks before General Carr arrived), taking with him 
 only such supplies as could be conveyed on pack- 
 mules, and there was now great apprehension as to 
 his safety. Accordingly, General Carr was instructed 
 to follow up his trail. On the third day the force was 
 stopped in Freeze-out Cailon by a terrific snow-storm 
 and obliged to go into camp. 
 
 General Carr sent for his trusty scout, Cody, and 
 requested him to push on with some of the others 
 with the view of gaining traces of Penrose. After 
 proceeding some twenty-four miles, they came upon 
 an old camp of Penrose ; here the scouts built a fire 
 and cooked some venison which they had shot. Cody 
 then returned to the camp with the news ; he found a 
 light still burning in the tent of the general, who gave 
 him a welcome and ordered for him a hot supper 
 in the morning the force set out again, and continued 
 to follow the trail for several days. 
 
 Dreadful Suifering^. 
 
 At length, by the aid of some negro deserters 
 from Penrose's camp, whom they found in a nearly 
 
U2 
 
 WAB8 WITH VARIOUS TRIBES. 
 
 Starved condition, the half-famished soldiers were dis- 
 covered encamped on the Polladora. The men had 
 been on quarter rations for tv/o weeks. Over two 
 hundred of their horses had died of fatigue and 
 starvation. General Penrose, having heard that Carr 
 would not be able to reach him, had sent back a com- 
 pany of the Seventh Cavalry to Fort Lyon for sup- 
 plies, but they had not been heard from. 
 
 In March, 1869, General Carr returned to Fort 
 Lyon, where the troops were ordered to rest and 
 recruit for one month preparatory to being trans- 
 ferred to the department of the Platte. During these 
 four weeks the command suffered greatly from the 
 depredations of horse-thieves, who, by theif cunning 
 and agility, defied all efforts to capture them cr learn 
 their identity. At length recourse was had (as on 
 many both previous and subsequent 'occasions) to the 
 keen-scented Cody, or "Buffalo Bill,' A^ho in his auto- 
 biography gives an entertaining account of the excit- 
 ing adventures which he and his companions had in 
 securing these desperate characters. Cody's coadju- 
 tors in this undertaking were Green, Jack Farley and 
 another scout in charge of their pack-mule. 
 
 Capture of a Thief. 
 
 The track of the thieves was easily followed into 
 a timbered region ; but here, after collecting a num 
 ber of animals at a certain place in the woods, they 
 had shrewdly broken up their trail by leading their 
 Btock out one by one in different directions. But by 
 making a complete circle around the woods the 
 
n^' '\ 
 
 2 
 
 y. 
 
 T 
 
 '/I 
 
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 7) 
 
 
364 
 
 WARS WITH VARIOUS TRIBES. 
 
 scouts discovered the place of exit — /. e. some sand 
 hills — where they found the tracks of eight horses and 
 four mules. They now tracked them to Denver, 
 which they reached on a Saturday, when an auction 
 sale of horses was being held. Cody took a room 
 overlooking the corral, and there awaited the hour of 
 sale ; at which time a man, whom he recognized as 
 one of their old army mule-packers, rode in mounted 
 on Lieutenant Forbush's racing mule and leading 
 another army mule. As the other thief failed to 
 appear, Cody rightly judged that he was guarding 
 the rest of the stock at some point outside of the 
 city. ' ^ 
 
 , Bold Attempt to Escape. 
 
 When the mule of Lieutenant Forbush was put 
 up at auction, Cody appeared upon the scene, and 
 was at once recognized by the thief, who made an 
 effort to escape. But the scout, seizing him by the 
 shoulder, said : " I guess, my friend, you'll have to ::;o 
 with me ; if you make any resistance I'll shoot you 
 on the spot." Cody then disarmed him, showed tfie 
 auctioneer his commission as a United States det(rc- 
 tive, and forbade the sale. 
 
 Farley and Green now came forward, and the three 
 scouts took the prisoner and the mules three miles 
 down the Platte River, where, with an open disregard 
 of formality, they informed the culprit that they were 
 now about to hang him to a limb unless he confessed 
 the whereabouts of his " pal." The man was con- 
 strained to tell, and they at once proceeded to th*- 
 
WAR« WITH VARIOUS TRIBES. 
 
 3ft5 
 
 Spot indicated. Approaching the house, they saw the 
 stolen stock grazing outside. As one of the packers, 
 named Bill Bevins, appeared at the door, Cody cover- 
 ed him with his rifle before he could draw his re 
 volver, and ordered him to throw up his hands. In 
 short, the men were conducted to Denver and lodged 
 in jail for a few days until the arrival of t^cir scout 
 with the pack-mule, when, with each prison tied to 
 a mule, they all set out for Fort Lyon, 
 
 The first night (which was a cold and stormy one 
 in April) they camped in a sheltered nook on Cherry 
 Creek ; as the prisoners appeared docile, they were not 
 tied. All slept in a row with their feet to the fire, the 
 prisoners in the centre. About three o'clock in the 
 morning, Jack F'arley, who was on guard and sitting 
 on the foot of the bed, was kicked over into tht 
 midst of the fire by Williams (one of the theives), 
 and immediately Bevins, grasping his shoes, jumped 
 over the fire and fled. Cody, as soon as he could 
 collect his senses, knocked down Williams with his 
 revolver, fired at Bevins, and then, in company with 
 Green, started in pursuit of the fugitive, who, unfor- 
 tunately for him, had dropped one of his shoes.* 
 
 Notwithstanding this fact, he accomplished the un 
 heard-of feat of running eighteen miles through a 
 prickly-pear wood with one foot bare and the ground 
 covered with snow. At one time he almost succeeded 
 in (^scaping across the Platte, but was at length cap- 
 tured. His foot was in a pitiable condition. Cody 
 Wn^d him his knife to dig the prickly-pear briers 
 
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 WABS WITH VARIOUS TRIBES. 
 
 from it. And alldlBved him to ride his horse back to tht 
 camp. 
 
 The next n'ight they camped in an empty cabin on 
 the banks of tlie Arkansas River, They had a roar- 
 ing fire, which lighted up the interior with its ruddy 
 glow, while without the storm raged in a night of the 
 thickest darkness, Bevins' foot was now swollen so 
 ^normo^ • y as to be useless. About ten o'clock 
 Williams asked permission to step to the door a 
 moment. 
 
 A Stag-e-coacli Robber. 
 
 The pack-mule scout, who was on guard, had his 
 revolver in his hand and allowed him to do so, but 
 before he could raise the weapon Williams had 
 jumped sideways out of the door and was gone. 
 That waa the last that was seen of him. Bevins was 
 put in prison, but escaped and led the life of a stage- 
 coach robber until he was finally lodged in the Ne- 
 braska State prison. 
 
 During the spring and summer of 1869, General 
 Carr, in command of the Fifth Cavalry, carried on 
 operations against the Cheyennes and Sioux in the 
 department of the Platte. Shortly after reaching 
 Fort McPherson, Nebraska, the troops were rein 
 forced by three companies of the famous Pawnee 
 Scouts, Major Frank North commander, and while 
 at this place the regiment was reviewed by General 
 Augur, as were also the mounted Pawnee ScoutS; 
 who presented a most amusing spectacle. 
 
 They had been furnished with regular cavalry 
 
WARS WITH VARIOUS TRIBE& 
 
 367 
 
 uniforms, and on parade some wore heavy overcoats; 
 others had on their large black hats with all the p*^- 
 
 .PSHAN-SHAW. A PAWNEE SQUAW. 
 
 phernalia of brass ornaments ; some, having no panta 
 loons, wore only a breech-cloth ; others had the scat 
 of the pantaloons cut out, leaving only leggings ; 
 
35i^ 
 
 WAB8 WITH VARIOUS TBIBi;S. 
 
 finally, there were those who wore brass spurs, but 
 had neither boots nor moccasins. The commands 
 were given to them in the Pawnee language by their 
 commander, Major North, who was as familiar with 
 the dialect as the natives themselves^ 
 
 "Prepare for Action." i 
 
 After leaving camp and proceeding up the Repub- 
 lican River, the command met with traces of the Sioux, 
 and had a skirmish with them on the Black-Tail Deer 
 Fork. As the force followed up the trail the print 
 of a woman's shoe was continually appearing, whence 
 it was correctly inferred that the Indians had with 
 them some white captive. The Indian village was at 
 length discovered at Summit Springs, near the South 
 Platte River. 
 
 General Carr immediately gave the order to tighten 
 saddles and prepare for action. All was now excite- 
 ment and hot haste. The general decided to make a 
 detour to the north, and, by thus avoiding the Indian 
 scouts, come upon their village by surprise. When 
 within a mile of the settlement he halted and issued 
 the command that when the charge should be sounded 
 the entire force should engage in the attack. Coming 
 in sight of the camp, the general gave the order,, 
 '* Sound the charge !" But the bugler was in such a 
 state of intense excitement that he had utterly for 
 gotten the notes and stood helplessly fumbling at the 
 trumpet. Quartermaster Hays, seeing his predica- 
 meat and at once divining the cause, seiz-^d the bugle 
 and himself sounded the charge in clear and resonant 
 
WARS WITH VARIOUS TRIBES. 
 
 359 
 
 notes; then throwing the bugle away, he drew his 
 pistols and was one of the first to dash into the 
 village. 
 
 A Squaw's BIoo4y Deed. 
 
 The Indians fled, and the men rushed pell-mell, 
 (hooting at everything they saw. The general had 
 given orders to keep \ sharp lookout for whit& 
 captives. They soon found two white women, ©ne 
 of whom had just been murdered and the other 
 wounded. Both were Swedes. "Tall Bull's" wife 
 had killed Mrs. Alderttice with a hatchet as soon as 
 she saw the troops approaching, and supposed that 
 she had also slain Mrs. Weichel. These poor women 
 had been treated in the usual shocking and inhuman 
 manner by the Indian men. Mrs. Alderdice was 
 ^iven proper burial, and about one thousand dollars 
 in gold and silver, found in the Indian camp, and 
 which had evidently been stolen from the Swedish 
 settlers whom they had murdered, were given to 
 Mrs. Weichel. 
 
 On taking account of their booty the soldier; found 
 on their hands two hundred lodges, eight hundred 
 horses and mules, and one hundred and twenty 
 squaws and pappooses. Th^y had killed about one 
 hundred and forty of the enemy. The tepees and all 
 the camp equipage, including several tons of dried 
 buffalo-meat, were collected into piles and burned. 
 
 In the mean time the Sioux had returned, and a se- 
 vere battle took place, the savages attacking on every' 
 side. Cody (or '• Bison William/* ' as he sometimes 
 
360 
 
 WARS WITH VARIOUS TRIBKS. 
 
 jocularly called himself) was on the skirmish-line, 
 and noticed an Indian riding a large bay horse as 
 fleet as the wind. He soon discovered that it was no 
 other than Tall Bull, the chief. Up and down in front 
 of the Indian line he rode excitedly, exhorting his 
 -aen to brave action, telling them that they had lost 
 :heir all and must soon fight to the death. Cody ob 
 served that as he passed along the skirmish-line he 
 went near to the head of a certain ravine, and so de 
 termined to try and shoot him from that place, in 
 order to gain possession of his* horse, with which he 
 was fascinated. 
 
 Cody Kills Tall Bull. 
 
 He succeeded in knocking the chief from his saddle, 
 and the horse ran into the camp of the* whites, where 
 he was caught by Sergeant McGrath. " Bison Wil- 
 liam " afterward discovered that he had captured the 
 fleetest horse in the State of Nebraska, as was proved 
 by repeated trial. When it was taken to the place 
 where the prisoners were assembled, one of the 
 squaws began to cry in a pitiful and hysterical man- 
 ner. Cody learned that she was the wife of Tall 
 Bull, the same who had murdered Mrs. Alderdice 
 and wounded the other white woman, and he now 
 knew that the Indian whom he had just slain was Tall 
 Bull. He informed the distressed squaw that hei 
 husband had "passed in hfs chips," and that he would 
 call the horse Tall Bull, in honor of him. A book 
 might well be written on the bravery of horses. 
 
 All the Sioux were now put to flight beyond the 
 
 Ri 
 tui 
 
WAR8 WITH VARIOUS TRIBBB. 
 
 Ml 
 
 North Platte and into the region of the Niobrara 
 River; the pursuit was abandoned and the force re- 
 turned to Fort McPherson. 
 
 While scouting among the sand-hills of the Nio- 
 brara region the Pawnee Indians brought into camp 
 one night some very large bones, one of which was 
 pronounced by a surgeon to be the thigh-hone of a 
 human being. They were undoubtedly those of some 
 animal of the extinct species whose remains have 
 been found in such great numbers by Prof. O. C. 
 Marsh and others in these regions. The account of 
 them which was given by the Pawnees may be cited 
 here as one out of hundreds of similar legends that 
 are told by all tribes of Indians. 
 
 Their story is to the effect that the bones belonged 
 to a race of giants who once inhabited the region, 
 and who were about three times the size of men of 
 the present time. They were so swift and strong 
 that they could run by the side of a buffalo take it 
 up under one arm, tear off a leg and eat it as they 
 ran. These giants denied the existence of a Great 
 Spirit, and laughed at the thunder and lightning, 
 saying that they were greater than either. This dis- 
 pleased the Great Spirit, who sent a flood which rose 
 above the highest mountain-tops and drowned all 
 these extraordinary creatures. After the subsidence 
 of the waters the Great Spirit concluded that he had 
 made a fnistake in creating men so great in stature, 
 and therefore formed another race of smaller size, 
 who became the ancestors of men now living. 
 
R i 
 
 mm 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 Battle of the Washita.— Custer's War with 
 the Cheyennes, Arrapahoes, Kiowas and Ca- 
 manches, 1868-69. 
 
 IN order to complete our survey of the campaigns 
 of General Carr, we have been obliged to anticipate 
 the chronological order a little, and we now return in 
 order to follow the movements of General George A. 
 Custer in his fight on the Washita and in his other 
 minor operations against the Indians in the year 1 868- 
 69. We now meet, for the first time in this narrative, 
 Kiowa and Camanche Indians, and it will be proper 
 to give the reader some facts concerning their cha- 
 racter and habits. 
 
 The range of the Kiowas and Camanches extends 
 over a large part of Western Texas, the south-eastern 
 portion of New Mexico and over Northern Mexico. 
 In 1867 the two tribes numbered about twenty-eight 
 hundred. Cadin describes the Kiowas as being a 
 much finer race than the Camanches or Pawnees. 
 They are tall and erect, with an easy and dignified 
 gait ; their long hair is frequently allowed to grow so 
 that it trails on the ground. They have, says Cadin, 
 a fzne Roman outline of head. They are said to be 
 
 363 
 
CUSTER'S WAR. 
 
 3bZ 
 
 the most treacherous, cruel and greedy of all the In- 
 dians of the Plains. Their influence over the Ca- 
 manches is said to be almost unlimited. The princi- 
 pal chiefs are " Lone Wolf" and " Satanta." 
 
 The Camanches are rather low in stature and 
 often corpulent in person. Their sign is made by 
 waving the hand or forefinger so as to imitate the 
 forward crawling motion of a snake. They are 
 nomadic in habit, and may be called the Bedouins of 
 America. Fierce and untamable, they plunder alike 
 Indians, Mexicans and ./hites. They pitch their 
 lodge;;5 in regular streets and squares, but are ready 
 to flee over the boundless prairies and deserts at a 
 moment's notice wherever there is most promise 
 of buffaloes or plunder. They numbered, in 1876, 
 about two thousand. 
 
 Expert Horsemen. 
 
 When on their feet they are exceedingly clumsy 
 and awkward, and seem almost as much out of their 
 element as a monkey on the ground ; but the moment 
 they mount their horses they change as if by enchant- 
 ment ; even their faces seem to grow handsome, and 
 they fly away with the grace and dexterity of a bird, 
 justly winning their right to being called the most 
 expert and fearless riders in the world. Each has 
 his favorite war-horse, and, like the Arab, regards •' 
 with the greatest affection. 
 
 Their women also are daring riders and huntf-i , 
 and are successful too in lassoing antelopes and 
 shooting buffaloes. The Camanches are bow-legged, 
 
364 
 
 CUBTKR'H WAR 
 
 I 
 
 wear the hair short and tattoo their bodies. In 
 battle they dash down upc their enemies with wild 
 yells, and, concealing the entire body — with the ex- 
 ception of one leg — behind their horses, they shool 
 their bullets and arrows ' either over or under the 
 animal's neck with surprising skill, accuracy and 
 rapidity. 
 
 When the Camanches determine on making war, and 
 find on mustering their forces that they have not suffi- 
 cient horses, they send a messenger to a friendly tribe 
 to say that on a certain day they will come to "smoke " 
 a certain number of horses, and expect the animals to 
 be ieady for them. This is a challenge which is iie\( r 
 '•efused, involving as it does the honor of the tribe. 
 
 On the appointed day the young warriors who 
 have no horses go to the friendly village stripped 
 and painted as if for war, and seat themselves in a 
 circle, all facing inward. They light their pipes and 
 smoke in silence, the people of the village forming a 
 large circle around them, leaving a wide space be- 
 tween themselves and their visitors. 
 
 Presently in the distance there appears an equal 
 number of young warriors on horseback, dashing 
 along at full gallop and in " Indian file," according 
 to their custom. They gallop round the ring, and 
 the foremost rider, selecting one of the seated young 
 men, stoops from his saddle as he passes, and delivers 
 a terrible blow at his naked shoulders with his cruel 
 whip. Each of his followers does the same, and they 
 
3M 
 
 CUSTER'S WAR 
 
 gallop round and round the smokers, at each circuit 
 repeating the blow until the shoulders of the men are 
 covered with blood. It is incumbent upon the suffer- 
 ers to smoke on in perfect calmness, and not to give 
 the slightest intimation that they are aware of the 
 blows which are inflicted on them. When the requi- 
 site number of circuits have been made, the leadei 
 springs from his horse and places the bridle and 
 whip in the hands of the young man whom he hag 
 selected, saying at the same time, " You are a beg- 
 gar ; I present you with a horse ; but you will always 
 carry my mark on your back." The rest follow his 
 example. 
 
 Believing stealing to be the highest virtue, the Ca 
 manches manifest the greatest adroitness and cun- 
 ning in practising their thefts. Like all barbarians, 
 they imagine their tribe to be the most powerful on 
 the earth ; and when the government supplies them 
 with blankets, sugar or money, they attribute the 
 gifts to fear on the part of the whites and a desire to 
 propitiate them. 
 
 An Adroit Chief. 
 
 Their principal chief, at the time the events here 
 
 recorded took place, was " Satanta" or " White Bear." 
 In artful diplomacy, audacious and ferocious cruelty, 
 Satanta was without a rival. If a white man did him 
 a benefit, he never forgot it; if an injury, it lived fresh 
 in his memory until his vengeance was sated. A 
 gentieman who visited him in 1864 says: "He puts 
 on a good deal of style; spreads a carpet for his 
 
 in 
 b 
 ai 
 
 hi 
 n< 
 
CUSTER'S WAR 
 
 367 
 
 guests to sit on, and has painted fire-boards, twenty 
 inches wide and three feet long, ornamented with 
 bright brass tacks driven round the edges, and which 
 are used for tables. He has a brass P'rench horn, 
 which he blew vigorously when the meals were 
 ready." 
 
 Against these and other Indians, General Sheridan 
 had determined to make a winter campaign. This 
 new and Napoleonic p'?''e of tactics was a shrewd 
 one. The savages here^jfore had had all the ad- 
 vantages in their favo*- by fighting their battles in the 
 summer season, when the rich verdure of the valleys 
 served as food for their ponies, and the herds of 
 buffaloes roaming the prairies supplied their own 
 sustenance and enabled them to move to any point 
 they wished. In winter, on the contrary, through 
 difificulty of obtaining provender, many of their ponies 
 died of starvation. Moreover, they would be taken 
 by surprise, as it was their settled belief that it was 
 impossible for the whites to wage war in winter. 
 
 General Custer on the March. 
 
 Thirteen Osage Indians, a semi-civilized tribe, were 
 engaged as scouts for the Seventh Cavalry, and the 
 expedition started from Fort Dodge on November 
 1 2th, 1868. The trains moved in four parallel 
 columns, guarded by the soldiers disposed in vari- 
 ous positions. The infantry, little used to marching, 
 would, after proceeding a few miles in the early part 
 of the day, creep into the covered wagons. During 
 the afternoon there would be but slight evidence to 
 
368 
 
 CU8TEKS WAR. 
 
 the eye that infantry formed any portion of the ex- 
 pedition, save here and there the batt of a musket or 
 the point of a bayonet peeping out from under the 
 canvas of the wagon-covers. 
 
 After reaching Camp Supply a number of the best 
 teams and wagons were selected and loaded with 
 sufficient provisions to last the command for thirty 
 days ; the cavalry, consisting of eight or nine hundred 
 men, were then ready to march, accompanied by \ 
 detachment of scouts (among whom was California 
 Joe) and the Osage Indians, headed by Little Beaver 
 and Hard Rope. The order to advance soon came 
 from department headquarters in the form of a briei 
 letter of instructions, the purport of which was that 
 General Custer should march his command in search 
 of the winter hiding-place of the enemy, and pun- 
 ish them for the depredations which they had com- 
 mitted. 
 
 A Severe Storm. 
 
 At daylight on the morning of November 23d the 
 troops were ready to move, although the snow which 
 was still falling already co -ered the ground to the 
 depth of a foot. Before they had proceeded many 
 miles even the Indian gruides were forced to confess 
 that they could not find their way nor recognize the 
 country until the storm had ceased. But Custer 
 took out his pocket-compass and pushed on to Wolf 
 Creek, the camping-place agreed upon. The march 
 was continued during the two following days through 
 a good buffalo country anH with a clear sky overhead. 
 
CUSTER'S WAR 
 
 369 
 
 fhus Tar, they had met no Indians : the storm had 
 made them hug their lodges, and abandon for the 
 present active operations. 
 
 The last wagon of the Seventh Cavalry had crossed 
 the ford of the Canadian River and was parked on 
 the plains to the south, when a courier from Major 
 Elliot (who had been sent on to scout) dashed in with 
 the news that the fresh trail of a war-path had been 
 discovered. It was at once inferred that this was the 
 last war-party of the season driven home by the 
 storm. General Custer's perseverance, therefore, in 
 pressing on th/ough the blinding snow was to be re- 
 warded. He was as yet undetected in the very heart 
 of the Indian country. Had it been a little earlier in 
 the season the savages would probably have sur- 
 prised him, and not he them. 
 
 Guardlngr against the Enemy. 
 
 General Custer gave the force twenty minutes to 
 get ready ; then leaving eighty men with the poorest 
 animals as a guard for the wagons, they started, 
 taking with them only such supplies ^j they could 
 carry on their horses. The first object was to form a 
 junction with Major Elliot's party, and this was ef- 
 fected at nine o'clock at night. An hour was given 
 for supper and for feeding the horses ; ten o'clock 
 found the men in their saddles. They marched four 
 abreast in a long file, the line being headed by two 
 of the Osage scouts on foot, who were to follow the 
 trail and lead the regiment. The panther creeping 
 upon its prey couJi not have advanced more stealthily 
 
370 
 
 CUSTER'S WAR. 
 
 than did these Indians as they seemed to glide rather 
 than walk over the snow-clad surface. 
 
 In order to prevent the force from coming upon the 
 enemy without warning, the scouts moved three or 
 four hundred yards in advance of the rest. Then 
 came the remainder of the Osage guides, the white 
 scouts and the general, the body of the cavalry fol- 
 lowing at a distance of a quarter or a half mile. This 
 was so ordered on account of the crust on the snow, 
 on which the treading of so many horses' feet at once 
 produced a sound that could be heard a long dis- 
 tance. No one was permitted to strike a match or to 
 utter a word above a whisper. 
 
 "We Smell Fire." 
 
 At length, after miles of this silent marching, the 
 two guides in the van halted and waited for Custer 
 to come up. "What is the matter?" said the gen- 
 eral. One of them replied, " We don't know ; we 
 smell fire." This proved to be a remarkable instance 
 of the keen and animal-like scent of the Indian. None 
 of the officers could detect the least trace of a fire, 
 and told the guides they must be mistaken ; but a 
 short distance farther on the discovery of a handful 
 of smoking embers proved that they had been correct. 
 
 An almost breathless excitement prevailed. It was 
 well known that none but hostile Indians could have 
 built the fire, and Custer now called for a few volun- 
 teers to approach and see whether there were any 
 savages sleeping around it. Al\ of the Osages and a 
 few of the scouts dismounted, andc grasping their 
 
CUSTER'S WAR. 
 
 371 
 
 rifles, with fingers on the triggers, stealthily ad' 
 vanced. The place was deserted, but from the 
 signs and number of pony-tracks in the snow, the 
 Osages were convinced that the fire was built by 
 Indian boys, who had herded their ponies here, and, 
 the inference was drawn that the Indian camp was 
 "Qmewhere near at hand. 
 
 The Foe Near. 
 
 Again they advanced, now with even more caution 
 than before. Presently, one of the two Osages, who, 
 as usual, had been peering warily over the crest of a 
 hill before the command should cross it, crouched 
 ^ow and returned to General Custer, saying in a low 
 voice, " Heap Injuns down there." Dismounting 
 and giving his horse's reins to the other guide, the 
 general went with the Osage to reconnoitre. He 
 could distinctly see a large number of animals :)f 
 some kind about half a mile distant, but could per- 
 ceive no signs of human beings, and asked his guide 
 how he knew there were men there. He replied, 
 " Me heard dog bark." The general soon heard the 
 sound himself, and, in addition, the far, faint cry of 
 an infant, s 
 
 Hastily returning to the officers, who dismountec 
 and collected around him, he told them what he ha : 
 heard and asked that they would accompany him and 
 observe for themselves, suggesting the removal of 
 their sabres first, that the clanking might not attract 
 attention. They acquiesced, and returned after mid- 
 night to form a scheme for making the attack. The 
 
372 
 
 CUSTER'S WAR. 
 
 general plan was to employ the hdurs between then 
 and daylight in completely surrounding the village. 
 The force was divided into four nearly equal divis- 
 ions. Two of these, consisting of two hundred men 
 each, started at once on their long detour ; one of 
 the others was to leave an hour before daybreak. 
 
 General Custer and the scouts were to lead the 
 fourth, which was to move from the place where they 
 had first discovered the village. The cold, which was 
 already intense, of course increased toward morning, 
 as the earth continued to part with its heat by radia- 
 tion. The night passed slowly and painfully to those 
 who were obliged to wait. No fires could be kindled, 
 nor were the men permitted to walk back and forth 
 or stamp their feet. Some, wrapped in their over- 
 coats, stretched- themselves at full length upon the 
 crusted snow or beside their horses and fell asleep ; 
 others sat in groups and talked in low tones of the 
 coming battle. 
 
 The Guides Alarmed. 
 
 General Custer slept for an hour, and then rising 
 walked about among the groups of men. In one 
 place he found the Osage guides sitting in a circle 
 beneath a tree, widr^ awake and evidently making no 
 attempt to sleep. After the battle they told him the 
 nature of their talk that night. They said that they 
 mistrusted the ability of the whites to successfully 
 attack a village located in heavy timber, with the 
 natural banks of the stream as breastworks. They 
 thought it probable that, finding themselves outnum- 
 
CUSTER'S WAR. 
 
 373 
 
 bered, the whites would come to parley and, to save 
 themselves, give up their Osage guides. They there- 
 fore concluded to secure their safety by remaining 
 close to the standard-bearer during the action, 
 knowing that the flag would not be exposed to dan- 
 ger or taken into the thick of the battle. From this 
 position they could watch the fate of the engagement 
 and be ready to slip away in case it resulted disas- 
 trously to the whites. 
 
 California Joe delivered his opinion as follows: 
 " One thing's sartain : ef them Injuns don't har any- 
 thing uv us till we open on 'em at daylight, they'll be 
 the most powerful 'stonished red skins that's been in 
 these parts lately — they will, sure. An' ef we git the 
 bulge on 'em and keep puttin' it to 'em sort o' lively 
 like, we'll sweep the platter — thar won't be nary trick 
 left for 'em. As the deal stands now, we hold the 
 keerds and are holdin' over *em ; they've got to strad- 
 dle our blind or throw up their hands. Howsome- 
 ever, thar's a mighty sight in the draw." 
 
 Approach of Morning^. 
 
 The officers watched anxiously for signs of the 
 dawn. At one time they were all filled with the 
 i!tmost: astonishment at seeing what they supposed 
 to be a far-off, slowly-rising signal rocket, large, lus~ 
 trous arid wondrously beautiful. In strange perplex- 
 ity they supposed that they were discovered, and that 
 this signal was made by the Indians to others of their 
 number. They were not long mystified, however, for 
 it proved to be nothing less than the morning star. 
 
374 
 
 LISTER'S WAR. 
 
 which now shone clear and bright above the mists 
 of the, horizon through which it had been strug- 
 gling. 
 
 At length the day broke and they began their 
 
 march. The noise made by the tramp of the horses 
 would probably have led to their discovery, had not 
 the Indians imagined that it was caused by their own 
 ponies. General Custer was of course entirely un- 
 informed as to whether the other detachments had 
 reached their positions, but his own command had 
 now arrived at the level of the valley of the Washita, 
 and through the trees could be discovered, here and 
 there, the white lodges, with occasionally a thin thre.ad 
 of blue smoke curling lazily upward from the smoul- 
 dering fires within. 
 
 Crack of a Rifle. 
 
 Immediately following General Custer c'ame the 
 
 band, mounted and in readiness to play as soon as 
 the sign should be given. Their first piece was to 
 be " Garry Owen." 
 
 As Custer turned in his saddle for the purpose of 
 giving the signal to the band, a single rifle-shot rang 
 out sharp and clear on the other ^ide of the village, 
 giving the glad intelligence that the other detach 
 ments were ready at their posts. Instandy the band 
 struck up, and from all sides the eight hundred rushed 
 in upon the silent village. The Indians were sur- 
 prised, but, seizing their weapons, some sprang behind 
 the nearest trees, others leaped into the Washita, which 
 was nearly waist-deep, and used the bank as a rifle- 
 
M A 
 
<#, 
 
 376 
 
 CUSTER'S WAR 
 
 pit. Mingled with the cheers of the soldiers were 
 heard the defiant war-whoops of the savages, who 
 fought with desperate valor. 
 
 Some of the savages ran in the direction from 
 which Major Elliot's party had attacked, and met with 
 a warm reception from him ; some escaped, however 
 to carry the news to others. A large number of the 
 men were now ordered to dismount and fight the 
 Indians on foot, taking advantage of trees and such 
 other means of cover as they could find. Slowly and 
 steadily they drove the enemy from behind their places 
 of shelter. 
 
 One party of troopers discovered a squaw trying 
 to escape with a little white boy captive ; perceiving 
 that she was seen, she quickly cast her eyes in all 
 directions, and, finding that escape was cut off on all 
 sides, drew a huge butcher-knife^ from beneath her 
 blanket and plunged it into the nearly naked body 
 of the child. The next moment she fell, shot by a 
 bullet from the carbine of a soldier. Both squaw 
 and boy died before the soldiers could reach them. 
 
 Hard Fighting. 
 
 The obstinacy with which the warriors fought may 
 be seen from the fact that in one sheltered place were 
 (found seventeen dead bodies of those who had only 
 been overcome by being picked of\[ one by one, by 
 sharp-shooters. In a deep raviae on the outskirts 
 of the village thirty-eight othtrtrs were met with. The 
 squaws and children had, for thi/? most part, remained 
 in the tents, though it was dirKcult to persuade them 
 
CUSTER'S WAR 
 
 377 
 
 that they were not to be killed. Finally, they wer6 
 induced to assemble in some large lodges in the cen* 
 tre of the village. The herds of ponies, frightened 
 by the firing, rushed into the /illage and were cor- 
 ralled. 
 
 Presently, when the firing had almost ceased, Gen 
 eral Custer was struck with astonishment at seeing 
 large and continually increasing numbers of savages 
 collecting on a little knoll not far away in the direc- 
 tion which had been taken by those who escaped. 
 They were in full war-paint, rftounted, gayly costumed 
 and with pennants floating from their lances. Whence 
 they came was a puzzling question which for a time 
 could not be solved. But at length one of the 
 squaws gave the startling intelligence, through the 
 interpreter, Romeo, that, located in succession along 
 the stream below and in the heavy timber, were the 
 winter lodges of all the tribes of the southern plains 
 who were then at war with the whites, including 
 the Arrapahoes, Kiowas, Camanches and a portion 
 of the Apaches, as well as such Cheyennes as did 
 not belong to the village they had attacked. 
 
 Furious* Chargres Repulsed. 
 
 Upon obtaining this startling information the gen 
 eral instantly collected the men and held them in 
 readiness to repel the attack which was inevitable. 
 Fortunately, Major Bell, the quartermaster, who had 
 been endeavoring to reach them with a fresh supply 
 of amrhunition, now succeeded in getting through the 
 Indian lines with his small escort. That they had not 
 
378 
 
 CUBTEB'S WAB. 
 
 been cut to pieces was probably due to the fact that 
 the attention of the savages was so drawn to what 
 was transpiring in front of them that they had failed 
 to notice any of the proceedings in their rear. 
 
 Fresh ammunition being now issued, the fight in 
 a short time became general. The line of battle 
 ivas circular, the village forming the centre. At first 
 the enemy fought cautiously, but when, by order, 
 some two hundred soldiers collected, and, burning all 
 the lodges, captured their property, they became en- 
 raged and attacked furiously, repeatedly charging in 
 well-mounted parties and endeavoring to break 
 the line. 
 
 Return to the Camp. 
 
 About three o'clock in the afternoon General 
 Custer began to feel disturbed about his wagon-train 
 of supplies, which he felt sure was then due. If it 
 should be attacked and destroyed, his situation would 
 prove serious indeed. He therefore determined to 
 make a feint of advancing upon the other villages, as 
 if for the purpose of demolishing them as he had the 
 one he now occupied. He felt confident that this 
 would occasion alarm, and cause them to fly with their 
 wives, children, ponies and such articles as could be 
 carried. He would then turn and take up his march 
 for Camp Supply. 
 
 The result was as he had anticipated. About an 
 hour before sunset he placed his prisoners in the 
 centre of his command and marched directly for the 
 Indian villages : the occupants fled, leaving only a 
 
CUSTE^'s: WAR. 
 
 379 
 
 few to watch him. At ten o'clock at night he rapidly 
 retraced his steps, taking, on the return road, the di- 
 rection in which he would meet his wagon-train ; at 
 two o'clock he went into bivouac on the Washita, and 
 on the following day met the supplies. A courier 
 was despatched to General Sheridan with news of 
 the victory ; in due season the army reached Camj. 
 Supply in safety. 
 
 There are, however, one or two circumstances in 
 connection with this battle still to be referred to. 
 After the capture of the Cheyenne village. General 
 Custer found himself encumbered with about eight 
 hundred and seventy-five unmanageable Indian 
 ponies, and at a loss to know what disposition to 
 make of them. They could neither be led nor 
 driven ; and had this been possible, it would not have 
 been feasible, since their presence would have served 
 as a continual incitement for the savages to attack 
 and harass them. Under the circumstances the gen- 
 eral decided that the only course open to him was to 
 have them shot ; the order was reluctantly given and 
 as reluctantly obeyed. 
 
 General Custer Offered a Squaw in Marriagre. 
 
 Before setting out on the return march, and prior 
 to the killing of the ponies, General Custer, through 
 the interpreter, Romeo, assembled the squaws before 
 him. He told them of his purposed march, assured 
 them of kind treatment, and directed them to select 
 from the herd of pories a certain number to carry 
 them on the way. The squaws signified their ap- 
 
SSO 
 
 CUSTER'S WAR. 
 
 ' 
 
 I 
 
 
 proval, and a general handshaking took place with 
 the general. 
 
 One of the middle-aged squaws, named Mahwissa, 
 a sister of Black Kettle (whose camp it was they had 
 attacked), made a speech to Custer, in which she in- 
 formed him how wicked Black Ketde was, and that 
 only last night they had returned from a war- party 
 with white scalps and plunder, and had become so 
 drunk that they were surprised in the morning by his 
 troops. She reminded the general that it was his 
 duty to protect the helpless, and ended by offering 
 him a girl in marriage, actually going through the 
 ceremony of placing the girl's hand in his and invok- 
 ing the blessing of the Great Spirit upon the union 
 before Custer realized her intention. 
 
 Upon learning her wishes, however, he declined the 
 honor. He asked Romeo what had been her object 
 in this proceeding, and he replied: 
 
 •'Well, I'll tell ye : ef you'd 'a married that squaw, 
 then she'd 'a told ye that all the rest of 'em were her 
 kinfolks, and as a nateral sort o' thing you'd 'r* been 
 expected to kind o' provide and take keer o* your 
 wife's relations. That's jist as I tell it to you, fuf 
 don't I know? Didn't I marry a young Cheyenne 
 squaw and give her old father two of my best ponies 
 for her? and it was not a week till every 'tarnal Injun 
 in the village, old and young, came to my lodge, and 
 my squaw tried to make me b'lieve they were all 
 relations of hern, and that I ought to give 'em some 
 grub; but I didn't do nuthin' of th« ^ort" 
 
CUSTER'S WAR 
 
 381 
 
 "Well, how did you get out of it, Romeo?" — "Get 
 out of it? Why, I got out of it by jist takin' my 
 ponies and traps, and the first good chance I lit out ; 
 that's how I got out. I was satisfied to marry one or 
 two of 'em, but when it come to marryin' an intire 
 tribe, 'scuse me." 
 
 Grand Military Review. 
 
 When the command arrived at headquarters, Gen» 
 era! Sheridan was so much pleased at the success of 
 the expedition that he honored it with a review which 
 constituted a kind of triumphal procession, after the 
 style of the old Romans. 
 
 First rode the Osage guides and trailers, dressed 
 and painted in the Indian manner, chanting their war- 
 songs, whooping and firing their guns. 
 
 Next came the scouts riding abreast, with California 
 Joe bringing up the right, and unable, even on this 
 ceremonious occasion, to forego his beloved pipe. 
 In the rear of the scouts rode the Indian captives, 
 mounted on their ponies and clad, many of them, in 
 brilliant red blankets. Then followed the troops, 
 formed in columns of platoons and preceded by the 
 band playing " Garry Owen." 
 
 General Sheridan afterward said of the review: 
 ' The appearance of the troops, with the bright rays 
 of the sun reflected from their burnished arms and 
 equipments as they advanced in beautiful order and 
 precision down the slope ; the band playing, and the 
 blue of the soldiers' uniforms slightly relieved by 
 the gaudy colors of the Indians, both captives and 
 
382 
 
 CUSTER'S WAR. 
 
 Osages ; the strangely fantastic part played by the 
 Osage guides, their shouts, chanting their war-songs 
 and firing their guns in air, — all combined to render 
 the scene one of the most beautiful and highly inter- 
 esting I remember ever having witnessed." 
 
 A Costly Campaigrn. 
 
 Thus closed the first part of the campaign of the 
 Washita on the 2d of December, 1868. The united 
 winter camp of the Cheyennes under Black Kettle, 
 the Arrapahoes under Little Raven, and the Kiowas 
 and Camanches under Satanta and Satanka, had 
 been attacked and destroyed ; one hundred Indian 
 warriors had been left dead on the ground : eight 
 hundred and seventy-five ponies and a large number 
 of prisoners captured ; and the winter stores of the 
 Indians destroyed. Among the whites killed were 
 Major Elliot, Captain Hamilton and nineteen sol- 
 diers ; of the wounded were Major Barnitz and 
 thirteen soldiers. 
 
 Among the Indians slain were the following great 
 chiefs : the Cheyennes lost Black Ketde, chief of the 
 band; Little Rock, second chief; Buffalo Tongue, 
 Tall White Man, Tall Owl, Poor Black Elk, Big 
 Horse, White Beaver, Bear Tail, Running Water 
 Wolf Ear, The-Man-that-Hears-the-Wolf and Medi 
 cine Walker ; the Sioux lost Heap Timber a«id Tall 
 Hat ; the Arrapahoes, Lame Man. 
 
 But the battle of the Washita was not the end of 
 General Sheridan's operations against the Indians 
 that winter. On December 7th, only five days after 
 
CUSTER'S WAR. 
 
 383 
 
 the return of the Seventh Cavalry, that regiment 
 started for the Washita again, with supplies in the 
 wagons for thirty days. General Sheridan acccom- 
 panied the expedition, and with them was the Nine- 
 teenth Kansas Volunteer Cavalry, a force recently 
 raised especially for the Indian service. In all, the 
 command numbered about fifteen hundred men. 
 
 The Indians Flying^. 
 
 They reached their old battle-ground without meet- 
 ing any Indians. California Joe remarked of the re- 
 newed campaign : " I'd just like to see the streaked 
 faces of Satanta, Medicine Arrow, Lone Wolf and a 
 few others o' em when they ketch the first glimpse of 
 the outfit. They'll think we're comin' to spend an 
 evenin' with 'em, sure, and hev' brought our knitrin' 
 with us. One look'll satisfy 'em. 
 
 On the battle-ground were found the horribly-muti^ 
 lated remains of Major Elliot and his party. They 
 were separated from the rest during a charge, and 
 cut to pieces by the enemy. All the lodges in all the 
 villages, six or eight in number, were found deserted 
 Thousands of lodge-poles had been abandoned, aad 
 the vast numbers of axes, coffee-mills, camp-kettles 
 and cooking utensils, all testified to the haste wi*h 
 which the Indians had fled. 
 
