The Montana post. [volume] (Virginia City, Montana Territory [i.e. Mont.]) 1864-1869, 1867-10-19
A Day Among the Bannaclks.

I
w odin, a chief of the North, was chosen by
his Excellency, Gov. Smith, as the day for
the distribution of the annuity goods to the
Indians on the Madison. The Ex-Governor, also,
in the plenitude of his generous nature, no
ticeable in all things except apportionments,
extended his compliments and invitations to
accompany the Gubernatorial party to some
half hundred ladies and gentlemen of Viz
ginia, and ere the sun had kissed the dew from
mountain heather or peeped into the lower
valleys, the cayalcade, in joyous groups of
trios, tens and dozens, emerged from the Cap
ital and was clattering up the mountain trail
that leads to the Madison. There were cava-
liers and carryalls, hacks, omnibusses and pc
destrians, representatives of the Church. the
State and the Bar doctors, dentists, and
dealers in domestics; artists, artIhcers and
army contractors; printers, prospectors and
property holders the Lord Mayor and the
Lord knows who; in numbers innumerable,
delightfully."- diversified in size, semblance and
qualities. To lend grace to the occasion
and borrow rosiness from the kissing winds,
there were a treble dozen of those lndlspensa-
BILE ornaments to society at large, land we
suppose we should cay requisites to the hap
piness of mankind in particularly who under
the requirements of fashion, and on the un-
derstanding that short calls are preferable,
put in an appearance of n few years duration
on this planet, before taking their departure
for the regions supernal. Over the crest,
where the sharp outlines of the Yellowstone
range, cutting the eastern sky, and Mount
Washington rearing his gray head in ponder
GUS majesty, first caught the eye; down thro'
the fir fringed, rocky canyon, where gurgllng
streams play hide and seek in the willows, at
a dashing pace, and waking the solitude with
such songs as were sang In the olden day, or
were born in the war time when " Sherman
marched down to the sea- and the rapiers
were crossed with " one, two, three, went
the largest and happIest pleasure party that
ever left Virginia. "No rose without a
! thorn" a crash and a scream, and an ambu-
lance full of the ladies goes down over
| the bluff bank, while the wheels turned up
ward with diminishing velocity, are apparent
ly winding up the earthly career of the VIC
Tins underneath. A romantic youth seized the
horses by the ears to prevent them from be-
coming frightened at the screams from be-
meath the wreck another posted back after
the Coroner, and third waited for an intro
/ duction before proHering assistant ce. With a
heroism sublime as the denouement was rldic-
ulous, Tom F. displaying a presence of
| mind only equalled by his previous absence
of body, ventured to dive into the debris and
was surprised to fad that the prospective
| corpses had taken lunch and were spreading
| their blankets for their afternoon siesta, not
/ expecting assistance would arrive until orders
had been received from General Terry, Com
manding the Department. After good
deal of extrication, they were brought to
light and life and liberty, and with the ex-
/
ken English, no injuries were found TO be
sustained except those Immediately curable
/ by an assurance that no earthquake had oc-
i CURED and that the ministers tea party would
certainly take place on the day appointed.
/ The wreck was left stranded against a beech,
\ and boy will be anchored near the spot as
soon rs one can be found light enough to
float without water. Reshipping baskets,
cases and slightly damaged feminInity, on
foot and on horse, the procession gaining In
numbers and extending its length according
to the travelling facilities of the members,
emerged from the ravine, and crossing foot
hills, benches and lowlands, reached the Ban
mack camp, with such intervals between the
different divisions their own caprice sug
gested. The camp Is situated on an island
near the old George Ives ranch, fourteen miles
from the city, and on a beautiful piece
of bottom land, enclosed by clustering brush
and timber along the river and branch. On
either hand, the wooded mountains, in regal
magnffcencs apparelled, knighted by Nature
with spurs in whose golden wealth the pros
pectors find princely fortunes, and whose
heads, bald since God made the heavens and
the earth, the storm king had crowned with
coronets of snow, sparkling In the noon day
sun, stretched along to the southwark In con-
verging lines fay as the eye could reach, form
ing an avenue broad, beautiful and unbroken
save by the sparkling river gliding oceanward,
/ where the nations might march In leagued
columns in the great review that shall come
when the earth gives up her dead and time be-
comes eternity. Here, close down by the
river was a semi-circle of lodges, containing
over four hundred Indians. painted, feathered
\ blanketed, and the small fry of them carried
about In immense moccaslns strapped to the
backs of doting mama's, or sprawling on the
grass utterly regardless of the innovation;
made by fashionable people upon the style OF
dress established in the Garden of Eden. The
goods for distribution were piled up in thu
Il
with the braves, Ten Doy (Dendoic) sounded
his barbaric yawp, and forth from every guar
ter came the squaws, followed by their pro
} geny, and ranging themselves in circular lines
which, however, were not lines of beauty
they squatted. No other word will expires
the manner In which an Indian sits down
The braves were grouped on one hand, tn
pale faces. ON the other, when Gov. Smith ad
dressed the chief as follows
Ten Doy, Chief of the Bannacks 1 hav
come to distribute few goods to your braves
squaws and papooses. / do this as an evidenc
of the friendship of the United States Gov
eminent. We would not do this unless W
believed you were friendly and that you vii
be so hereafter. The Indians must be tru
and honest with the whites. hope you wi
remain good You are now about to leay
for the hunt. will come and see you whe
you return. If you are still honest ami peace
able will give you more goods. My peopl
, are not your enemies. They are friendly
: Yours must be also.
: Ten Doy, turning around, said:
Warriors! You have heard what the Grea
Captain has said. You see what he hs
: brought us. More than we ever had before
These blankets will keep us warm, and yo
, will not suffer from the cold. If we ha
stolen horses or killed white men, we woul
not have received them. You must not stea
. from the miners, the merchants or rancbmer
or viii have you punished. The whites ar
good. We will shake hands with them tc
day. We will not steal their horses or ipiur
their people. now shake hands with thei
Great Captain.