 Chiefs Made Prisoners. 
 
 On the 17th scouts brought a note from General 
 Hazen, commanding at Fort Cobb, the purport o( 
 which was that the Indians on his side of the point 
 now reached by Custer had been friendly. Accom^ 
 
3S4 
 
 CUSTER'S WAR. 
 
 panying the messenger was a large body of Kiev 
 was under Lone Wolf and Satanta. An interview was 
 had with these under a flag of truce, the chiefs 
 agreeing to ride with the army to Fort Cobb. Every 
 assurance was given General Custer that the villages 
 to which these chiefs belonged would at once move to 
 Fort Cobb and encamp, thus separating themselves 
 from the hostile tribes ; but under one pretext or 
 another the chiefs, one by one, began to drop out 
 of the ranks. At length, Custer, who had from the 
 first regarded them suspiciously, secretly instructed 
 his officers to take Lone Wolf and Satanta prisoners, 
 which they did by presenting their revolvers at them 
 and informing them of the fact, 
 
 After reaching the fort the savages procrastinated 
 and evaded, until at length General Sheridan brought 
 matters to a crisis, in a very soldierly manner, by an- 
 nouncing that if the Kiowas were not under the guns 
 of Fort Cobb by sunset on the following day, both 
 of the captive chiefs woiild be hung at that hour and 
 troopG sent after the promised warriors. The threat 
 had the desired effect, and the refractory Indians were 
 soon at the fort. This was a threat which they were 
 well able to understand. 
 
 Sheridan's Decisive Measures. 
 
 The Kiowas had now been reduced to submission. 
 
 ^ It remained only to subdue the Arrapahoes and the 
 
 Cheyennes, who were still defiant, notwithstanding 
 
 their great loss at the Washita. Briefly, it may be stated 
 
 that General Curter succeeded, by careful negotiation, 
 
CUSTER'S WAB. 
 
 3tft 
 
 In locating the Arrapahoes under the guns of the fort 
 on their reservation, and succeeded in bringing them 
 to peaceful terms. 
 
 With the Cheyennes, who were at a greater dis- 
 tance, he had more trouble, but he continued march- 
 ing until he overtook them. They had two hundred 
 and sixty lodges, among which were nearly all those 
 of the Dog Soldiers, the most ferocious and blood- 
 thirsty of the Indians of the Plains. The general 
 avoided a comm^^ncement of hostilities for the reason 
 that he greatly desired to preserve the lives of two 
 white female captives (Mrs. Morgan and Mrs. White) 
 held by the savages. He succeeded in gaining pos- 
 session of four of the principal men of their band, 
 two of whom were Big Head and Dull Knife, noted 
 chiefs of the Dog Soldiers. These he held as pris- 
 oners, and through them had the two women deliv- 
 ered up unharmed. He made it distinctly understood, 
 however, that he would not exchange prisoners, but 
 would hang the chiefs if the women were not forth- 
 coming. 
 
 Neither would he agree to a ransom, as this perni- 
 cious custom is but placing a premium on prisoners 
 and inciting the Indians to renewals of their hostile 
 expeditions. However, they promptly appeared with 
 the captives upon seeing the ropes in readiness for 
 carrying out the threat. Custer now returned with 
 his three savages as hostages (the fourth having been 
 sent as a runner to Little Robe), after having exacted 
 « promise from the Cheyennes that they would return 
 
386 
 
 ODBTEB'S WAR. 
 
 
 to their reservation and abandon the war-path ; which 
 they faithfully adhered to. 
 
 The Troubles Ended. 
 
 General duster's brilliant campaigns against the 
 
 Indians closed with the subjugation of the Cheyennes 
 in March, 1869. The backbone of the , rebellion 
 amongst the Camanches had been broken as early as 
 Christmas Day, 1868, through the seizure of one of 
 their villages of sixty lodges by Colonel Evans. 
 Other troops succeeded in capturing Satan ta and 
 Lone Wolf, and the troubles with the Indians were 
 over for a time. 
 
 There was one event connected with this waf 
 against the Cheyennes and Arrapahoes that excited 
 a great deal of criticism from the press and the peo- 
 ple. I refer to what is known as the Piegan Massacre, 
 which occurred in Montana on the 23d of January 
 1870. The fabulous stories concerning the discovery 
 of mineral wealth in Montana which spread through- 
 out the country in 1865 had attracted a great number 
 of whites into that Territory, and the rights of the 
 Indians were wholly disregarded. TTie result was 
 conflicts and depredations of all kinds. In 1869, the 
 settlers having been much injured by the murders and 
 assaults of a small band of Piegan Indians, the au- 
 thorities determined to punish them, and, after con- 
 siderable discussion and consultation as to the extent 
 and character of the chastisement, General -Sheridan 
 sent word to Colonel Baker, who was then moving 
 against them, to " strike them hard.'' 
 
CUSTER'S WAR. 
 
 3«: 
 
 On the morning of the 23d of January, 1870, Col 
 onel Baker came upon a village of these Piegans on 
 th*^ Marais River. They were ruled by the chiefs Red 
 Horn and Bear Chief, and had not been implicated in 
 the atrocities of the rest of their tribe. But the col- 
 onel deemed it advisable to regard the instructions of 
 Sheridan, and accordingly attacked them, killing one 
 hundred and seventy-three (fifty-three of whom were 
 women and children), and capturing one hundred wo- 
 men and children, besides over three hundred horses. 
 The village tents and other property were burned, 
 and the squaws were turifed adrift when it was learned 
 that the village had bcf:^x j*nft'ci'mf severely from the 
 presence of small-pox. 
 
CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 TKe Modoc War in 1873. — Murder of General 
 Canby and Others. — Dastardly Deeds. 
 
 In 1864 a treaty was made by the provisions of 
 which a tract of land of about seven hundred and 
 sixty- eight thousand acres in Southern Oregon was 
 set apart for the use of the Modoc Indians. A part 
 of the tribe settled there, but Captain Jack's band 
 preferred to remain at their old home^ near Clear 
 Lake. Late in 1869, however, they were, after much 
 difficulty, nersuaded to follow the others. In the 
 early part of the year 1870 trouble had arisen be- 
 tween the Modocs and Klamaths, and they were 
 separated, the former being removed to another part 
 of the reservation. Disturbances were soon renewed 
 which resulted in the departure of the Modocs 
 
 Mr. A. B. Meacham, Superintendent of Indian 
 Affairs for Oregon, recommended in his report for 
 1 871 that a separate reservation be established fo" 
 them ; but this suggestion was not acted upon. They 
 were restive and menacing; b*.* an agreement was 
 made with them to the effect that if they refrained 
 from thefts and disturbances they should not be mo- 
 iested until definite action in their case had been 
 
THE MODOC WAR. 
 
 SSb 
 
 taken by the Indian Bureau. But they disregarded 
 the compact and continued their maraudings. 
 
 In April, 1872, Commissioner Walker wrote to Mr. 
 T. B. Odeneal (Mr. Meacham's successor) directing 
 him to remove the Modocs to the Klamath reserva- 
 tion. Mr. Odeneal replied that he did not believe the 
 movement practicable at that season of the year 
 without using the military for that purpose, and even 
 then success would be doubtful with the small force 
 in hand. He asked for a postponement until Sep- 
 tember, which was granted. But when the time 
 arrived the Modocs refused to go. 
 
 The Modocs Fight and Bun. 
 
 Hereupon, Captain Jackson, with thirty men, took 
 
 the field against them. He reached their camp 
 November 29th and demanded a surrender, which 
 they refused ; they opened an attack, which lasted fo** 
 two hours, and then made their escape. While re 
 treating that day they murdered eleven citizens 
 Their camp was surrounded by General Wheaton, 
 and on January 17th, 1873, he fought a severe battle 
 with them. 
 
 His force consisted of two hundred and fifty regu 
 lars, two companies of Oregon volunteers, twenty- 
 five riflemen of California under Captain Fairchild, 
 and a few Klamath Indians, making in all about four 
 hundred men. The battle took place near the eastern 
 shore of Tule Lake. On Thursday, Captain Bernard 
 moved around the north end of the lake to the ea?;! 
 side, and to the east of Captain Jack's position. He 
 
390 "^ 
 
 THE MODOC WAR. 
 
 was to advance against Captain Jack from the east 
 while General Wheaton proceeded from the south- 
 east with his forces under cover of the fire of the 
 howitzers. On Thursday night the land was en- 
 veloped in such a dense fog that they were unable to 
 see forty yards in advance of them. The two forces 
 were about twelve miles apart, but in order to com- 
 municate with each other it was necessary to go a 
 much greater distance. 
 
 Exploits of Captain Jack. 
 
 On Friday morning, Capitain Bernard opened battle 
 against Captain Jack, who: had about two hundred 
 warriors concealed among the rocks along a line two 
 miles in length. General Wheaton heard the firing, 
 and had no alternative but tq love to the assistance 
 of Captain Bernard without the aid of the howitzers. 
 
 The troops fought an unseen enemy from eight 
 o'clock in the morning until dark under a terrific fire, 
 during which scarcely one Indian was seen. The loss 
 to the troops was forty killed and wounded ; that to 
 the Modors was unknown. The soldiers were finally 
 obliged t. retreat to their camps. Bernard's forces 
 bore the brunt of this battle and suffered terribly. 
 All the cavalry fought on foot. The movement was 
 called a forced reconnoissance. 
 
 All attempts to dislodge the Indians from their 
 fastnesses in the lava-beds proved unavailing, and 
 peace commissioners were appointed, who, on March 
 3, 1873, reported that the Indians had agreed to sur- 
 render and remove to a more southern climate. On 
 
392 
 
 THE MC jOC war 
 
 the following day, howciver, they had evidently 
 changed their minds, for they emphatically refused 
 to go. On the i6th of March a new peace commis- 
 sion was organized, and composed of General Canby 
 Dr. Thomas, Mr. Meacham, Judge Roxborough of 
 Yreka, California, and Mr. Dyer of Oregon. 
 
 Peace Coiuinissioners Assassinated. 
 
 On the 2 2d of March, General Canby telegraphed 
 to General Sherman as follows : '• I think that a sys- 
 tem of gradual compulsion, with an exhibition of the 
 force that can be used against them if the commission 
 should again fail, will satisfy them of the hopelessness 
 of any further resistance, and give the peace party 
 sufficient strength to control the whole banc.. Time is 
 becoming of the greatest importance, as the melting 
 of the snow will soon enable them to live in the 
 mountains. This will greatly increase the difficulties 
 we have to contend with, as they will then break up 
 into small parties, and can more readily make their 
 escape from their present position." 
 
 Several parleys were held with the Modocs, at 
 which they conducted themselves in the most insolent 
 manner, and their brutality culminated in the shock 
 ing massacre (April nth) of Major-General E. R. S 
 Canby and the, Rev. E. Thomas, D. D., peace 
 commissioners. 
 
 For several days previous to the massacre the 
 peace commissioners and General Canby endeavored 
 to obtain an interview with Captain Jack and the 
 leading chiefs of the Modoc band, the object being 
 
THS MODOC WAR 
 
 M9 
 
 to give the Indians, if necessary, a reservation in the 
 neighborhood of Yreka. 
 
 The Combatents in Gouui^. 
 
 On the afternoon of the loth of April, 1873, five 
 Indians and four squaws came into General Canby's 
 camp, and received from these delegates for peace pres- 
 ents of clothing and provisions ; a message had been 
 forwarded requesting an interview that morning at a 
 point about a mile distant from the picket-line. Later 
 in the day. Bogus Charley came in and delivered up 
 his gun to the picket, saying that he did not intend to 
 go back any more. The picket conducted him to the 
 tent of General Canby, where he left his gun, and then 
 proceeded to pass the night with Frank Riddle, the in- 
 terpreter. On the morning of the 1 1 th, Boston Charley 
 came to report that Captain Jack and five other Indians 
 would meet the commission outside the lines. Bogus 
 Charley and Boston Charley then mounted a horse 
 and started for the lava beds, the Modoc stronghold. 
 
 About an hour afterward General Canby, Mr. 
 Dyer, Dr. Thomas and Mr. Meacham, with Frank 
 Riddle and his squaw for interpreters, started for the 
 appointed rendezous, closely watched by the signal of 
 ficer, Lieutenant Adams, from the station on the hill 
 overlooking the camp. The commission met Captain 
 Jack, John Schonchin, Black Jim, Schack Nasty Jim, 
 Ellen's Man and Hooker Jim. The Indians carried 
 no guns, but each had a pistol at his belt ; which cir< 
 cumstance, however, occasioned no surprise, as in 
 previous interviews they had carried their guns. 
 
9H 
 
 THE MODOC WAS. 
 
 All sat down in a kind of broken circle, General 
 Canby, Mr. Meacham and Dr. Thomas together, 
 faced by Captain Jack and Schonchin. Mr. Dyer 
 stood by Jack, holding his horse, with Hooker Jim 
 and Schack Nasty Jim at his left. 
 
 Murder of Geueral Cauby. 
 
 Mr. Meacham opened the conference, giving a 
 lengthy history of what they desired \to do for them, 
 after which General Canby and Dr. Thomas expressed 
 their views at length. Captain Jack next spoke, and 
 with apparent sincerity, asking for Hot Creek and 
 Cottonwood, the places now occupied by Fairchild 
 and Dorris for a reservation. Mr. Meacham told 
 Jack that it was not possible to grant his request, as 
 these places were already taken. 
 
 Schonchin asked Mr. Meacham to say no more, 
 and at the same moment Captain Jack, walking 
 behind the others, exclaimed : " All ready !" drew his 
 pistol and snapped a cap at General Canby. Again 
 taking aim, he fired, and the general fell dead, shot 
 under the eye. 
 
 This was the signal for a general massacre ; in the 
 space of a half minute about a dozen shots were fired. 
 Mr. Meacham received the bullet of Schonchin in his 
 head and shoulder ; while trying to draw his derringer 
 two Indians ran up and knocked him down. Dr. 
 Thomas was killed almost instantly by two pistol- 
 shots in the head. Riddle escaped without being 
 fired at, but his squaw remained and was knocked to 
 the ground. Mr. Dyer was pursued by Hooker Jim, 
 
THE MODOC WAR. 
 
 39d 
 
 who fired two shots after him and then, as Dyer 
 turned and drew his derringer, retreated. 
 
 The Country Shocked by the MaHMtcre. 
 
 The troops immediately beat to arms and a general 
 advance ensued. Colonel Miller and Major Throck- 
 morton's two batteries led the skirmish-line, and after 
 ibout five minutes' march over the broken rocks 
 reached the scene of the massacre. In the distance 
 three of the murderers were seen running around 
 the edge of the lake on their way to the lava beds. 
 The body of Rev. Dr. Thomas was found stripped to 
 the waist, and with life extinct from pistol-shot wounds 
 in the head. The body of General Canby, the hero 
 of many a fight, and deeply beloved by his men, was 
 found entirely desdtute of clothing and with two 
 wounds in the head from a pistol. The troops on 
 that day were powerless to effect anything in the 
 way of retaliation, as the Indians were intrenched in 
 their strongholds. It was afterward discovered that 
 the Modocs had attacked Colonel Mason's camp on 
 the east side of Tule Lake, probably intending to dis- 
 tract attention from the peace commissioners. 
 
 The news of the massacre created the greatest 
 excitement and gloom throughout the country ; the 
 general opinion was that it had been brought abouL 
 by the endeavor to force the Indians on to a reserva- 
 tion where it was almost impossible for them to live. 
 
 if- : • ! ' 
 
CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 Troubles with the Apaches, Kiowas and Ca 
 manches in 1874-75. — Atrocities committed 
 upon White Settlers. 
 
 During the year 1874 sixty persons were murdered 
 at different times in Texas by raider Indians from the 
 Fort Sill reservation, where they were fed by the gov- 
 ernment and treated as friends. In addition to these 
 atrocities, they also ran off with a large number of 
 horses and mules belonging to settlers on the frontier 
 and to freighters. 
 
 In July the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, in turn 
 ing over the savages to the military, directed thai 
 '• friendly Indians, not participating in late outrages, 
 coming into agencies will be protected. All profess- 
 ing to be loyal must enter immediately and be en- 
 rolled, and each one capable of bearing arms must 
 answer to daily roll-call. No additional Indians must 
 be received amongst them without permission." The 
 result of this announcement was the enrollment of 
 one hundred and seventy- three Kiowas, present at 
 the time of the receipt of the commissioner's despatch 
 and who, the agent was positive, had not been at war; 
 one hundred and eight Apaches, likewise present; 
 and eighty-three Camanches, either there at the time 
 
 m 
 
TROUBLES WITH THE APACHES. 
 
 397 
 
 «r arriving by August 3d, the day appointed by 
 Lieutenant-Colonel Davidson as the last upon which 
 the enrollment could take place. 
 
 Some time after August 3d the following Camanche 
 chiefs asked permission to come in : Big Red Food, 
 Tobermanca, Assanonica, Little Crow and Black 
 Duck. Word was sent to Assanonica that he would 
 be admitted on condition of yielding up his arms. 
 The rest were forbidden to come, since it was well 
 known that they had been engaged in the Adobe 
 Wall fight, as well as other massacres. Big Red 
 Food, however, defied the prohibition, and drawing 
 near to the Wichita agency with his band, formed a 
 point around which the disaffected began to gather. 
 
 The Kiowas Open Fire. 
 
 On the 2 1 St of August, Lieutenant-Colonel David- 
 son received word from the officer commanding at 
 the agency that trouble was anticipated there. He 
 at once marched with four companies of cavalry, and 
 immediately lipon his arrival effected the arrest of 
 Red Food, chief of tl : Nocanees, and told him that 
 he and his band must submit. He appeared to con- 
 sent, but presently escaped from his guard. 
 
 At the same time the troops were fired upon from 
 the rear by Kiowas, many of whom Lid just been 
 enrolled at Fort Sill as friendly. The troops were 
 much perplexed in the endeavor to distinguish the 
 amicable from the hostile Indians ; but by the aid 
 of interpreters this was accomplished ; the inimical 
 band was scattered and its lodges and property were 
 
3f)8 
 
 TFOUBLES WITH THE APACHES. 
 
 destroyed. It had undoubtedly been their design to 
 implicate those of their band who were disposed to 
 peace, but their purpose was entirely frustrated, and 
 the affiliated tribes belonging to the agency were set 
 tied in their allegiance more firmly than ever. 
 
 In April, 1875, the following brilliant event occurred 
 at the north fork of Sappa Creek. On the morning 
 of the 19th of April, Lieutenant Austin Kenely of 
 Fort Wallace, Kansas, started to find the trail o( a 
 party of Indians reported to be at Punished Win '• 
 Fork. With him were forty men of Compel) a 
 Sixth Cavalry, Lieutenant C. C. Hewitt, Surgeon V. 
 H. Atkins, and Mr. Homer Wheeler, post-trader of 
 Fort Wallace, as guide. He also had fifteen days 
 rations, ten days* forage and two six-mule teams. 
 
 On the TraU. 
 
 On the second day he directed that his wagons, 
 with a guard under the command of Sergeant Kitchin, 
 should proceed directly to Hackberry Creek, while he 
 scouted Twin Butte and Hackberry to find a trail 
 About noon Corporal Morris, commanding the ad 
 vance, discovered traces of twelve lodges. Lieu ten 
 ant Henely at once collected his wagons, abandon 
 one of them, as well as half his forage, rations and 
 camp equipage, notified the commanding officer at 
 Fort Wallace of the fact, in order that they might 
 be recovered, and started on the trail at the rate o* 
 nearly five miles an hour, reaching Smoky Hill Rivei 
 that night. A heavy rain during the night rendered 
 it difficult to follow the tracks the next ^ife/. At the 
 
 ^2 
 
TBOUBLES WITH THE APACHES. 
 
 399 
 
 Kansas Pacific Railroad the trail was scattered and 
 lost. 
 
 After considerable deliberation it was decided to 
 take a north-east course to the North Beaver, and 
 follow it to its source, upon the supposition that the 
 Indians would collect there and pass down for the 
 purpose of hunting. Shortly after daylight a party 
 of hunters was met, who informed Lieutenant Henely 
 that the Indians he was in search of were on the 
 north fork of Sappa Creek, and had robbed theii 
 camp during their absence the day before. Three oi 
 the hunters volunteered to guide the party to the In- 
 dian encampment. 
 
 In the gray dawn of the morning the squad arrived 
 at the creek, about three-quarters of a mile above the 
 camp, being attracted to the spot by the sight of a 
 number of poniei grazing. Presently Mr. Wheeler 
 came back, galloping with furious speed, swinging 
 his hat and shouting in a loud voice. As the force 
 came up with him the Indian carap was displayed to 
 v'ew. 
 
 Plan of Attack. 
 
 The plan for the attack had been arranged as fol- 
 lows : Sergeant Kitchin was detailed to kill the 
 herders, round up the herd as near as possible to the 
 main command and take charge of it with half of his 
 men. Corporal Sharpies, with five men, was left with 
 the wagon and instructed to keep as near as possible 
 to Lieutenant Henely ; the rest of the command were 
 to attack the savages. 
 
 tiiHil 
 
400 
 
 TROUBLES WITH THE APACHES. 
 
 The north fork of Sappa Creek at this point is very 
 crooked, is bordered by high and precipitous bluffs, 
 and flows sluggishly through a marshy bottom, mak- 
 ing it extremely difficult to cross. As the men charged 
 down the sides ten or twelve of the Indians ran rap- 
 idly up the bluff to a small herd of ponies; others 
 escaped down the creek to another herd ; while the 
 remained ^r, the last to be awakened, probably seeing 
 that fligi. s impossible, prepared for a desperate 
 defence, hj this time the men had reached the creek, 
 which looked alarmingly deep and marshy. Lieut- 
 enant Henely, realizing that no time was to be lost in 
 searching for a crossing, plunged in with his horse, 
 followed by Mr. Wheeler. By extraordinary efforts 
 their horses struggled through. A corporal who fol- 
 lowed became mired ; but at length, by strenuous 
 endeavors, all succeeded in crossing just as a number 
 of dusky figures with long rifles confronted them, 
 their heads appearing over a bank made by the creek 
 in high water. 
 
 This bank, with the portion of the creek and bluffs 
 in the immediate vicinity, possessed the rather remark- 
 able feature of a large number of curious holes or 
 pits, for what purpose constructed did not appear 
 Some of the Indians took refuge in these hollows; 
 others lined the bank, with their rifles resting on the 
 crest. Lieutenant Henely rapidly formed his men in 
 line and signalled to the savages to surrender, as did 
 likewise Mr. Wheeler. One, who appeared to be a 
 chief, made some rapid gesticulations which seemed 
 
TROUBLES WITH THE APACHBB. 
 
 401 
 
 to be motions for a parley ; but it was soon obvious 
 that they were meant for Indians in the rear. 
 
 The Battle-grround. 
 
 The lieutenant now ordered his men to dismount 
 and fight on foot, and as they did so the enemy fired, 
 but in so excited a manner that no one was hurt 
 The troops, posted around in a skirmish-line, were/ 
 commanded to fire. If the reader will imagine the 
 dress-circle of a theatre lowered to within about five 
 feet of the pit, the men to be deployed about the edge, 
 and the Indians down among the orchestra-chairs, 
 they will have some idea of the relative positions of 
 the parties. The most exposed portion was near the 
 centre of the arc. Here Sergeant Theodore Papier 
 and Private Robert Theims, Company H, Sixth Cav- 
 alry, were instantly killed while fighting with crreat 
 valor. 
 
 After some twenty minutes of firing the Indians 
 ceased to return the attack, and the lieutenant pre- 
 pared to draw off his men in pursuit of those who 
 had fled. Scarcely had they mounted when two sav- 
 ages ran up to the two bodies in the endeavor to 
 gain possession of them ; but three or four men 
 charged th^m at a gallop and rendered their efforts 
 useless. At this moment an Indian, gaudily dressed, 
 jumped from a hole and, with peculiar sidelong leaps, 
 attempted to escape, but was shot down. Lieutenant 
 Henely then posted his men at the ends of the crest 
 and resumed the attack, the savages returning i^ ^roni 
 their pits, but without doing any damage. 
 
402 
 
 TROITBLES WITH THE APACHES. 
 
 The firing having ceased, it was inferred that all 
 were killed, and the command moved in the direction 
 of the ponies, driving off the Indian guard and bring- 
 ing in a herd of the animals. As they returned a soli 
 tary shot was fired from the holes, piercing the horse 
 of one of the officers entirely through the body. Lieu 
 "enant Henely then 'determined to make a certain 
 termination, and ordered the men to advance on all 
 sides, keeping up a steady fire. The only response 
 was a few shots from the pits, which did no damage 
 
 Nineteen dead warriors were counted, in addition 
 to eight squaws and children accidentally killed. Frorr 
 the war-bonnets and rich ornaments, two were judgec' 
 to be chiefs, and one whose bonnet was surmounted 
 by two horns was thought to be a medicine-man. 
 
 The Indian camp was burned and the captured 
 stock, rmounting to one hundred and thirty-four 
 animals, driven off. On the return march to Fort 
 Wallace the command was overtaken by a terrible 
 snow-storm and forced to encamp under a bank. It 
 was impossible to herd the captured stock, the entire 
 attention of the men being required to save them- 
 selves and their horses from freezing to death. Hav 
 ing no tents and but one blanket each, the men pass- 
 ed a night of intense suffering. Some of them were 
 frozen ; others, who had dug holes in the bank foi 
 shelter, had to be extricated in the morning by their 
 comrades. On the following day the men disbanded 
 into small squads to search for the captured stock, and 
 su'^ceeded in recapturing about one hundred head. 
 
CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 Wars with Sitting- Bull in 1876, 1877, 1878 
 1879, and 1880. — The Custer Massacre.- 
 Shocking Barbarities. 
 
 It was in 1874 that gold was discovered in the 
 Black Hills, and the excitement that prevailed at thai 
 time, as well as the rush that was made for the region 
 by miners and speculators, is fresh in the recollection 
 of all. As at an earlier date in Wyoming (or Absa- 
 raka), so now at the Black Hills — the whites ran 
 athwart the fierce and implacable Sioux, whose great 
 chief was Sitting-Bull, and who were rendered furious 
 by the sending of troops, under General Custer, into 
 this region for the purpose of learning if gold was 
 there, as had been reported. In 1876 it became 
 necessary to take measures against them. 
 
 A triple expedition was determined upon. Three 
 columns were to march from opposite directions, and 
 all strike for the headquarters of the Sroux, which 
 were near the sources of the Yellowstone. As these 
 plans had been formed, so were they carried into ef- 
 fect. On May 29th, General Crook started north 
 from Fort Fetterman with forty-seven officers and 
 one thousand men, together with wagons, pack-mules 
 and scouts. General Terry left Fon I-incolh on hi» 
 
 1 
 
404 
 
 WARS WITH SITTING-BULL. 
 
 westward march, May 17th, with six hundred cavalry 
 and four hundred infantry ; at the mouth of Powder 
 River he was met by steamboats. Colonel John 
 Gibbon marched eastward from Fort Ellis with four 
 hundred and fifty men, cavalry and infantry. 
 
 On his way north, General Crook attacked and 
 destroyed, during a five hours' engagement, the vil- 
 lage of Crazy Horse on Powder River, which con- 
 tained one hundred and fifty lodges. 
 
 Pushing Forward. 
 
 At the mouth of the Rosebud River the three 
 columns met, and the three leaders decided upon 
 their plan of action, all circumstances indicating that 
 the Indians were between the Little Big Horn and 
 the Rosebud rivers. Colonel Gibbon's command 
 went to the Big Horn by steamer, with orders to as- 
 cend as far as the Little Big Horn. Custer was to 
 move up the Rosebud, and then bear to the left and 
 south in order to prevent the Indians from slipping 
 by to the mountains. General Terry was to approach 
 from the north. He states in his report that they 
 had calculated it would take Gibbon's column until 
 the 26th to reach the mouth of the Litde Big Horn 
 and that the wide sweep which Custer was ordered 
 to make by him (General Terry) would require so 
 much time that Gibbon would be able to co-operate 
 with him in attacking any Indians that might be 
 found on the stream. 
 
 Custer expected to advance thirty miles a day, and 
 calculations were based upon that rate of progress. 
 
p 
 
 ■5-rV 
 
 SITTING-DULL IN HIS WARDRESS. 
 
 401 
 
400 
 
 WARS WITH SITTING-BULL. 
 
 General Terry, in conversing with Crster about his 
 strength, suggested that perhaps he (Terry) had bet- 
 ter take Gibbon's cavalry and accompany him. Custer 
 replied tiiat he felt sufficiently strong, and that he be- 
 lieved a homogeneous body of men could accomplish 
 as much as twice their number not animated by a 
 common spirit. He also declined General Terry's 
 offer of the battery of Gatling guns, saying that it 
 might embarrass him. 
 
 The Sioux in Camp. 
 
 General Custer's command first discovered the In- 
 dian village in the vpll-'v of the Little Big Horn ; it 
 was an immense collection of lodges, and, as it soon 
 appeared, there were very nearly four thousand In- 
 dians collected here. It was the largest assemblage 
 of Indian huts ever seen in the West. As they 
 looked down from the bluffs the whole expanse was 
 a scene of commotion. Mounted bands were riding 
 rapidly along, and columns of dust rose in every 
 direction, the savages alternately appearing and 
 vanishing as they dashed about on their swift ponies. 
 
 Custer's regiment approached the river in three 
 columns. Major Reno crossed at a ford, and started 
 down on one side of the stream, and Custer, with 
 five companies, moved down the other bank in order 
 to cross three miles below, while Captain Benteen 
 was coming slowly on, two miles in the rear. Cul- 
 pably and inexcusably tardy was his advance, and 
 far was he from regarding the command which 
 Custer, through Adjutant Cook, thus concisely de 
 
WARS WITH SITTING-BULL. 
 
 407 
 
 livered : " Benteen, come on ; big village ; be quick ; 
 bring packs." Had he and Reno done their duty, it 
 is quite probable that the Indians could have been 
 kept in check until the arrival of General Terry, and 
 :he massacre would have been avoided. 
 
 The Sioux Wild War-cry. 
 
 When attacked, Reno seems to have become com- 
 pletely bewildered and demoralized. In this his first 
 battle the Sioux dashing on, crouching over the necks 
 of their nimble little ponies and uttering their blood- 
 curdling yells of "Hi! yip-yip-yip yip -yip-hi-yah!" all 
 tended to deprive him of his presence of mind, as was 
 shown by his repeated change of policy, mounting 
 and dismounting four times in as many minutes, and 
 finally charging in columns, which, as a consequence, 
 soon became a disorderlv mass of fugitives. 
 
 He next had his men moved back against a piece of 
 timber, but as the Indians continued to gather around 
 them in constantly increasing numbers, a rush was at 
 length made for a narrow ford in the river in order to 
 gain a hill or bluff on the other side. Now each man 
 was for himself. At the ford there was a wild 
 scramble up the hill, men and horses crowding upon 
 each other and the Indians fi-ing upon them contin- 
 uously. 
 
 Many were the soldiers who fell in the stream or, 
 fatally wounded, rolled down from the steep hill. 
 The horse of Lieutenant Hodgson was shot, and 
 both fell down the bank together. Extricating him- 
 self and seizing the stirrup of a horseman who was 
 
408 
 
 WARS V/ITH SITTING-BULL. 
 
 Si 
 
 m 
 
 ascending, he had almost succeeded in reaching the 
 top when he was struck by a fatal bullet and rolled 
 down the hill into the water. 
 
 Arrival of Terry's Force. 
 
 On gaining the summit the men dug such rifle-pits 
 as they could with their knives and canteens. Here 
 they were besieged until General Terry's approach, 
 the next day, put the enemy to flight. Their fight 
 was desperate and many were wounded. Sad was 
 the sight of their sufferings for water, until the men 
 rushed to the river with their camp-kettles and can- 
 teens, and, returning, refreshed thehi with the spark- 
 ling beverage. ' 
 
 But it is time to turn our att ^tion to the gallant 
 Custer. Let us now get as ac te a picture as we 
 can of that last heroic fight of his little band. It is, 
 however, impossible ever to learn all the details of 
 this event, since every man of Custer's five companies 
 was killed, with the exception of Curly, the Upsaro- 
 ka scout. Our knowledge is derived from the reports 
 of this man, of Kill Eagle (an Indian who was in 
 the camp of Sitting-Bull, and who afterward came 
 in and surrendered), and of Ridgely, a white prisoner, 
 who was also in Sitting-Bull's camp and witnessed 
 the batde. 
 
 Custer's Brave Fight. 
 
 Curly' s testimony was taken by the officers of 
 Terry's staff* through an interpreter. He said that, 
 in company with two other Crows, he went into 
 action with Custer, who kept down the north bank 
 
WARH WITH SITTING-BULL. 
 
 409 
 
 of the river for four miles, and then attempted to 
 dash across, but was met by vast swarms of Indians, 
 who rushed over the stream and drove him back* 
 The general then retreated to some high ground be- 
 hind him, and seized the ravines in his immediate 
 /icinity. The Indians completely surrounded hin\ 
 pouring in a terrible fire on all sides. They repeat 
 edly charged on foot in vast masses, but were as often 
 driven back. 
 
 Self-Sacriflcingr Heroism. 
 
 The battle began at two o'clock, and continued until 
 the sun went down behind the hills. The men fought 
 desperately; aft r the ammunition in their belts was 
 exhausted they obtained fresh supplies from their 
 saddle-bags and continued to defend themselves. 
 Curly stated that the big chief (Custer) lived until 
 nearly all his men were killed or wounded. He pro- 
 ceeded to say that when he saw Custer hopelessly 
 surrounded he watched his opportunity, washed the 
 paint from his face, let down his hair like a Sioux, put 
 on a Sioux blanket and worked his way up a ravine. 
 When the savages charged he mingled with them, 
 and was not known from one of their own number. 
 Seeing one of the mounted warriors fall, Curly ran 
 to him, got upon his pony and galloped down as if 
 going toward the white men, but instead passed up 
 a ravine and made his escape. 
 
 He also mentioned one little incident which adds 
 new lustre to the aureole of glory that already encircles 
 the brow of Custer. He said that when it becaiP 
 
410 
 
 WAKS WITH SITTING-BULL. 
 
 
 evident that the party was to be entirely cut to pieces, 
 he approached the general and begged that he would 
 permit him to show a way of escape, which his power- 
 ful -horoughbred horse could easily have aided him 
 to accomplish. Custer dropped his head upon his 
 breast for a moment in thought. It was a short lull 
 in the batde while the Indians were gathering for a 
 new attack. He looked silently at Curly for an 
 instant, then motioned him away with his hand, and 
 vent back to die with his men. 
 
 The bullets flew thick and fast around them , one 
 by one officers and men dropped where they stood. 
 At last Custer received a shot in his left side and sa^ 
 down, his pistol in his hand ; another shot struck hin. 
 and he fell ove'*. The last officer killed was one who 
 rode a white horse, probably Adjutant Cook. Then 
 the handful of men broke and fled, the Upsaroka 
 scout with them. He said that as he rode off he 
 saw, when nearly a mile from the battle-field, a dozen 
 or more of the soldiers fighting in a ravine and sur- 
 rounried by Indians. He also saw one well-mounted 
 cavalry soldier who had escaped, but was shot through 
 both hips, and must have been either killed or starved 
 to death in the "bad lands." 
 
 Terrible Slaughter. 
 
 But all of Custer's men did not die immediately 
 sMound him. In his retreat from the river he must 
 have thrown across the line of withdrawal, first the 
 company of Calhoun, and next that of Keogh, for all 
 the men of these companies were found dead in the 
 
WARS WITH SITTING-BULL. 
 
 411 
 
 order of battle, lying in an irregular line nere they 
 had been posted, like the heroes of Thermopylae. 
 
 This battle occurred on Sunday, June 25th, 1876. 
 At eleven o'clock on Monday, Colonel Gibbon's 
 approaching column saw a dense smoke up the Little 
 Horn, fifteen miles distant, and scouts reported a 
 heavy battle unfavorable to Custer. Toward evening 
 the colonel sent out two scouts with messages to 
 Custer, but they were driven in by the Sioux. In- 
 dians in large numbers were seen around him on the 
 bluffs. He encamped that night in a square, the 
 soldiers sleeping on their arms. 
 
 On the following morning the command marched 
 up the river and entered the valley where the battles 
 iiad been fought; they soon reached a great Indian 
 village, now abandoned and with all heavier domestic 
 articles strewn over the ground Here were wounded 
 Indian ponies writhing and struggling on the ground ; 
 there the bodies of horses branded Seventh Cavalry; 
 a bodiless head of a soldier was found; next was 
 seen a pair of drawers deeply stained with blood 
 and marked "Lieutenant Sturgis, Seventh Cavalry." 
 
 The Brave are FiiUen. 
 
 On every side were encoui:tered the dead bodies 
 of horses and soldiers, dreadfully mangled and already 
 in stages of decomposition. Farther on they came 
 upon the scene of Custer's last conflict. He lay (the 
 only one who was not mutilated) on a little knoll 
 where he had made his last stand. His face was 
 calm and a smile rested there. Around him were 
 
412 
 
 WARS RTITH SITTING-BULL. 
 
 seven of his officers, among whom were his tDH) 
 brothers, Boston and Thomas, and his brother-in-law, 
 Lieutenant Calhoun. Almost at his feet lay his hand 
 some young nephew, Autie Reed, only nineteen years 
 of age. He had but recently left school, and, being 
 of a consumptive tendency, had been permitted to join 
 the command, partly with a view to benefit his health. 
 Near at hand was found the body of Kellogg, the 
 New York Herald's correspondent. In short, of the 
 two hundred and forty men who but yesterday rode 
 down that valley in all the pride and flush of man- 
 hood, not one remained alive. 
 
 The prisoner, Ridgely, shall be allowed to tell us 
 the rest of the sad story. He said that after the 
 massacre of Custer's men the Indians returned to 
 the village delirious with joy and in possession of six 
 prisoners, whom they tied to stakes and proceeded to 
 burn to drath. the Indian boys meanwhile firing red- 
 hot arrows into their flesh. They were kept burn- 
 ing for more than an hour, but, as Ridgely was not 
 allowed to speak with them, it is impossible now to 
 tell who they were. One was noticeable for his small 
 size and his gray hair and whiskers. 
 
 Sitting-Bull Exultant. 
 
 Sitting-Bull was heard to remark exultantly that he 
 had killed many soldiers and one damned general 
 but he did not know who he was. At night the 
 squaws, armed with knives and clubs, went to the 
 battle-field and robbed and mutilated the dead. The 
 braves were frenzied with delight, and many wer* 
 
WARS WITH SITT iNG-BULL. 
 
 413 
 
 intoxicated on the whiskey which they had stolen 
 from the whites. Ridgely and two companions, tak- 
 ing advantage of the drowsiness and negligence of 
 the squaws who were guarding the prisoners, made 
 their escape. 
 
 It is ungracious to attempt to place the blame of 
 this sad event upon any single individual. But after 
 a careful review of the facts it is impossible to avoid 
 the conclusion that diere were some to be censured, 
 and that the responsibility for the disaster must be 
 divided. Custer was ui Joubtedly too rash and in- 
 trepid. On the other hand, if Reno had fought with 
 the veteran courage of Custer and his men, and if 
 Benteen had obeyed Custer's orders to hurry for- 
 Rrard, it is certain that the day would have been dis- 
 astrous to the Indians. 
 
 hostilities £ owed. 
 
 As soon as possible after ' le massacre General 
 Sheridan concentrated his feces, uenerals Crook 
 and Terry were reinforced under Lieutenant-Coionel 
 Carr, Lieutenant Otis and Colonel Miles, so that by 
 the 5th of August the united force of the two gen- 
 erals numbered about four thousand men. They 
 effected a junction on the Rosebud, August loth. jut 
 found that the Indians had left. The autun was 
 spent in hard and fruitless marches over the rough 
 country east of the Rocky Mountains. 
 
 Meanwhile, at the agencies the disarming of the 
 Indians went on, and army officers performed the 
 duties of agents at Red Cloud and Spotted Tail 
 
 "'-'l! 
 
414 
 
 WARS WITH SITTING-BULL. 
 
 t; 
 
 stations. Many of the savages who came in for food 
 and shelter were those who had been at war in the 
 region of the Yellowstone. 
 
 On the 2 1 St of October, Colonel Miles overtook 
 Sitting-Bull and held a two days' consultation with 
 him, which was ended by a renewal of hostilities. 
 He pursued the savages for forty-two miles across 
 the Yellowstone, and they soon sued for peace, giv- 
 ing as hostages Red Skirt, White Bull, Black Eagle, 
 Sun Rise and Foolish Thunder. On November 21st, 
 Colonel Mackenzie destroyed a Cheyenne camp on 
 he west fork of the Powder River. On the 17th o( 
 December, Bull Eagle, Tall Bull, Red Cloth and an- 
 other chief approached the Tongue River cantonment 
 with a white flag, but were unfortunately shot by some 
 of their old enemies, the Crow Indians. But for 
 this the surrender of at least one thousand fighting 
 men would have been secured. 
 
 The campaign of 1877 was almost continuous with 
 that of the preceding year. Colonel Miles attacked 
 Crazy Horse in the valley of Tongue River, but after 
 a week's skirmishing, )wing to the weak^nd disabled 
 condition of his horses and mules, he was forced to 
 permit his escape. 
 
 In April the Sioux began to come in to the agen- 
 cies in large numbers. Spotted Tail went forth with 
 two hundred and fifty of his principal men for the 
 purpose of urging the people o return to the agen- 
 cies and abandon warfare, and so far succeeded as to 
 bring back eleven hundred. This virtually put an 
 
WAES WITH SITTING-BULL. 
 
 415 
 
 end to the Sioux war, there being but few nxinor 
 engagements after this. 
 
 Attempt to Kill Colonel Miles. 
 
 On May 5th, Colonel Miles engaged in a contest 
 with Lame Deer on a branch of the Rosebud ; he 
 captured four hundred and fifty ponies and destroyed 
 much property, but came very near losing his life 
 while holding a conference with Iron Star, who, after 
 shaking hands with him, picked up his gun and fired ; 
 but the shot killed a soldier who stood behind the 
 colonel. 
 
 On the 6th of May, Crazy Horse surrendered with 
 twelve hundred Indians and two thousand ponies, 
 During the summer Colonel Miles escorted two pack- 
 trains to the mouth of Tongue River, and during 2. 
 march of three hundred miles over the country so 
 lostile in 1876 he encountered no enemy what<ever. 
 
 On July 25th, General Sherman wrote in one of hi.<» 
 official reports : " With this post (Fort Custer, at the 
 forks of the Big Horn and Little Big Horn) and that 
 at the mouth of the old Tongue River occupied with 
 strong, enterprising garrisons, these Sioux Indians can 
 never regain this country, and they will be forced to 
 remain at their agencies or take refuge in the British 
 possessions. At this moment there are no Indians 
 here or hereabouts ; I have seen or heard of none. 
 The country west of this is good and will rapidly fill 
 up with emigrants, and in the next four years will 
 build up a community as strong and capable of self 
 defence as Colorado." 
 
416 
 
 WARS WITH SITTING-BULL. 
 
 On the 20th of August, Captain W. R. Balch, in 
 command of the Second Cavalry, arrived at the 
 mouth of Clear Creek, which is a branch of Powder 
 River. Here he found signs of a recent camp. He 
 pursued, but the Indians fled over mountains and 
 through ravines and gullies, abandoning almost all 
 cheir camp property and domestic utensils. 
 
 Slttingr-Bull ESscapes to Canada. 
 
 On the 17th of October, at Fort Walsh in the 
 British possessions, a conference was had with Sitting- 
 Bull by General A. H. Terry and Hon. A. J. Law- 
 rence. He refused to make any treaty of peace, and 
 said he designed to live under the rule of the white 
 queen-mother. 
 
 On the 15th of May, 1877, General Sheridan tele- 
 graphed to General Sherman that the northern 
 Cheyennes, tlien at Camp Robinson, desired to go to 
 the Indian Territory, and advised that their request 
 be granted. 
 
 On the 17th, the Indian Bureau approved th« 
 measure, and in a few days the Cheyennes were 
 on their way south under escort of Lieutenant Law- 
 ton. They travelled quietly and mournfully, for they 
 had been forced from their old home by circum- 
 stances, and their departure was not from choice. 
 The men were mostly mounted, while many of 
 the squaws walked, carrying their pappooses on 
 their backs and leading the ponies that hauler' 
 the travois. 
 
WAES WITH SITTING-BULL. 
 
 417 
 
 On the ^th of August they arrived at Fort Reno, 
 and were given over to the agent of the southenr 
 Cheyennes and Arrapahoes ; this, apparently, was a 
 mistake, for they had never assimilated with their 
 southern relatives, and did not like to do so now. 
 They were heard to say that they had come to see 
 how they liked it in the Indian Territory, and if not 
 pleased they would return home. They numbered in 
 all nine hundred and seventy-two. 
 
 In 1878 the agent reported that about one-half of 
 the northern Cheyehnes refused to affiliate with 
 those of the south, encamped by themselves and in 
 every respect acted like a different tribe. He further 
 stated that they manifested no desire to engage in 
 farming, but always showed an intense longing to go 
 north, where they said they would settle down in 
 quietness. Among the dissatisfied were Dull Knife's 
 band, who were relatives of the Ogallalla or Red- 
 Cloud Sioux, hence were the more eager to return 
 to their friends. 
 
 Bold Attempt to Escape. 
 
 On the night of September 9, 1878, the entire 
 band, numbering three hundred and twenty, left their 
 quarters and started north. The alarm was given at 
 Fort Reno, but they were not overtaken until they 
 had gone one hundred and twenty miles. After a 
 further march of about five hundred miles, fighting 
 all the way, they surrendered. 
 
 They were imprisoned at Fort Robinson for more 
 than two months, at the end of which time the War 
 
 2B , 
 
418 
 
 WARS WITH SITTING-BULt. 
 
 and Interior Departments decided that they must 'i^c 
 south again to answer for the murders and other 
 atrocities which had attended their northward flight. 
 Against this they protested emphatically, declaring 
 that they would rather die than be carried back. It 
 is said that in order to reduce them to submission 
 they were deprived of fire and food for five days. 
 This course only tended to render them more despe^ 
 rate. One night, at eleven o'clock, all the warriors, at 
 a given signal from Dull Knife, leaped through the 
 unbarred windows of their prison-house, followed by 
 the women and children. 
 
 Indians Hunted like Wild Bea49ts. 
 
 Within one hundred feet of their place of confine 
 
 ment were several companies of United States troops. 
 As the savages crossed the yard by the barracks they 
 fired at the guards from revolvers which they had 
 concealed, wounding four of them. The troops pur 
 sued, and succeeded in killing more than forty oi 
 them. Soon one hundred and fifty cavalrymen 
 started in the chase, and the sharp bang of their car- 
 bines could be heard as they followed the Indians to 
 the bluffs about three miles distant. The hunt was 
 continued for about two weeks. On the i6th of 
 January, Captain Weasels set out with four companies 
 of cavalry; on the 2 2d he closed the campaign. On 
 that day he attacked the remnant of the band as they 
 were intrenched in a ravine about fifty miles from 
 Fort Robinson. 
 
 The Indians fired what little ammunition they had, 
 
"^VARS WITH SITTING-BULL. 
 
 419 
 
 anct then, drawing their hunting-knives, rushed with 
 desperation upon their foe ; but the troops killed them 
 all at a volley, twenty-four bodies being found in the 
 ravine. The best that can be said of this whole 
 transaction is that there was much blundering and 
 mismanagement on the part of the governmental 
 authorities in regard to the nature, customs and 
 wants of these Indians 
 
 And such blundering and mismanagement, which 
 can be considered as little less than crimes, stand 
 recorded against the Government of the United 
 States in its treatment of the Indians. There is 
 some excuse for savages — none for a powerful, en- 
 lightened, ant* professedly christianized nation. 
 
 , J . 
 
«ipl 
 
 BIM 
 
 
 . ~ ' * 
 
 t""' 
 
 •V 
 
 •;'y. CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 The War with the Nez Perces. — Sanguinary 
 Combats. — Remarkable Speech of Chief 
 Joseph. 
 
 • » ' ■ ' " 
 
 In 185 1 the census of the Nez Perces Indians of 
 Oregon was ofificially reported as one thousand eight 
 hundred and fifty. In the report of the Commis- 
 sioner of Indian Affairs for 1875 the population is 
 numbeied two thousand eight hundred. The reser- 
 vation at Lapwaf, on which was located the principal 
 part of the Nez Perces, contained about seven hun- 
 dred and forty-six thousand acres ; but sinc^ the 
 treaty of 1863, Chief Joseph and his party had 
 claimed the boundaries of the reservation as estab- 
 lished by the treaty of 1855, especially that portion 
 west of Snake River known as the Wallowa Valley 
 
 Joseph and his band seem never to have lived in 
 this vale, their home being on Salmon and Snake 
 rivers, but nevertheless they clung to it with tenacity 
 as the fair inheritance of their ancestors. Wallowa 
 was conceded to them in 1873 by President Grant, 
 but the order was revoked in 1876, and all that part 
 of Oregon west of Snake River, embracing the Wal- 
 lowa, was restored to the public domain, partially 
 •urveyed and portions of it xaken up by settlers. 
 
 On the 23d of June, 1876, one of Joseph's band 
 
> " 
 
 inary 
 Chief 
 
 ans of 
 d eight 
 ommis- 
 Ltion is 
 : reser* 
 rircipal 
 ;n hun- 
 \c^ the 
 ty had 
 estab- 
 portion 
 Valley, 
 ived in 
 Snake 
 enacity 
 allowa 
 Grant, 
 at part 
 eWal- 
 artially 
 tiers, 
 band 
 
 > 
 
 "A 
 
 O 
 06 
 
 te 
 
 Q 
 Z 
 
 < 
 
 12 
 
 ni 
 
 as 
 
 H 
 
 b 
 O 
 
 
422 
 
 WAR WITH THE KEZ PEBCEa 
 
 was killed by two white men. This occasioned great 
 excitement among the Indians ; to appease which 
 Colonel Wood held an interview with the chief, who 
 thus stated his case : It was true that one of his 
 brothers had been killed by the whites in Wallowa 
 Valley ; that the Indian who had been slain was much 
 respected by the tribe, and was always considered a 
 quiet, peaceable, well-disposed man ; that the whites 
 who committed the deed were bad, q^iarrelsome men 
 and the aggressive party ; that the whites in the val- 
 ley were instigated by those in authority and others 
 in Grande Ronde Valley to assault and injure the In- 
 dians v/{iile fishing and hunting in that section of the 
 country ; that he wished the white man who killed 
 the Indian brought to the agency to be there con- 
 fronted by his accusers. 
 
 Foul Murder by IVliiteB. 
 Joseph baid that among the tribes the chiefs con- 
 trolled the members of their bands, and had power to 
 prevent bad Indians from doing wicked things ; and 
 'le reasoned that the white man in authority should 
 have the same control over his men ; hence the rulers 
 in the vicinity of Wallowa Valley and elsewhere were 
 directly responsible for the killing of his brother; 
 chat his brother's life was of great value; that it 
 was worth more than the Wallowa Valley ; that it was 
 worth more than this country; that it was worth 
 more than all the world; that the value of his life 
 could not be estimated. Nevertheless, since the mur- 
 der had been committed, since his brother's life had 
 
WAR WITH THE NEZ PERCEfl 
 
 • 423 
 
 been taken in Wallowa Valley, since his body had 
 been buried there and the earth had drunk up his 
 blood — the valley was more sacred to him than ever 
 before, and he would and did claim it for the life 
 taken ; that he should hold it for himself and his 
 people from this time forward for ever, and that all 
 the whites must be removed from the valley. 
 
 Colonel Wood explained that the white men who 
 murdered Joseph's brother would be indicted and 
 tried by a court having jurisdiction in the locality 
 where the crime was committed, and that the wit- 
 nesses (Indians and others) would be summoned to 
 appear and give their evidence, and that their claim 
 to the Wallowa Valley would probably be referred to 
 a committee of five distinguished gentlemen to be 
 appointed from Washington. 
 
 C^neral McDowell's Order. 
 
 This the Secretary of the Interior actually carried 
 into effecC and as a result of the investigation Gen- 
 eral McDowell, commanding Military Division of the 
 Pacific, was directed to compel the removal of the 
 nor ireaty Nez Perces to the reservation of their 
 tribe. General McDowell, in his instructions to Gen- 
 eral Howard, commanding the Department of the 
 Columbia, said : " It is of paramount importance that 
 none of the responsibility which may be made shall 
 be initiated by tJie military authorities. You are to 
 occupy Wallowa Valley in the interest of peace. You 
 are to comply with the request of the Department of 
 Ihe Interior, as set forth in the papers sent you, t<? 
 
424 
 
 WAR WITH THE NEZ PERCES. 
 
 
 !, I III 
 
 the extent only of mere)y protecting and aiding them 
 in the execution of their instructions." 
 
 During the month of May, General Howard held 
 several conferences with Joseph and the malcontents, 
 of which we shall presently let the chief speak in his 
 own eloquent manner. In the mean time we may 
 follow the history of the war that now ensued. 
 
 On the 14th of June the Indians belonging to 
 Joseph, from Wallowa, White Bird, from Salmon 
 River, and Looking-Glass, from Clearwater, had 
 assembled on Cottonwood Creek, on the border of 
 the reservation, apparently in compliance with their 
 engagement, when the information reached General 
 Howard that four white men had been murdered on 
 John Day's Creek, to the south of this reservation, by 
 some of the young Nez Perces oraves, and that White 
 Bird had mounted his horse and announced his 
 determination to remain in his present location 
 Great alarm prevailed throughout the region, and 
 the general despatched two cavalry companies undei 
 Captain Perry tc the scene of disturbance. Tlie 
 captain proceeded rapidly by night to the Indian 
 camp on Cottonwood, and found it vacant; then to 
 Grangerville, and th^^nce to the head of White Bird 
 Canon, making seveiity miles, with the loss of two 
 nights' sleep. There he found the Indian camp, and, 
 assisted by eleven citizen volunteers, proceeded at 
 cncc tc the attack. The Indians were evidently well 
 prepared, for they repulsed the advance and com- 
 pelled the command to fall back to Grangerville, 
 
them 
 
 ■d held 
 ntents, 
 in his 
 e may 
 id. 
 
 ;ing to 
 Salmon 
 r, had 
 rder of 
 :h their 
 general 
 ired on 
 .tion, by 
 f White 
 ed his 
 ocation 
 3n, and 
 5 undei 
 I. The 
 Indian 
 then tc 
 te Bird 
 of two 
 np, and, 
 eded at 
 tly well 
 id coni- 
 prerville, 
 
426 
 
 • WAR WITH THE NEZ PERCES. 
 
 fighting over most difficult ground and losing thirty- 
 four men. 
 
 General Howard in Conunand. 
 
 At this point General Howard, having collected a 
 Force of two hundred and twenty-seven men, deter- 
 mined to take the field in person with them in order 
 to hold the Indians in check while emboldened by 
 their success at White Bird Cafion, until he could 
 bring forward every available man of his department, 
 and also could be reinforced from the direction of 
 California. His first attention was given to families 
 terrified by the murders already cqmmitted, and still 
 
 nore by the hundreds of wild and exaggerated 
 
 eports. 
 
 By the 8th of July he had called together four hun- 
 dred men, which he deemed a sufficient number to 
 justify him in resuming the offensive, and on the nth 
 Df July, 1877, he discovered the enemy in a deep 
 
 avine on Clearwater, near the mouth of Cottonwood 
 Creek, and at once began the attack. By one o'clock 
 a howitzer, manoeuvred by Lieutenant Otis, Fourth 
 Artillery, and two Catling guns, were firing toward 
 the masses of Indians below. They Were running 
 their horses up the south fork on both banks near 
 the river, and driving their stock as fast as possible 
 beyond range of the guns. In ten minutes it was 
 impossible to approach nearer, owing to the craggy 
 mountain-shores back of and close by the river border. 
 General Howard '•> guide, Mr. Chapman, assured him 
 that he could escape only by a caflon on his left. 
 
WAR WIIH THE NEZ PERvJES. 
 
 427 
 
 A small train with a few supplies was on the road; 
 the Indian flankers by a rapid movement struck the 
 rear of this, killing two of the packers and disabling a 
 couple of mules loaded with howitzer ammunition. 
 The enemy manifested extraordinary fearlessness, 
 planting sharpshooters at available points, making^ 
 charges on foot and on horseback with all manner of 
 savage demonstration. These attempts were success- 
 fully resisted at every part of the line. Many favor- 
 able assaults were made by the troops, but th' In- 
 dians were determined and pertinacious, and at the 
 close of the first day the prospect seemed anything 
 but encouraging. 
 
 "A Cloud of Oust." 
 
 During the night stone barricades and rifle-pit3 
 were constructed by both the whites and the enemy ; 
 at daylight of the 12th every available man was on 
 the line. General Howard directed that food should 
 be cooked and coffee made at the centre and carried 
 to the front; but it was first necessary to gain com- 
 plete possession of the spring, as sufficient water ha(f 
 not been secured during the nigfht. This was accom 
 plished by Captains Miller and Perry, using Lieuten 
 ant Otis's battery, supported by Rodney's company. 
 The Indian sharpshooters were driven from their 
 hiding-places and the spring was secured from re- 
 capture. 
 
 At about half-past two in the aft^^rnoon a cloud of 
 dust appeared in the distance, and the glasses of the 
 officCiS brought to view an expected supply-train es- 
 
 I I 
 
 " i 
 
 I 
 
. 
 
 
 428 
 
 WAR WITH THE NEZ PERCE8. 
 
 corted by a company of cavalry; after a little skir. 
 mishing it was brought in safely. 
 
 Presently, Captain Miller, with his battalion, made 
 a mile-long charge on the enemy. The usual attempt 
 to double his left was undertaken by the Indians, but 
 a reserved company deployed and flanked them. For 
 a few moments there was a stubborn resistance at 
 the enemy's barricades ; then their entire line gave 
 way; the pursuit was at once taken up, and shot and 
 shell poured into the retreating masses of Indians 
 and ponies. They were closely pursued through 
 ravines and cailons, thence to the river, over rocks 
 down precipices and along trails almost too steep 
 and craggy to traverse. 
 
 All Abandoned Camp. 
 
 At the Indian camp, which had been abandoned by 
 
 them in haste, their lodges were still standing, filled 
 with their effects — blankets, buffalo robes, cooking 
 utensils, food cooking on the fire, flour, jerked beef 
 and plunder of every description. 
 
 In this battle of the south fork of the Clearwater 
 twenty-three warriors were killed and perhaps twice 
 as many wounded ; forty were taken prisoners. The 
 whites lost thirteen killed and twenty-four wounded. 
 
 On the 1 5th of July a messenger came to General 
 Howard from Chief Joseph to ascertain upon what 
 terms he might surrender ; but the general, believing 
 it to be merely a ruse to gain time, did not permit 
 any delay, and on the 1 7th, Joseph began his famous 
 retreat eastward toward the buffalo country by th^ 
 
iwn 
 
 , made 
 ttempt 
 ns, but 
 1. For 
 Lnce at 
 e gave 
 lot and 
 Indians 
 :hrough 
 • rocks 
 
 steeo 
 
 pned by 
 g, filled 
 cooking 
 d beef 
 
 larwater 
 Ids twice 
 •s. The 
 ounded. 
 iGeneral 
 in what 
 »elieving 
 |t permit 
 famous 
 by th^ 
 
 ^'^iii 
 
 h 4 
 
 m^ 
 
 r 
 
430 
 
 waji with the nez perces. 
 
 Lolo trail — the worse track to traverse in the entire 
 region. 
 
 The Nez Perces had for years been in the habit of 
 going from Oregon to the Yellowstone and Muscle- 
 shell country to hunt buffaloes and cure meat. Ac- 
 cordingly, as soon as the telegraph carried the news 
 that Joseph had started on the Lolo trail, the people 
 of Montana became alarmed for their lives and 
 property. 
 
 Colonel Gibbon's PursuU 
 
 There was but a single regiment of infantry in alj 
 Montana, Colonel John Gibbon commanding, dis 
 tributed to five posts, one of which, led by Captain 
 Rawn, was near where the Lolo trail debouched 
 into Bitter Root Valley, the western settlement of 
 Montana. 
 
 Joseph, who had many personal acquaintances 
 among the settlers, some of whom were civilized Flat- 
 heads, announced that he was about to depart foi 
 the buffalo country and would molest no one. But 
 Captain Rawn left his post in the valley, and with his 
 small command of forty men, reinforced by many 
 citizens, entrenched himself in the Lolo trail for the 
 purpose of holding the Indians in check until the 
 arrival of General Howard from the west or Colonel 
 Gibbon from the east. 
 
 The Indians reached Rawn's fort July 28th, but 
 passed round it into Bitter Root Valley in such num- 
 bers as to render it inexpedient to attack them outside 
 of the entrenchments. The enemy passed up the val- 
 
WAR WITH THE NEZ PERCES. 
 
 431 
 
 sntire 
 
 bit of 
 .uscle- 
 Ac- 
 : news 
 people 
 s and 
 
 r in all 
 g, dis 
 Captain 
 ouched 
 ent of 
 
 itances 
 •d Flat- 
 [art foi 
 But 
 ith his 
 many 
 
 "or 
 
 the 1 
 
 
 til 
 
 the 1 
 
 
 :olonel 1 
 
 
 th, 
 
 but 1 
 
 
 nuni' 
 mtside 
 le val- 
 
 ley (which was well settled), but did little damage. 
 Colonel Gibbon, who was then at Fort Shaw, started 
 in pursuit with one hundred and ninety men. 
 
 The Nez Perces were moving leisurely up the 
 valley, stopping for a day or two at a time to trade 
 their stolen stock and plunder for the fresh horses, 
 food and ammunition of the inhabitants, who, to their 
 shame and disgrace be it known, furnished these 
 marauding miscreants, whose hands were stained 
 with the blood of their countrymen, with the means 
 of continuing and extending their outrages. One 
 man, however, a Mr. Young of Cowallis, refused to 
 barter for their blood-money, closed his store and 
 defied them to do their worst. 
 
 The Foe Overtaken. 
 
 Colonel Gibbon*s force pressed on in pursuit of 
 the Indians over a rugged country, passing at regular 
 intervals the Indian camping-grounds. The savages 
 were moving at the rate of about fourteen miles a 
 day. Lieutenant Bradley, who with a picked force 
 had gone in advance in the attempt to stampede 
 the enemy's herd by night, sent word to Colonel 
 Gibbon on the 8th of August that he had discovered 
 the Indian camp and had concealed his command in 
 the hills awaiting orders. 
 
 All the troops now pushed forward to Lieutenant 
 Bradley's position, which was about five miles dis- 
 tant- from the hostile ground. The train was closely 
 parked amid the brush, and, at t^n o'clock at night 
 the force moved cautiously down the trail on foot 
 
 *^ 
 
^2 
 
 WAR WITH THE NEZ PERCES. 
 
 each man being provided with ninety rounds of am- 
 munition. The howitzer could not accompany the 
 column, both on account of the fallen timber and the 
 noise it would occasion in its removal. Orders were 
 therefore given that at early daylight it should start 
 after the command, with a pack-mule loaded with twc 
 thousand rounds of extra ammunition. 
 
 - / A Night Attack. ' 
 
 This night attack of Colonel Gibbon strikingly re 
 sembles that of General Custer at the Washita. As 
 the men emerged from a point of timber that pro- 
 jected into the valley they encountered a herd of 
 ponies, which, however, only neighed and were not 
 alarmed. The men then lay down and waited for 
 daylight. The tepdes of the enemy could be dis- 
 cerned in the bottom below, and the crying or /babies 
 and barking of dogs in the Indian camp could be 
 distinctly heard.. ^ 
 
 As the day broke it was seen that the enemy's 
 camp was in the form of a V (with the apex toward 
 the troops), and extended along the opposite side of 
 a large creek about two or three hundred yards dis- 
 tant. The intervening space between their camp and 
 the slope where the soldiers were concealed was 
 almost entirely covered with a dense growth of wil 
 low bush, in the grassy spaces between which herds 
 of ponies were grazing. 
 
 A deep slough, with water in places waist deep. 
 wound through thjs bottom and had to be crossed 
 before the stream could be reached, As the morn- 
 
7i 
 tr 
 > 
 
 r. 
 
 5i 
 
 
 > 
 
 Ir. 
 
 ai 
 
 -< 
 w 
 
 & 
 
 w 
 
 C 
 z 
 
 
 wm 
 
 'it' 
 
 nvlHi 
 
 jU 
 
 ifiiHI 
 
 f 1: 
 
 inP^HiB 
 
 k 
 
 ifflj 
 
434 
 
 WAR WITH THE NEZ PEKCE8. 
 
 ing light increased the troops advanced in perfect si- 
 lence, while scarcely a sound issued from the camp. 
 Suddenly a single shot rang out on the clear morn 
 ing air. All now started rapidly forward ; Comba 
 and Sanno first struck the camp at the apex of 
 the V, and, crossing the stream, delivered their fire 
 at close range into the tepees. 
 
 Quick Work. 
 
 Many of the Indians at once broke for the brush 
 and, sheltering themselves behind the creek bank, 
 opened fire. But in less than twenty minutes Gen 
 eral Howar had entire possession of the camp, and 
 orders were given to destroy it. The Indians, how- 
 ever, were by no means vanquished, and while some 
 of the soldiers were occupied in setting fire to the 
 tepees, others were kept busy in returning the rifle- 
 shots of the enemy, which now poured in from every 
 direction — the brush, the creek bank, the open prai 
 rie and the distant hills. At almost every crack of 
 of a rifle some soldier fell or was wounded. Captair 
 English was killed, and Colonel Gibbon and his acting 
 adjutant. Lieutenant C. A. Woodruff, both received 
 injuries. 
 
 Orders were therefore given to fall back to the tim- 
 ber ; this was successfully accomplished, and most of 
 the wounded were brought off Just as the command 
 took up position in the timber two shots from the 
 howitzer were heard on the trail above, and ic was 
 afterward learned that the gun and the pack muie 
 loaded with ammunition had been intercepted by the 
 
WAR WITH THE N£Z PEBCES. 
 
 43d 
 
 ; brush 
 ic bank, 
 es Gen- 
 mp, and 
 ns, how- 
 ile some 
 e to the 
 ;he rifle- 
 im evsry 
 en prai- 
 1 crack of 
 Captai^ 
 
 Indians. The non-commissioned officers in charge, 
 Sergeants Daly and Fredericks and Corporal Sales. 
 I lade a stout resistance, but the two cowardly pri- 
 vates fled at the first alarm, and did not halt until 
 they had placed one hundred miles between them 
 selves and the battle-field, spreading of course th< 
 direst reports as to the fate of the troops. 
 
 An Attack Frustrated. 
 
 The gun was gallantly defended, but Corporal Sales 
 was killed and the two sergeants wounded. The mule 
 was shot down, but the driver and the remainder of 
 the company succeeded in reaching the main force. 
 The fight continued throughout the day with varying 
 success. In the afternoon, a strong breeze coming 
 up from the west, the Indians set fire to the grass, 
 doubtless with the intention of making an assault 
 upon the troops when they were blinded by the smoke. 
 Fortunately, however, the herbage was too green to 
 burn rapidly, and the fire died ont before it reached 
 the timber. 
 
 During the night the savages broke camp and 
 despatched their women, children and herds m a 
 southerly direction. The conflict was now ended, 
 only scattered shots occurring during the night. 
 Twenty-nine whites were killed and forty wounded 
 Eighty-nine dead Indians were found on the field of 
 battle. If Colonel Gibbon had been furnished another 
 hundred men, the Nez Perces war would have been 
 ended at this time. Unfortunately, his force was tot> 
 small to accomplish this desirable result. 
 
436 
 
 WAR WITH THE NEZ PERCEa 
 
 A Four-Days* Conflict. 
 
 General Howard, with his force, arrived on the next 
 day after the battle (the 17th of August), and startt'd 
 on his long pursuit of the Indians. On the 17th ol 
 September, Colonel Miles, commanding the distric 
 of the Yellowstone, received at his post at the mouth 
 of Tongue River despatches from General Howard 
 and Colonel Sturgis. He at once organized tht^ 
 available force of the garrison and set out to inter- 
 cept the Nez Perces, who had advanced so far east- 
 ward on their memorable retreat. On the morn in <• 
 of September 30th he found their camp on Eagle 
 Creek near the head of Snake River, and a conflict 
 ensued which continued for four days. The stock of 
 the Indians, to the number of seven hundred head, 
 was captured, and on the 5th of October they yielded 
 up their arms and came in. Chief Joseph at their head. 
 
 This war with the Nez Perces was in many re- 
 spects a very extraordinary and spirited one, and 
 there is much to be said in reference to it, We shall 
 next give full extracts from the remarkable published 
 account of Chief Joseph, occasionally correcting his 
 misstatements by the narration of General Howard 
 
 Speech of Joseph. 
 
 " My friends, I have been asked to show you my 
 heart. I am glad to have a chance to do so. I want 
 Uie white people to understand my people. Some of 
 you think an Indian is like a wild animal. This is a 
 great mistake. I will tell you all about our people, 
 and then you can judge whether an Indian is a man 
 
WAR WITH THE NEZ PIECES. 
 
 437 
 
 or not. I believe much blood and trouble wcuid be 
 saved if we opened our hearts more. I will tell you 
 in my way how the Indian sees things. The white 
 man has more words to tell you how they look to him, 
 but it does not require many words to speak the truth. 
 What I have to say will come from my heart, and I 
 will speak with a straight tongue. Ah-cum-kin-i-ma- 
 me-hut (the Gfeat Spirit) is looking at me and will 
 hear me. 
 
 " My name is In-mut-too-yah-lat-lat (Thunder-Trav- 
 eling-over-the-Mountains). I am chief of the Wal- 
 lam-wat-kin band of Chute-pa-lu, or Nez Perces (nose- 
 pierced Indians). I was born in Eastern Oregon 
 thirty-eight winters ago. My father was chief before 
 me. He died a few years ago. There was no stain on 
 his hands of the blood of a white man. He left a 
 good name on the earth. He advised me well for my 
 people. 
 
 Remarkable Statements. 
 
 " Our fathers gave us many laws which they had 
 learned from their fathers. These laws were good. 
 They told us to treat all men as they treated us ; that 
 we should never be the first to break a bargain ; 
 that it was a disgrace to tell a lie ; that we should 
 speak only the truth ; that it was a shame for one 
 man to take from another his wife or his property 
 without paying for it. We were taught to believe 
 that the Great Spirit sees and hears everything, and 
 that he never forgets ; that hereafter he will give 
 avery man a spirit-home according to his deserts. 
 
h" 
 
 ^*« 
 
 438 
 
 WAR WITH THE NEZ PERCE8. 
 
 " We did not know that there were other people 
 besides the Indian until about one hundred winters 
 ago, when some men with white faces came to our 
 country. They brought many things with them to 
 trade for furs and skins. They brought tobacco, 
 which was new to us. They brought ;^'ins with flint 
 stones on them, which frightened our women and 
 children. Our people could not talk with these white 
 faced men, but they used signs which all people can 
 understand. These men were Frenchmen, and they 
 called our people Nez Perces, because they wore rings 
 in their noses for ornaments. Although very few of 
 cur people wear them now, we are still called by the 
 same name. 
 
 *' These French trappers said a great many things 
 to our fathers which have been planted in our hearts. 
 Some were good 'or us, but some were bad. Our 
 people were divided in opinion about these men : 
 some thought they taught more bad than good. An 
 Indian respects a brave man, but he despises a 
 coward. He loves a straight tongue, but he hates a 
 forked tongue. The French trappers told us some 
 truths and some lies. 
 
 The Whites Agrgr^essors. 
 
 "The first white men of your people who came to 
 v;>ur country were named Lewi? and Clarke. All the 
 Nez Perces made friends with Lewis and Clarke, and 
 agreed to let them pass through ti eir country and 
 never to make war on white men. Ihis promise the 
 Nez Perces have never broken. No \'hite man can 
 
H 
 
 WAK WITU THE NEZ PERCB8. 
 
 43y 
 
 accuse them of bad faith and speak with a straight 
 tongue. It has always been the pride of the Nez 
 Perces that they were the friends of the white man. 
 When my father was a young man there came to our 
 country a white man (Rev. Mr. Spaulding) who talk 
 ed spiiit~)aw. He won the affections of the people 
 because he spoke good things to them. 
 
 " At first he did not say anything about white men 
 wanting to settle on our lands. Nothing was said 
 about that until about twenty winters ago, when a 
 number of wnite people came into our country and 
 built houses and made farms. At first our people 
 made no complaint. They thought there was room 
 enough /or ail to live in peace, and they were learn- 
 ing many things of the white men that seemed to be 
 g^ood ; but we soon found that the white men were 
 _c;rowing rich very fast, and were greedy to possess 
 everything the Indians had. My father was the first 
 to see through the schemes of the white men, and he 
 warned his tribe to be careful about trading with 
 them. 
 
 "No Man Owns any Part of the Earth.'* 
 
 " Next there came a white officer (Governor Ste 
 ^ens) who invited all the Nez Perces to a treaty-coun- 
 cil. After the council was opened he made known 
 his heart. He said there were a great many white 
 people in the country, and many more would come — 
 that he wanted the land marked out so the Indians 
 
 and white men could be separated My fatlier, 
 
 who represented his band, refused to have anything 
 
 (1, 
 
 Jl 
 
 m^M\ 
 
 1 
 
HO 
 
 WAR WITH THE NEZ PERCES. 
 
 whatever to do with the council, because he wished to 
 be a free man. He claimed that no man owned any 
 part of the earth, and that a man could not sell what 
 he did not own." 
 
 (Joseph next says that his father did not sign the; 
 treaty, although hard pressed to do so. Genera^ 
 Howard says that his father's name is on the treaty. 
 There is evidently a mistake somewhere.) 
 
 "Eight years later (1863) was the next treaty coun- 
 cil. A chief called Lawyer, because he was a great 
 talker, took the lead in this conference and sold 
 
 nearly all the Nez Perces' country In this 
 
 treaty Lawyer acted without authority from our band. 
 He had no right to sell the Wallowa ('winding 
 water') country. That has always belonged to my 
 father's own people, and the other bands had never 
 disputed our right to it. No other Indians ever 
 claimed Wallowa. In order to have people under- 
 stand how much land we owned, my father planted 
 poles around it and said, ' Inside is the home of my 
 people. The white man may take the land outside. 
 Inside this boundary all our people were born. It 
 circles around the graves of our fathers, and we will 
 Tiever give up these graves to any man.' 
 
 The Old Man Dying^. 
 
 "The United States claimed they had bought all the 
 Nez Perces' country outside of the Lapwais reservation 
 from Lawyer and other chiefs, but we continued to 
 live on this land in peace until about eight years ago, 
 w'.ien white men began to come i/)side the bounds 
 
WAR WITH THE NEZ MJRCES. 
 
 441 
 
 my father had set. We warnec' them against this 
 orreat wrong, but they would not leave our land, and 
 some bad blood was raised." (Another council was 
 held with the United States Government, at which the 
 the old chief, now blind and feeble, was represented 
 by his son Joseph, who was firm in his refusal to go 
 upon the Lapwai reservation, and the council accom 
 plished nothing.) 
 
 " Soon aftei this my father sent for me. 1 saw he 
 was dying; I took his hand in mine. He said, ' My 
 son, my body is returning to my n.other earth, and 
 my spirit is going very soon to see the Great Spirit 
 Chief. When I am gone think of your country. 
 You are the chief of these people. They look to you 
 to guide them. Always remember that your fathef 
 never sold his country. You must stop your ears 
 whenever you are asked to sign a treaty selling your 
 home. A few years more and white men will be all 
 around you. They have their eyes on this land. My 
 son, never forget my dying words. This country 
 holds your father's body ; never sell the bones of 
 your father and mother.' 
 
 Noble Sentiments. 
 
 " I pressed my father's hand and told him I would 
 
 protect his grave with my life. My father smilec 
 and passed away to the spirit-land. I buried him in 
 that beautiful valley of winding waters. ^ love that 
 land more than the rest of the world. A man who 
 would not love his father's grave is worse than a wild 
 animal. 
 
 ■fill' 
 
 l! VI 
 
 
442 
 
 WAR ^ITH THE NEZ PERCEb. 
 
 *' For a short time we lived quietly, but this could 
 not last. White men had found gold in the moun- 
 tains around the land of winding waters. They stole 
 a great many horses from us, and we could not get 
 them back because we were Indians. The white men 
 told lies for each other. They drove off a grear 
 many of our cattle. Some white men brmded our 
 young cattle so they could claim them, and obtain 
 what did not belong to them. 
 
 Indian Logic. 
 
 " In the treaty-councils the commissioners have 
 claimed that our country had been sold to the gov- 
 ernment. Suppose a white man should come to me 
 and say, 'Joseph, I like your horses, and I want to 
 buy them.' Then he goes to my neighbor and says 
 to him, 'Joseph has some good horse? I want to 
 buy them, but he refuses to sell.' My neighbor 
 answers, * Pay me the money and I will sell you 
 Joseph's horses.' The white man returns to me and 
 says. 'Joseph, I have bought your horses, and you 
 must let me have them.' If we sold our lands to the 
 government, this is the way they were bought. 
 
 " On account of the treaty made by the other 
 bands of the Nez Perces the white rnen claimed my 
 lands. We were troubled greatly by white men 
 crowding over the I! c. Some of these were good 
 men, and we lived on peaceful terms with them ; but 
 they were not all good. Nearly every year the agent 
 came over from Lapwai and ordered us on to the 
 '•eservation. We always replied that we were salis 
 
WAR WITH THE NEZ PERCES. 
 
 443 
 
 fied to live In Wallowa. We were careful to refuse 
 the presents or annuitif-.s which he offered. 
 
 " Through all the years since the white men came 
 to Wallowa we have have been threatened and 
 taunted by them and the treaty Nez Perces. They 
 have given us no rest. We have had a few good friends 
 among the white men, and they have always advised 
 my people to bear these taunts without fighting. Our 
 young men were quick-tempered, and I have had 
 great difficulty in keeping them from doing rash 
 things. . , ... 
 
 The White Man's Threats. : 
 
 "Year after year we have been threatened, but no 
 var was made upon my people until General How- 
 ard came to our country two years ago and ;;old us 
 that he was the white war-chief of all that country. 
 He said : ' I have a great many soldiers at my back. 
 I am going to bring them up here, and then I will 
 talk to you again, I will not let white men laugh at 
 me the next time I come. The country belongs to 
 the reservation, and I intend to make you go upon it.' 
 
 " I remonstrated with him against brinmne more 
 soldiers to the Nez Perces country. He had one 
 house full of troops all the time at Fort Lapwai. The 
 next spring the agent at Umatilla Agency sent an hi 
 Jian runner to tell me to meet General Howard a.\ 
 VV^alla Walla. I could not go myself, but sent my 
 brother and five other head-men to meet him, and 
 they had a long talk. General Howard said: 'You 
 have talked straight, and it is all right. You can 
 
 H 
 
 m,m 
 
 
 
444 
 
 WAR WITH THE NEZ PERC18. 
 
 
 stay in Wallowa.' He insisted that my brother and 
 his company should go with him to Fort Lapwai. 
 When the party arrived there General Howard sent 
 out runners and called all the Indians in to a grand 
 council. I was in that council, and said to General 
 Howard, ' We are ready to listen.' He answered 
 that he would not talk then, but would hold a council 
 next day, when he would talk plainly. 
 
 One Man as Good as Another 
 
 *' I said to General Howard, ' I am ready to talk to- 
 day. I have been in a great many councils, but I am 
 no wiser. We are all sprung from a woman, although 
 we are unlike in many things. We cannot be made 
 over again. You are as you were made, and as you 
 were made you can remain. We are just as we were 
 made by the Great Spirit, and you cannot change us ; 
 then why should children of one father and one mother 
 quarrel? Why should one try to cheat the other? 
 I do not believe that the Great Spirit gave one kind 
 of men the right to tell another kind of men what 
 they must do.* 
 
 ■ General Howard replied, ' You deny my authority, 
 do you ? You want to dictate to me, do you ?' 
 
 '' Then one of my chiefs, Too-hool-hool-suit, rose in 
 the council and said to General Howard ; * The Great 
 Spirit Chief made the world as it is and as he wanted 
 it, and he made a part of it for us to live upon. 1 do 
 
 ♦General Howard, in his account, denies that Joseph made this remark about 
 the Great Spirit, and also says his reply was; different from Joseph's rcf)<»»-i «l A 
 'iud that Too-hool-hool-suit was rough and impertiuent in hi« speech. 
 
WAR WITH THE NEZ PERCE8. 
 
 44A 
 
 •jt see where you get authority to say that we shall 
 not live where he placed us.' General Howard lost his 
 temper and said, ' Shut up ! I don't want to hear any 
 more of such talk. The law says you shall go upon 
 the reservation to live, and I want you to do so ; but 
 you persist in disobeying the law ' (meaning the 
 treaty). 'If you do not move, I will take the matter 
 into my own hand and make you suffer for your dis- 
 obedience.'* 
 
 "Did You Make the World?" 
 
 " Too-hool-hool-suit answered : ' Who are you, that 
 you ask us to talk and then tell me I sha'n't talk? 
 Are you the Great Spirit? Did you make the world? 
 Did you make the sun ? Did you make the rivers to 
 run for us to drink? Did you make the grass to 
 ^^^row ? Did you make all these things, that you talk 
 to us like boys ? If you did, then you have the right 
 to talk as you da.' 
 
 " General Howard replied. You are an impudent 
 fellow, and I will put you in the guard-house ;' and 
 then ordered a &oldier to arrest him. The order 
 was at once obeyed. 
 
 " Too-hool-hool-suit made no resistance. He asked 
 Ijeneral Howard, 'Is that your order? I don't care;| 
 ' have expressed my heart to you. I have nothing 
 to take back, I have spoken for my country. You 
 
 * The discrepancies between General Howard's account and that of Joseph 
 may be partly accounted for l)y ihe interpreter's Tariations. General Howard says 
 that his reply to Too-hool-hool-suit was: "Twenty times over I hear that the 
 earth is your mother and abo«t the chieftainship of the earth. I w«at to hear it 
 no more." 
 
 V 
 
 m 
 
 Iff ^FSiffl' Hi 
 
 
 SiJyt^^D^ hI 
 
 
 P 
 
 11 
 
 ifti 
 
 II 
 
 I'll 
 111 
 
 : ' t'. ■ • ■ 
 
 - 4 
 
 ■ *^j 
 
 m 
 
 
 i 11 
 
446 
 
 WAR WITH j'HE NEZ PERCJi». 
 
 can arrest me, but you cannot change me or make 
 me take back what I have said.' 
 
 Joseph Counsels Submission. 
 
 " The soldiers came forward and seized my I'riend 
 and took him to the guard-house. My men whispered 
 among themselves whether they should let this thing 
 be done. I counselled them to submit. I knew if 
 we resisted all the white men present, including 
 General Howard, would be killed in a moment, and 
 we should be blamed. If I had said nothing General 
 Howard would never have given an unjust order 
 against my men. I saw the danger, and while they 
 dragged Too-hool-hool-suit to prison I arose and said: 
 ' I am going to talk now. I don't care whether you 
 arrest me or not.' > 
 
 ** I turned to my people and said, *The arrest o. 
 Too-hool-hool-suit was wrong, but we will not resist 
 the insult. We were invited to this council to ex- 
 press our hearts, and we have done so.' Too-hool 
 hool-suit was prisoner for five days before he was 
 released. 
 
 " The council broke up for that day. On the nex: 
 morning General Howard came to my lodge and in 
 vited me to go with him, White Bird and Looking 
 Glass to look for land for my people. As we rodt 
 ilong we came to some good land that was alreadx- 
 occupied by Indians and white people. Genera; 
 Howard, pointing to this land, said : ' If you will come 
 on to the reservation I will give you these lands and 
 move these people off.' 
 
WAR WITH THE NEZ PERCES. 
 
 417 
 
 " I replied, ' No, it would be wrong to disturb these 
 people, I have no right to take their homes. I have 
 never taken what did not belong to me ; I will not 
 now.' We rode all that day upon the reservation 
 and found no good land unoccupied. I have been 
 informed by men who do not lie that General How- 
 ard sent a letter that night telling the soldiers at 
 Walla Walla to go to Wallowa Valley and drivci us 
 out upon our return home. 
 
 Avoidingr Bloodshed. 
 
 "In the meeting next day General Howard in 
 formed me, in a haughty spirit, tha*: he would give m> 
 people thirty days to go back home, collect their stock 
 and move on to the reservation, saying, ' If you ^re 
 not here in that time I shall consider that you v,'mt 
 to fight, and will send my soldiers to drive you oi. ' " 
 (Joseph then asked for more time, but was refus ri.) 
 " When I returned to Wallowa, I found my people very 
 much excited upon discovering that the soldiers ve»-e 
 already in the Wallowa Valley. We held a coanul 
 and decided to move immediately to avoid bloodshed. 
 
 " Too-hool-hool-suit, who felt outraged by his im 
 prisonment, talked for war, and made many of my 
 young men ready to fight rather than be driven like 
 dogs from the land where they were born. He de 
 clared that blood alone would wash out the disgrace 
 that General Howard had put upon him. It required 
 a strong heart to stand ^up against such talk, hut I 
 urged my people to be quiet and not to begin b. war. 
 
 " We gathered all the stock we could find and .nade 
 
 
 
 *Vf|; 
 
448 
 
 WAR WITH THK Iv'EZ PKHCEb. 
 
 an attempt to move. We left many of our horses in 
 Wallowa, and we lost several hundred in crossing the 
 river. All of my people succeeded in getting across 
 in safety. Many of the Nez Perces came together in 
 Rocky Cailon to hold a grand council. I went with 
 all my people. This meeting lasted ten days. There 
 was a great deal of war-talk and a great deal of ex- 
 citement. There was one young brave present whose 
 father had been killed by a white man five years be- 
 fore. This man's blood was bad against the white 
 men, and he left the council calling for revenge. 
 
 A Reveug'eful Brave. 
 
 "Again I counselled peace, and I thought the dan 
 ger was passed. We had not complied with General 
 Howard's order, because we could not; but we in- 
 tended to do so as soon as possible. I was leaving 
 the council to kill beef for my family when nv.ws came 
 that the young man whose father had been killed had 
 gone out with several other hot-blooded young braves 
 and killed four white men. He rode up to the coun- 
 cil and said, ' Why do you sit here like wome' ? The 
 kB-r has begun already.' I was deeply gri^^i^ed. I 
 heard then that Too-hool-hool-suit had succeeded in 
 organizing a war-party. I knew that their acts would 
 involve my people. , 
 
 Grave Chargres against the Whites. 
 
 "I know that my young men did a great wron<:. 
 But I ask, Who was first to blame? They had be( r 
 insulted a thousand times ; their fathers and brother- 
 had been killed; their mothers and wives had be- p 
 
ses in 
 
 ig the 
 Eicross 
 her in 
 It with 
 There 
 of ex- 
 whose 
 ars be- 
 : white 
 nge. 
 
 he dan 
 jeneral 
 we in- 
 jleaving 
 s came 
 ed had 
 braves 
 le coun- 
 The 
 
 ired. I 
 eded in 
 would 
 
 wron.u. 
 
 td beer 
 
 Bjrother- 
 
 d beM 
 
 WAR WITH THE NEZ PERCE8. 
 
 44^ 
 
 disgraced ; they had been driven to madness by whis- 
 key sold to them by white men ; they had been told 
 by General Howard that all their horses and cattle 
 which they had been unable to drive out of Wallowa 
 were to fall into the hands of white men ; and, added 
 to all this, they were homeless and desperate. I would 
 have given my own life if I could have undone die 
 killing of white men by my people. 
 
 " If General Howard had given me plenty of time 
 to gather up my stock, and had treated Too-hool-hool- 
 suit like a man, there would have been no war!' 
 
 (Here follows an acv'^unl of the various battles 
 fought with Generals Howard, Gibbon and Sturgis 
 in the course of the 
 memorable flight of 
 the Indians, and which 
 have been already de- 
 scribed.) 
 
 *' Several days had 
 passed and we had 
 heard nothing of Gen- 
 erals Howard, Gibbon 
 or Sturgis. We had 
 repulsed each in turn, 
 and began to feel se- 
 cure, when another 
 <irmy, under General Miles, struck us. This was thf 
 iourth army, each of which outnumbered our fightin; 
 ' rce, that we had encountered within sixty days. 
 
 "We had no knowledge of General Miles' army 
 
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 WAB WITH THE NEZ eERCES. 
 
 until a short time before he made a charge upon us, 
 cutting our camp in two and capturing nearly all of 
 our horses. About seventy men, myself among them, 
 were cut off. My little daughter, twelve years of age, 
 was with me. I gave her a rope and told her to catch 
 a horse and join the others who were cut off from 
 the camp. I have not seen her since, but I have 
 (earned that she is alive and well. 
 
 A Break for Liberty. 
 
 " I thought of my wife and children who were hoaV 
 surrounded by soldiers, and I resolved to go to them 
 or die. With a prayer in my mouth to the Great 
 Spirit who rules above, t dashed, unarmed, through 
 the line of soldiers. It seemed to me that there were 
 gun J on Gvx'y side, before and behind me. My 
 clothes were cut to pieces, and my horse was wound- 
 ed, but I was not hurt. As I reached the door of my 
 lodge my wife handed me my rifle, saying, ' Here's 
 your gun ; fight ! ' 
 
 "The soldiers kept up a continuous fire. Six of 
 my men were killed in one spot near me. Ten or 
 twelve soldiers charged into our camp and got posses- 
 sion of two lodges, killing three Nez Perces and 
 losing three of their men, who fell inside of our lines. 
 I called to my men to drive them back. We fought 
 at close range, not more than twenty steps apart, and 
 drove their soldiers back upon their main line, leaving 
 their dead in our hands." 
 
 (Negotiations were now entered into, by General 
 Miles, to induce Joseph to surrender.) " On the 
 
WAR WITH THE NEZ PERCEa 
 
 451 
 
 US. 
 
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 atch 
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 nov) 
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 Great 
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 My 
 
 ound- 
 
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 ere's 
 
 )ix of 
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 lines. 
 Ifought 
 Irt, and 
 leaving 
 
 reneral 
 m the 
 
 evening of the fourth day General Howard came in 
 with a small escort, together with my friend Chapman. 
 We could now talk understandingly. General Mile? 
 ^aid to me in plain words : * If you will come out and 
 ^nve up your arms, I will spare your lives and send 
 you to your reservation.* I do not know what passed 
 between General Howard and General Miles. 
 
 What Might have Happened. , 
 
 "I could not bear to see my wounded men and 
 
 women suffer any longer ; we had lost enough already. 
 General Miles had promised that we might return to 
 our own country with what stock we had left. I 
 thought we could start again. I believed General 
 Miles, or / never would have surrendered. I have 
 heard that he has been censured for making the 
 promise to return us to Lapwai. He could not haye 
 made any other terms with me at that time. I would 
 have held them in check till my friends came to 
 my assistance, and then neither of the generals nor 
 their soldiers would have left Becir Paw Mountain 
 alive. 
 
 " On the fifth day I went to General Miles, gave up 
 my gun and said, ' From where the sun now stands I 
 will fight no more.* My people needed rest, we 
 wanted peace. I was told we could go with General 
 Miles to Tongue River and stay there until spring, 
 when we would be sent back to our country. Finally, 
 it was decided that we were to be taken to Tongue 
 River. We had nothing to say about it. After our 
 rrival at Tongue River, General Miles received or 
 
452 
 
 WAR WITH THE NEZ PERCS8. 
 
 ders to take us to Bismarck. The reason given was 
 that subsistence would be cheaper there. 
 
 Faith in General Miles. 
 
 " General Miles was opposed to this order. I be 
 lieve he would have kept his word if he could have 
 done so. I do not blame him for what we have suf- 
 fered since the surrender. I do not know who is to 
 blam.e. We gave up all our horses (over eleven 
 hundred) and all our saddles (over one hundred), 
 and we have not heard from them since. Somebody 
 has got our horses. General Miles turned my people 
 over to another soldier, and we were taken to Bis- 
 marck. Captain Johnson, who now had charge 
 of us, received an order to take us to Fort Leaven- 
 worth. 
 
 " Here we were placed on a low river-bottom, with 
 no water except river-water to drink and cook with. 
 We had always lived in a healthy country, where the 
 mountains were high and the water was cold and 
 clear. Many of my people sickened and died, and 
 we buried them in this strange land. I cannot tell 
 how much my heart suffered for my people while at 
 Leavenworth. The Great Spirit Chief, who rules 
 above, seemed to be looking some other way, and did 
 not see what was being done to my people. 
 
 "During the hot days (July, 1878) we received 
 notice that we were to be removed farther away from 
 our o'-'n country. We were not asked if we were 
 willing to go. We were ordered to get into the rail- 
 road cars. Three of my people died on the way to I 
 
WAR WITH THE NEZ PEBCE8. 
 
 453 
 
 Baxter Springs. It was worse to die there than to 
 die fighting in the mountains. 
 
 "We were moved from Baxter Springs (Kansas) 
 to the Indian Territory, and set down without our 
 lodges. We had but little medicine and we were 
 nearly all sick. Seventy of my people have died since 
 we moved there." (They had, \\- '.le in Indian Tern 
 tory, a great many visits from distinguished men, and 
 a great deal of talk which ended in nothing.) "At last 
 I was permitted to come to Washington and bring 
 my friend, Yellow Bull, and our interpreter with me. 
 I am glad we came. 
 
 "I have shaken hands with a great many friends; 
 but there are some things I want to know which 
 nobody seems able to explain. I cannot understand 
 how a government sends a man out to fight us, as it 
 did General Miles, and then breaks his word. Such 
 a government has something wrong about it. I can- 
 not understand why so many different chiefs ar^ 
 allowed to talk so many different ways and promise 
 so many different things. 
 
 " Words do not Pay for Dead People." 
 
 "I have heard talk and talk, but nothing is done. 
 Good words do not last long, unless they amount to 
 something. Words do not pay for my dead people. 
 They do not pay for my country now overrun by 
 white men. They do not protect my father's grave. 
 They do not pay for all my horses and cattle. Good 
 words will not give me back my children. Good 
 words will not make good the promise of your war* 
 
4M 
 
 WAR WITH THE NEZ PERCEB. 
 
 chief, General Miles. Good words will not give my 
 people good health and stop them from dying. Good 
 words will not get my people a home where they can 
 live in peace and take care of themselves. I am tired 
 of talk that comes to nothing. I only ask of the gov- 
 ernment to be treated as all other men are treated. 
 If I cannot go to my own home, let me have a home 
 in some country where my people will not die so fast. 
 I would like to go to Bitter Root Valley. There my 
 people would be healthy. 
 
 One Law for All. 
 
 "I know that my race must change. We cannot 
 hold our own with the white men as we are. We 
 only ask an even chance to live as other men live. 
 We ask to be recognized as men. We ask that the 
 same law shall work alike on all men. If the Indian 
 breaks the law, punish him by the law. If the white 
 man breaks the law, punish him also. 
 
 " Let me be a free man — free to travel ; free to 
 stop ; free to work ; free to trade where I choose ; 
 free to choose my own teachers ; free to follow the 
 religion of my fathers ; free to think, talk and act for 
 myself — ^and I will obey every law or submit to the 
 penalty. 
 
 "Whenever the white men treat the Indians as they 
 treat each other, then we shall have no more wars. 
 We shall all be alike —brothers of one father and one 
 mother, with one sky aboye us and one country 
 around us, and one government for all. Then the 
 Great Spirit Chief, who rules above, will smile upon 
 
WAR WITH THE NEZ PERCE8. 
 
 465 
 
 this land and send rain to wash out from the face of 
 the earth the bloody %pots made by brothers' hands. 
 For this time the Indian race is waiting and praying. 
 I hope that no more groans of wounded men and 
 women will ever go to the ear of the Great Spirit 
 Chief above, and that all people may be one people. 
 "In-mut-too-yah-lat-lat has spoken for his people." 
 
CHAPTER XXV 
 
 The Ute Massacre of 1879 at the White River 
 Agency. — Agent Meeker and Family Killed. 
 
 The Ute nation is composed of the Tabaquache, 
 Muache, Capote, Weminuche, Yampa, Grand River 
 and Uintah bands. Previous to the time when the 
 United States entered into definite treaty relations 
 with them they roamed over the vast extent of coun- 
 try embraced in Western Colorado, Eastern Utah, 
 Northern New Mexico and Arizona and Southern 
 Wyoming. They were also accustomed to go down 
 through Eastern Colorado to the buffalo-range on 
 the Plains for their periodical hunts, often coming 
 into collision with the Cheyennes and Arrapahoes, 
 also the Camanches and Kiowas, who claimed the 
 southern buffalo-range as their territory. 
 
 The Utes, up to 1879, had been conspicuous for 
 their peaceable relations with the whites. Indeed, 
 they were always mentioned in official reports as 
 models of good behavior. 
 
 In ^^arch, 1868, a treaty was made with them by 
 the provisions of which an immense tract of countr)' 
 in So'uthern Colorado was solemnly set apart for their 
 exclusive use, and they agreed to relinquish their 
 claims to any portions of the country not embraced 
 in their reservation. Two agencies were established 
 46« • .. 
 
THE UTE MAfiBAGRB. 
 
 467 
 
 there, and for a time all went well. But soon immi- 
 grants and miners began to encroach (the old story) 
 upon the Indian lands, and their complaints were 
 nutmerous and grievous. 
 
 In the spring of 1872, Congress authorized the 
 Secretary of the Interior to enter into negotiations 
 with the Utes for the extinguishment of their title to 
 the southera^part of their reservation, which was then 
 overrun by miners and ranchmen. The commission 
 appointed for this purpose failed to seci*»'e the con- 
 cession. In 1875, however, new delegates being sent, 
 negotiations were effected, and the mining lands were 
 ceded by the Utes to the government for a consid- 
 eration. 
 
 Cost of Keeping an Indian. 
 
 The experiences of this tribe on their reservation 
 were indeed unenviable. The drought and the grass- 
 hoppers destroyed the crops of the agency farms, 
 and the intrusion of miners and ranchers served tc 
 reduce their revenue from robes and peltries. Full) 
 one-half of them were supposed to be entirely sup- 
 ported by government rations, but the entire sum 
 expended for each was only two and one-third cents 
 a day. 
 
 In 1879 occurred the Meeker massacre, with the 
 killing of Major Thornburgh. This unfortunate event 
 seems to have been precipitated by misunderstandings 
 between Agent Meeker at the White River Agency 
 and his Indian wards. In the spring of 1879 huntings 
 parties went north beyond the limits of their reser- 
 
UINTAH CHIEF. 
 
 4«8 
 
THE UTE MASSACRE. 
 
 469 
 
 vation, extending their excursions as far as the Parks 
 in Western Colorado. During these trips they killed 
 game and sold the peltries to storekeepers near the 
 northern border of their lands, and in exchange there- 
 for obtained, it was reported, ammunition and whiskey. 
 Agent Meeker credited these rumors, and wrote to 
 the military commander at Fort Steele to arrest all 
 the Utes found north, and either retain them or send 
 them back to the reservation. 
 
 A False Report. 
 
 In July reports were circulated through the States 
 to the effect that th*^ Utes had set fire to immense 
 tracts of timber which were burning near North and 
 Middle Parks. But Major Thornburgh, the com- 
 mandant at Fort Steele, stated that diligent inquiry 
 had failed to reveal such a state of affairs ; he, how- 
 ever, discovered that they had killed a great deal of 
 game and had used the skins for trade. He further 
 found that the miners whom they visited were not 
 molested, but, on the contrary, had been presented 
 with an abundance of game. Others were of the 
 opinion that the burning of the forest was caused by 
 the camp-fires carelessly left by white hunters and 
 pleasure-seekers. 
 
 On the 8th of September, 1879, ^^^ ^^^^ serious 
 difficulty occurred at Mr. Meeker's agency (at White 
 River). As he was ploughing a piece of ground near 
 at hand, on which were the tents and corrals of some 
 of the Indians, three or four of them objected to the 
 proceeding. The agent offered to assist them to re- 
 
MO 
 
 THE IJTE MASSACRE. 
 
 move their possessions to equally good situations, but 
 they refused, and would listen to nothing ; so he 
 ordered the plough to proceed. The strip laid off 
 was half a mile long and one hundred feet wide*, 
 when the ploughman ran one furrow through and 
 came to the upper end, he was met by two Indians 
 with guns, who told him to proceed no farther. A 
 controversy ensued, and it was finally agreed that the 
 agent should plough one half of the tract, provid(;d 
 he would remove the corrals, dig a " ell, help build a 
 log cabin and supply a stove. ^ 
 
 Meeker Calls for Help. 
 
 On the loth of September, 1879, Meeker iclc 
 graphed to the Department that he had been as 
 saulted by a leading chief (Johnson), forced out of 
 his own house and badly injured, and asked protec- 
 tion for himself and family. 
 
 On September 15th the War Department, at the 
 request of the Indian Office, ordefed that a detail of 
 troops be sent from the nearest military post sufficient 
 in number to arrest such Indian chiefs as were insub- 
 ordinate and enforce obedience to the commands of 
 the agent ; also that the ringleaders be held until an 
 investigation could be had. 
 
 Major Thorn burgh was detailed for this duty. The 
 Utes became intensely excited when they learned that 
 the troops were on their way to the agency. 
 
 A series of despatches passed between Agent 
 Meeker and Major Thornburgh, the purport of which 
 related to the best method of getting the troops on 
 
THE UTE MAS8ACR1. 
 
 48\ 
 
 to the reservation without exciting the Indians to 
 violent acts. Major Thornburgh, however, kept 
 steadily advancing. Messengers were constantly ar< 
 riving with the news of his approach ; and the result 
 was an uprising in which Agent Meeker and all his 
 male assistants were killed, the agency building 
 sacked and fired and the women and children carried 
 off to the south. 
 
 On the morning of the same day the command oi 
 Major Thornburgh was attacked by a body of Utes 
 in a canon fifteen miles from the agency, and tne 
 major himself killed. General Adams, a former 
 agent of the Utes, was afterward sent into the 
 interior of the reservation in pursuit of those who 
 had captured the women and children ; after a tedious 
 and, in some respects, dangerous journey, he succeed^ 
 ed in rescuing them all. 
 
CHAPTER XXVI. . 
 
 War of 1890-91. — Bold Cheyenne Braves.— 
 Splendid Charge against Squadrons of 
 Regular Cavalry. — An Unequal Combat.-* 
 Hostilities Predicted. 
 
 The first mutterings of the Indian War of 1890 
 and 1 89 1 came from the reservation of the northern 
 Cheyennes. Only a few persons took part in this 
 exciting affair, yet it was a premonition of an attack 
 that was to startle the whole country. 
 
 Early* in October came an extraordinary story 
 from the reservation of two young Indian braves, 
 guilty of murder, who challenged and fought several 
 troops of United States cavalry. 
 
 No tragedy in which the white man and Indian 
 have been joint actors ever blended more completely 
 the horrible, the dramatic and the picturesque. Upon 
 the reservation of the northern Cheyennes, which lies 
 south of the Yellowstone River, Montana, and along 
 the banks of the Rosebud and the Tongue, weregath 
 ered the remnant of the fierce band of warriors who, 
 in the seventies, under Roman Nose, Lame Deer 
 and Dull Knife, wrote some of the bloodiest pages in 
 the history of Indiiln warfare, and gave some of the 
 stubbornest fights to Miles, McKenzie and Crook. 
 They had been, in the main, peaceable since their or 
 
BOLD CHEYENNE BRAVES. 
 
 463 
 
 cupation of this country, but there had been signs of 
 turbulence and discontent among them for the prC' 
 ceding four years, which rendered necessary annual 
 camps of regular troops in their vicinity. 
 
 In the spring of 1890 the murder of a settler by 
 three of their number threatened a crisis. The mur- 
 derers were surrendered, and it did not take place ; but 
 as a consequence of the trouble for five long months 
 the white tents of a battalion of the First United States 
 Cavalry stood as silent peacemakers among the 
 smoky lodges of the Cheyennes along the Lame Deer. 
 
 The rturderers Flee. 
 
 Everything promised a continuance of peace and a 
 speedy withdrawal of the troops, when, on September 
 6th, the wanton murder by the Indiaiis of a young 
 man named Boyle within three miles of the cavalry 
 camp put another face on the situation. Boyle's 
 body had been found after a three days* arduous 
 search by the troops and friendly Indians in a deep 
 ravine on a steep and lonely mountain-side a long 
 distance away from the scene of the murder. That 
 night it was discovered by the Indian police tnat the 
 murderers were two young Cheyennes, who, upon 
 the finding of the body, had taken to the hills. 
 
 Their crime had been particularly atrocious and 
 devoid of motive, but the denouement forms one of 
 the most remarkable scenes in the history of Indian 
 fanaticism: The pursuit of the murderers had con- 
 tinued without success for some days, when suddenly 
 a message was conveyed from the fugitives to the 
 
464 
 
 BOLD CHEYENNE BRAVES. 
 
 Indian agent, through the father of one of them, to the 
 effect that they were tired of hiding, that they real- 
 ized that they had forfeited their lives, and that they 
 wanted to die in fair fight. 
 
 An Extraordinary Challenge. 
 
 They said if the agent would cause the troops to 
 be assembled, they would come forward and fight 
 them to the death, and that if they should not be 
 drawn up to receive them they would raid the agency 
 and camp and kill every white soul they might see. 
 Idle as such a boastful proposition might sound in 
 the mouth of a Shoshone or Crow, it had a different 
 ring when uttered by two young Cheyenne braves. 
 Major Carroll, the commanding officer of the camp, 
 was quietly notified, and in a moment the sound of 
 " Boots and Saddles " hurried in the herds and sum- 
 moned the camp to horse. 
 
 Lieutenant S. C. Robertson of the First Cavalry was 
 among the first to report, and was ordered to take his 
 troop and dispose it around the agency as quickly as 
 possible, so as to intercept the approach of the In- 
 dians from that direction. 
 
 His graphic narrative is as follows : " As we gal 
 loped over the mile of road between the camp and 
 agency we could not help feeling that our trip was i 
 foors errand, for the idea of a prearranged duel be 
 tween two young Indians and three troops of cavalry 
 seemed too grotesque to be entertained. On ex- 
 pressing this fear, however, to Brave Wolf, a Chey- 
 eane chief who rode beside us, he assured us by say 
 
BOLD CHEYENNE BRAVBa 
 
 465 
 
 \ng that the young bucks would certainly appear, and 
 that it would be a fight to a finish when they did. 
 
 The Scene of the Encounter. 
 
 " Hurrying on, we left a guard at the agency, and 
 then, under Brave Wolf's guidance, turned up the 
 road east of that point. Along this, the old Indian 
 said, our braves would appear, and here, about half a 
 mile away, we halted and posted our men, some 
 mounted and others dismounted. The road here 
 runs through a narrow valley, closed apparently on 
 all sides by steep rock-crowned hills. No better 
 amphitheatre could have been offered by Nature for 
 the enactment of the performance in store for us. 
 As we looked about us after disposing the men, the 
 scene we beheld was worth remembering. The whole 
 Cheyenne tribe had, during the previous several days' 
 excitement, been gathered by the agent from all parts 
 of the reservation and placed in camp about the 
 agency. They had poured out of their tepees at the 
 approach of the troop, and they now stood upon the 
 ridges above the valley in dense groups of brilliant 
 barbaric color. . 
 
 "Still farther beyond, on the taller heights and 
 across the Lame Deer, were gathered for safety the 
 squaws and children and the large pony herds. The 
 two young murderers had, before our arrival, sent a 
 herald to their people inviting them to come out and 
 see how splendidly they could die, and the quiet de- 
 liberation with which the preliminaries of the coming 
 contest were now being arranged suggested thoughts 
 
 21 
 
466 
 
 BOLD CHEYENNE BRAYli. 
 
 of the ancient arena strangely out of keeping with 
 the flow of nineteenth-century methods and ideas. 
 Figuratively, the audience was barely seated when 
 the curtain went up, and the two main actors, for 
 whose coming every eye was eagerly watching, step 
 ped upon the stage. 
 
 Pictnresque Sigrbt. 
 
 "They were first seen riding from a clump of 
 
 timber across the valley, and about eight hundred 
 yards away. Our glasses told us they were well 
 armed and mounted and in full war-rig, one of them 
 wearing a splendid war-bonnet that swept low toward 
 the ground. Directing their ponies up one of the 
 steepest parts of the opposite ridge, they gained the 
 summit, and there, sweeping their steeds in quick 
 circles against the sky, their eagle head-feathers 
 dancing in the breeze, they sang the Cheyenne death- 
 song. No plaudits of pit or box were needed to 
 inspire them. They were Cheyenne braves, the sons 
 of Cheyenne warriors, whose past heroic deeds they 
 had heard sung by many a camp-fire, and the eyes of 
 hundreds of their tribe, they knew, were there across 
 the valley to note and scorn the faintest trace of fear. 
 Meanwhile, our men liad gs.thered nearer to the hill, 
 and in a few moments the ' zip ' of falling bullets 
 among us told that the unequal contest had com- 
 menced." 
 
 The Chargre of the Cheyennes. 
 Its details are unnecessary. Fifty carbines open 
 Kid fire and the Indians fought from the rocks. Flanked 
 
BOLD CHEYENNE BRAVES. 
 
 467 
 
 with 
 leas, 
 vhen 
 . for 
 step 
 
 ip of 
 ndred 
 
 s well 
 them 
 
 ;oward 
 
 of the 
 
 ed the 
 quick 
 
 >athers 
 death- 
 led to 
 e sons 
 is they 
 ;yes of 
 across 
 |of fear. 
 Ihe hill, 
 bullets 
 com- 
 
 open 
 lanked 
 
 and driven out of these, they dashed down the ste»if 
 hillside, and made for the line of a fresh troop of 
 cavalry that had just been led upon the southern 
 crest of the valley by Lieutenant Pitcher of the First 
 It was on this ridge that most of the Cheyenne spec- 
 tators were assembled, and the young braves evident- 
 ly wanted them to be in at the death. Across the 
 valley they charged, one mounted, the other, whose 
 pony had been shot, on foot. The former, amid a 
 hail of balls, rode boldly up the slope in the face of 
 Lieutenant Pitcher's line, firing rapidly from the hip 
 as he came. Thirty carbines and revolvers confronted 
 him, but on he rode, his eyes glaring in fierce frenzy, 
 until the line of troopers was pierced, and then, with 
 three bullets :n his brain and others in his body, he 
 found the death he sought. 
 
 The dismounted buck meanwhile turned down the 
 valley, attracted perhaps by the little knot of whites 
 before the agency. Bullets rained around him. As 
 was afterward discovered, his clothing was pierced in 
 many places, and he was probably first wounded, for, 
 turning sudd' ''y^ to the left, with true Indian instinct 
 —the instinct of a wounded rabbit or coyote- he 
 sought refuge in a cut in the dry stream-bed, where 
 he fought desperately until killed. 
 
 This last was a mere youth, who, it afterward tran 
 spired, had taken no part in the killing of Boyle, but 
 who was too brave to claim exemption from the crimti 
 his guilty companion had committed. Those who 
 suddenly discovered him dead w6re almost startled 
 
468 
 
 BOLD CHEYENNE BRAVES. 
 
 at the weird beauty of the picture he made as he lay 
 in his vivid color of costume and painted face, his red 
 blood dyeing the yellow of the autumn leaves on 
 which he fell. . / . '^ 
 
 A Debt of Blood for Blood. 
 
 The tragedy was over and the Indian debt of blood 
 for blood discharged. The Indian mothers — who, 
 when they found their sons must die, had, bravely as 
 any Spartan woman, gone into the hills and decorated 
 them for the fray, and, who, more bravely still, had 
 watched them die — now rushed forward and threw 
 themselves upon the bodies. The women and chil- 
 dren flocked from the camps across the stream, and 
 the air was filled with lamentations and songs in 
 praise of the valor of the d.ead. During the firing 
 many of the young Cheyenne bucks who lined the 
 hills had, in uncontrollable excitement, leaped from 
 their ponies and buckled their cartridge-belts omin- 
 ously outside their blankets; but the Indian police, 
 under the wise direction of Agent Cooper, did their 
 duty faithfully, and the results that were feared were 
 avoided. 
 
 It requires only one such exciting event t^ stir the 
 blood of a whole tribe, and when the trouble begins 
 it is impossible to predict where it will end. Here 
 was an unequal combat, and the suggestive thing 
 about it was that it occurred between United States 
 troops and Indian braves. 
 
 The outbreak on the part of the Sioux and other 
 tribes which soow followed this occurrence was antici- 
 
BOLD CHEYENNE BRAVES. 
 
 469 
 
 pated by those most familiar with Indian affairs. As 
 early as April, 1890, General Armstrong, Indian 
 Inspector, submitted the following significant report 
 This report should be carefully read, as it states 
 clearly some of the causes which led to the hostile 
 attitude assumed by the Sioux and other tribes : 
 
 General Armstrong's Report. ' • ' 
 
 " • Pine Ridge Agency, South Dakota April 7th, • 
 
 "The Honorable Secretary of the Interior — Sir; 
 In former years this agency was allowed 5,cxx),ooo 
 pounds of beef. This year it has been reduced to 
 4,000,000 pounds. These Indians were not prepared 
 for this change. No instructions had been given the 
 agent that 1,000,000 pounds of beef would be cut off 
 from the Indians this year. Consequently, issues 
 were made from the beginning of the fiscal year, July 
 1st, 1889, until the date of the final delivery of beef, 
 about October 15th, 1889, on the basis of 5,000,000 
 pounds for the year. This necessitated a large re- 
 duction in the beef issue afterward to catch up with 
 the amount, and came just at the worst season of the 
 year. The Indians were kept at the agency between 
 three and four weeks in the farming season of 1889. 
 when they should have been at home attending to 
 their corn. 
 
 "Their enforced absence attending the Sioux Com- 
 mission caused them to lose all they had planted by 
 the stock breaking in on their farms and destroying 
 everything they had. They have been compelled to 
 kill their private stock during the winter to keep from 
 
 
470 
 
 BOLD CHEYENNE BRAVES. 
 
 Starving, and in some cases have been depredating 
 upon the stock of white people living near the line of 
 the reservation. 
 
 Short Allowance of Beef. 
 
 " A bad feeling is growing among the Indians out 
 of thisj and may lead to trouble between the settlers 
 and the Indians. The full allowance of beef should 
 be given them. They complain, and with good 
 grounds, that they were told by the Sioux commis- 
 sioners that their rations, etc. should not be reduced 
 — that while this very talk was going on the Depart- 
 ment in Washington was fixing to cut off one-fifth of 
 their meat-supply, but did not let them know it, nor 
 did the agent know it, until they had signed the 
 Sioux bill. They had a good start in cattle, but 
 •lave had to kill over three times as many of their 
 own cattle, old and young, as they did the year 
 before — that they have been deceived in doing what 
 they did by the government, and that they don't get 
 as much now as they did before. 
 
 "I think cutting off this 1,000,000 pounds of beef, 
 and thereby forcing them to kill their own young 
 cattle, has put them back two years or more in rais 
 ing stock, and has created a feeling of distrust which. 
 unless something is done to repair it, will lead to 
 irouble and bad conduct. They have now killed 
 many of their own cattle, and will next commence 
 to kill range cattle. Already hides and other evi- 
 dences of t^bis are being found on the reservation 
 borders. 
 
BOLD CHEYENNE BRAVBB. 
 
 471 
 
 " Men will take desperate remedies sooner than 
 suffer from hunger. Not much work can be expected 
 
 with the present feeling. The Indians who advocated 
 signing are now laughed at and blamed for being 
 fooled. They don't get even their former rations, 
 
472 
 
 BOLD CHEYENNE BRAVES. 
 
 and ask where are all the promises that were made. 
 The government must keep faith as well as the 
 Indians. 
 
 " The attention of the Department has frequendy 
 been called to the condition of the Cheyenne Indians 
 at this agency — their dissatisfaction and determination 
 to do nothing to bettej- their condition. They now 
 openly say they will leave here this spring, and 
 therefore have no intention of putting in crops or 
 doing any work. 
 
 Discontent Among the Sioux. 
 
 " They may be held here by force, but it is ques- 
 tionable if it is a good policy to keep them at Pine 
 Ridge Agency any longer. The nine hundred Chey- 
 ennes at Tongue River, Montana, and these five 
 hundred Cheyennes of the same band here, should be 
 concentrated at one agency. The Sioux don't want 
 them here, and they don't want to stay. They should 
 not be kept as prisoners only. The Tongue River 
 reservation is, I know, wanted by cattlemen. They 
 should be a secondary consideration. These Indians 
 should be concentrated there, and a reservation ob- 
 tained for them from the Crows, and the Cheyennes 
 should be moved to it. They will then be satisfied, 
 settle down and go to work. No good can ever 
 come to the Cheyennes if the course pursued toward 
 rhem during the last six years is continued, and much 
 bad may result. 
 
 " Why should Indians be forced to stay where they 
 aever located through choice ? Put them where they 
 
BOLD CHEYENNE BRAVES. 
 
 473 
 
 want to live and can make a living, and let them stay 
 there and do it. Without some prompt action regard- 
 ing this beef matter, and also in the Cheyenne matter 
 on this reservation, the Department may this summer 
 or fall expect trouble. I have thought this of sufficient 
 importance to lay before the Department, and go in 
 person to ask that some action be taken. I have seen 
 this Cheyenne matter brewing for two years, and I see 
 now the Sioux put back in the principal industry on 
 which they have to depend. With prompt action in 
 this matter, and a proper arrangement of districts 
 for the issuing of rations, a plan for which I will sub- 
 mit, these people will go ahead. If not, they will go 
 backward, which to them is the easier road. 
 
 " Frank C. Armstrong 
 United States Indian Inspector*' 
 
 The force of the statements contained in this re- 
 port was acknowledged by President Harrison in his 
 message of December, coupled with an admonition 
 concerning the breaking of agreements with the 
 Indians: "Attention is called to the fact that the 
 appropriations made in the case of the Sioux Indians 
 have not covered all the stipulated payments. This 
 should be promptly corrected. If an agreement is 
 confirmed, all of its terms should be complied with 
 without delay, and full appropriations should be 
 made." 
 
Ui 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 The New Indian Messiah. — Mysterious Craze 
 among the Red Men. — Sitting-Bull Watch- 
 ing his Opportunity. — Alarm at the Indian 
 Agencies. — The Ghost Dance. 
 
 An interesting description of the mysterious ctaze 
 among the Sioux Indians and others arising from the 
 expected appearance of a new Messiah, is furnished 
 by Lieutenant Marion P. Maus of the United States 
 army. This officer had every opportunity to study 
 the character, habits and religious ideas of the hi- 
 dians, and the contribution on this subject which he 
 here makes is both interesting and valuable. Lieu- 
 tenant Maus says: ^ 
 
 " For many years we have regarded the Indian's 
 belief in a Supreme Being as very vague and unde- 
 fined. He has, however, appeared to recognize a 
 'Great Spirit' and a 'happy hunting-ground,' the 
 home of the departed braves — a country where beau- 
 tiful prairies and forests are abounding in game,| 
 watered by cool streams, forming an ideal Indian 
 heaven. This belief seems a part of his nature, just 
 as his love for his free and savage life, which the ad- 
 vance of civilization is forcing him to renounce. The 
 buffalo is a thing of the past, and even the elk, the 
 antelope and the deer have nearly disappeared, and 
 
Craze 
 ratch- 
 [ndian 
 
 s ctaze 
 ■om the 
 rnished 
 1 States 
 o study 
 the In- 
 ^hich he 
 Lieu- 
 Indian's 
 d unde- 
 ignize a 
 |nd; the 
 e beau- 
 game,! 
 Indian 
 lure, just 
 the ad- 
 re. The 
 elk. the 
 [red, and 
 
 i4 
 
 W 
 
 <n 
 
 W 
 H 
 
 < 
 
 O 
 
 H 
 m 
 
 u 
 o 
 w 
 
 H 
 
 n 
 
 H 
 
 o 
 ;?; 
 
 w 
 
 a 
 
 !: 
 
 < 
 
 < 
 
 Q 
 
 t 
 
 476 
 
 II tl 
 
476 
 
 THE NEW INDIAN MESSIAH. 
 
 he finds he must live on the bounty of the white man 
 or starve. -.. '"■■,.■.■ ■■■.;■-•■'. '-*:;:.- 
 
 "For years he has been confined to military reser 
 vations, and has chafed under the restraint thus put 
 upon him. Little wonder he looks for a change and 
 longs for his once free life, and gladly grasped the 
 new belief in the red Saviour which rapidly spread 
 to every Western tribe, and which the great chief 
 Red Cloud said 'would spread over all the earth.' 
 
 -s startling Prophecies; 
 
 " It seems impossible to trace the exact origin of 
 this Indian faith. An Indian from the upper Coluni 
 bia River, named Smohalla, preached the doctrine of 
 an Indian Messiah some ten years ago. This Indian 
 taught that there would be an upheaval of nature, 
 which would destroy the white man and restore to 
 the Indian his ancestral remains, and that the dust of 
 countless dead Indians would spring to life, and would 
 surround without one word of warning each pale-face, 
 who would be swept from the face of the earth. None 
 of the deadly weapons of civilization or skill in their 
 use would avail, and the blood of eighty millions of 
 whites would atone for the wrongs done to the red 
 race. •: .:;,.. ■ ■: :. . :'/' 
 
 "Within a few months the belief in this new religion 
 spread from tribe to tribe with marvellous rapidity. 
 Runners traversed thousands of miles to reach dis- 
 tant tribes and bear the glad tidings. The Arrapa- 
 hoes, the Shoshones, the great Sioux trib*es, the 
 CheyenneS; both north and south, and many other 
 
THE NEW INDIAN MESSIAH. 
 
 477 
 
 tribes, were taught the faith ; and the ' ghost dance,' 
 the religious ceremony of the creed, was danced by 
 all these tribes. 
 
 "While accompanying Major-General Nelson A. 
 M'^es and the Northern Cheyenne Commission to the 
 /arious agencies in the North- west where the duties 
 o( the commission took them, I took occasion to visit 
 the scene of the ghost dance on a plain near the 
 White River, on the Pine Ridge Agency, in South 
 Dakota. The Indians of this reservation are Sioux 
 and Cheyennes, Red Cloud being the principal chief. 
 
 Strange Antics. 
 
 " This sacred dance was probably in honor of the 
 dead braves who would soon return to life, and many 
 undoubtedly believed they might appear at any mo- 
 ment. Arranged in a circle, about three hundred of 
 them, alternately a man and a woman, they went 
 round and round ever in the same direction, while 
 the air was filled with a dirge-like chant of a grave- 
 yard significance. Now and then one fell down 
 exhausted in a death-like swoon, and was rapidly 
 carried away, while his pl'ace was filled. In this 
 swoon, it was claimed, the Indian saw and communed 
 vvith the Messiah, and learned His wishes and what is 
 :o come to pass. Once seen, they claim, He is never 
 forgotten, and again and again appears to the favored 
 believer. 
 
 "While at the various agencies I had the opportu- 
 nity to obtain the statements of several of the apostles 
 of this new religion. Porcupine seemed to be the 
 
 m 
 
478 
 
 THE NEW INDIAN MESSIAH. 
 
 great apostle, while Red Cloud, Sitting-Bull, Lit'> 
 Wound and others also were prominent. Porcupine, 
 in his statement to Major Carroll of his visit to Pyra 
 mid Lake in Nevada, told of the circumstances of his 
 journey in company with some Bannocks and Sho- 
 shones. 
 
 Message from the Messiah. 
 
 " He undoubtedly went to Salt Lake, travelling by 
 rail and then by wagon, until he reached tribes there 
 who belong to the fish-eating class of Indians, who 
 largely live west of the Rocky Mountains, and are 
 much more civilized than those on the other side of 
 the Rockies. Here, he claimed, he met several hun- 
 dred of these Indians in white men's dress — fifteen 
 or sixteen tribes from the east side of the Rockies 
 were represented — and here he claimed to have re- 
 ceived a message from the Messiah, saying the Indians 
 should wait fourteen days, when He would appear to 
 them. They also received a white nut, which they 
 were directed to eat After waiting as directed, sud- 
 denly a great crowd of Indians and whites appeared 
 unto them, and the Christ was anlong them. He had 
 His head bowed, and appeared, to his astonishment, 
 an Indian, for, he said, 'I always believed that Chrisf 
 was a white man.' 
 
 "The Christ said: 'I have sent for you, and am 
 glad to see you. I am going to talk to you about 
 your relatives who are dead and gone. My children, 
 I want you to listen to all I have to say to you. I wil! 
 teach you how to dance a dance, and I want you to 
 
THE NEW INDIAN MESSIAH. 
 
 47b 
 
 dance it. Get ready for your dance, and then, when 
 the dance is over, I will talk to you.' 
 
 "Then they danced, the Christ singing. They 
 danced until late, when He said it was enough. * The 
 next morning,' Porcupine continues, ' I saw Christ 
 again, and this time He looked different ; He was not 
 as dark as an Indian nor as light as a white man. He 
 had no beard, but very heavy eyebrows. He was a 
 good-looking man. We were told not to talk, and 
 even if we whispered Christ would hear us. He 
 talked to us all day, and began to sing, and then 
 trembled all over violently for a while, and afterward 
 sat down. We danced all night, the Christ lying 
 down as if He were dead. 
 
 The Dead to be Raised. 
 '"The next morning, when we met again, the Christ 
 was with us. He said : " I am the man who made 
 everything you see around you ; I am not lying to you, 
 my children. I made this earth and everything on it. 
 I have been to heaven and seen your dead friends, 
 and have seen my own father and mother. In the 
 beginning, after God made the earth, they sent me 
 back to teach the people ; and when I came the people 
 were afraid of me, and treated me badly. This is 
 what they did to me " (showing his scars). " I did not 
 try to defend myself. I found my children were bad, 
 so I w€nt back to heaven and left them. I told them 
 in so many hundred years I would come back to .see 
 my children. At the end of this time I was sent back 
 to try to teach them. My Father told me the e^th 
 
480 
 
 THE NEW INDIAN MESSIAH. 
 
 H! • 
 
 
 was getting old and worn-out and the people getting 
 bad — that I was to renew everything as it used to be, 
 and make it better." 
 
 " * He said the dead would arise, and the earth, 
 which was too small for them, world be enlarged, and 
 He would do away with heaven and make the earth 
 big enough for all of us — that we must all be friends. 
 In the fall of the year the youth of eich one would 
 be renewed if he remained good, and no would ever 
 get over forty years old. I have returned to my 
 tribe,' said Porcupine, * to tell all this. The Christ 
 said we must tell it to every one.' In his statement 
 Porcupine said nothing of the destruction of the 
 whites. However, it must be remembered he was 
 talking to an army officer who had with him three 
 troops of cavalry. 
 
 How the Messiah Looked. 
 ■ *' Red Cloud, who heard the story from the apostles 
 who claimed to have seen the Messiah, said : ' If it 
 was true, it would spread all over the world ; but 
 wisely remarked, * If it was not true, it would melt 
 away like the snow under the hot sun.' Little 
 Wound, who also claimed to have seen Christ when 
 He appeared at the Shoshone camp, described Him 
 as sitting under a wickiup (the name for a shelter 
 made of boughs in the shape of an Indian tent or 
 tepee). 'The Messiah had long hair down to His 
 shoulders, and when I first saw Him He seemed 
 about twenty years old ; the next vday He appeared 
 thirty; the next, forty; and the next, an old man. 
 
THE NEW INDIAN MESSIAH. 
 
 481 
 
 H I said, " Come with me, and I will show you your 
 
 dead relatives ;" and suddenly I heard a noise like 
 
 that of a railrond-train. I was carried through the 
 
 air, and came, to a field with a small house on it. I 
 
 went in, and there were my mother and father and 
 
 brother, who had died long ago. My brother and 
 
 father were both killed years ago fighting the white 
 
 man. They came up to me crying, and I shook hands 
 
 with them.' 
 
 A Strange Story. 
 
 "The statement of Sitting-Bull how he met the 
 Messiah is very significant of the teaching received 
 from the missionaries of the Christian Christ, as will 
 be see.i. He described a star he saw while he was 
 hunting, which he followed unconsciously. Then he 
 came upon a large number of Indians, including 
 many of his old friends who had been killed in vari- 
 ous fights with the white men. Black Ketde, who 
 was killed by Custer, he mentioned especially as 
 being among them. They were all arranged in a 
 large circle, and were dancing the ghost dance. A 
 man came to him, who he found afterward was the 
 Indian Messiah. He shook, Sitting-Bull by the^hand, 
 and said, * What would you like to eat ?' Sitting-Bull 
 said he would very much like some buffalo, as it had 
 been a very long time since he had eaten buffalo. 
 The Messiah waved His hand, and a herd of buffalo 
 appeared, and he went out and killed one. 
 
 "There is no doubt that most of these Indians are 
 sincere in their belief in this new Messiah. It 3uits 
 
I 
 
 482 
 
 THE NEW INDIAN iMEbSlAlI. 
 
 v.: 
 
 v-'^ 
 
 them exactly. It is not strange that there should b* 
 many versions of how the destruction of the whit( 
 race and the restoration of the happy hunting-grounds, 
 will be accomplished. The manner in which this will 
 be accomplished has been explained in various ways, 
 but it seems generally believed that the Indians will 
 all fall into a trance, and when they awake they will 
 find the whites will have been buried, with all their 
 civilization, many feet beneath the surface ^f the 
 earth, never to rise again, and the Indians, with all 
 the dead restored to life, will remain upon the earth- 
 renewed and made many times more beautiful — alone 
 to enjoy it, -.. ?• > - 
 
 "No more reservations, no more white men, no 
 more soldiers to disturb them ; the prairies will be 
 covered with grass waist-deep ; the forest and moun- 
 tains alike will abound in buffalo, elk, deer and ante- 
 lope, more abundant than ever. 
 
 The Craze Fostered by Designingr White Men. 
 
 "Another version is that the Messiah will puc all 
 the Indians behind Him and whites before Him — will 
 then roll a stratum of mud thirty feet deep over tlu 
 earth, burying the white, men and all their work be- 
 neath. There. is little doubt but that this belief is a 
 perversion of the Christian religion as taught by mis- 
 sionaries, and in its present form sui^s the wishes and 
 hopes of the Indians. It is also very probable tl at 
 this craze was furthered by the more intelligent and 
 vindictive of the Indians — many of them would be 
 glad to .>ee anything happen to change their condition 
 

 l^mil 
 
 * MISSIONARY I'KK\(..;:I1NG TO THE SIOUX 
 
 <S3 
 
 HI 
 
 m\ 
 
 r: f f 
 
 M 
 
4M 
 
 THE NEW INDIAN MESSIAH. 
 
 — anr*. was also probably furthered by designing white 
 men, who would reap the rewards of an Indian out 
 break. - , -. ■ -if,. 
 
 *' Many of the Indians have joined the Mormon 
 faith, and it is believed that the teachers of the Mor- 
 mons have encouraged these prophecies, in order to 
 increase their influence with the Indians." 
 
 Possessed by these superstitious notions, these ex- 
 traordinary beliefs, the powerful tribe of Sioux began 
 and continued to perform their fantastic ghost dances. 
 Sitting- Bull the old deadly foe of the white men, 
 took advantage of the craze to inflame the anger of 
 his people and prepare for deeds of blood. 
 
 Preparing for the Outbreak. 
 
 The disquietude among the Sioux Indians resulting 
 from Sitting-Bull's prophecy that a new Messiah was 
 soon to appear to restore to the Indians the land 
 taken from them by the pale-faces, and to bring back 
 the buffalo, assumed such proportions that on the 14th 
 of November the Interior Department transferred the 
 control of the Indians of North Dakota, under orders 
 of the President, to the War Department, and Gen 
 eral Miles was placed in control. Troops were or 
 dered to be sent forward, and it was expected that 
 within a short time there would be three thousand 
 regulars massed in North Dakota. Sitting-Bull had 
 about three thousand warriors, and it was the inten- 
 tion of the War Department to overawe the Indians 
 by bringing against them "^.n equal force of United 
 States soldiers. 
 
THE NEW INDIAN MESSIAH. 
 
 485 
 
 Settlers living on the border of the Sioux reserva 
 tion brought stories to Mandan of the arming of In 
 dians, which were borne out by Joseph Buckley, who 
 understood their language. Buckley said every In- 
 dian on the reservation would shortly go on the war 
 path, and that they had got possession of Custer's 
 rifles, which the United States army had never founds ' 
 Local hardware-men had, in the last few days, sold 
 theii entire stock of ammunition to the Indians. 
 
 The Indians said if they were unsuccessful in the 
 raid they would get double rations and they had 
 nothing to lose. Citizens and settlers who were un- 
 protected believed that General Ruger and the Indian 
 authorities were harboring a feeling of false security, 
 and that when too late the number of troops at Fort 
 Lincoln would be increased. 
 
 Alarm among- the Settlers. 
 
 The mayor of Mandan called a meeting, and the 
 War Department was asked to furnish citizens with 
 guns, if not with soldiers. Many settlers between 
 Mandan and the reservation abandoned their farms 
 and ranches because of lack of protection afforded 
 them by the government. The most conservative 
 felt gloomy at the outlook. 
 
 From an interview with General Miles, command 
 •ing the Department of the Missouri, it will be seen 
 that there were marked indications of a general up- 
 rising among the Indians. The general was at 
 Chicago, but was preparing to take the field. Thf 
 interview is dated November the 1 9th : " What is the 
 
 risii 
 
 .'■ ''■ Hi! 
 
 
486 
 
 THE NEW INDIAN MESvSlAH. 
 
 ^f 
 
 Mituation this evening, general, up in the Indian coun- 
 try, where the restlessness of the tribes of red men 
 is creating such interest all over the country?" 
 
 The general at once looked up from, his desk and 
 replied: "The same turbulent spirit among the In- 
 dians is manifested at Rosebud, Pine Ridge and the 
 Cheyenne agencies. There is a more threatening 
 state of affairs existing at the Pine Ridge Agency 
 than elsewhere, and my latest official reports are that 
 troops have gone to the Pine Ridge Agen :y from the 
 Rosebud Agency. General Brooke left the railroad 
 at Rushvllle this noon for Pine Ridge, and he with 
 hif cominand of three troops of cavalry and five com- 
 panies of infantry will reach there by daylight In the 
 morning. At the same time Lieutenant-Colonel 
 Smith will reach the Rosebud Agency with three 
 companies of cavalry and three companies of Infantry. 
 
 "In my opinion, these forces will be sufficient to 
 protect the lives and public property at these 
 agencies and control the Indians. If they do not 
 commit any serious overt acts before the arrival ol 
 the troops or immediately upon the arrival of this 
 force, I am of the opinion that the appearance of die 
 troops will have a most quieting effect. 
 
 Attempted Assassination. 
 
 " I have received information that night before last 
 '\merican Horse, who is one of the Sioux tribe, had a 
 narrow escape from assassination from the turbulent 
 Indians at the Pine Ridge Agency. This Indian is a 
 prominent Sioux chief and a friend of the Unittcl 
 
reateninnr 
 
 K^^ii; 
 
 CaiEf AMERICAN HORSE. 
 
488 
 
 THE NEW INDIAN MESSIAH. 
 
 States Government. He has been so regarded for 
 years, and is always inclined to be peaceable and 
 loyal. To nothing but the turbulent, hostile and dis- 
 affected spirit of the Indians can I attribute this 
 attempt to murder American Horse. They are seem 
 ingly angry because American Horse opposes tlu; 
 turbulent spirit manifested by the Indians and strep 
 uously opposes such actions." 
 
 The " quieting effect " anticipated by General Mil(!s 
 was not realized. Two days later the War Depart- 
 ment at Washington received intelligence that was 
 not reassuring. The following is a copy of a 
 despatch sent by General Miles from Chicago: 
 •• Reliable information has been received that the 
 Yanktons and Gros Ventres on the upper Missouri, 
 also those near old Fort Belknap, have unanimously 
 adopted the Messiah craze — the latter quite ugly ; that 
 Sitting-Bull has sent emissaries to these tribes and to 
 the forty-eight lodges of the Sioux north of the Brit 
 ish line, inciting them to get arms and ammunition 
 and join the other warriors near Black Hills in the 
 spring. Every effort is being made to allay and re- 
 strain the turbulent, but the violent overt act of any 
 small part of the desperate ones may cause a gen 
 cral uprising. 
 
 "The latest reports from the northern Cheyennes 
 is that they have abandoned the delusion. There 
 should be no delay, however, in putting other troops; 
 than those in these two departments in proper 
 (Equipment for the field. 
 
THE NEW INDIAN ME88IAH. 
 
 4S» 
 
 "The number of Indians going from Rosebud 
 Agency to Pine Ridge Agency is increasing. Re- 
 liable advices show that this Messiah craze is extend- 
 ing to our Indians near the mountain-border and 
 between the Sioux nation and the Canadian border.'* 
 
 startling^ KeportH from Pine Ridipe. 
 
 At the same time intelligence was received which 
 
 tended to increase the alarm. Two of the best, 
 wisest and most reliable scouts in the government's 
 employ reported to General Brooke that one hundred 
 and fifty lodges of the Wounded Knee fanatics, in- 
 cluding some of the most desperate and treacherous 
 redskins in that part of the country, had moved to 
 White River, twenty miles to the north, and had 
 again begun the dance in a wilder manner than had 
 been known thus far. 
 
 The 'tcouts said they talked with several of the 
 leaders, and the latter all declared that they and their 
 associates had fully determined that they would shoot 
 any government officials or soldiers who attempted 
 to suppress the dance. This was considered by far the 
 most sensational news that had come to General 
 Brooke since his arrival. 
 
 Upon no previous occasion during the scare had 
 any such threatening declarations been made by the 
 dancers. All the Indians in these hundred and fifty 
 lodges were armed with Winchesters, navy revolvers 
 and knives, and they had large quantities of ammu- 
 nition and provisions, and also were receiving heavy 
 reinforcements hourly. 
 
490 
 
 THE NEW INDIAN MESSIAH. 
 
 General Brooke received a telegram from General 
 Miles giving him power to call as many troops to 
 this point as he deemed expedient. Some of the 
 scouts and Indian police who were sent out to notify 
 the non-dancing faction to move into the agency 
 precinct returned and reported that these Indian.\ 
 signified a perfect willingness to do as requested. A 
 number immediately accompanied the scouts anc 
 police into the agency. General Bro-»ke received in- 
 timation that the War Department would certainly 
 insist upon the suppression of the dance at all 
 Hazards. 
 
 The Dancingr Continues. 
 
 Both the commandant and agent were greatly 
 chagrined and neided at learning soon after that an- 
 other lot of some three hundred Rosebud warriors 
 had put in a.i appearance, as if they had risen out of 
 the earth, only twelve miles north-east of Pine Ridge, 
 and were preparing to establish a ^host seance. 
 These all had Winchesters and were loaded down 
 with ammunition. 
 
 The warlike feeling among the Indians was further 
 shown by a letter sent from the frontier to General 
 Miles. It was from Captain Huggins, dated Great 
 Falls, Montana, November i8th. The captain saysi. 
 •' I was at Poplai Creek Agency for about six hours 
 yesterday, and heard some additional items of in- 
 terest concerning the feeling among the Indians there 
 and elsewhere in this region. The Indians at Poplar 
 Creek are better armed to-day than they have ever 
 
THE NEW INDIAN MESSIAH. 
 
 491 
 
 been before. There is a serviceable breech-loader 
 for nearly every warrior in the tribe. 
 
 Indians Ready for War. 
 
 " I learned that Wh'*-e Gut, Sitting-Bull's messen- 
 ger, stopped at Poplar Creek Agency for a few hoii^s 
 last week on his way back to Dakota, after visiting 
 the Indians in the Dominion of Canada. The agent 
 did not seem to know this when I' talked with him. 
 White Gut reported that the Indians north of the line 
 were ncher and more prosperous than those who 
 surrendered, finding a good deal of game, trapping 
 and fur, and, when they wished to work, getting bet- 
 ter wages than the Indians on the reservation. 
 
 " White Gut also said that the Indians with Sitting- 
 Bull were better armed to-day than at the time of the 
 Custer affair. He gave orders that if a hostile gun 
 was fired at any time in Dakota or elsewhere, all the 
 Indians everywhere must rise and do what damage 
 diey could, and join Sitting-Bull and Kicking Bear ai 
 Bear Butte, in the Black Hills region. This is to tnke 
 place ir« the spring. White Gut says the conditions 
 are more Uvorable now for an Indian war than ever 
 before, as the cattle are scattered everywhere through 
 che country where the buffalo used to go in great 
 Iroves, and at \_ne time a given section would have 
 10 buffaloes in jt for months at a time. 
 
 Sup«^rnatural Aid Needed. 
 
 "The Indians wuh Sitting-Bull have talked all this 
 over, and say they can muster more warriors now 
 ttnd they are bette> Armed than at the time of the 
 
492 
 
 • THE NEW INDI.'N MESSIAH. 
 
 Custer affair, and the country is better now for their 
 warfare than it was then. But their main reliance, 
 after all, is on supernatural aid. 
 
 " It is thought that Sitting-Bull wanted, next spring, 
 to assemble as large a force of warriors as possible, 
 thinking that even if the hope for divine assistance 
 should not come, he could stand off the troops for a 
 time, and perhaps win some great victories, and 
 eventually, if necessary, make his way to the British 
 line, where he thinks he would be again safe, as he 
 used to be, and could if necessary treat and ftxact 
 terms." 
 
 A Horrible Plot Revealed. 
 
 The first knowledge that the ghost-dancera had 
 commenced plotting to entrap the soldiers was 
 brought to Indian Agent Royer by William D. Mc- 
 Gaa, formerly an Indian scout and a wealthy ranch- 
 man living in the vicinity of Buffalo Gap. McGaa 
 was travelling overland on horseback and alone. He 
 enjoyed a wide friendship among the Indians generally, 
 and one night stayed at one of the lodges about mid- 
 way between Pine Ridge and Buffalo. He had placed 
 very little dependence on the reported scare, and there 
 fore feiL no fear in lying down and going to sleep in a 
 tepee full of bronze-faced Indians, notwithstanding he 
 noticed that they were all fully armed. 
 
 A little curiosity, however, prompted him to feign 
 sleep and keep his ears open during the early part of 
 the night. The result was that he secured information 
 ^ as startling as it was valuable, and that removed ^ 
 
THE NEW INDIAN MESSIAH. 
 
 493 
 
 I had 
 was 
 |. Mc- 
 •anch- 
 [cGaa 
 He 
 orally, 
 mid- 
 laced 
 here' 
 
 P ^"^ 
 inghe 
 
 feign 
 irtof 
 lation 
 icved 
 
 every vestige of doubt as to the bloodthirsty villainy 
 which had taken possession of the ghost-dancers. 
 After he had been in bed some little time, a couple of 
 hours or more, one of the redskins bent over him to 
 discover whether he was asleep. To all appearances 
 he was. Then he heard them get up and begin a 
 whispering consultation. 
 
 Troops to be Lured into a Trap. 
 
 ^"or the first time in his life McGaa says he almost 
 dc j.ed his own ears. The Indians with whom he 
 had laid down to sleep with a feeling of the utmost 
 security were deliberately plotting to lead General 
 Brooke and his soldiers into ambush and shoot them 
 down. Their plan, as McGaa heard from their ov. n 
 lips, was to continue the ghost dance until the troops 
 tried to stop it. The place selected to carry out their 
 murderous designs was sixteen miles and a half north, 
 and a more advantageous locality for so horrible a 
 deed pm vDiy does not exist anywhere else on the 
 (ace of V. ri^^ire continent. 
 
 It is wher.' v^e White Horse Creek empties into 
 the V aimded Knee, and lies in something of an 
 amphiuiviatre shap*" The only practicable way lead- 
 ing to the spot is by a road that follows along the 
 bank of White Horse Creek. Upon either side of 
 this roi" \'. and creek are dense clumps of trees, so 
 many ai o almost form a wall on either side of the 
 approach. ^ 
 
 The plot was to have a ghost dance in the centre 
 of this amphitheatre, and have the woods ol either 
 
494 
 
 THE NEW INDIAN MESSIAH. 
 
 side of the road full of Indians when the military came 
 up to stop the dance, and they would be easily shot 
 down by the Indians in ambush on either side. By 
 lining the road with their Winchesters for the distance 
 of a mile, and letting the troops get well into the 
 amphitheatre, they were calculating they could wipt 
 out every soldier that came ; and their calculation waj 
 a perfect one. 
 
 White Peopi Threatened. 
 
 On November 28th, Hawk Head and Big Horse, 
 
 reliable Indian policemen, reached the Pine Ridge 
 Agency with the news that their families had been 
 stolen by a band of two hundred Indians that had 
 deserted from Rosebud a few hours before, and had 
 rushed off to join the fifteen hundred other Indian 
 deserters who were only fifteen miles nor4;h-east of 
 Pine Ridge Agency. The deserters told the police 
 men : " Go and tell the soldiers at Pine Ridge Agency 
 we are a part of the thirteen hundred other Rosebud 
 Indians now near Pine Ridge Agency, and that from 
 now on we are going to kill every white person we 
 meet, and if the soldiers come we are ready for them." 
 
 It was predicted that within thirty-six hours tht 
 troops would be ordered to disarm or shoot down the 
 marauders, and when the troops did start after them 
 the end would be another Custer affair. 
 
 Reports from Fort Reno told of greatly increased 
 excitem^t among the ghost-dancers, and consider- 
 able accessions to their ranks, especially from amon 
 the Kiowas and Apaches, who seemed most inter 
 
 (T 
 
THE NEW INDIAN MESSIAH. 
 
 495 
 
 esteu and inclined to be turbulent. The more excit- 
 able redskins were cutting themselves v,\th spears 
 and knives, and the sight of blood had the effect of 
 greatly arousing the warrior spirit. 
 
 Alarming- Reports. 
 
 Yuanah and several other well-known chiefs had 
 just reached the scene of ghost dancing, and they 
 appeared to have been the bearers of some informa- 
 tion from the North which so inflamed the blood of 
 several lodges of braves that they mounted their 
 ponies, approached the fort and dared the soldiers 
 to come out. 
 
 Plenty Bear, an old-time friendly Indian, who lived 
 at Wounded Knee, twenty-five miles north-east of 
 Pine Ridge, came with an alarming report to Agent 
 Royer. He stated that there were three hundred and 
 sixty-four lodges, being over two thousand Indians, 
 at Wounded Knee, and that they had resumed the 
 ghost dance with many warlike accompaniments. He 
 said they were formed in the regular war-(5ance proper, 
 and were swearing vengeance upon the whites for 
 conspiring to stop their ghost dance. They had taken 
 an oath to resist interference if it cost the last drop 
 cr their hearts' blood. 
 
 Plenty Bear said that he witnessed the dance in 
 person, and that Little Wound, who visited the 
 agency lately and said that his band had stopped 
 dancing, was joining in it hotter than ever with hia 
 entire band. It was further stated by Plenty Bear 
 that the deviltry consisted of burning the houses ot 
 
 
496 
 
 THE NEW INDIAN MESSIAH. 
 
 the settlers and stealing stock was still going on, and 
 that great loads of recently- slaughtered beef were 
 coming in every hour. 
 
 It is evident from these facts that a widespread 
 warlike spirit was urging the redskins on, and noth 
 ing but prompt and stern measures would avert the 
 'ihreatened calamity. 
 
 • \ 
 
 ■-'* Tit 
 
CHAPTER XXVin. 
 
 Capture of Sitting- Bull.— Death of the Great 
 Sioux Chief. — The Indians Thirst for Blood. 
 
 Red Hawk and Guy feelt, agency police at Pine 
 Ridge, on December ist returned from spy-work at 
 the camp of the hostiles in the Bad Lands. One had 
 his horse shot from under him, and both were chased 
 away with bullets. The hostiles said they were pre- 
 pared for the last great battle in history. All were 
 thirsting for blood. 
 
 The Indian police on duty a few hundred yards 
 from the agency buildings dashed into Agent Royer's 
 I olifice late Saturday night, and said that a panic in the 
 [camp of the "friendlies" was inevitable unless they 
 were given protection. All had received an urgent 
 invitation to join the hostiles and go on the war-path 
 with them. Agent Royer sent them an extra guard 
 of one hundred armed scouts, but even this did litde 
 good. The Indian village continued melting away, 
 and next morning revealed the fact that over two- 
 Ithirds of the three thousand who were there at sunset 
 [had disappeared. 
 
 The hostiles decided to move their camp into the 
 [Bad Lands, and there await the coming of the troops 
 |to capture them. They began moving in the mon> 
 
 
 'it 
 
498 
 
 DEATH OF SITTING-BULL 
 
 ing, and by night all of them were hidden away in 
 that region, which the best scouts describe as being 
 worse than the lava beds in which the Modocs took 
 shelter. These Bad Lands begin at the mouth of 
 Wounded Knee Creek, which was the gathering- 
 point for all these hostiles, and where the ghost dance 
 started up on this reservation. They run one hun- 
 dred and ten miles north-east to south-west, antl 
 about fifty miles east to west. It is an utterly barren 
 rc'gion ofprecipitous canons and fantastic and ghostly 
 formation. 
 
 Wholesale Slaughter of Cattle. 
 Few white men are acquainted with the region, 
 the Indians, however, knowing it thoroughly. The 
 fact that it is possible for Indians, when once 
 established there, to continue making raids upon the 
 settlers adjoining the Bad Lands renders the locality 
 one of great danger to the whites who live near. 
 
 The scouts that brought the information concernini; 
 the latest plans of the hostiles also said that the lattc' 
 had just slaughtered five hundred head of govern- 
 ment cattle and three hundred belonging to Governor j 
 Millette of South Dakota. The scouts saw this beefj 
 being hauled in wagons and pack-trains to the new 
 camp in the Bad Lands. Many wagon-loads of flour] 
 and other provisions that had been stolen from the! 
 settlers were also seen headed for the region of death j 
 General Brooke received a telegram of seven hun-] 
 dred words from General Ruger, warning him that 
 about one thousand warriors of the Cheyennes were 
 
DEATH OF SITTING-BULL. 
 
 49?r 
 
 coming from Cheyenne Agency to join the hoitiles. 
 The Sixth Cavalry, en route from Albuquerque to 
 
 ,''h 
 
 (',, 
 
 N 
 
 CAPTAIN CHARLES TAYLOR, CHIEF OK GENERAL MILES'S SCOxjTS 
 
 Fort Meade, were ordered to stop at Fort Sill, wlie-^* 
 another ghost-dance fever had broken out. ' 
 Before they crossed White River the redskins swept 
 
 
500 
 
 DEATH OF Sirrii NO-BOLL. 
 
 everything before them. All cabins were demolished, 
 a quantity of hay was burned, and their dash among 
 the herds of cattle and horses caused a o-f^neral 
 stampede. Every ranchman in the Wounded Knee 
 Porcupine and Pine Ridge country was a heavy suf 
 ferer. Big Bat, a well-known Indian scout, had seven 
 hundred head of horses in his corral at Wounded 
 Knee when the Rosebuds swept down upon him 
 Nearly every horse was stolen. All one day the trail 
 leading from Big Bat's ranch to the camping-gro*und 
 of the Indians was dotted with horses which had 
 broken away from the marauders, with the ropes still 
 hanging to them. Big Bat tried to reason with them, 
 and promised them that if they would go into camp 
 between the government corral and the agency 
 buildings at Pine Ridge they would not be harmed. 
 While he was in the midst of his speech the haranguer 
 of the band interrupted him by declaring that if the 
 Rosebuds went to the agency, the soldiers would 
 irive them into the earth. 
 
 Natural Defences. 
 
 The Rosebuds intended to make a stand in the Bad 
 
 Lands, which are natural fortifications. The country 
 is filled with caflons, and the pockets and breaks in 
 the rocks would afford them a splendid advantage 
 over the soldiers, who would have to pass through 
 narrow defiles to reach them. Some of the buttes 
 are covered with timber, and here and there in the 
 bottoms grass can be found for horses and cattle. 
 Stretching for miles around this wilderness were the 
 
DEATH OF SITTINCi-BULL. 
 
 001 
 
 cr^ttle- ranges from which the Indians could draw their 
 supplies. 
 
 It was estimated that there were eight hundred 
 young warriors in this band pillaging the country 
 around the Bad Lands. They were all well armed, 
 and were making medicine on the big plateau be- 
 tween the White and Cheyenne rivers. Yellow 
 Hand, a half-breed of Pine Ridge Agency, who waf 
 sent out as a scout, entered the camp in a blanket. 
 He found the Indians greatly worked up over a story 
 told by Short Bill, who had declared that during the 
 previous night four stars fell to the cdith. Shoi^ 
 Bull went to the ^lace where the blazing bodies fell 
 As he did so three of the stars returned to the sky 
 But the fourth remained on the ground, and beside it 
 there lay a letter written in English which nobody 
 could read. 
 
 A Great Strug^gle Imminent. 
 
 Superstitious Indians believed the letter to be a 
 message from rhe Messiah. 
 
 Judge Burns of Deadwood came into the agenc> 
 after running the gauntlet of the hostiles camp. He 
 said he was devoutly thankful at having escaped with 
 his life. There was no doubt, he said, but that the red 
 workers for war were preparing thoroughly for » 
 great struggle, and that they had no thought of 
 giving up their purpose. A member of the camp 
 proclaimed his approach when he was a long way off. 
 so that when he neared the camp he found it bristling 
 with preparations for an attack. 
 
 ij\i^. 
 
502 
 
 DEATH OF SITTING-BULI^ 
 
 A Vow to Fight t<» the Death. 
 
 The hostile band was made up ahnost exclusively 
 of young- men, who, disregarding the advice of their 
 old chiefs, took the reins into their own hands and 
 vowed to fight until death. The ghost dance, Judge 
 Burns said further, was beini^ enacted all niofht lono, 
 and varied during the day with the old-time war- 
 dance. He corroborated fully the previous reports 
 as to the abundance of food and ammunition, and 
 said they were making up a big supply of a new pat- 
 tern of tomahawk which was more ugly than the 
 oM style. 
 
 •'The seriousness of the situation," said General 
 Miles, " has not been exao^cre rated. The dissatisfaction 
 is more widespread than it has been at any time 
 for years. The conspiracy extends to more different 
 tribes that have heretofore been hostile, but are now 
 in full sympathy with each other, and are scattered 
 over a larger area of country, than in the whole his 
 tory of Indian warfare. It is a more comprehensive 
 plot than anything ever inspired by the Prophet 
 Tecumseh, or even Pontiac. 
 
 "The causes of this difficulty are easy of location 
 Insufficient food-s'ipplies, religious delusion and the 
 innate disposition of the savage to go to war must 
 be held responsible. 
 
 "Altogether, there are in the North-west about 
 thirty thousand who are affected by the Messiah 
 craze ; that means fully six thousand fightmg-men. 
 ^i this number at least one-third would not go on 
 
isively 
 f their 
 Is and 
 judg( 
 t Ioiil;, 
 e war- 
 reports 
 n, and 
 ew pat- 
 lan the 
 
 jcneral 
 sfaction 
 ly time 
 lifferent 
 re now 
 :a tie red 
 ole his- 
 hcnsive 
 rophet 
 
 )cation 
 
 ind the 
 
 ir must 
 
 about 
 
 Lessiah 
 
 iQf-men. 
 
 go on 
 
 i 
 
 04 
 
 < 
 
 CO 
 
 < 
 
 c 
 
 w 
 
 X 
 
 o 
 
 i 
 
 CO 
 
 -•J 
 
OOi 
 
 DEATH OF SITTING-BULL. 
 
 the war-path, so that leaves us with about four thou 
 sand adversaries. There are six thousand other In- 
 dians in Indian Territoiy who will need to be watched 
 if active operations take place. Four thousand In 
 dians can make an immense amount of trouble. But 
 a tithe of that number were concerned in the Min- 
 nesota massacre, yet they killed more than fi^'e 
 hundred settlers in a very brief space of time 
 
 The Bed Men Well Armed. 
 
 "Altogether, we have about two thousand mounted 
 
 men. We have plenty of infantry, but you cannot 
 catch mounted Indians with foot-soldiers. The in- 
 fantry had one or two good fiijhts in 1876 and 1877, 
 but such engagements are rare in frontier warfare. 
 
 " Their argument is good. They are better armed 
 now than they ever were, and rheir supply of horses 
 is all that could be desired. Every buck has a Win- 
 chestfcx* rifle, and he knows how to use it. In the 
 matter of subsistence they are taking but little risk. 
 They can live on cattle just as well as they used to 
 live on buffalo, and the numerous horse-ranches will 
 furnish them with fre: h stock when cold and starva- 
 tion ruin their mounts. The northern Indian is 
 hardy and can suffer a great deal. These hostiles 
 hf.ve been starved into fighting, and they will prefer 
 to die fightinior rather than starve peaceably.' 
 
 General Miles's reference to Tecumseh recalls the 
 famous battle of Tippecanoe, in which General Wil- 
 liam Henry Harrison gained one of his most brilliant 
 victories. His achievements in the conflict with the 
 
DEATH OF SIITTNO-BULL. 
 
 floe 
 
 Indians brought him prominently before the public, 
 and his popularity rendered him available as a candi 
 , date for the Presidency. In the campaign that fol 
 lowed he was elected. 
 
 Conference with the Hostiles. 
 
 On the 7th of December some of the hostile chiefs 
 from the Bad Lands appeared at the Pine Ridge 
 Agency to hold a conference with General Brooke. 
 They came bearing a flag of truce and armed with 
 Winchester and Sorinoffield rifles. The entrance of 
 the novel procession created great excitement. First 
 came the chiefs, who were Turning Bear, Big Turkey, 
 High Pine, Big Bad Horse and Bull Dog, who was 
 one of the leaders in the Custer massacre. Next 
 came Two Strike, the head chief, seated in a buggy 
 wit!i Father Jule, a priest who induced the chiefs to 
 take this step. Surrounding these was a body-guard 
 of four young warriors. ? 
 
 All the Indians were decorated with war-paint and 
 feathers, while many wore ghost-dance leggings and 
 the ghost-dance shirt dangling at thein saddles. The 
 war-like cavalcade proceeded at once to General 
 Brooke's spacious headquarters in the agenc. resi- 
 dence. At a given signal all leaped to the ground 
 hitched their ponies and, guided by Father Jule, en 
 tered the general's apartments, where the councu 
 was held, lasting two hours. 
 
 General Brooke's Offer. 
 
 At the beginning of the powwow General Brooke 
 explained that the Great Father, through him, asked 
 
 
 i 
 
 I 
 
 1R1 
 
 i 
 
606 
 
 DEATH OF SITTING-BULL. 
 
 them to come in and have a talk regarding the situa- 
 tion. A great deal of misunderstanding and trouble 
 had arisen by the reports taken to and fro between 
 the camps by irresponsible parties, and it was there- 
 fore considered very necessary that they have a talk 
 face to face. Through him, he said, the Great Fathc 
 wanted to tell them if they would come in near the 
 agency, where he, General Brooke, could see them 
 often, and not be compelled to depend on hearsay, 
 that he would give them plenty to eat and would em- 
 ploy many of their young men as scouts, etc. 
 
 The soldiers did not come there to fight, bui to 
 protect the settlers and keep peace. He hoped they, 
 the Indians, were all in favor of peace, as the Great 
 Father did not want wrir. As to the feeling over the 
 change in the boundary-line between Pine Ridge and 
 Rosebud Agency, he said that and many other things 
 would be settled satisfactorily after they had shown a 
 disposition to come in, as asked by the Great Father. 
 Wounded Knee was suggested as a place that would 
 prove satisfactory to the Great Father to have them 
 
 live. 
 
 Turning Bear makes Reply. 
 
 The representatives of the hostiles listened '^ath 
 contracted brows, sidelong glances at one another 
 and low grunts. When the general had concluded 
 his remarks. Turning Bear came forward and spoke 
 in reply. He proved a most entertaining person. 
 Simmered down to a few words, Turning Bear gave 
 expression to the following ideas: 
 
DEATH OF SITTING-BULL. 
 
 It would be a bad thing for them to come nearer 
 the agency, because there was no water or grass for 
 their horses here. He could not understand how 
 their young men could be employed as scouts if 
 there was no enemy to be watched. They would be 
 glad to be employed and get paid for it. They might 
 come in, but as the old men and old women have 
 no horses, and as their people have nothing gener- 
 ally to pull their wagons, it would take them a long 
 time to come. If they should come they would want 
 <^he Great Father to send horses and w ^cjons to the 
 Bad Lands camp and bring in great quantities of beef, 
 etc. they had there, and take it anywhere to a new 
 camp that might be agreed on. In conclusion, the 
 speaker hoped that they would be given something 
 to eat before they started back. 
 
 To this the general replied that they sh Id be 
 given food. As for horses and wagons bein^ sent 
 after the beef, the general said that and other things 
 would be considered after they had acceded to the 
 Great Father's request to move into the agency. 
 Any reference whatever to the wholesale devasta- 
 tion and depredation, thieving and burning of build- 
 ings, etc., was studiously avoided on both sides. After 
 die powwow was over the band was conducted to the 
 quartermaster's department and there given *a big 
 feast. The squaws living at the agency came our 
 in gala-day feathers and gave a squaw dance. 
 
 The conference amounted to nothing, and the troc- 
 ble was no nearer a setdement than before. 
 
 i 
 
608 
 
 DEATH OP 8ITTDIG.BULL. 
 
 The next news received was of a staiuing charac 
 ter. It was known that General Miles considered 
 Sitting-Bull the chief instigator of the hostilities on 
 the part of the Indians, yet no public notice had been 
 given of his intention to have the crafty old warrior 
 arrested. The Indian police, however, employed on 
 ;the Pine Ridge reservation, were ordered to make 
 the arrest. The wily old chief was taken, and in the 
 mel6e which followed an attempt to rescue him he was 
 shot, together with his son and six braves, while four 
 of his captors were slain. 
 
 The following is thp despatch announcing the 
 capture: 
 
 "Fort Yates, N. D., Decembe* 15. 
 
 " At daybreak this morning there was a desperate 
 fight at the camp of the hostile Indians, forty miles 
 north-west of Standing Reck Agency, and before if 
 could be quelled Sitting-Bull, his son, Crow Foot, 
 and six other Indians were killed, besides four of the 
 Indian police, while quite a number on both sides 
 were wounded. The fight was the result of an attempt 
 to arrest Sitting- Bull in order to prevent his departure 
 for the Bad Lands. 
 
 " The Indian police were ordered early this morn- 
 ,ing to proceed to the camp and arrest the wily old 
 Ichief,' who it was known had arranged to make an 
 early start for the Bad Lands, where he would be 
 almost absolutely safe from arrest. The police were 
 followed by a troop of cavalry in command of Captain 
 Fechet and a company of infantry under Colonel 
 
DEATH OF SITTING-BULL. 
 
 509 
 
 Drum. When the police reached Sitting-Bull's camp 
 on the Grand River, they found arrangements being 
 made for the departure of the band, and, without wait- 
 ing for the soldiers to come up, at once placed the 
 old chief under arrest and started back with him to 
 the agency. 
 
 Efforts to Rescue the Chief. 
 
 "Scarcely had the officers gotten under way when 
 the friends of the old Indian rallied to his rescue. 
 They announced their determination to retake him. 
 and a terrible 6ght ensued. The police were sur- 
 rounded, and, though greatly outnumbered, they 
 fought like demons and succeeded in holding their 
 own against the redskins until the cavalry, attracted 
 by the firing, came up on a quick run and succeeded 
 in compelling the Indians either to fly or surrender. 
 
 " The fighting was of the hand-to-hand description, 
 and is said to have been exceedingly savage. One 
 af the Indian police jumped on Sitting-Bull's horse as 
 ioon as he saw the old man fall and rode back for the 
 •nfantry, which arrived on the scene shortly after the 
 cavalry had relieved the overmatched police. Then 
 the Indians began to break away, and probably one 
 hundred of the braves deserted their families and fled 
 west up the Grand River. 
 
 The Killed and Wounded. 
 
 When the smoke of battle had cleared away it was 
 
 found that Sitting- Bull was dead, as also was his son. 
 Crow Foot, and six braves. Four of the policemen, 
 whose names could not be learned, were also dead, 
 
mo 
 
 DEATH OF SITTING-BULL. 
 
 and three of them badly wounded. A number of the 
 Indians were badly injured, but managed to escape 
 on their ponies. . . ' 
 
 "The camp to-night is in possession of the soldiers, 
 but just how many prisoners were taken is not 
 known, as only meagre details of the affair have 
 reached the agency, but there is no reason to doubt 
 that Sitting-Bull and his son were killed and that the 
 chief disturbing element among the hostiles has been 
 removed." 
 
 Assistant Adjutant- General Corbin, in talkinc 
 about the fight which resulted in the death of Sittinor- 
 Bull, explained that Captain Fechet had previously 
 been ordered to the vicinity of Sitting-Bull's camp. 
 and was advised of the contemplated arrest. 
 
 Why Sitting-Bull was Arrested. 
 
 General Miles, he added, ordered this movement 
 some days before, because) he knew that Sitting-Bull 
 was a mischief-maker, and that if he was taken into 
 custody it would have a good effect upon all of the 
 Indians who had been indulging in the ghost dance 
 at his instigation. The authorities had previously 
 relied upon his promises to come into the agency and 
 surrender, but he had violated faith and deceived the 
 officers. A fight was not anticipated, because it was 
 believed there would be no resistance to the arrest, 
 but General Miles had taken the precaution to have 
 troops at hand to assist in case of emergency. 
 
 Speaking of the death of Sitting - Bull, General 
 Corbin said that it was probably the beginning of the 
 
ler of the 
 
 escape 
 
 : soldiers, 
 
 n is not 
 
 fair have 
 
 to doubt 
 
 1 that the 
 has been 
 
 1 talking 
 3f Sitting- 
 previously 
 all's camp, 
 fest. 
 
 ovement 
 |itting-Bull 
 [aken into 
 all of the 
 lost dance 
 reviously 
 ency and 
 eived the 
 se it was 
 ;he arrest. 
 n to have 
 
 ncy. 
 
 General 
 
 ing of the 
 
 611 
 
 i 
 
 
 
612 
 
 DBATH OF SITTING-BULL. 
 
 end of the trouble. " Of course," he continued, " it is 
 impossible to forecast with accuracy just how it will 
 affect his followers, but the probabilities are that it 
 will discourage them. Sitting-Bull was making ' big 
 medicine' and giving them to understand that he 
 ' stood in ' with the Great Spirit, who would protect 
 them against the bullets of the soldiers. Now, or 
 learning that his * medicine * is not powerful enougn 
 to protect himself, and that he has been the first to 
 be toppled over by a bullet, his influence will be gone; 
 their faith in him will be gone. 
 
 Not a Warrior of a High Order. 
 
 '• In past Indian wars," said General Corbin, " the In- 
 dians have always had the better of it at the outset. 
 General Miles made up his mind to have the advantage, 
 if there was to be any fighting, this time. The troops 
 are stationed at all points in the Black Hills. This 
 fight took place at Sitting-Bull's camp, »n the Grand 
 R'ver, about forty miles south-west from Standing 
 Kock Agency, in a section of the country little 
 travelled. 
 
 *' The first time I saw Sitting-Bull," remarked the 
 general, " was thirteen years ago. I was on a com- 
 mission with General Terry, and we met him near 
 Fort Walsh. He was then about forty years of age. 
 He has never been a chief, nor even a warrior, of a 
 high order. In the Custer massacre and in the fight 
 with Reno he skipped out with his people and got 
 away from danger. He has been a leader in organ- 
 icing the gHost dance, and has taken advantage of the 
 
DEATH OF SITTING-BULL. 
 
 513 
 
 religious craze to send emissaries to the diflferent 
 bands to induce them to make trouble. 
 
 A Shrewd Politician. 
 
 " The purpose was to assemble the warriors in the 
 spring, and, with the aid of the Messiah, bring back 
 to life all the dead Indians and restore the country to 
 all its pristine glory. Sitting-Bull was a shrewd poli- 
 tician, and took advantage of the prevalent excited 
 feeling. He took his children out of school and 
 gathered about him the small band h^ had in this 
 secluded spot, where he believed he would not be 
 disturbed. It was necessary to take step? to arrest 
 him." 
 
 The following is the official report of the killing of 
 Sitting-Bull, as received by the Commissioner of In- 
 dian Affairs from Indian Agent McLaughlin, at Wash- 
 ington, dated Fort Yates, December i6th: 
 
 "The troops left Fort Yates at midnight on the 
 14th for Grand River, with Louis Primeau as guide, 
 and my Indian police. They were instructed to 
 arrest Sitting-Bull when the troops were sufficiently 
 near to afford them protection in case of resistance 
 to the arrest. At daybreak on Monday morning, the 
 1 6th, the police went to Sitting-Bull's camp and sur- 
 rounded his house. A detail was sent into the house, 
 where Sitting-Bull was sleeping on the floor, the re- 
 mainder staying outside. They aroused him and an- 
 nounced their purpose, at the same time raising him 
 to a sitting position, and he at first seemed inclined 
 to offer no resistance and they allowed him to dress, 
 
 SB 
 
514 
 
 DEATH OF SITTING-BULL. 
 
 during which he changed his mind, and they took hin? 
 forcibly from the house. 
 
 "During this time the poHce were surrounded by 
 Sitting-Bull's followers, men of the ghost dance, the 
 first shot being fired by Catch-the-Bear, one of the hos- 
 tiles, and the lieutenant of police, Bullhead, was struck. 
 The fighting then became general ; in fact, it was a 
 hand-to-hand fight. Sitting-Bull was killed, shot 
 through the body and head, in the early part of the 
 fight, by Bullhead and Red Tomahawk, each of whom 
 shot at him. Four policemen were killed outright 
 and three wounded, one of the latter dying at the 
 agency hospital this morning after his removal there. 
 Bullhead, the lieutenant of police, is dangerously 
 "^'ounded, but may recover. The hostiles lost eight 
 WilJed and several wounded, and were driven from 
 the field by the police. They fled up Grand River, 
 leaving their wives and families and all their property 
 and dead behind them. 
 
 " Two troops of United States cavalry (one hun. 
 dred men) arrived on the ground immediately aftei 
 the fight, which had occupied less than a half hour 
 and took possession of the camp, its inhabitants, 
 property and dead. The military did not pursue the 
 fleeing hostiles, and the latter will no doubt fall inc 
 the hands of some one of the commands movir.g a' 
 different points west or south of the respi-vation 
 The police returned about three o'clock this after 
 noon, accompanied by the cavalry detachitient, having: 
 in charge the remains of the four dead policemen I 
 
BIATR OF SITTING-BULlr. 
 
 519 
 
 k hin? 
 
 •vnd Sitting-Bull, also two prisoners, HeiAy <jrowler, 
 Sitting- Bull's nephew, twenty-one years old. and 
 Middle, son of Little Assiniboine, twenty one vear 
 Gld" 
 
CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 History of Sitting- Bull.— Career of tin. Fa- 
 mous Sioux Warrior and Deadly Foe of the 
 Whites. 
 
 The reader will be Interested in a more detailed 
 account of the capture and death of Sitting-Bull than 
 is given in the preceding chapter. 
 
 On Monday morning, December 15th, a party of 
 Indian police left the Standing Rock Indian Agency in 
 North Dakota to arrest the famous cb'ef, who, accord- 
 ing to the best information, was about to start for the 
 inaccessible Bad Lands, from which, as a base of 
 operations, he could murder men, women and chil 
 dren without mercy, steal cattle, burn settlers' houses 
 and escape thence into the British possessions, as in 
 1876, or perhaps be again "forgiven," taken back to 
 a reservation, fed at government expense, maintained 
 with his harem and his children, and, after committing 
 further depredations, escape again and repeat th^ 
 operation, until Nature had exacted her claims an> 
 he had departed for what is poetically styled "thv 
 happy hunting-grounds." 
 
 This was no doubt what he intended when the In- 
 dian police arrived at his camp in the gray of that 
 Monday mornings and is no doubt exactly what he 
 
SITTING-BULL'S CAREER. 
 
 617 
 
 would have done had not a Winchester riflt bullet 
 decreed otherwise. 
 
 The most authentic account of Sitting-Buirs last 
 hours is that furnished by a correspondent of one of 
 our leadio.g journals. Writing under date of Fort 
 Yates, North Dakota (about forty-five miles from the 
 scene), hv^ says: 
 
 •' The troops left this point at midnight Sunday, the 
 operations being entrusted to Captain Fechet of the 
 Eighth Cavalry, with Troops G and F, one hundred 
 men, and a Hotchkiss and a Catling gun. The 
 orders were to march rapidly, and go into camp at 
 Oak Creek, eighteen miles this side of Sitting-Bull*^ 
 camp, and await the arrival of the courier, who 
 woui.] give information of the result of the police 
 
 raid [The Indian police had gone on ahead 
 
 to effect the arrest.] 
 
 Hurried March. 
 
 "When Oak Creek was reached, at twenty min 
 utes to five o'clock, a halt was made. Daylight came 
 and no courier. Captain Fechet soon decided not 
 to wait any longer. He would push up toward 
 Bull's camp. There might have bfien a conflict, witK 
 the police overpowered. A point only three miles 
 from Bull's camp was reached. Still no courier 
 What could it mean ? 
 
 "Presently an Indian pDliceman, known by the 
 white scarf around his neck to distinguish him from 
 the hostiles, appeared over the brow of the hill. He 
 <ras almost exhausted, and. gave the startling infor- 
 
<18 
 
 SITTING-BULL'S CAREER. 
 
 ^\' 
 
 /nation that he was the only policemen left alive and 
 that Sitting-Bull had been killed. 
 
 "On then pressed the cavalry at a rapid gallop. 
 Soon another policeman, Iron Star, dashed jp and re 
 ported a dozen pol'cemen still alive, but about out of 
 ammunition. The troops hurried on, and soon reached 
 the brow of the hill overlooking Sitting-Bull's camp. 
 The battle was raging, the police bei»:g in Sitting- 
 Bull's house and stable and the hostiles all around 
 them. The artillery was placed in position about 
 twelve hundred yards from the woods, where the 
 most of the hostile Indians were concealed and firing 
 at the police. 
 
 " in just two minutes after halting on the hill the 
 first shell from the Hotchkiss was thrown into the 
 hostile stronghold. The hostiles returned the fire, 
 but their shots fell short. F troop dismounted and 
 advanced slowly down the hill toward the camp, keep- 
 ing up a heavy carbine fire. Troop G also dismount- 
 ed, and were a few hundred yards to the right. In a 
 few moments, with ^ild yells, the hostiies, leaving 
 their women and children, left the timber and broke 
 for the hills un the other side of the Grand River. 
 
 Horrible &^ceue. 
 
 "The scene in the camp was a horrible one, and but 
 for the timely arrival of \he troops all the policemen 
 would have been massacred, as only ten rounds of 
 ammunition were left out of nine hundred. 
 
 " Directly in front of Sitting-Bull's house lay eight 
 ^ad hostiles, all Sitting-Bull's personal followers and 
 
SITTING-BULL'S CAREER. 
 
 519 
 
 all chiefs. They were, the worst men of the tribe, 
 and their names are well known to all familiar with 
 the campaigns of 1878 to 1880. They were Sitting- 
 Bull, Crow Foot, Sitting-Bull's son ; Blackbird, Catch 
 the Bear, Spotted Horn Bull, Brave Thunder, Sitting 
 Bull's adopted brother, and Little Asslniboine's son. 
 
 "Inside of Sitting-Bull's house lay the dead bodies 
 of four of the police : Little-Eagle — Hawk Man, who 
 had ridden over a hundred miles in twenty-four hours 
 with messages 10 Agent i\icLaughlin, and returned to 
 assist in the capture — Broken Arm and Afraid-of- 
 Soldiers. Bullhead and Shave-Head of the police 
 were lying in the hou'^e, both mortally wounded — 
 wne former shot three times, the latter through the 
 abdomen. 
 
 Frigrlitfiriiy Mutilated. 
 
 *Tn Sitting-Bull's stable lay Alex. Middle, another 
 policeman. All had fallen in a radius of forty feet. 
 Sitting-Bull's body showed three bullet-holes, and the 
 face had been fearfully mutilated with knives, the 
 bones crushed in with blows from the stock of a rifle 
 which lay beside him. 
 
 "As soon as his wounds were dressed, Bullhead, 
 though weak and suffering terribly, said, his face lit 
 with a smile of satisfaction, ' Yes, I killed him.' " 
 
 More uncertainty attaches to the place of birth of 
 the late Sitting-Buh than in the case of most celebri- 
 ties. According to some authorities^ he was born 
 near old Fort George in Dakota in 1837. Another 
 oracW (with perhaps a sense of tlie humorous) affirms 
 
 i 
 
 li 
 
 1)1 
 
 
520 
 
 SITTING-BUIJ;S CABEER. 
 
 that the late chief was a native of Fort Garry (nov; 
 Winnepeg), Manitoba, and an alumnus of St. John's 
 Coll'igc there — statements which he himself after- 
 ward confirmed. Several old traders, who have had 
 a look at him, declare that they remember him well as 
 Charlie Jacobs, a half-breed, who attended the college 
 in its infancy thirty years ago. 
 
 Warlike Ambition. 
 
 This young Jacobs was of Ojibway birth, and was 
 a remarkably intelligent lad, with ambition to become 
 a "big Injun." He disappeared from Fort Garry 
 ab">ut 1853. When once asked if he recollected any- 
 thing aoout Fort Garry, Sitting-Bull laughed heartily 
 and said he knew the principal people there. This 
 was the story given by a correspondent writing from 
 Fort Walsh, Cypress Hills, British North-west Terri 
 tory, in 1877. 
 
 Sitting-Bull began to figure as a bad chief during 
 the Civil War. After the Spirit Lake massacre in 
 Iowa and the great Sioux massacre in Minnesota in 
 1862 all the more turbulent Sioux banded together. 
 In 1864, General Sully drove them into the Big Horn 
 country. He then followed them to the Yellowstone 
 and established Fort Buford. Upon this post and on 
 the steamboats and immigrants to Montana the In- 
 dians kept up an unceasing war, often keeping the 
 garrison at Fort Buford in a state of siege for weeks 
 at a time. An attempt was made to treat with them 
 in 1866, but aft r accepting the presents and securing 
 some ammunition Sitting- Bull broke up the council. 
 
fiITTING-BULL'8 CAREER. 
 
 521 
 
 and the commissioners escaped to the fort across the 
 river. 
 
 Ltosingr Prestige. 
 
 In 1867, Sitting-Bull threatened the Gallatin Valley 
 in Montana, and in 1868 he attacked the settlement 
 of Musselshell, and suffered defeat. After this defeat 
 he lost prestige. In 1869 and 1870 he devoted him- 
 self principally to the slaughter of the Crows, the 
 Mandans, the Rees, the Shoshones and all other 
 tribes friendly to the whites, varying this work by an 
 occasional attack on the 'Missouri River forts. 
 
 In 1874 he drove the Crows from their agency an^ 
 reservation and made war on ail peaceable Indians. 
 He spent the summer of 1875 in attacks on the Crow 
 Agency and on Montana settlers. 
 
 In 1876, Sitting-Bull again took up arms against 
 the whites and friendly Indians. In June jf that year 
 occurred the defeat and massacre on the Little Big 
 Horn of nearly all of General Custer's advance-party 
 of General Terry's column, which was sent against 
 them. He was pursued by General Terry, but with 
 part of his band he escaped into British territory. 
 
 A Bank Conspirator. 
 
 In 1880, through the mediation of Dominion of 
 ficials, he surrendered on the promise of pardon, and 
 was taken to Standing Rod: Agency, where most of 
 the remaining years of his life were passed. He 
 found that his influence among the Sioux was almost 
 entirely gone, but he was able on several occasions 
 H> induce them to relinquish Indian lands. His hatred 
 
522 
 
 SITTING-BULL'S CAREER. 
 
 of the whites and his desire to regrain his lost power 
 led him into several conspiracies, but these were 
 quickly discovered by the authorities, who on several 
 occasions placed him under restraint. In the latest 
 troubles with the Indians, Sitting - Bull, while nor 
 openly engaged in making mischief, undoubtedly 
 did all he could secretly to increase the discontent 
 among red men, and did nothing that would tend to 
 quiet them. 
 
 Even Sitting-Bull has hac ihose who have refused 
 to do him reverence. That he was not even a warrior 
 in the commonly accepted sense of the term is alleged 
 by no less an authority than Captain Charles King of 
 the United States army. The same authority gives a 
 description of Sitting-Bull's participation in the Custer 
 massacre, which is far from flattering. In his account 
 of that catastrophe Captain King uses the following 
 language : 
 
 Captain Kingr*s Graphic Account. 
 
 " Sitting-Bull had no thought of a fresh attack for 
 days to come when, early on the morning of the 25th 
 of June, 1876, two Cheyennes, who had started east- 
 ward at dawn, came dashing back to the bluffs, and, 
 waving their blankets, signalled, 'White soldiers — 
 heap — coming quick.' Instantly all was uproar and 
 confusion. 
 
 "Of course women and children had to be hurried 
 away, the great herds of ponies gathered in and the 
 Warriors assembled to meet tlie coming foe. Even as 
 the chiefs were hastening to the council-lodge there 
 
SITTING-BULL'S CAREER. 
 
 523 
 
 came the crash of rapid volleys from the soutL. It 
 was Reno's attack — an attack from a new and utterly 
 unexpected quarter — and this, with the news that 
 Long Hair (Custer) was thundering down the ravine 
 across the stream, was too much for Sitting-Bull 
 Hurriedly gathering his household about him, he 
 lashed his pony to the top of his speed and fled west- 
 ward for safety. Miles he galloped before he dared 
 stop for breath. Behind him he could hear the roar 
 of battle, and on he wo-jld have sped but for the 
 sudden discovery that one of his children was miss- 
 ing. Turning, he was surprised to find the firing 
 dying away, soon ceasing altogether. In half an hour 
 more he managed to get back to camp, where the 
 missing child was found 
 
 "But the battle had been won without him. With- 
 out him the Blackfeet and Uncapapas had repelled 
 Reno and penned him on the bluffs. Without him 
 the Ogalallas, Brules and Cheyennes had turned back 
 Custer's daring assault, then rushed forth and com- 
 pleted the death-gripping circle in which he was held. 
 Again had Crazy Horse been foremost in the fray, 
 riding in and braining the bewildered soldiers witli 
 his heavy war-club. Fully had his vision been realize^ 
 but Sitting-Bull was not there. 
 
 Odd Names. 
 
 "When the cl'' ^•'^ner was finally starved out of 
 Her Majesty's terntories and came in to accept the 
 terms accorded him, even his own people could not 
 ^*^ep straight faces when questioned as to the cause 
 
 II 
 
624 
 
 SITTING-BULL'S CABEER. 
 
 of the odd names given those twins — The-One-that 
 was-Taken and The-One-that-was-Left. Finally, it al) 
 all leaked out, and now 'none so poor as to do him 
 reverence.' " 
 
 Contrary to the general estimate concerning him, 
 this famous chief was a man of mediocre ability, not 
 noted for bravery as a warrior, and inferior as a com^ 
 mander and in intelligence to some of his lieutenants. 
 Sheer obstinacy, stubborn tenacity of purpose and 
 low cunning, Vvith an aptitude for theatrical effect and 
 for working on the superstitions of his people, were 
 the attributes by which he acquired and retained in- 
 fluence among the North-west tribes. Personally he 
 was pompous, vain, boastful, licentious and untr\.st- 
 worthy. He was constantly a disturbing element at 
 the agency aft^r his return from confinement as a 
 military prisoner seven years before, and grew worse 
 in this respect as he felt his authority and importance 
 departing. 
 
 The dangerous elements that this chief called 
 around him did not represent the most noted Indians 
 who fought under his leadership in the Sioux War of 
 1876, and followed him in his exile across the British 
 frontier. These warriors realized the futility of war 
 fare with the whites, and were sincerely desirous not| 
 to incur its evils again. The Indians of whom Sitting- 
 Bull was the representative comprise the irreconcil- 
 ables — warriors who adhere to the old aboriginal! 
 usages and chiefs jealous of their authority, which 
 wanes in proportion as their foiJowers: advance in civ-j 
 
SITTING-BULL'S CAREER 
 
 526 
 
 ilization. This small but dangerous faction are ready 
 at any time for war. In sympathy with their desire 
 are many young men ambitious for a chance to dis- 
 tinguish themselves as warriors. 
 
 The Indian Police. 
 
 As it was the police force that braved the dangers 
 of attacking and capturing Sitting-Bull, exhibiting 
 the most dauntless courage and consummate coolness, 
 some account of this remarkable body of men will 
 interest the reader. 
 
 Created by the Interior Department to carry out 
 orders which neither military nor civilians felt bound 
 to execute, the Indian police has developed into a 
 valuable and picked body of men. In the mind of a 
 resident of any Eastern city the term " policeman " 
 would convey the impression of a stern thiefcatcher 
 armed with a baton and dressed in a neat blue 
 uniform. 
 
 But out in the West, near the reservations, the 
 name has a different significance, and suggests quite 
 another mental picture to the Westerner. The Indian 
 police ! How little the ierm means to the residents 
 of our comfortable cities ! and how much it means 
 to the settler in the lands around the Indian 
 country ! 
 
 It was discovered a number of years ago that the 
 Indian agent could issue orders, but that only he 
 himself was likely to enforce them. There were 
 soldiers and United States marshals in plenty, but 
 none of them admitted the rule of the -Department 
 
526 
 
 SITTING-BULL'S CAREfiR. 
 
 of the Interior. So when an agent wanted anything 
 done he was obliged to do it himself or call on the 
 uncertain aid of the friendly Indians or the employes 
 of the reservation. 
 
 This worked very nicely when the friendlies or em- 
 ployes desired to see the order enforced, but if it 
 displeased them it had better never have been made, 
 for they only laughed at the agent, and even occasion 
 ally refused to obey the orders of the Indian Com- 
 missioner, unless the •• Great Father " backed it up 
 with an array of bayonets and deputy-marshals. So 
 the force was found to be a necessity. 
 
 Picked Men. 
 
 An order from the Secretary of the Interior first 
 
 allowed the agents to employ friendly members of 
 the tribe or tribes under their charge to "preserve 
 order and protect the property of ';he government 
 and its wards." At first two or three members were 
 chosen on each reservation. The police were some- 
 times under the charge of a native captain ; more 
 often they were captained by some white man. They 
 were paid the munificent salary of ten dollars a month 
 to officers and eight dollars a month to non-commis- 
 sioned officers and privates. From the time of the 
 appointment of the police the discipline of the reser- 
 vations became better. 
 
 Only the best men, morally and physically, were 
 accepted by the government, which was thus able to 
 secure the best material for its force at the smallest re- 
 muneration paid to any of il. numerous employes 
 
SITTING-BULL'S CAREKR. 
 
 52r 
 
 /thing 
 )n the 
 ployes 
 
 or em- 
 Lit if it 
 1 madcy 
 ;casion 
 I Corn- 
 el it up 
 lis. So 
 
 ior first 
 bers of 
 )reserve 
 ;rnment 
 :rs were 
 e some- 
 more 
 They 
 month 
 :ommis- 
 of the 
 ^e reser- 
 
 were 
 
 able to 
 
 lllest re- 
 
 iployes 
 
 The entire Indian poHce now musters about one 
 thousand men, who are the sole agents of the Interior 
 Department for the enforcement of its rules and the 
 preservation of the peace. Besides their salary 
 they receive the usual rations and supplies of wards 
 of the government. 
 
 Their duty, as prescribed by the general orders, is 
 "to obey the instructions of agents, protect the prop- 
 erty of the government and the natives against cattlt- 
 thieves, prevent the sale of liquors, the inroads of 
 outlaws and bad whites, and to suppress every kind 
 of vice and lawlessness on the reservations." 
 
 Their Uniform. 
 
 The Indian police wear a uniform, or at least are 
 supposed to. This uniform, which is made of the 
 national blue cloth, partakes of both the civfl and 
 military habit. It approaches the cavalry in the cut 
 of the blouse and the trousers, with the high top- 
 boots. But the military aspedt is lost in the broad 
 sombrero and the cartridge-belt and Winchester. 
 Occasionally the uniform is discarded, and then the 
 members of the force dress as they please. 
 
 Sometimes a cast-off cavalry suit or a coat belong- 
 ing to a missionary or agent finds the back of a mem 
 ber of the force its last resting-place before being 
 cast into the rag-bag. But among this brigade, the 
 members of which stand between the natives and 
 their white guardians, the most absolute discipline is 
 maintained. Most of the men belonging to it are 
 married and live near the agency of whatever reser 
 
m 
 
 SITTING-BULL'vS (LVREER. 
 
 vation they may be attached to. They have no gen 
 eral headquarters, being distributed among the vari- 
 ous agencies. 
 
 The Indians best fitted for this peculiar and arduous 
 duty are those who recognize a higher authority than 
 their tribal chief, and consider the general govern- 
 ment superior to their Indian nation. The members 
 of the force are dreaded by their fellow-members, 
 yet when there is a vacancy the agent has no difficulty 
 in filling it. The latest trouble in the North-west 
 showed the wisdom of the government in procuring 
 native allies and assistants combined ', one. 
 
 Captain Bullliead. 
 
 Acting in the capacity of scouts and interpreters 
 for the military, the Indian police have caused the 
 hostile Indians in many instances to lay down their 
 arms. It was by the efforts of the police alone that 
 Sitting-Bull was captured, and quickly disposed of 
 when he offered resistance. These men from the 
 Sioux reservation, native Sioux themselves, were 
 commanded by a native captain, Bullhead, This 
 name was particularly appropriate for one who, with 
 a handful of followers, entered the camp of the hos~ 
 tiles to capture their chief. 
 
 But the Indian police were not always tractable 
 and well-disciplined, nor were they always respected 
 by the other members of the tribe and by the military. 
 When the force was first recognized there was much 
 to condemn and little to praise in it. No member of 
 it could arrogate to himself the title ''one of tlu 
 
SITTING-BULL'S CAREER. 
 
 d29 
 
 finest/* for a more disorderly and disorganized set 
 of men would be hard to find. The military and 
 civil authorities would have nothing to do with them, 
 and the members of their own tribes despised them. 
 It was slow work transforming the savage into the 
 disciplined guardian of the peace, but the attempt 
 was successful. 
 
 Then their influence began to be felt among those 
 who had long known no rule. Slowly, very slowly, 
 ihe policeman and the missionary, working hand in 
 hand, have been counteracting the evil effects of cen- 
 turies of barbarism. 
 
 Indian Judgres. 
 
 With the advent of the police came another elevat- 
 ing influence, the courts of Indian offences. These 
 courts, established by agents, have jurisdiction over 
 the oflences on the reservation, and the judges are 
 full-blooded Indians. Before them come those who 
 have drank the fire- vater of the white man, those who 
 indulge in the primeval sport of beating their wives, 
 and those who are guilty of thefts. Very stern, yet 
 just, are the judges, and six months for drunkenness 
 is not an unusual sentence. In the early days of the 
 police the officers took their lives into their hands 
 when they donned the blue uniform. In 1886 some 
 young Cherokees in Indian Territory shot at deputy 
 United States marshals. They were arrested, and 
 when taken into court they tried to justify their action 
 by saying, *' We thought they were only Indian police." 
 
 This led to the act of Congress of 1887 protecting 
 21 
 
(m 
 
 SirriNG-BULL'8 CAREER 
 
 the police as fully as any other employes of the gov 
 ernment. Shortly after the passage of the act Samuel 
 Sipkiller, captain of the police, was shot and killed on 
 Main street, Muscogee, while walking unarmed. His 
 assailants were the first offenders tried under the act. 
 They were found guilty in the United States district 
 court and sentenced to be hung. The execution of 
 these Indians by the civil authority for the murder of 
 an officer raised the force in the estimation of the 
 natives. 
 
 It is' not alone in the petty cases of breach of the 
 law that the police are useful, as many outlaws and 
 illegal whiskey-sellers have found out to their sorrow. 
 Most of the men own their own horses, and they 
 frequently bring horse-thieves and robbers to justice. 
 They are no longer despised by the military, and soon 
 what little distrust remains of their work will have 
 passed away. 
 
CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 Battle of Wounded Knee Creek. — Desperate 
 Valor of the Red Men. — Daring Attempt to 
 Avenge the Death of Sitting- Bull. 
 
 Returning now to the scene of hostilities near Pine 
 Ridge, we are prepared for a detailed account of the 
 stirring events which followed the death of the great 
 Sioux chief. 
 
 On the 29th of December a special despatch from 
 the agency was received at Omaha which stated that, 
 after consenting to surrender, the braves of Big Foot's 
 band made a sudden and vicious onslaught on the 
 Seventh Cavalry, and in the bloody encounter tha/ 
 followed an officer and several men were killed. Cou 
 riers from the Bad Lands announced that a bloody 
 and desperate conflict occurred that morning between 
 the United States troops and the hostiles. Big Foot's 
 band had been surrounded by the troops, and while 
 the redskins were being disarmed by Colonel Forsyth 
 and his men, a bloody encounter took place, in which 
 Captain Wallace, commanding Troop K of the Sev 
 enth Cavalry, was killed, Lieutenant Garlington of 
 the same regiment was shot in the arm, several pri' 
 vate soldiers were killed and a number of Indians 
 bit the dust. 
 
 The greatest excitement prevailed among agency 
 
 Ml 
 
 ; 
 
 I 
 
 m 
 
 '^U It 
 
532 
 
 BATTLE OF WOUNDED KNEE CREEK. 
 
 employes and also among the friendlies, many of 
 whom were relatives of the vounof bucks on the war 
 path. I'he courier who brought the news ^ould only 
 give the facts relating to the onset. 
 ■ The news was substantiated by ar- official despatch 
 received at headquarters of the Department of the 
 Platte. It caused a great deal of excitement and regret. 
 It had been fondly hoped by all the department officers 
 that the difficulty would be averted without blood- 
 shed, especially as the campaign seemed to be on 
 the eve of closing. The manner in which the In- 
 dians acted, however, caused some of the Indian 
 fighters tj feel that treachery would be practised 
 when the troops came to the actual work of disarm- 
 ing them. These fears were unfortunately realized. 
 The Seventh Cavalry was the r'^'riment the contin 
 fjent of which died around Custer ni 1878. 
 
 Particulars of the Fig-ht. 
 
 The f ngagement is known as that of Wounded 
 
 Knee Creek. The troops were up bright and early 
 in the morning, and at eight o'clock they were ordered 
 to be in readiness to move. At that hour the cavalry 
 and dismounted troops were massed about the Indian 
 village, the Hotchkiss guns overlooking the camp not 
 fifty yards away. Colonel Forsyth ordered all th . 
 Indians to come forward away from the tents. They 
 came and sat in a half-circle until counted. The di; 
 mounted troops were then thrown around them 
 Company K, Captain W^Uace, and Company B, Cap 
 tain Varnum. 
 
 o 
 
BATTLE OF WOUNDED KNEE CREEK. 
 
 533 
 
 The order was then given to twenty Indians to go 
 and get their guns. Upon returning it was seen that 
 only two cf them had guns. A detachment at once 
 began to search the village, resulting in thirty-eight 
 guns being found. As the search was about com- 
 pleted, the Indians, surrounded by Con panics K and 
 p, began to move. All of a sudden they began to 
 fire rapidly at the troops, not twenty feet away. Ine 
 troops were at a great disac vantage, fearing that they 
 would shoot their own comrades. The Indian men» 
 women and children then ran to the south battery, 
 firing rapidly as they ran. 
 
 Soon the mounted troops were after them, shooting 
 them down on every side. The engagement; lasted 
 fully an hour and a half. To the south many took 
 refuge in a ravine, frcni which it was difficult to dis 
 lodge them. It was estimated that the soldiers killed 
 and wounded numbered about fifty. 
 
 The soldiers shot the Indians down wherever found, 
 no quarter being given by any one. Captain Wallace 
 K troop. Seventh Cavalry, was killed and Lieutenant 
 Garlington, of Arctic fame, was shot through the arn: 
 at the elbow. The troops then fired from the camj 
 and pursued the enemy in every direction. 
 
 The Work of Innaiie Men. 
 
 To say that it was a most daring feat, the Indiani 
 attacking well armed troops, expresses the situation 
 but faintly. It could only have been insanity which 
 prompted such a deed. The reports stated that it 
 was doubtful if before ni^ht either a buck or a squaw 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 r 
 
 i n 
 
 L 
 
h&i 
 
 BATTLE OF WOUNDED KNEE CREEK. 
 
 out of all of Big Foot's band would be left to tell the 
 tale of the clay's treachery. 
 
 The members of the Seventh Cavalry once more 
 showed themselves to be heroes in deeds of daring. 
 Single-handed conflicts were seen all over the field. 
 The death of Captain Wallace caused much regret 
 The poor fellow met his death by a blow on the head 
 from a war club. - 
 
 Official despatches from General Miles, dated Rapid 
 City, S. D., were received at Washington by General 
 Schofield, telling of the fight. The despatches were 
 first sent by General Brooke to General Miles. The 
 first was as follows : 
 
 "Whiteside had four troops of cavalry, and held 
 the Indians till Forsyth reached him with four more 
 troops last night. At 8.30 this morning, while dis- 
 arming the Indians, a fight commenced. I think very 
 few Indians have escaped. I think we will have this 
 matter in hand as soon as all are in position. There 
 was no precaution omitted. The fight occurred near 
 the head of Wounded Knee Creek. I have just seen 
 many of the Indians who went out toward Forsyth 
 this morning come back." 
 
 Official Report. 
 
 The next despatch was : " General Brooke teh^ 
 graphs : Forsyth reports that while disarming Big 
 Foot's band this morning a figlit occurred, Captain 
 Wallace and five soldiers killed, Lieutenant Gai^ling- 
 ton and fifteen men wounded, The Indians are being 
 (lunted up in all directions. None known to have 
 
BATTLE OF WOUNDED KNEE CREEK. 
 
 535 
 
 ce more 
 
 ^tten their ponies. General Brooke also reports 
 that many of the young warriors that were going out 
 from the camp in the Bad Lands to the agency have 
 gone toward Forsyth. All troops have been noti- 
 
 fWWrV BEAR, ONE OF BIG FOOT'S BRAVES, WHO WAS SLAIN. 
 
 fi«l. Colonel Forsyth had two battalions Seventh 
 Cavalry and Hotchkiss guns. Other troops in close 
 proximity." 
 A later despatch said : " General Brooke reports 
 
636 
 
 BATTLE OF WOUNDED KNEE CREEK. 
 
 that two shots were fired near the Pine Ridge Ai^^fenry 
 by some one, and several were fired in return. Quite 
 a large number of Two Strikes' band ran away, and 
 all at the agency are greatly excited. All this makes 
 matters look more serious." 
 
 General Schofield, thoi gh deeply regretting the 
 occurrence, was not greatly surprised when he learn- 
 ed of the treachery displayed by the Indians in the 
 fight referred to above. He had been on the lookout 
 for treachery all the time ; it was inevitable. That 
 the trouble would end without a conflict of this kind 
 was almost too much to hope for. So far as he could 
 see just now, there appeared to be no further danger 
 at hand, except that to be feared from the disarma- 
 ment of the band of Indians that was still out, though 
 the excitement following the fight might be the means 
 of leading to further trouble. 
 
 An Act of Revenge. 
 
 Secretary of War Proctor also expressed regret at 
 the occurrence, as he had hoped for the settlement 
 of the trouble without further bloodshed. He sup- 
 posed that, inasmuch as Big Foot was connected with 
 Sitting-Bull's band, it was a case where the Indians 
 wanted revenge for the killing of their friend. 
 
 General Schofield also received a despatch from 
 General Miles, dated Hermosa, S. D., :>ecember 30, 
 as follows; ^ - v . f 
 
 " General Brooke telegraphs as follows : Colonel 
 Forsyth says sixty-two dead Indian men were counted 
 on the plain where the attempt was made to disarm 
 
BATTLE OF WOUNDED KNEE CREEK. 
 
 537 
 
 Big Foot's band, and where the fight be^^an on other 
 parts of the ground there were eighteen more. These 
 did not include those killed in ravines, where dead 
 warriors were seen, but not counted. Six were 
 brought in badly wounded, and six others, with a party 
 of twenty-three men and women, which Captain Jack- 
 son had to abandon when attackf d by about one hun- 
 dred and fifty Brule Indians from the agency. 
 
 "This accounts for ninety-two men killed, and 
 leaves but few alive and unhurt. The women and 
 children broke for the hills when the fight commenced, 
 and comparatively few o\ them were hurt and few 
 brought in. Thirty-nine are here, of which number 
 twenty-one are wounded. Mad it not been for the 
 attack by the Brules, an accurate account would have 
 been made, but the ravines were not searched after- 
 ward. I think this shows very litde apprehension 
 from Big Foot's band in the future. A par/:y of forty 
 is reported as held by the scouts at the head of Mexi- 
 can Creek. These consist of all sizes, and ^he cavalry 
 from Rosebud will bring them in if it is tiue." 
 
 Big- Foot's Band. 
 
 These Indians under Big Foot were among the 
 most desperate. There were thirty-eight of the re- 
 mainder of Sitting-Bull's following that joined Big 
 Foot on che Cheyenne River, and thirty thiit broke 
 away from Hump's following when he took his band 
 and Sitting-Bull's Indians to Fort Bennett, making in 
 all nearly one hundred and sixty warriors. One of 
 these was Swift Bear, an old brave of great daring 
 
 ' ^1 '' ! 
 
538 
 
 BATTLE OF WOUNDED KNEE CKEEK. 
 
 and long known as a wily foe of the whites. He v*as 
 killed in this engagement. Before leaving their camps 
 on the Fort Cheyenne River the Indians cut up 
 their harness, mutilated their wagons and started 
 south for the Bad Lands, evidently intending not to 
 return, but to go to war. Troops were placed be- 
 tween them and the Bad Lands, and they never suc- 
 ceeded in joining the hostiles there. All their move- 
 ments were intercepted, and their severe loss at the 
 hands of the Seventh Cavalry amounted to a total 
 rout. 
 
 General Schofield said that the fight was a most 
 unfortunate occurrence, but that he did not see how 
 it could have been avoided. He sent a telegram t j 
 General Miles, saying that he regarded the news re- 
 ceived from him as still encouraging, and expressing 
 the opinion that he (Miles) would be master of the 
 situation very soon. He also expressed his thanks 
 to the officers and men of the Seventh Cavalry for the 
 • gallant conduct displayed by them. 
 
 T>e8criptioii of the Bloody Combat/ 
 
 From all accounts of this sanguinary engagement 
 
 we gather the following particulars : 
 
 In the morning, as soon as the ordinary military 
 work of the early day was done. Major Whiteside 
 determined upon disarming the Indians at once. 
 and the camp at Big Foot was surrounded by the 
 Seventh Cavalry and Taylor's scouts. The Indians 
 were sitting m a half-circle. Four Hotchkiss guns 
 were placed ipon a hill about two hundred yards 
 
JiArrLE OF WOUNDED KNEE CREEK. 
 
 539 
 
 distant. Every preparation was made, not especially 
 to fight, but to show the Indians the futility of resist- 
 ance. They seemed to recognize this fact, and when 
 Major Whiteside ordered them to come up twenty at 
 a time and give up their arms, they came, but not 
 with their guns in sight. 
 
 Of the first twenty, but two or three displayed 
 arms. These they gave up sullenly, and, observing 
 the futility of that method of procedure, Major 
 Whiteside ordered a detachment of K and A troops 
 on foot to enter the tepees and search them. This 
 work had hardly been entered upon when the des- 
 perate Indians turned upon the soldiers, who were 
 gathered closely about the tepees, and immediately a 
 storm of firing was poured upon the military. It was 
 as thouorh the order to search had been a siornal. 
 
 A Sudden Attack. 
 
 The latter, not anticipating any such action, had 
 been gathered in very closely, and the first firing was 
 terribly disastrous to them. The reply was immediate, 
 however, and in an instant it seemed that the draw in 
 which the Indian camp was set was a sunken Vesu- 
 vius. The soldirrH, maddened at the sight of their 
 fallen comrades, hardly awaited the command, and in 
 a moment the whole front was a sheet of fire, above 
 whit h the smoke rolled, obscuring the central scene 
 from view. 
 
 Through this horrible curtain single Indians could be 
 seen at times flying before the fire, but after the first 
 discharge from the carbines of the troopers there were 
 
 I 
 
 ■.■< 
 
 \ 
 
 M 
 
540 
 
 BATTLE OF WOUNDED KNEE CREEK. 
 
 few of them left. They fell on all sides, like grain in 
 the course of the scythe. Indians and soldiers lay 
 together, and, wounded, fought on the ground. Off 
 through the draw toward the bluffs the few remain 
 ing warriors fled, turning occasionally to fire, but now 
 evidently caring more for escape than batde. Only 
 the wounded Indians seemed possessed of the cour 
 age of devils. From the ground where they had 
 fallen they continued to fire until their ammunition 
 was gone or until killed by the soldiers. Both sides 
 forgot everything excepting only the loading and dis- 
 charging of guns. 
 
 Hand-to-Haud Figfhtingf. 
 
 It was only in the early part of the affray that 
 hand-to-hand fighting was seen. The carbines were 
 clubbed, sabres gleamed, and war-clubs circled in the 
 air came down like thunderbolts. But this was only 
 for a short time. The Indians could not stand that 
 storm from the soldiers ; they had not hoped to. It 
 was only a stroke of life before death. The remnant 
 fled and the battle became a hunt. It was now that 
 the artillery was called into requisition. Before this 
 the fighting was so close that the guns could not 
 be trained without danger of death to the soldiers 
 Now, with the Indians flying where they might, it 
 was easier to reach them. 
 
 The Catling and Hotchkiss guns were trained, and 
 then began a heavy firing which lasted half an hour, 
 with frequent heavy volleys of musketry and cannon. 
 It was a war of extermin^-tion now with th^ troopers, 
 
n 
 
 BATTLE OF WOUNDED KNEE CREEK. 
 
 541 
 
 It was difficult to restrain the troops. The tactics 
 ivcre almost abandoned. About the only tactics was 
 to kill while it could be done. Wherever an Indian 
 could be seen, down into the creek and up over the 
 bare hills, they were followed by artillery and mus- 
 ketry fire, and for several minutes the engagement 
 went on until not a live Indian was in sight. 
 
 Another Encounter. 
 
 Advices from the seat of war, received at Rush- 
 ville, Nebraska, gave the news of another encoun- 
 ter between the trooi^a and Indians at a point 
 within four miles of the agency. The Seventh and 
 Ninth Cavalry were just coming in from the battle- 
 field at Wounded Knee, followed at some distance 
 by their provision-train. On reaching the point 
 named a large band of Indians, headed by chief Two 
 Strikes, dashed suddenly upon the train, captured it, 
 and were making off toward the Bad Lands, when 
 the cavaln/ wheeled and gave pursuit. In the battle 
 which follows d over thirty Indians were wounded, but 
 no soldiers were killed. v 
 
 Two Strikes' Indians had been considered peace- 
 able and subdued, but their sudden change of mind 
 caused the gr^.vest fears that perhaps none of the 
 so-called friendlies could be relied on. However, 
 word from General Brooke to the settlers was some- 
 what reassuring, it being to the effect that a great 
 body of the savages remained loyal all the while, 
 and that nearly all the rebels were dead. This an- 
 nouncement had a quieting effect. 
 
 II 
 
 i| !: I 
 
542 
 
 BATTLE OF WOUNDED KNEE CREEK. 
 
 Settl«;rs not in Danger. 
 
 He fu/ther said the settlers were not in danger. 
 Reliable news was also at hand that Colonel Henry 
 was approaching the agency with seven hundred In- 
 dians captured in the Bad Lands. This was believed 
 to include all the remnant of the rebels on the reser- 
 vation, and hopes were entertained of a speedy set 
 tlement. It cost the lives ot about two hundred and 
 fifty Indians and twenty-five or thirty soldiers killed 
 and wounded to effect this result. 
 
 The body of gallant Captain Wallace and the other 
 dead soldiers arrived at Rushville from the agency, 
 and were shipped to Fort Robinson, the nearest mili- 
 tary post. Rushville was crowded with settlers. The 
 churches and all public rooms were thrown open, and 
 no effort was spared to make the refugees comfortable. 
 They were not only ready to defend their homes, but 
 many were anxious to enlist with the regulars if fur- 
 ther fighting should occur. ^-^ 
 
 A Soldier's Graphic Account. 
 
 The following letter was received by Reserve 
 Officer Caldwell, of the Philadelphia police force, 
 from his son Eugene on the Indian frontier: 
 
 "Dear Father and Mother: I received your 
 kind and w^elcome letters, and was very glad to hear 
 from you all and to hear that you are all well. This 
 leaves me the same. We have had some hard times 
 since I wrote to you last, which you all know of by 
 
danger. 
 :1 Henry 
 idred In- 
 
 belicved 
 he reser 
 eedy set 
 idred and 
 ers killed 
 
 the other 
 e agency, 
 arest mili- 
 lers. The 
 
 open, and 
 ,mfortable, 
 
 omes, but 
 liars if fur- 
 
 Reserve 
 llice force, 
 
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 id to hear 
 ^ell. Thi3 
 lard times 
 Inow of by 
 
 
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 Sciences 
 
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 WEBSTEU.N.Y. 145S0 
 
 (716) 872-4503 
 
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644 
 
 BATTLE OF WOUNDED KNEE CREBK. 
 
 the papers. We left Pine Ridge on the 28th of 
 December and marched all night, and on the morn- 
 ing of the 29th we went to disarm Big Foot's band, 
 and it caused a hard fight in which thirty soldiers were 
 killed and about eighty-five wounded. One officer 
 was killed and one wounded. 
 
 " It was a very poor plan, the way they laid out the 
 €ght. They had four troops dismounted and formed 
 a square around the Indians, and they were so close 
 together that they could touch the Indians with their 
 guns ; then the other four troops were mounted in 
 rear of the camp. They thought that the Indians were 
 going to lay down their arms without a word. All 
 the men were full of fun, but they soon changed their 
 tune. After they had the tents searched they went 
 to take the arms from the bucks. They were all in a 
 bunch, and when they least expected it they made a 
 break and started to shoot and cut at every one ; and 
 the way the soldiers were fixed they could not shoot 
 for fear of killing one another, but they soon got 
 straightened out, and then we got in our fine work. 
 
 Chasing the Redskins. 
 
 " At the first volley we fired there were about 
 twenty or thirty Indians dropped, and we kept it up 
 until we cleaned out the whole band; all over the 
 field you could see an Indian running and a soldier 
 after him. There was a cafion close by, and some of 
 the Indians took refuge there, and it took us about 
 two hours to get them out. They killed two men out 
 of our troop and wounded two or three before we got 
 
BATTLE OF WOUNDED |^NEE CBEXK. 
 
 M6 
 
 them out. After it was all over it was an awful sight 
 to see. It made me sick to look at it. There were 
 about one hundred and fifteen bucks and about 
 seventy-five women and children killed. I did not 
 like to see the squaws killed, but they were as bad as 
 the bucks after the fight started. Some of the mea 
 went wild ; they would shoot men or women. The 
 officers tried to stop them, but it was of no use ; they 
 would shoot any one they saw with a gun ; and it was 
 right, I think, as the women could kill as well as the 
 men. 
 
 Terrible Slaughter. 
 
 " Even after the Indians were wounded and lying 
 on the ground, they would wait until they got a 
 chance, and then would shoot a soldier in the back. 
 There was one Indian who was lying in a tent. He 
 killed about four men before they found o'^t where he 
 was, but after they found him they shot him, and then 
 they burned him up in the tent. Then some of the 
 nen went around and shot every Indian that was 
 able to do any damage. I don't think there were 
 I any more than five or six who got away out of the 
 i whole band. ^ 
 
 " Our commanding ofificer is going to get a raking 
 
 [over the coals for the way that he managed the fight. 
 
 [If he had done what was right, we would not have 
 
 lost one-fifth of the men that we did. After the fight 
 
 [was all over we moved back to the agency, and were 
 
 an the road all that night, but we got a litde sleep 
 
 :fore morning ; and it was a good thing that we did, 
 
 2V 
 
640 
 
 BATTLE OF WOUNDED KNEE CBE8K. 
 
 for we htfd to pull out early in the morning of thf/ 
 30th to help the Ninth Cavalry wagon-train, which 
 the Indians had tried to take ; but when we arrived 
 they took to the hills. We then pulled back to the 
 camp, but we did not have long to stay, for the In- 
 dians set fire to some buildings a few miles from the 
 agency, and we were ordered out again. 
 
 '• We then got lots of real Indian fighting. They 
 led us up in the hills, and then they turned on us and 
 kept us busy all day : we only lost one man and about 
 six wounded. We do not know how many Indians 
 were killed, because we had to get back to camp be- 
 fore it got dark. We had to stay up almost all night, 
 so as to keep the Indians away from the agency, but 
 none came near. We are on the road now, about 
 eighteen miles from the agency. I do not knoM 
 where we are going, but I think the fighting is over 
 and I am glad of it." 
 
 Another Soldier'g Letter. 
 
 The following letter was written from Pine Ridge 
 by a private in the Seventh Cavalry to his brother in 
 Philadelphia. It deals with the fight with the Indians j 
 on December 29th : ^ • 
 
 .. " Of course you read in the newspapers that we arej 
 .in trouble here. The soldiers are hurrying up. Be- 
 sides my own regiment, the Seventh Cavalry, the 
 Ninth Infantry came in two days ago. But therel 
 seems to be no head anywhere. Some of our officers j 
 would make better clerks than soldiers. The gov-i 
 ernment employes are merely a set of useless, mis 
 
BATTLE OF WOUNDBD KNEE CREEK. 
 
 IW7 
 
 chief-making loafers. Thank fortune, most of them 
 are badly scared and are packing to leave. The fact 
 is, unti. the reservations are cleared of all civilians 
 and turned over to military authority there will be 
 no change for the better. Of course the Indians are 
 robbed — we see ' every day. All the fat cattle out 
 of the government herd go to the setdements, and 
 the greyhounds go to the Indians. Of course they 
 are lazy and idle, but before we get through it will b« 
 plain that it's cheaper to feed than to fight them. 
 
 "One thing should be done: all preachers and 
 philanthropists should be warned off. They do more 
 harm than good. The meanest Injuns on the reserve 
 are the so-ealled Christians. The competition br tween 
 the half a dozen denominations which have thei-i 
 headquarters here to make converts leads to a regu 
 lar system of purchase, and the preacher who payr 
 the best rounds up the most Injuns. 
 
 Sellingr Out to the Philanthropists . 
 
 "Sitting-Bull, who was shot last Thursdiiy, workec- 
 the philanthropists for all there was in it, and laughed 
 at them when cheir backs we^e turned. As to making 
 these savages self-supporting, the idea is regarded as 
 absurd by those who know them best, and if the gov 
 ernment would close the reservations against the 
 whites, drive away the half breeds and squaw-men. 
 put the Indians under the rule of army officers, and. 
 above all, feed them, I believe that henceforth there 
 would be no trouble. 
 
 "I open this letter to give you some further news. 
 
 l! 
 
548 
 
 BATTLE OP WOUNDED KNEE CREEK. 
 
 Yesterday, the 29th of December, we had a stand-up 
 fight at Porcupine Creek, about fifteen miles north of 
 the agency. Just after midnight we were ordered to 
 turn out, and at daybreak the bugles sounded ' Boots 
 saddles,' and about eight o'clock we came to Little 
 Wound's camp, near Porcupine Creek. There were 
 about fifty tepees set up. The squaws were packing 
 in wood from the ravines. But very few bucks were 
 to be seen. Everything seemed peaceful enough. 
 After sitting two hours in our saddles, half frozen, as 
 the weather was mighty cold, we found out that our 
 business was to disarm the Indians. Of course the 
 whole thing was bungled. About a dozen bucks came 
 forward with two old blunderbusses, and then Col- 
 inel Forsyth ordered a detail of five men from each 
 company to search the tepees. 
 
 "The Air was Pull of Bullets.*' 
 
 . " I was crawling into one when I got ;■% kicH: irom 
 
 6ehind that fairly drove my head through the cover 
 on the opposite side, and landed me on a pile of dogs 
 and babies. I got outside, mad as a hatter, and there 
 stood a young squaw grinning with delight. I made 
 a grab at her bangs, when down both of us went, and 
 this, saved my life. Suddenly there was a crash and 
 the air was full of bullets. I heard them racing past. 
 The poor squaw had got on her feet first, and went 
 down, shot through the head. Her blood flew over 
 the cape of my coat I scrambled up. Every one 
 was shouting and shooting, and there was no more 
 order than in a bar-room scrimmage. I ran for my 
 
BATTLE OF WOUNDEP KNEE CREEK. 
 
 549 
 
 horse ; it was kicking on the ground, and my file- 
 leader, Murphy, was under the animal's heels, dead. 
 Half a dozen others lay around wounded and dead. 
 In front a crowd of blanketed forms was making for 
 the coolies, when crash went a rifle-volley, and they 
 were gone. No orders were given, either by voice 
 or bugle, that I heard. I shot one buck running, and 
 when I examined him he had neither gun nor cartridge 
 belt. The women lay thick. One girl about eighteen 
 was supporting herself on her hand, the blood spurt- 
 ing from her mouth as from a pump. Near her lay 
 two others, and all around, like patches on the snow, 
 were dead squaws, each in a pool of blood. 
 
 " The howitzers were at work firing grape into the 
 brushwood that filled the ravines, but the Indians 
 were gone, and I had time to draw my breathr From 
 beginning to end I don't think I saw two dozen bucks', 
 and it is a mystery to all where the bullets came from 
 that killed and wounded one- third of my regiment. 
 
 Motherless Children. 
 
 " My left arm felt sore, and I found that a bullet 
 iiad cut my sleeve and grazed the flesh. It was bleed- 
 ing freely, and I have no doubt that I was shot by one 
 of my comrades — the rip in my coat showed this. 
 
 " The bugles sounded * Cease firing,' but many of 
 the men were up in the hills, and now and then a shot 
 was heard. Colonel Forsyth looked very white as 
 he gave orders to see if any of the women who lav 
 thick around were alive. From the blanket of one 
 we took a boy five years old and a baby about as 
 
uo 
 
 BATTLE OF WOUNDED KNEE GBEBK. 
 
 many months — both unhurt, but the mother was dead. 
 She must have been shot with a revolver held not five 
 feet awa>, as her hair was burned and the skin 
 blackened with powder. 
 
 "But we had got it 'in the neck.' My captain, 
 Wallace, was dead and eight of my company, and 
 when we mustered in it looked as if half the regiment 
 was gone. I had my arm dressed, and we returned 
 to Pine Ridge next day. Of course the camp-liar 
 was in his glory, but who shot the squaws wj>s not 
 known, at least no one boasted of it" 
 
CHAPTER aXXI. 
 
 incidents of Wounded Knee Battle. — Personal 
 Adventures and 'Narrow Escapes. — Savage 
 Cruelty. 
 
 In the annals of American history there cannot be 
 found a battle so fierce, bloody and decisive as the 
 fight at Wounded Knee Creek between the Seventh 
 Cavalry and Big Foot's band of Sioux. The Litde 
 Big Horn massacre, where Custer met his death, was 
 a slaughter in which the greatly superior numbers of 
 the Indians won for them a comparatively easy vic- 
 k)ry. This aHair at Wounded Knee was a stand-up 
 fight of the most desperate kind, in which nearly the 
 entire band was annihilated, and, although the soldiers 
 outnumbered their opponents nearly three to one, the 
 victory was won by Troops B and K, about one hun- 
 dred strong, at least twenty less than the warriors in 
 front of them. 
 
 There is nothing in the nature of the Sioux Indian 
 to suggest a reason for the unexpected attack. They 
 arc wily fellows with any amount of strategy, who 
 usually employ all the cunning of Indian warfare, and 
 do not meet an opponent in open field unless they 
 feel con^dent of success. The only explanation is to 
 be found in the influence of their medicine-man and 
 his peculiar ghost dance, 
 
 11 
 
 ) i 
 
 
552 
 
 INCIDENTS OF WOUNDED KNEE BATTLR 
 
 When the band of Indians, under the leadership 
 of Big Foot, walked out of their lodges an J formed 
 a semicircle in front of the soldiers' tents, there was 
 absolutely nothing to indicate that they would not 
 submit, as they had agreed to do the night before. 
 Colonel Forsyth, an Indian fighter of tried worth, 
 never gave a thought to the chances of a fight. Hq 
 had the field pretty well surrounded with his men to 
 cut off any movement toward escape, and, though his 
 plans were undoubtedly carefully laid, now that we 
 know how treacherous the Indians were, it is plain 
 that the colonel made a mistake when he did nof 
 draw his men up in line of batde. 
 
 Dance of the Medicine-Man. 
 
 When it was made plain to the band that theii 
 arms must be given up, the murmur of discontent 
 was unanimous. Close observers could see that 
 trouble was brewing. After the first attempt to find 
 their g^ns was made, the chief medicine-man arose, 
 danced out in advance and chanted. He pretended 
 to be saying friendly words, so that the interpreters 
 would not alarm the officers, but occasionally dropped 
 a word in reference to their ghost-shirts and their so- 
 called miraculous -power to withstand bullets. Colone! 
 Forsyth ordered him to sit down after a time, but his 
 object had been attained. The braves were visibly 
 excited, and when the soldiers proceeded to disarm 
 them the medicine-man jumped up, uttered ^a loud 
 incantation and fired 9.t a trooper standing g^uard 
 over (he captured guns. 
 
 
 ^:i 
 
iership 
 brmed 
 •e was 
 Id not 
 oeforc 
 worth, 
 t. H<s 
 nen to 
 gh his 
 iiat we 
 s plain 
 lid not 
 
 Lt theii 
 
 :ontent 
 
 e that 
 
 to find 
 
 arose, 
 
 ended 
 
 reters 
 
 opped 
 
 eir so- 
 
 olonC' 
 
 ut his 
 
 isibly 
 
 isarm 
 
 loud 
 
 guard 
 
 :| 
 
^T 
 
 
INCIDENTB OF WOUNOKD KNEE BaTTUL 
 
 That was the signal for fight, and in a second every 
 buck in the party arose to his feet, cast aside the 
 blanket which covered his Winchester, and, taking 
 direct aim, fired at the troop in front of him, and not 
 fifty feet away. It was a terrible onslaught, and so 
 sudden that all were stunned ; but quickly recovering, 
 they opened on the enemy, who stood their ground 
 with wonderful tena:':y. The position of Troops B 
 and K would not allow their fellow-cavalrymen to fire, 
 lest they shoot through the Indians and kill their own 
 men « . 
 
 Fierce Onslaugrlit. 
 
 Thus the terrible duel raged for thirty minutes. 
 Nothing like it was ever seen between red and white 
 men. With the greatest coolness, fq ^-itude and 
 bravery the sturdy Seventh sent home t^»eir If^aden 
 messengers of death into the ranks of rJig Foot's 
 followers ; and be it said to the credit of the latter, 
 they fought with wonderful courage. But they were 
 forced to recede before the fierce onslaught of the 
 whites, and as they fell back a terrible fire waj 
 opened upon them from every side by the troopers, 
 who had now come up to the aid of their comrades. 
 Back they went, now on the run, some turning to fire 
 and in the flying, frenzied, terrified throng were 
 women and children. Some of the former fought 
 with as much desperation as the warriors. It was 
 impossible to tell the difference between male and 
 female. Over toward the ravine on the south west 
 Chey hurried, and then it was tha<^ the Hotchkiss rifle 
 
 t 
 
 
194 
 
 VCTDEVTS Cr WOUNDED KNEE BATTXJL 
 
 came into play. Early in the fight Lieutenant E. A. 
 Garrington of Light Battery E of the First Artillery, 
 was wounded in the groin and retired. 
 
 The Little Hero of the Battle. 
 
 When Garrington retired, the hero* of the battle 
 took his place in the person of Corporal Paul H. 
 W^einert. There were those who had sneered at the 
 litde fellow in time of peace, and said he would never 
 do, even in a skirmish. He looked so mild and inof- 
 fensive that few thought him capable of daring things. 
 His hair was blonde and a litde down encircled his face, 
 which was usually wreathed in a smile of the most in- 
 nocent kind. His figure was short and slender, but 
 athletic-looking. His gun was the object at which 
 the Indian sharpshooters directed their attention, but 
 he heeded them not, and continued to send in shell 
 after shell with clock-like regularity. 
 
 As the Indians retreated he pushed his gun before 
 him and fired on. He was right in the front line; 
 his comrades were back, some wounded and some 
 fearful of the awful shower of bullets. Nothing could 
 daunt young Weinert. The ravine into which the 
 Indians retreated was now occupied as a sort. of fort- 
 ress, and a leaden shower came from there. Weinert 
 pushed his sturdy Hotchkiss right to its mouth. The 
 framework around the gun was torn to splinters by 
 bullets. Around his head, through his legs, under 
 his arms they whizzed, and but for an injured fingei 
 he was untouched. Every effort was made to dis- 
 lodge the Indians in the ravine, A dozen soldiers 
 
INCIDENTS OF WOUNDED KNEE BAlTLlu 
 
 frdb 
 
 fell in the effort. Weinert pushed his piece up the 
 ravine, took deliberate aim and sent the shells flying. 
 That ended th^ battle, and every officer present 
 rushed up to congratulate the brave fellow. 
 
 How BiflT Foot Died. 
 
 Big Foot met his death soon after the first fire. 
 He had been sick with pneumonia, and was lying 
 before his tent unable to rise. In the first awful fire 
 he was shot through the head. His squaw picked up 
 a gun and fired from the door of the tent, but was 
 soon silenced. The chief medicine-man, whose in- 
 cantations had caused the band to act with srch 
 murderous treachery, fell with a dozen bullets In 
 his body. 
 
 It was reported that one of the officers called out, 
 "Don't shoot the squaws," but the men were doubt- 
 less too much excited to obey. The killing of the 
 women and children was in part unavoidable, owing 
 to the confusion, but there is no doubt that it was in 
 many cases deliberate and intentional. The Seventh 
 Cavalry, Custer's old command, had an old grudge to 
 repay. 
 
 A party who visited the battle-field on January i to 
 rescue any wounded who might have been abandoned, 
 and brought in seven, reported that nearly all the 
 bodies of the men were lying close about Big Foot's 
 tent, while the women and children were scattered 
 ilong a distance of two miles from the scene of the 
 encounter. 
 
 A little Indian baby-girl about three months old« 
 
 ^i; 
 
556 
 
 INCIDENTS OF WOUNDED KNEE BATTLE. 
 
 being one of the two miraculous survivors of the 
 battle of Wounded Knee, who lay for three days 
 beside the dead body of its mother, was adopted by 
 Mrs. Allison Nailor, a wealthy lady of Washington. 
 
 President Harrison Heard from. 
 
 General Schofield telegraphed General Miles, Janu 
 ary 2d, that President Harrison hoped the report of 
 the killing of women and children in the battle was 
 unfounded, and directing that he cause an immediate 
 inquiry to be made. Pending the investigation 
 Colonel Forsyth was relieved of his command. 
 
 Death of Lieutenant Casey. 
 
 One of the saddest events of the Indian outbreak 
 was the murder of young Lieutenant Casey on Janu- 
 ary 7th. He was shot, while out reconnoitring, by a 
 treacherous Brule Indian. The lieutenant, who was 
 attached to the Twenty- second Infantry, and was io 
 command of a large body of Cheyenne scouts, left 
 General Brooke on the morning of January 7th to 
 reconnoitre in the direction of the big hostile village 
 on White Clay Creek, near the White River. He 
 was accompanied by one of his scouts. 
 
 After riding eight miles. Lieutenant Casey cam« 
 jpon the village. His coming was noticed by an 
 Ogallala and a Brule. The chief Red Cloud, who 
 was in the village, sent Richards, a French half-breed, 
 to Lieutenant Casey with a warning not to come too 
 near. The Ogallala picket and the Brule followed 
 Richards on horses. When the three horsemen 
 reached Casey, the Ogallala, speaking in Sioux, 
 
INCIDENTS OF WOUNDED KNEE BATTLE. 
 
 567 
 
 warned the officer that the Brule had a black heart. 
 The lieutenant thanked Richards and the Ogallala* 
 but said he wanted to go to the top of a tall neigh- 
 boring butte and take one peep at the great village 
 of hostiles, which was pitched in 2. sort of ravine. 
 
 He had reached the crest of the hill when the Brule 
 raised his gun to fire. The Ogallala, it is said, leaped 
 upon him, wrenched the gun from his grasp and with- 
 drew the charge. Then he handed the weapon back 
 to the ghost-dancer, begging him at the same time 
 not to fire on the officer. 
 
 Instant Death. 
 
 The Brule dashed away a few yards, reached his 
 rifle, and then, circling around Lieutenant Casey and 
 singing all the time, suddenly levelled the weapon at 
 the officer and fired. The bullet struck the lieutenant 
 in the back of the head and came out of his forehead. 
 He died most instantly. His death caused great 
 commotion in the Indian camp, some of the hostiles 
 who were Casey's friends denouncing the Brules bit- 
 terly for countenancing the murder. Lieutenant 
 Casey was one of the most popular and promising 
 young officers in the army, and his death was uni- 
 versally deplored. He had been in command of a 
 troop of Cheyenne scouts for about a year, and was 
 working earnestly in the interest of the Indians them- 
 selves. He had a reputation in the army of possess- 
 ing an unusually accurate knowledge of the Indian 
 character, and his death was lamented both on account 
 of his personal worth and the efficiency of his service. 
 
 ! 
 
 
CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 The Indians Advance toward Pine Ridge. 
 T-General Miles Disarms them. — Closing 
 Scenes of the Bloody Conflict. 
 
 After the defeat of the Indians at Wounded Knee 
 they were ready to close the conflict and make the 
 best terms possible with General Miles. The follow- 
 ing communication from him describes the situation 
 
 " Headquarters Div. of Missouri in the Field, Pins Ridge. S. D^ 
 
 January 12, 1891. 
 
 " To Brigadier- General IV.- K Cody^ Nebraska Na- 
 tional Guards: 
 
 " Sir : I am glad to inform you thait the entire body 
 of Indians are now camped near here (within a mile 
 and a half). They show every disposition to comply 
 with the orders of the authorities. Nothing but an 
 accident can prevent peace being established, and it 
 will be our ambition to make it of a permanent cha^ 
 tacter. 
 
 " I feel that the State troops can now be withdrawn 
 with safety, and desire, through you, to express to 
 them my thanks for the confidence they have given 
 your people in their isolated homes. Like informatipa 
 has this day been given General Colby. 
 
 " Very respectfully, 
 "Nelson A. Miles, Major-Gm. Com*" 
 
 «68 
 
THE INDIANB DISARMED. 
 
 659 
 
 The hostiles reached their camping.ground about 
 noon. The spectacle was wildly grand. Of a sudden, 
 sentinels in Captain Dougherty's fort saw the heads 
 of thtf scouts of the savages pop over the ridges at tht 
 north. Here they remained for fully ten minutes, 
 apparently scanning the agency; then they dis- 
 appeared. Fifteen minutes later a squad of*horse- 
 men appeared on the crest of the distant butte. 
 Behind these was another squad, and then came 
 other bands, until the summits of the snow-covered 
 range swarmed with the redskins. 
 
 Ready for an Attack. 
 
 Through glasses they appeared in all their barbark 
 Splendor. In their white sheets they looked like 
 barbarians ready for an attack. Some of the warriors 
 were in feathers, and as they drew up in line of battle 
 on the top of the hills their gorgeous trappings seemed 
 to flutter a defiance to the soldiers who were leaning 
 over their breastworks. There were so many hostiles 
 that they could not be counted. They seemed to 
 spring from ravines, from thickets and from the top? 
 of the highest peaks, and presented a strange yet 
 formidable appearance. 
 
 There was not a squaw in the entire party. There 
 were warriors from half a dozen reservations, and the 
 men who have made the country smoke from the 
 forks of the Cheyenne to Wounded Knee. After 
 remaining motionless for several minutes, as though 
 to give all Pine Ridge an opportunity to see them, 
 the hostiles moved slowly down the sides of the buttes 
 
 I M 
 
 '! I 
 
560 
 
 THB IKDIAlfS DISARlfSD. 
 
 and into Winding Valley, which leads toward old Red 
 Cloud's house, where'they halted again. 
 
 A Hostile Demonstration. 
 
 The soldiers in Captain Dougherty's redoubts saw 
 another grand spectacle. War - feeling evidently 
 broke out afresh in the camp, for young warriors 
 could be seen firing their rifles about the ears of the 
 old men, who were doubtiess counselling a surrender. 
 Then they attacked their own horses and dogs, shoot- 
 ing them down in all directions. This demonstration 
 was within twelve hundred yards of the great rifled 
 cannon which peeps over the breastworks thrown 
 up by Captain Dougherty. Skirmishers were quickly 
 deployed from the redoubts, with instructions not to 
 fire, but to fall back in case of an attack. Then 
 General Miles issued an order, which was posted on 
 all buildings, prohibiting anybody having communi- 
 cation with the savages. Pickets were also strength- 
 ened and instructed to permit nobody to pass the 
 lines. 
 
 On the same date (January ifth) General Miles 
 summed up the situation as folio s: "General Brooke 
 reports the camp slowly moving in his front toward 
 the agency. One reason for their moving slowly 
 is, they are encumbered with quite a large number 
 of wounded. 
 
 " Men that were in the camp last night report that 
 they are very wild — that the principal men are doing 
 everything they can to quiet them and bring them in; 
 others are talking about the aflair at Wounded Knee 
 
THE INDIANS DISARMED. 
 
 661 
 
 and the fate of Big Foot's people, which has the effect 
 of terrifying the women and children and making the 
 men very suspicious and excitable." 
 
 fairtian Powwow. 
 
 The friendly Indians encamped about the agency 
 held a council that was attended by every Indian in 
 the camp. The principal object of the council was to 
 talk over the situation and lay plans for the future 
 when the difficulties should have been settled. Many 
 friendly Indians of prominence were present, and 
 freely expressed their views as to what should be 
 done by their people when peace again came to their 
 reservation. 
 
 It was decided by the council that the Indian Bureau 
 be requested to permit a delegation of Indians from 
 Pine Ridge and Rosebud agencies to visit Washing- 
 ton after the present affair has been settled, and talk 
 with the Great Father and his chiefs about their 
 future. 
 
 Their plan is to select an equal number of Indians 
 from c mong those now with * the hostiles and those 
 among the friendlies here, but under no consideration 
 to select any who have been running between both 
 camps during the disturbance and endeavoring to be 
 friends with both sides. 
 
 Other things of minor importance were discussed 
 by the council, but their principal talk was in regard 
 to the contemplated visit to Washington. This depu- 
 tation arrived in Washington, January 30th, to hoM 
 their conference with the Great Father. 
 
 > I 
 
 ( ■ 
 
 i f 
 
«6S 
 
 THE INDIANS DISARMED. 
 
 Seven Thoueand in Camp. 
 
 ' General Miles received word that the Indians did 
 not mean to make any advance, but they would like 
 to talk with him. The general sent them word to go 
 quietly into camp, and he would receive ten of their 
 chief men. Then the warriors disappeared from the 
 hilltop, and an hour later they were encamped with 
 the end of their column on the plain. This camp 
 was more than three miles long, and there were seven 
 thousand Indians in it, twenty-five hundred of whom 
 were warriors. The result of the "talk" was that 
 the hostiles consented to lay down their arms an(/ 
 peaceably remain at the agency. 
 
 On the 2 2d of January there was a grand military 
 review in honor of the victory over the redskins. 
 Ten thousand Sioux had a good opportunity to see. 
 the strength and discipline of the United States 
 army, the end of the ghost-dance rebellion being 
 marked by a review of all the soldiers who had taken 
 part in crushing the Indians. The day was one of the 
 most disagreeable of the campaign. A furious wind 
 blew from the north, driving sand and snow over the 
 valley in blinding and choking sheets. The camp of 
 the soldiers was two miles from the agency. Through 
 & stifling gale of sand General Miles and his staff rode 
 in a ragged group, the wind tossing the tails of the 
 Worses over their flanks. 
 
 The Review. 
 
 It was after ten o'clock when all the preparations 
 were complete for the review. The summits of the 
 
THE INDIANS I»8ABMXD. 
 
 663 
 
 buttes to the north were then fringed with Sioux war- 
 riors, who were closely wrapped in their blankets and 
 staring at the long lines of cavalrymen and infantry 
 which stretched away to the south until they were lost 
 in the flying sand. The redskins were still suspicious 
 that some move would be made to wipe them off the 
 iiace of the earth. Stretching in a long, ghostly line 
 along the ridge of the buttes to the north were their 
 pickets, ready to give the word that would send the 
 redskins flying in case the soldiers should advance 
 upon them. 
 
 General Miles sat upon his black horse on a knol 
 to the east in front of his escort. Finally, there came 
 through the gale the shrill notes of bugles. They were 
 so faint that they were almost lost in the storm. Then 
 one by one the troops took up the call, and the great 
 parade of the regular army began to pass in review. 
 General Brooke, muffled up in a wolf-skin overcoat, 
 grimy from the sand that swirled about his horse, and 
 followed by his staff, led the procession. When the 
 horsemen passed in front of General Miles the two 
 leaders of the campaign tipped their hats, then Gen- 
 eral Brooke took a position beside his superior. 
 
 Sioux Scouts at the Head. 
 
 A cloud of sand now swept across the prairie, but 
 through the blinding sheet and with heads muffled in 
 huge fur capes came the great detachment of Sioux 
 scouts, with Captain Taylor, his sword at a salute, 
 at their head. Sergeant Redshirt, the handsomest 
 Indian in the Sioux nation, was at the extreme right. 
 
664 
 
 THE INDIANS OI8ABMXD. 
 
 Yankton Charlie, who saved the revolvers of poor 
 Lieutenant Casey, rode at the left of the I'ne, his 
 overcoat buttoned so closely about him that the war^ 
 feathers on his breast were concealed. 
 
 Behind these famous scouts was the First regiment 
 band, of Angel Island, California, in fur mittens and 
 caps, playing a march which was almost lost in the 
 roar of the storm. Then came the great swinging 
 column of infantry, in brown canvas overcoats and 
 fur caps, and with the glittering barrels of their rifles 
 over their shoulders. Colonel Shafter rode at the 
 lead of the advance columns. The men marched in 
 company front, with their red and white guidons tat- 
 tered by shot and shell snapping spitefully in rhe gale. 
 This wa? the famous First regiment of the army, and 
 as its officers passed in front of General Miles their 
 swords flashed through the flying sand and then fpjl 
 at their saddle-girths. 
 
 Blast of Bugrles* 
 
 The band now ceased playing, and in place of its 
 melody there came the shrill mutterings of a dozen 
 bugles. Behind the trumpeters tramped the Second 
 Infantry, of Omaha, in blue overcoats and" brown 
 leggings, with Major Butler at their head ; and then 
 came the Seventeenth Infantry, swinging along with 
 the jauntiness it displayed when it marched through 
 the blizzard and sand along Cheyenne River. 
 
 There was a rumbling back of the infantry when 
 the mules came dragging the machine cannon. These j 
 guns, the Indians declare, shoot to-day and kill to 
 
THE INDIANS DISABMSD. 
 
 066 
 
 morrow. Behind these machine cannon was Captain 
 Capron's battery of three-inch rifled guns, with sol- 
 diers holding their carbines and sitting on the cais- 
 sons. Behind the artillery was General Carr, astride 
 a bay horse and leading the Sixth Cavalry, which had 
 cut its way through the South-west from the Indian 
 Nation to the Rio Grande. His entire regiment was 
 prancing behind him, the troopers being muffled in 
 canvas overcoats, with their carbines slung to their 
 saddles. General Carr's hat went off with deliberate 
 grace. Its response was the dipping of General 
 Miles's sombrero. 
 
 Then the famous leader of the South-western 
 troopers drew up alongside of General Miles and 
 General Brooke, while his troops pushed forward 
 through the storm. More Hotchkiss guns foUowedi 
 and then came the . Lea\ enworth battalion, a mixed 
 regiment commanded by Colonel Sanford. Behind 
 these troops was still another battery of Hotchkiss 
 guns, the carriages of which still bore evidences of 
 the furious storm of shot that raged for an hour at 
 Wounded Knee. 
 
 The Figrhting Ninth and Seventh. 
 
 A lean, shrunken-faced man, with his overcoat but- 
 toned tightly around his throat and mounted on a 
 splendid horse, followed the cannon. It was Colonel 
 Guy V. Henry, who was shot through the face in a 
 battle with the Sioux in 1876, and who led his flying 
 negro troops of the Ninth Cavalry in the all-night 
 ride of eighty miles to save the Seventh Cavalry. 
 
666 
 
 THE INDIANS DI8ABMID. 
 
 which was threatened with Custer's fate at the Cath< 
 olic Mission less than four weeks before. Behind him 
 were long lines of black faces peering from fur caps 
 and the high collars of buffalo overcoats. The negro 
 cavalry came in unbroken columns, with its world 
 famed and decorated heroes of the Thornburg mas- 
 sacre riding at the extreme left, and their carbines at 
 a salute. Every man in the Ninth Cavalry was in 
 that long ebony wave of faces, and as it swept in 
 front of General Miles the famous Indian fighter 
 dipped his hat again and again. 
 
 There was another battery of machine guns, and 
 then came in long column front the most celebrated 
 regiment in the Western army. It was preceded by 
 a bugle corps mounted on white horses, and from the 
 glittering instruments there came a roar that even 
 the screaming of the storm could not drown. The 
 troopers of the Seventh Cavalry, a regiment that had 
 been torn and riddled by the silent ghost-dancers on 
 the buttes, was approaching. 
 
 Ciuter*8 Battie-Melody. 
 
 The musicians from California began to play " Garry- 
 owen," a stirring, rollicking melody, which Custer said 
 was fit music for any soldier's death. The troopers 
 came with their carbines at a salute and their blue 
 capes flung back, so that their yellow linings were 
 exposed. Major Whiteside was in command of the 
 regiment. As it passed General Miles the whole 
 staff doffed their hats, while, the commander himself 
 waved his white-gloved hand. Troop after troop 
 
im mviAffS DISABMXD. 
 
 567 
 
 passed by with guidons that had been riddled by In- 
 dian bullets, until B troop and K troop came in view. 
 The appearance of these troops aroused the emotions 
 of the spectators. B troop was not so large as those 
 that had preceded it, and K troop was even smalls 
 When the savages at Wounded Knee turned their 
 rifles upon the soldiers, these troops faced an awful 
 fire. K troop was without its commander and all 
 of its commissioned and non-commissioned officers. 
 The only officer to lead B troop was a second lieuten- 
 ant with a bandage about his head, but the gallant 
 troopers who remained rode with a proud bearing. 
 Their carbines were held over the heads of their 
 Aorses. Behind the cavalry came the hospital- and 
 supply-trains and pack-mules. 
 
 The column was an hour passing General Miles, 
 there being nearly four thousand soldiers and three 
 "housand seven hundred horses and mules in line. 
 
 I 
 
 '' a 
 
 M 
 
CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 The Indian Problem.— What Shall be Done 
 with the Redskins ? — Crimes of the Nation. 
 
 A CENSUS of the Indian population of the United 
 States puts the total at less than a quarter of a mil- 
 lion — 244,704. Nearly one-half of the whole num- 
 ber are self-supporting ; besides, many of the Indians 
 on reservations or at school (130,254) are entirely 
 friendly. There are 32,210 ration Indians on the 
 reservations, and this is the class which develop 
 hostiles. They make more noise than the Indiana 
 who support themselves. Adding to the five civilized 
 tribes the taxed and self-sustaining citizens counted 
 in the general population, the Eastern Indians and 
 the Indians on reservations who support themselves 
 by farming, herding, fishing, hunting, etc., there are 
 two hundred thousand who give the country very 
 little trouble. As to many of these there is no Indian 
 question, except such as will solve itself, and a nation 
 of sixty-<-hree million people ought to be able to deal 
 justly, humanely and firmly enough with the remain- 
 ing forty-four thousand to make wars, or even riots, 
 among them as infrequent as in communities of white 
 citizens. 
 
 The reader is doubtlecs aware that schools have 
 
 m 
 
THE INDIAN PROBLEM. 
 
 569 
 
 been established in various parts of the East for the 
 education of Indian children. 
 
 Mrs. J. Bellangee Cox, the founder and first direct- 
 ress of both the Lincoln Institution and the Educa* 
 tion?.\ Home, where Indian children are being edu- 
 cated, held decided opinions with reference to the 
 trouble on the Sioux frontier, and wrote to the 
 national authorities with reference thereto. "The 
 whole trouble," said she, " is due — not to starvation, 
 for when I was out at Pine Ridge and Rosebud 
 agencies last October for over a month, plenty of 
 meat was hung up outside of the tepees, but — to lack 
 of employment. I tried to get a large hall for a dance 
 in which I purposed about thirty of our returned 
 students should take part. I learned that no dancing 
 — not even the cotillion — was allowed. There are nt 
 games, no baseball ; in fact, not an earthly thing fo\ 
 the braves to do but idle away their time from Mon- 
 day-morning to Saturday night. 
 
 Reservation S'Cliools. 
 
 "There is talk of farming, when the soil is the 
 same as that of the seashore ; the sand is shifted about 
 in whirling masses, and one could not raise a potato. 
 Talk about reservation schools ! They are located in 
 the midst of the families of the students, and a police 
 man has to be employed to capture truants. An In- 
 dian is like a child, and will run away until educated 
 to some degree. 
 
 "The country blames the Indian educators because 
 the educated Indians sometimes return to their original 
 
■iTO 
 
 THE INDIAN PROBLEM. 
 
 wildness, but consider: an Indian cannot leave tne 
 
 reservation without a special permit from the agent ; 
 
 he must return to his people, and when he does so 
 
 meets only with ridicule of the accomplishments 
 
 acquired at school. There are no factories, moccasins 
 
 render useless the trade of shoemaking, etc., and 
 
 there is nothing left but to return to the blanket and 
 
 the tepee. Give them something to do — enlist them 
 
 in the army, make them policemen, or bring them 
 
 East and let them mend our streets. They are more 
 
 willing than, and ^ust as competent as, the Irishman, 
 
 Dutchman or Hungarian. An Indian, when he enlists 
 
 with the great white chief, transfers to him the blind 
 
 obedience formerly given his tribal leader — he nevei 
 
 deserts." 
 
 Life on the Beservaf on. 
 
 Ai the beginning of 1891 over two hundred Indian 
 boys and girls, ranging in age from five to twent> 
 years, were at the two institutions. To give some 
 idea of the way the parents regarded the condition 
 of their children here, a letter from John Y. Nelson 
 is herewith given.. Nelson was formerly an Indian 
 scout, and went abroad with Buffalo Bill. He is a 
 white man married to a squaw, and has two children 
 — Rosa and Julia — at the Lincoln Institution. His 
 letter is dated December 25th, at Pine Ridge Agency, 
 and reads thus : 
 
 " Dear Daughter : I hope you have had a merry 
 Christmas. We have had a dull time here. I have 
 been working for the benefit of the Indians since I 
 
THE INDUN PROBLEM. 
 
 571 
 
 came here. Of course I have no interests on the 
 reservation, neither do I wish to have any. I hate 
 the people and the place also. Daughter, it is no 
 place for any one who wishes to be virtuous, clean 
 or religious. I tell you, daughter, that I would rather 
 follow you and Rosa to your graves than to see you 
 on this reservation or associate with the people here. 
 Nine out of every ten of the girls that come back 
 here have gone to ruin. You know very well that 
 I love you two better than my own life. When I 
 look around me and see young girls every day going 
 to ruin, it makes me shed tears. It is getting worse 
 every day: the soldiers are here, and it has a demor- 
 alizing effect on them. Now, Julia, look out for your 
 little sister; give her good advice and never come 
 to this place. I will go to North Platte soon — will 
 write as soon as I reach there ; I want your photO' 
 graphs then. No more at present. I remain your 
 loving father," etc. 
 
 Lietter to Mr. Wanamaker. 
 
 Mrs. Cox wrote a letter to Postmaster-General 
 Wanamaker, in which she said: 
 
 " Before the first drop of blood was shed in this 
 Indian war I felt sure, as I wrote you, that if a shot 
 was once fired there would be serious trouble. It 
 has come. Now at this crisis allow me to suggest 
 that the government will take into consideration the 
 plan of encouraging the Indians to come into our 
 cities and labor as the Germans Italians, etc. do. 
 They are perfectly capable and willing. The educat- 
 
572 
 
 THE INDIAN PROBLEM. 
 
 ed men can find positions at various businesses. We 
 have them now scattered all over Philadelphia, and 
 they are doing well. Work is what the Indians want 
 No people car. be restful without it. So long as they 
 are herded together in idleness we will be subject tc 
 these dreadful outbreaks When I was at Pine Ridg€ 
 and Rosebud the Indians were not starving. They 
 weie fat and hearty, their topees had plenty of pro- 
 visions. Idleness has been the cause of all thif 
 trouble. The government should buy up all the 
 reservations and scatter the Indians over the country, 
 making them take their share of the burdens of citi- 
 zenship. Cannot a few of the educated boys be 
 placed at West Point and Annapolis, and others en* 
 listed into the regular army and navy ? They make 
 the best policemen and scouts ; they would make 
 faithful soldiers ; they never desert. Such is their 
 record. I have been in the Bad Lands; thef 
 cannot live long there. Do not risk the lives 
 of our soldiers by attacking them — they will soon 
 come out; then make them give up their arms at 
 once, not hide them in their blankets and take them 
 to their tepees. Send the children to school, away 
 from the parents* influence ; put the able-bodied to 
 work, and the trouble will be ended for ever." 
 
 Self-Supporting Indians. 
 
 " For the benefit of those people who think the In- 
 dian will not work," said Commissioner Morgan in 
 an interview dated January, 1891, "I want to mention 
 the sum which wt paid out last year for Indian labor 
 
THE INDIAN PROBLEM. 
 
 673 
 
 It was ^642,cxx). This money was paid to agency and 
 school employes, to farmers, interpreters, police, judges 
 of Indian courts, for hauling supplies, for produce, hay, 
 Wood and other supplies purchased from them, for 
 breaking land on government property and for logs 
 cut and banked by them. I contend that this is a 
 very good showing for Indian labor, and the sum 
 paid would be ten times as large as it is if there was 
 work enough to give employment to all who wish it. 
 
 " The Umatilla Indians of Oregon have been under 
 care of the government for thirty years, and are prac- 
 tically self-supporting, and would long ago have been 
 entirely independent had their lands been allotted to 
 /hem in severalty. The total population is only one 
 thousand, yet last year they harvested three hundred 
 and fifty thousand bushels of wheat, cut two thousand 
 tons of hay, and other crops in proportion. In a short 
 time, I think, this tribe, as well as others which have 
 rich lands and fair opportunities, such as the white set- 
 tlers select for themselves, will be able to stand alone. 
 
 " The Utes, who a few years ago were leading the 
 life of nomad savages, have six hundred acres under 
 cultivation, and raise goodly quantities of wheat, com 
 and oats. They have learned the art of irrigation by 
 iHeans of ditches. The Jicarilla Apaches show an 
 inborn thrift. Though the white settlers have all the 
 best lands, and the Indians have no water for irriga- 
 tion purposes, they cultivated last year three hundred 
 and fifty acres with fair results, and cut four hundred 
 tons of hay. They have built for themselves, and are 
 
574 
 
 THE INDIAN PROBLEM. 
 
 now occupying, sixty houses, and have received very 
 little help from the government." 
 
 Opinion of Creneral Sherman. 
 
 That grizzled old warrior, William Tecumseh Sher 
 man, has very pronounced views upon Indians gen- 
 erally, and particularly upon the Messiah excitement 
 among the tribes. To an interviewer General Sher- 
 man talked in crisp, even gruff, sentences about 
 Indians — talked with a terseness that would do credit 
 to the most taciturn chief among them. General 
 Sherman called tjiem " Injins " with an accent of 
 mingled detestation and contempt. He settled the 
 problem thus : * 
 
 " Injins must either work or starve. They never 
 have worked ; they won't work now, and they never 
 will work." 
 
 " But," ventured the interviewer, " should not the 
 government supply them with enough to keep them 
 from starvation ?" 
 
 " Why should the government support two hundred 
 and sixty thousand paupers ?" returned the war-horse, 
 with a snort. " No government that the world has 
 ever seen has done such a thing." 
 
 " Who started this story about a Messiah ?" asked 
 the general, laying down his book, which he had taken 
 up as if in impatience at all redskins. " Injins don't 
 look for the coming of one Messiah ; they look for the 
 coming of a million Messiahs. Each buffalo is a 
 Messiah to them. They look for the return of the 
 buffaloes. Then they can eat without working. But 
 
THE INDIAN PROBLEM. 
 
 575 
 
 the buffaloes don't return. They have been all killed 
 off." 
 
 " General, it is stated that thirteen thousand troop? 
 have been massed around the Pine Ridge Agency." 
 
 " That's mere nonsense. I don't believe there are 
 two thousand troops there. Another thing: Why 
 do intelligent men and intelligent newspapers speak, 
 in this connection, of localities that are, in fact, hun- 
 dreds, even thousands, of miles away from each other 
 as if they were within a stone's throw of each other? 
 Is it to add to the scare ? If a man raises a whoop, 
 say in Georgia, is there any reason for you to hide in 
 . cellar in New York?" 
 
 " Do you expect, sir, an Ii\dian uprising in the 
 spring?" 
 
 " Uprising ! There'll be a ' down'-rising. If the 
 Injins rise up they'll be thrashed. They're in good 
 hands." 
 
 Then the leader of the march to the sea went back 
 to his book, sublimely indifferent to all the " Injins'[ 
 this side of the happy-hunting-grounds. 
 
 Statement by President Harrison. 
 
 It will interest the reader to be informed what the 
 Chief Executive thought of the Indian situation, and 
 the conflicting reports and charges concerning the 
 management of the "wards of the nation." The 
 following is an accurate account of an interview 
 at the White House on January 31st, 1891 : The 
 President showed, both by words and manner, that 
 he was keenly interested in the subject and had 
 
676 
 
 THE INDIAN PKORLEM. 
 
 closely studied the situation at Pine Ridge. He 
 said : " Some of the grievances are real, some are 
 imaginary, some are the inevitable consequences of 
 our form of government. The bison and elk have 
 vanished from the Plains, and thus the great natural 
 larder of the Sioux has been emptied, but no legisla- 
 tive act caused or can remedy that. The Indian is 
 naturally improvident. He will gorge himself and 
 his family to-day, until his skin and their skins are 
 bursting ; he will eat ten days' rations in one, and 
 then complain because a fresh supply is not forth- 
 coming the instant his appetite beckons. 
 
 Indians often Badly Treated. 
 
 " In past years he has often, no doubt, been robbed 
 by cattle-rings, by agents and by traders, precisely as 
 the army during the war was robbed. Soldiers got 
 paper shoes and shoddy overcoats. The Indians 
 have often received poor clothing and mouldy rations. 
 But I do not believe the Indians are robbed to-day. 
 When I entered upon my public duties certain men 
 were recommended for removal. The causes assign- 
 ed would have removed them under the Civil Service 
 rule — incompetency, immorality or dishonesty. They 
 were promptly removed, and their places filled by 
 persons recommended by authorities who were in a 
 position to know. Political or partisan reasons had 
 nothing to do with it. 
 
 " Some of the new appointees proved inefficient, 
 and were at once dismissed, whether Senator or 
 Representative So-and-So objected or not. I have 
 
THE INDIAN PROBLEM. 
 
 67T 
 
 4 
 I jTi 
 
 «o doubt the Indian thinks he is being robbed, be 
 cause on Saturday he forgets that the previous Mon- 
 day he ate his entire week's rations. Also, he does 
 not comprehend why his supplies are cut down and 
 delayed. That is not my fault, nor the fault of the 
 Secretary of the Interior, nor the fault of the Commis- 
 sioner of Indian Affairs. The Commissioner promptly 
 reports to the Secretary, who promptly forwards the 
 report to me, and I promptly recommend to Congress 
 chat the appropriation be promptly passed in full. 
 There my power and responsibility and those of the 
 Indian Department end, and the delay begins. Con- 
 gress does the cutting down of which the Indian 
 complains, and the wisdom or folly of this is beyond 
 my control. I do know, however, that the moment 
 Congress appropriates the money, however much or 
 little, every dollar of it is at once applied to the In- 
 dians' wants, and the entire machinery of the Indian 
 Department is put in swift motion to get the supplies 
 out as soon as possible. 
 
 " But months or perhaps years have elapsed since 
 the treaty, and the Indians complain that the Depart- 
 ment has acted in bad faith. The Department has 
 been in no wise to blame. How many entirely just 
 ^ills for the relief of white men have been ignored for 
 years and will be ignored by Congress for all time ! 
 The Indians' grievance is not the only one. I have 
 repeatedly seen claims of undoubted justice oscillate 
 from House to Senate session after session until the 
 claimants died or abandoned hope. These are inevit- 
 
 tM 
 
578 
 
 THE INDIAN PROBLEM. 
 
 able, and if the Indian finds them in his lot, it U the 
 fault of neither the administration nor the Executive 
 branches of the government. 
 
 Complaints Investigated. 
 
 "These Sioux complained of Agent Spencer of 
 Rosebud. The complaints were at once investigated, 
 and, being found just, Spencer was removed. Agent 
 Gallagher at Pine Ridge was obnoxious. The mo- 
 ment this was known to me he was removed. I stand 
 ready to remove any agent or employe of the Depart- 
 ment against whose honesty, morality or efHciency 
 iny serious charge can be sustained. I recognize 
 the full importance of fair dealing with th<^ '^ndians, 
 not only for their sakes, but for that of the scattered 
 farmers and ranchmen in the neighborhood of the 
 reservation, and whose lives and property would be 
 endangered in case of outbreak. I am entirely sat- 
 isfied with the present administration of Indian affairs 
 It is thoroughly honest and intelligent, and no com- 
 plaint has been given against it during the past two 
 years that has not at once received prompt attention 
 and the cause has been removed. There are many 
 conflicting stories of the cause of the present out- 
 break. They are being examined into. 
 
 " The chief trouble is a long-standing and constant- 
 ly-growing internal dissension among various factions 
 of the Sioux nation. But I know they have received 
 during my administration every dollar appropriated 
 by Congress for them. As for the delay in the appro- 
 priation or the deficiency in it, or any neglect to ratify 
 
istant' 
 Ictions 
 :eived 
 iriated 
 ippro- 
 ratify 
 
 THE INDIAN PROBLEM. 
 
 679 
 
 treaties, those are matters, as I have said, entirely 
 beyond my control. I shall talk with this Sioux dele- 
 gation if they desire a council, shall give them a full 
 hearing, and if any wrongs are presented they will 
 be met promptly and thoroughly. 
 
 False Reports of Bobbery. 
 
 " I believe, however, that the main grievance is one 
 beyond my control — the tardiness with which Con- 
 gress has ratified the agreement made with them by 
 the Sioux Commission two years ago, and the cut- 
 ting down of the appropriation recommended for the 
 current year. That they have been robbed by agents 
 during my administration I know persor.iillly is not 
 true. That matter has been thoroughly sKted and 
 the charge found wanting." 
 
 The President spoke with great earn-datn-^^s and 
 with evident knowledge of his subject. 
 
CnnPTER XXXIV. 
 It^vicw of the Indian Conflict. 
 
 The only comfort that can be derived from a fight 
 with Indians like that now detailed is that each such 
 occurrence brings us a litde nearer the inevitable end. 
 Some day our little army will not have to fight the In- 
 dians any more, because there will be no Indians left 
 to fight. Till that time comes the same old, sad story 
 will be repeated that has been told over and over from 
 the first coming of the white man to America. 
 
 That the Indians are doomed to extinction as inev- 
 itably as the races that their progenitors drove before 
 them, that they must disappear as the buffaloes have 
 disappeared before advancing civilization, till all that 
 shall be left of them will be a few little communities 
 scattered here and there, as feeble as the groups of 
 buffaloes preserved in the public parks, cannot be 
 doubted by any one who knows the history of the 
 world. The Indian himself understands this. He 
 has been fighting for his existence from the very first, 
 and the path of advancing civilization from the Atlan^ 
 tic to the Pacific is marked by the blood of the pioneers 
 and soldiers whom he has slain in his futile effort to 
 reverse the decrees of history. 
 
 The only place where the truth has not been recog- 
 nized is in the official dealings of the civil government 
 
 *ii«i.>..:v.^., 
 
REVIEW OF THE INDIAN TROUBLES. 
 
 581 
 
 with the Indians. We have acknowledged a sort ot 
 humane responsibility for these unfortunates ; we have 
 adopted them as "wards of the nation," and have 
 undertaken to feed and clothe and arm them ; and at 
 the same time we have persisted in the ridiculous 
 inconsistency of dealing with them as independent 
 nations, hostile sovereignties, with whom we make 
 treaties or go to war. And when the civilians whose 
 business it is to take care of these "wards" blunder 
 and fail, and the savage spirit of the Indians reasserts 
 itself, then we send our soldiers to brave their rifles 
 and tomahawks, and iinally to shoot them down. 
 
 Secretary Noble*8 View. 
 
 Reviewing the bloody scenes at Pine Ridge and 
 Wounded Knee Creek, Secretary Noble said thatr 
 first of all, he believed the Indians had no legitimate 
 use for firearms, and therefore should be required to 
 dispose of them. , 
 
 The Secretary thought that the intellect that could 
 master fhe mechanical intricacies of the rifle was full^ 
 capable of comprehending and appreciating the use- 
 fulness and the noble simplicity of the plough. He 
 proposed to give the hostile Sioux an opportunity as 
 ■well as an incentive to earn their own living. Of the 
 two hundred and forty-four thousand Indians in the 
 United States, over two-thirds were earning their 
 own living and making material progress in civiliza- 
 tion. The other third were depending; largely, if not 
 entirely, upon the government for support. Of this 
 latter class, a large majority were Sioux, and they hat| 
 
102 
 
 BEVIEW OF THE INDIAN TROUBLIft 
 
 become boastful, arrogant and dictatorial. They had 
 been allowed to come to Washington every year or 
 two, and had become deeply impressed with their own 
 importance. Some of those who are most vehement 
 in their demands that they continue to be fed and 
 wholly maintained at the expense of the government 
 are the owners of quite large herds of cattle, from 
 which they realise considerable sums of money. 
 
 The RedsV^ns should Work. 
 
 They insist, with much gusto, that the government 
 shall feed them, and when their rations art 'jlightly 
 reduced they daub on the paint and start out on 
 the war path. I am in favor, said the Secretary, of 
 making these people work for their living, just as 
 we white people are doing. 
 
 They are strong, able-bodied men, of average intel- 
 ligence, and there is no reason why they should not 
 earn their bread. The government has treated them 
 with great generosity and consideration ; especially is 
 this true during the last half century. In the early 
 days the settlers treated them as murderers of inno- 
 cent men, women and children and the insatiable 
 enemies of the white race. Latterly, they have been 
 treated with more than kindnes^, ^nd so they have 
 come to believe that the white people are under 
 never-ending obligations to them. 
 
 The time had fully come, in the opinion of the 
 Secretary, when the hostile Sioux should be com- 
 pelled to do something for their own support. They 
 should be treated with perfect fairness and justice, 
 
AEVIEW OF THE INDIAN TKOUBLES. 
 
 56w 
 
 twt work should enter largely into any policy or 
 scheme for their civilization. 
 
 Indian Education. 
 
 In harmony with Secretary Noble's views it may 
 truthfully be said that the hope of Indian civilization 
 and citizenship is in the rising generation. The 
 habits and prejudices of a savage life are so deeply 
 ingrained in adults, except those of the five tribes' 
 dwelling in the eastern part of the Indian Territory 
 and a few others, that the full adoption of the white 
 man's ways is exceptional among them. But the 
 children can be taught and trained; and this is the 
 task which the government and the religious schools 
 have for several years been earnestly undertaking. 
 
 It is a work surrounded with difficulties, because 
 the instruction, to begin with, must be in a language 
 different from that in which the children are brought 
 up. In some of the higher schools, fjuch as those for 
 industrial training, where children of different tribes 
 are brought together, they cannot even understand 
 each other in their native tongues. Many inherited 
 traits must be iOOted out, and industry and frugality 
 planted and nurtured. In the day-schools of the 
 reservations teaching and example are blurred or 
 altogether rubbed out night after right by the return 
 to the tribal camp. Still, line upon line, pre* ept upon 
 precept, do their work, and progress is made. 
 
 Weighty Statistics. 
 
 If we take the statistics of 1882 and compare tlicm 
 
 with those of 1890, the gain will be apparent, in the 
 
6d4 
 
 REVIEW OF THE INDIAN TROUBLES. 
 
 former year there were 71 boarding-schools, with an 
 average attendance of 2755, and 54 day-schools, with 
 an average attendance of 1311, making an aggre- 
 gate of 125 schools with an average attendance ot 
 4066. But in 1890 there were 140 boarding-schools, 
 with an average attendance of 9865, and 106 day- 
 schools, with 2367, making in all 246 schools, with an 
 average attendance of 12,232. Thus the number of 
 schools doubled and the attendance trebled in nine 
 years, the greatest growth being in the hozrdi rr- 
 schools, which were ;he most costly and most eil: ijtli ^2 
 in results. A good degree of success has attended 
 the efforts that have been made. 
 
 Funds Apportioned. 
 
 Again, the government appropriation for Indian 
 schools, which was «ji20,ooo in the year 1877, had in- 
 creased to ^135,000 in 1882, while the appropriation 
 for the year ending June 30, 1891, was $1,842,770. 
 And the religious bodies were also zealous and lib- 
 eral in the same cause, their appropriations for In- 
 dian education having increased from $228,259 in 
 1886 to $554,558 in 1891. Their increa^^e was rela* 
 tively greater in that period than the government's 
 which was from $1,100,065 to $1,842,770. 
 
 In these liberal provisions the lead, as from the first» 
 was taken by the Roman Catholics, who gave for the 
 years 1890 and 1801 $347,689 out of the $554,558; 
 the Presbyterians following with $44,850, the Epis- 
 copalians with $29,910, the Congregationalists with 
 $27,271, the Friends with $24,743, and so on. Notable 
 
 ■•■« 
 
fiEVIEW or THE INDUN TBOUBLES. 
 
 with 
 
 also in the year* s results were the $33,400 for Lincoln 
 Institution and the «ji20,040 for Hampton. 
 
 The contract schools also made larger gains in 
 attendance of pupils than the government schools. 
 While the enrolment of the former was only increased 
 from 9962. to 10,199, and the average attendance from 
 7172 to 7424 during the preceding four years, the en 
 rolmentin the contract schools increased from 4371 to 
 6124, and the average attendance from 3958 to 4808. 
 Commissioner Morgan said of the 63 government 
 boarding-schjols on reservations that in many cases 
 the buildings were too small, ill-ventilated, deficient in 
 facilities for heating and in water-supply, and often 
 inadequately equipped and furnished. Ihe old limit 
 placed by law upon the cost of a building, 1 10,000, 
 was found to be too small, because dormitories, 
 kitchens, hospital-rooms and so on had to be fitted up, 
 as well as school-rooms, the quarters for teachers, 
 and so od. 
 
 Poor Kquipnieuts. * 
 
 The buildings were also often erected where it was 
 difficult and costly to get the needed material. Con- 
 gress had raised the limit of cost to |i 2,000, but the 
 •Commissioner thought that even this was too low. 
 Still worse equipped very often are the day-schools. 
 Under these circumstances, and especially with the 
 fact that less than half of the teachable children are 
 enrolled, the aid furnished by the contract schools 
 must continue to be most welcome. They, with theif 
 endowments by the various religiuus denon>inatioa% 
 
486 
 
 BIYIEW OF THE INDIAN TBOUBLBI. 
 
 could afford to take children for education from tb^ 
 government at a lower rate than it costs the latter for 
 education in its own Schools. 
 
 Seven training-schools furnish a higher and more 
 constant education to the Indian children. They are 
 those at Carlisle in Pennsylvania, Salem in Oregon, 
 Genoa in Nebraska, Haskell in Kansas, Chilocco in 
 Oklahc 12, Grand Junction in Colorado, and Albu- 
 querque Mew Mexico. In round numbers they 
 cost the govrernment $300,000 during the fiscal year 
 of 1890, and on an enrolment of about 2100 pupils had 
 an average attendance of about 1800, with 288 em- 
 ployes. Four other such schools — those of Carson, 
 Santa Fe, Pierre, and Fort Totten — will increase the 
 capacity by over 600 pupils. The Lincoln, Hamp- 
 ton, and St. Ignatius, conducted by private enterprise, 
 although with government appropriations, fall into 
 this list. 
 
 What is Taught. 
 
 In such schools Indian lads may learn something 
 >f blacksmithing, broom-making, carpentering, farm- 
 ing, fruit-culture, harness-making, printing, tailoring, 
 »hoemaking, and wheelwrighting, while the girls are 
 instructed in the various duties of housekeeping., 
 The outing system at some of these schools allows 
 Indian boys and girls to find homes, at wages, during 
 a part of each year with farmers and others. They 
 have the great advantage also of being removed from 
 the drawbacks of reservation life. The government 
 training-schools receive an increased appropriation 
 
»EVIEW OF THE INDIAN TROUBLES. 
 
 687 
 
 for the year 1890 to 1891 that would enable them to 
 educate 3300 pupils. 
 
 On the whole, the schools form one of the most 
 promising portions of our system of Indian manage- 
 ment. The chief trouble is that they can only accom 
 modate about half the children of school age, so that 
 their number should be increased. In many ways the 
 pupils learn the new life in store for their race. The 
 very holidays are instructive, as well the school-time. 
 These holidays, beginning with New Year's Day, then 
 taking in Franchise Day on February 8, Washington's 
 Birthday, Decoration Day, Arbor Day, Fourth of July, 
 Thanksgiving, and Christmas, are celebrated in a way 
 that makes them a part of the general education. 
 
 The Policy Urgred by Captain Pratt. 
 
 Commenting upon the various methods suggested 
 for settling the Indian problem, Captain Pratt, super- 
 intendent of the Indian School at Carlisle, Pa., said • 
 
 " On New Year's Day I called to pay my respects 
 to the Secretary of War, and met the Inspector- 
 General of the Army, who, in the Secretary's pres- 
 ence, spoke of Carlisle students being among the 
 ghost-dancers — that some of them at Pine Ridge 
 were in a position to be shooting soldiers. I replied 
 that across the Potomac, in sight of Washington, was 
 Arlington, once the home of a celebrated and highly 
 trusted servant of the republic, whose ancestry was 
 most distinguished and loyal in the darkest days of 
 our history. He was educated at the public expense 
 and for many years served the country loyally. In 
 
588 
 
 REVIEW OF THE INDIAN TROUBLES. 
 
 his maturity, when his family and section declared 
 against the government, he was urged to remain true, 
 but he declined, and boldly went with his family and 
 led the forces of secession for four years. 
 
 *' Let us not find fault, then, with a few young In- 
 dian children, to whom we give the merest smattering 
 of an education and send back to their parents and 
 reservationr if they go with their families and parents 
 into practices they esteem right. These young men 
 are not savage simply because they are born of sav- 
 age parents. Savagery and civilization are habits. 
 Formation or change of habit is brought about by 
 jnvironment. ^ 
 
 How to Civilize Savagren. 
 ** I urge that we environ the Indians with our civil- 
 ization, and they will become civilized. Leave them 
 in the environment of the tribes and their savagery, 
 and they will remain tribal and savages. We are not 
 born with language or savagery or civilization. These 
 come as a result of environment, not as a result of 
 birth. They are not forced upon us, only during the 
 period of growth. A person's habits change aftef 
 maturity. If we continue to carefully guard the In- 
 dians in their reservations, and not allow them the 
 freedom of association and effort among us that othei 
 people have, we shall not lack material for Wild- West 
 shows for centuries to come. 
 
 Over five million immigranbs came into the United 
 States between 1880 and 1890. They and their chil- 
 dren are with us and part of us tixlay, entering th^ 
 
REVIEW OF THE INDIAN TROUBLES. 
 
 589 
 
 pviblic-school systems, scattering among our people, 
 coming into the environment of our institutions. 
 They abandoned their language and became Ameri- 
 cans. Two hundred and fifty thousand already in 
 America were Indians ten years ago, and are still 
 Indians, because we will not allow them the environ- 
 ment of our civilization that we allow the others and 
 the same opportunities for self-improvement. 
 
 Evils to be Shunned. 
 
 "Suppose that five million foreigners, instead of 
 being scattered over the country, had been sent to 
 reservations, would they have made any progress in 
 becoming Americans ? It is only when we allow them 
 to congregate in bodies that they give us any trouble. 
 Scattered and in contact with our own people, they 
 become of us. The policy of the churches to create 
 Indian communities, instead of inviting the Indian 
 into our community, is at the bottom of most of our 
 difficulties, Massachusetts in 1633 provided that 
 Indians should own lands in the communities of the 
 colony and share in all social and political privileges. 
 But the Church people favored Indian communities, 
 and they do to-day. What we must do is to broaden 
 the policy of inviting the Indians to come into our 
 communities. It has been a great success at Carlisle. 
 The system shows there is little more difficulty in 
 making English-speaking, industrious, civilized men 
 and women of Indians than there is in reaching the 
 same conditions with our foreign immigrants, who 
 become a part of the nktien." 
 
ADDRESS TO THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES 
 
 The reader will gain an accurate idea of the out- 
 break by perusing the following address sent out by 
 the Executive Committee of the Indian Rights Asso- 
 ciation early in January, 1891. 
 
 To the Citizens of the United States : 
 
 In the presence of grave public emergency we ask 
 your attention. 
 
 An Indian outbreak is now in progress which has 
 cost the lives of many of our officers, of our soldiers, 
 of the Indians themselves, men, women and children, 
 including both the hostiles and loyal Indian police; 
 which has destroyed the property of settlers and 
 of Christian Indians ; which has entailed an expendi- 
 ture of many hundreds of thousands of dollars, and 
 has occasioned widespread disturbances and terror. 
 The attention of the entire country has been fully 
 aroused, and the question is everywhere uppermost: 
 What are the causes of this sad state of affairs ? and 
 what is the remedy to be applied for a settlement of 
 present trouble and for the prevention of similar con- 
 ditions in the future ? 
 
 As the executive body of an association which ban 
 
ADDRESS TO THE PIOPLE. 
 
 69i 
 
 carried on active practical work for the civilization of 
 the Indians for many years, which possesses reliable 
 sources of information and has no interest other than 
 the public good, we venture to point out what we 
 believe to be the causes of the outbreak, each in its 
 proper relation to the other, and to suggest the 
 remedy. 
 
 The Sioux. 
 
 The Sioux Indians, among whom the disturbance 
 exists, number approximately twenty-eight thousand 
 souls. They subsist mainly on rations furnished by 
 the government, given them in payment for land 
 ceded by them to the United States, although many 
 of them, under the guidance of agents and mission- 
 aries, have made laudable advances toward inde 
 pendence, and some of them are practically self' 
 supporting. 
 
 There are two well-defined parties among t'le 
 Sioux (a fact pertinent to a consideration of the 
 present trouble) — a progressive party, almost wholly 
 Christian, which has been created and developed 
 under the influence of missionaries, both white and 
 hative, of various religious bodies — Congregational, 
 Presbyterian, Roman Catholic and Episcopalian — ^ho 
 for many years have labored devotedly among these 
 Indians. This progressive party represents the "new 
 way," new ideas and new hopes, the ideas of Chris 
 tiaaity and of civilization. It is loyal to the govern- 
 ment, peaceable and steadily increasing in influence, 
 industry and vigor. A few of the native leaders of 
 
§92 
 
 ADDRESS TO THE PBOPLE 
 
 this party are educated and refined men, while its 
 members as a whole lead exemplary moral lives. 
 
 The Heathen Party. 
 
 Second, a heathen, non-progressive party, looking 
 
 backward to the days of the buffalo, predatory war- 
 fare and unrestrained freedom, hostile to the advance 
 of civilization, whether among the whites as a mena 
 cing force outside the reservation, or among the In* 
 dians themselves as a disintegrating force within. 
 The occupation of the heathen party since reserva- 
 tion life began has bei.n the consumption of govern 
 ment rations, dancing, wandering from place to place 
 on visits to friends and relatives. This party has 
 been represented by such men as Spotted Tail, Red 
 Cloud and Sitting-Bull, from whom nothing in the 
 line of progress was hoped for or has been obtained. 
 Such leaders were always openly or secretly at enmity 
 with the government and with the best interests of 
 their people. They have discouraged or terrorized 
 progressive Indians — have been a thorn in "he side 
 of good Indian agents and the masters of poor ones. 
 It is a fact that cannot be too strongly emphasized 
 that no dangerous and powerful heathen party could 
 have existed had the government fulfilled solemn 
 promises and its manifest duty to provide for the 
 education of these people. 
 
 The advance of the Christian party stimulated the 
 non-progressive, party into more and more vigorous 
 opposition, shown in repeated attempts to check the 
 progress of enlightened sentiment 
 
 
 L. 
 
e itt 
 
 es. 
 
 }king 
 war- 
 /ance 
 nena 
 be In- 
 athin. 
 ierva- 
 )vern- 
 place 
 y has 
 1. Fed 
 in the 
 ained. 
 nmity 
 sts of 
 rized 
 side 
 ones, 
 sized 
 could 
 lemn 
 r the 
 
 [d the 
 
 lorous 
 
 the 
 
 OF THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 693 
 
 V *.' 
 
 Broken Promises. 
 
 Recent events gave the leaders of the non-progres- 
 sives powerful arguments as a leverage to move the 
 minds of their followers and to silence the voice of 
 their opponents. 
 
 By a recent agreement made with the Sioux, which 
 on the whole was to their advantage and to that of 
 the whites, about eleven million acres of land were 
 ceded to the United States. Some of the promises of 
 compensation to the Indians for this reduction of their 
 territory were not fulfilled, owing to the inaction of 
 Congress, until within the past few days. Even this 
 fulfilment would probably not have taken place now 
 had it not been for bloodshed on the frontier. The 
 failure promptly to make good the promises of the 
 government, whether implied or expressed, produced 
 serious discontent among the pagan Indians. 
 
 There has also been at Pine Ridge, the largest and 
 most important Indian agency in the Sioux country, 
 extreme suffering from hunger within the past year. 
 This was caused by a large reduction of the amount 
 of beef issued to the Indians, by the failure of their 
 crops owing to the drought and other causes, some 
 of which were unavoidable, resulting in distress and 
 unavoidable discontent. 
 
 The Messiah Craze. 
 
 In conjunction with these causes for discontent must 
 be placed the religious fanaticism known as the 
 " Messiah Craze," which promised to the ignorant 
 imagination of the pagan Indian all that he longed 
 
 / 
 
594 
 
 ADDRER8 TO THE PEOPLC 
 
 for and lacked — food, hunting, freedom, the expulsion 
 of the white man. 
 
 These causes, linked together, produced serious 
 conditions ; but, in our opinion, the danger might 
 1 have been averted had it not been for the last, most 
 
 potent and determining cause — namely, the spoils 
 system of appointment in the management of the 
 Indian service, which supplied at the two most critical 
 points in the Sioux country, Pine Ridge and Chey- 
 enne River agencies, a disastrously inadequate man- 
 agement and control. 
 
 Let the situation be briefly *5tated and clearly 
 understood. 
 * Under the spoils system as applied to Indian man- 
 
 agement neither the President, the Secretary of the 
 Interior nor the Commissioner of Indian Affairs is 
 virtually the appointing officer, but Senators, Repre- 
 sentatives or other powerful politicians, who dis- 
 charge their obligations to their henchmen by obliging 
 the Executive or his lieutenants to give them posi- 
 tions in the Indian ser\'ice. Thus, men are chosen, 
 not for the best, but for the worst reasons — not for 
 merit, but as a reward for party service. Some good 
 men are thus obtained, but the majority are poor, and 
 some positively bad. 
 
 Bad Appointments. 
 
 The records of this association show numerous 
 
 instances of the appointment of wholly unworthy or 
 vicious persons through the operation of this system. 
 But' even the good are rarely retained in office until 
 
OF THE UKITED STATES. 
 
 >i96 
 
 Ision 
 
 their work reaches fruition, because, accoiding to the 
 spoils theory, a change of administration means prac- 
 tically a change of the incumbents of all positions in the 
 Indian service. The folly of adopting such a system 
 in the conduct of a service of such peculiar delicacy 
 and responsibility as the Indian one, where human 
 life so frequently hangs in the balance, must be mani- 
 fest to any thinking mind. If civil-service reform is 
 desirable in other branches of government service, it 
 is imperatively necessary here. 
 
 The evil is equally serious and deep-rooted under 
 the administration of either party, and no greater 
 obstacle exists to its eradication than the tendency of 
 apologists of both parties to claim that the opposite 
 one is responsible for its baneful results. 
 
 Sweeping: Changes. 
 
 Under the last Democratic administration virtually 
 a clean sweep was made in the Indian service : up- 
 ward of fifty out of the fifty-eight Indian agents were 
 removed, and there was general change in the minor 
 positions. Under the present administration a similar 
 course has been pursued, with the notable exceptions 
 of that part of the service which is under the control 
 of the present Indian Commissioner, who, we believe, 
 has done all in his power to secure the adoption of 
 the merit system in the school and other branches of 
 the Indian service. 
 
 But the appointment of Indian agents has, during 
 this administration, under the operation of what is 
 termed the "home-rule" system, been handed over as 
 
598 
 
 ADDRESS TO THE PEOPLE 
 
 
 the perquisite of Senators and Representatives of the 
 States and Territories in which the reservations are 
 located. 
 
 Under the administration of both parties this society 
 has steadily pursued the same arduous and thankless 
 task of urging- up^-n the Executive the relinquishment 
 of the spoils system in the management of the In- 
 dians. It has illustrated the necessity for a change 
 by the many instances coming to its knowledge of the 
 removal of valuable officers and the appointment of 
 inexperienced or unworthy ones. 
 
 The Spoils System. 
 
 Our publicatior s arid our letter-files attest at once 
 the frequency and futility of our remonstrances. The 
 spoils system has continued on its remorseless way. 
 Perhaps it is one of those evils from which, without 
 shedding of blood, there is no remission. 
 
 Through the spoils system the Pine Ridge Agency 
 became the weakest point in the Sioux country. Un- 
 der the last Democratic administration a Republican 
 agent of unusual ability, courage and success was re- 
 moved tc make way for an inferior appointee of the 
 opposii:e party, under whom discipline of the Indian 
 police force and of the agency generally declined. 
 The Democratic Secretary of the Interior was warned 
 of the danger attending this change, owing to the 
 power and turbulence of the non -progressive Indians 
 at P'ne R.idge. The warning was unheeded. 
 
 Under tlje " home-rule" s] stem of the present 
 administration, which this society opposed as being 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 597 
 
 s of the 
 ons are 
 
 . society 
 ankless 
 ishment 
 the In- 
 change 
 e of the 
 lent of 
 
 at once 
 
 :s. The 
 5s way. 
 without 
 
 \gency 
 ^ Un- 
 ublican 
 ivas re- 
 of the 
 Indian 
 cHned. 
 varned 
 to the 
 ndians 
 
 »resent 
 being 
 
 " unsound in theory and likely to pro\ ^ disastrous in 
 practice," the inferior Democratic agent was sup- 
 planted by a still poor^*- Republican one. The last 
 incumbent was wholly unacquainted with the Indians, 
 ignorant whom to trust and whom to suspect, as were 
 the employes whom he brought with him. 
 
 A Frigfhtened Agent. 
 
 A trifling incident at a moment when the excite- 
 ment of the "ghost dance " was at its height brought 
 about the complete collapse of his authority. A 
 futile attempt to arrest a single Indian in front of the 
 agency buildings made one day last autumn, which 
 was the occasion of momentary excitement, alarmed 
 the agent so that he deserted his post, fled to the 
 neighboring town and telegraphed for the military. 
 He did not return until they marched in ahead of him 
 — "horse, foot and artillery." This was the spark 
 in the powder. The turbulent Indians, wild with 
 mingled fear and rage, thinking that they were about 
 to be massacred, fled to the Bad Lands, plundering 
 the houses and destroying the property of the 
 Christian Indians on the way. 
 
 They were thus committed to a hostile course and 
 to the bloodshed and mis* ry which followed. Had 
 an experienced and resolute man been in charge of 
 Pine Ridge, possessing the confidence of the Indians, 
 backed by a strong force of Indian police, we believe 
 that depredations and bloodshed would have been 
 averted, indeed, had such men been in charge of 
 ij^ll the Sioux ag^encies, such conditions as prepared 
 
598 
 
 ADDRESS TO THE PEOPLE 
 
 for the outbreak and precipitated it could scarcely 
 have existed. > 
 
 The Causes of the War. 
 
 A brief summary of the causes of the disturbance 
 may properly precede a statement of the remedy 
 which we suggest.: 
 
 First. Ignorance through the failure of the govern- 
 ment to supply education, and the sway of savage 
 ideas in the minds of the non-progressive Sioux, 
 which fostered latent hostility to the govf^rnment, 
 which made them an easy prev to religious frenzy 
 and suggested violence as a remedy for real or 
 fancied wrongs. 
 
 Second. Hunger arid disease — the grippe among 
 the adults and measles among the children. 
 
 Third. Distrust of the good faith of the govern- 
 ment, based on imperfect fulfilment of former prom- 
 ises and dtiay in the carrying out of the terms of the 
 recent agreement. 
 
 Fourth. The spoils system as applied to the man- 
 agement of Indian affairs, which has supplied feeble 
 or unwise management at some of the agencies, has 
 prevented continuity and harm-jny in the govern 
 ment's work for the civilization of the Indians. 
 
 The remedy is simple in theory, but difificult, for 
 manifest reasons, of execution. 
 
 ' The Remedy. 
 
 The first and most important requisition is a single, 
 responsible, competent head for the management of 
 Indian affairs, and charged with that duty only, wh< 
 
OF THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 69^ 
 
 shall report directly to the President, and who shall 
 be looked to by the country at large for a successful 
 Indian management. 
 
 An Indian service wholly free from the interference 
 of partisan politics, which shall continue its policy and 
 carry out its educational work undisturbed by chang- 
 ing administrations. 
 
 While we do not advocate the complete transfer 
 of Indian management to the War Department, we 
 believe that all the advantages which the advocates 
 of that plan desi'-t could be obtained by detaiHng 
 many able and experienced army officers to serve as 
 Indian agents, without the counterbalancing disad- 
 vantages which we believe would result from so radi- 
 cal a change. 
 
 This suggestion has especial force from the fact 
 that a few army officer inve in the past served as 
 Indian agents with exce' jnt re^^ults. 
 
 The appropriation of sufficient money b\ Congress 
 to permit the education of all Indian youtli and the 
 maintenance of a thoroughly effective service. Mani- 
 festly, it is the part of wisdom to give enough money 
 to do the work in hand if there be a thoroughly effi 
 cient executive officer to expend it. - 
 
 A Forcible Appeal. 
 
 We have laid down what we believe to be the main 
 lines of a reform which is by no means Utopian, but 
 wholly within the bounds of possibility. 
 
 Whether it shall or shall not be accomplished de 
 pends upon the creation of a deep and strong sea*"^ 
 
600 
 
 ADDRESS T^ THE PEOPLE. 
 
 of personal responsibility among the people of the 
 United States. To them, and to them alone, do we 
 appeal. It is for the people to say whether the folly, 
 the selfishness, the dishonesty which have character- 
 ized our Indian policy of the past shall continue— 
 whether the suffering and bloodshed, the useless 
 expenditure of money, which the past few months 
 have witn :ssed in Dakota, shall recur in the future. 
 These evils will certainly recur unless men of every 
 shade of opinion throughout the length and breadth 
 of the land shall unite upon some such broad, simple 
 basis as we have outlined — men who, in view of the 
 magnitude of the object to be obtained, can rise above 
 the limitations of political or religious partisanship in 
 ihe demand for an Indian administration that shall be 
 representative of the intelligence and conscience of 
 the nation. For such a demand the time is ripe. 
 
 If the people of the United States instruct both the 
 national Executive and the national legislature, through 
 the press and pulpit, by private letter and bv word of 
 mouth, that it is their sovereign will that tliere should 
 be an immediate and complete abandonment of the 
 spoils system in the management of the Indians, 
 there is no one to say them nay. Popular sentiment 
 m the United States is the court of final appeal. In 
 demanding such a reform as this the voice of the 
 people will be the voice of GcJ. 
 
 Phili? C. Garrett, President. 
 
 Herbert Welsh, 5(f^^^^. 
 
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