, 1869-06-08
MONTANA.
The Indian Fight at NluscleShell
Fort.
A Lively Battle, and "Lo"
Defeated.
The Latest Invention of Civilization
az to scalps and skulla
Opening or Navigation on the
Missouri.
IFRQN OrR erIC1lL CORRESPONDENT

EFRQN OpR srIC1L CoKRIaPpSpKHEl I
HrtkyA, May =, 1859.
THIS far, during the present season, Montana
has adapted it4elf In peculiar manner to the
wants OF newspaper correspondent md has fur
uished In abundance those SENSATIONAL items
without which letters to the press arc ~ 1ntnter-
tainIng As Chinese almanac to y boariina school
miss.
Our Last sensation Is in the lndian the The
Quaker Peace Commissioners, appointed by gov
errmcnt to pour oil upon the troubled waters Of
onr great inland Indian sea. having failed To Inake
thclz appearance IN this section Of the country,
the noble sons OF the forest have already opened
negotiations with the whites. THIS Is how It hAp |
pened Near the mouth Of the Ausc1csaeH River, !
where tha, stream joins the Nlssour, p>Ent about
$50 miles east Of Helena. Is a Trading post which,
with tts strong stockade, eerres ~ Headquarters
for woodchoppers. trappera, fFeighiers aad 9TH
ers whnse business calls them to that section Of
the cou1t1I. During the past winter Indian dcp-
relations have been frequent both above aud DC
low this post 8nd one tnAu WAS killed IN sight OF
the stock1de By the rcd devils: but n the Iays OF
spring haze lmpTeSed the facilities for travelling,
the sayages hare become sttll boldt,. On the
10Th Of March lalt party Of hunters attacked
BY large force Of the CrowH, With whom they ,
were compelled to engage In = terrible nsht last
Ing for three uaJA They only saved theG Hres
By abandoning their stock OF tlrs and horses md
making their escape, under corer of darkness, to
the post On the Muscleshe1l Thus blocdleas Was
the opening aklsmish Of the spring campaign Not
20 the next
Of indians, By aoue supposed 10 be 6A1tee Sioux |
and By others to be Crows, secretly approached |
the Ansclesheu fort and attempted the nurder |
Of two men and three women who happened to !
be outside the stoekade. One Of the men WAS |
about 4 quarter and the other about half nile |
nom the post, and between them the women, /!
Who bad gone to take them their dinner. Sud-
denly that Indian yell Sufficient tn itse1 to giTe
III authors the name Of devils, burnt upou the
ears Of the party named and simultaneously 6ixfy
naked Indians rushed down from the tAls, be-
3ond which they had lain concealed, aud CON-
menced pouring shower Of n1uWs aud bullets
upon their Victims The man nearest the fort
made good his escape, and the tenalcs essayed
70 follow his example, but one OF them,
tquaN, was soon wounded leasfnllJ In the thigh
uecd]ess Of the advancing foe and tho bullets sod
AITrWs falling fast around her, one OF the other
women, white person, stopped 10 Lift her bleed.
Ing companion from the ground Her heroic &C.
ton, In thus attempting to save one Of another
race. verJ nearly resulted fatally to her. bullet
from N Indtau rtne pierced her neck She fell.
The yclls Of the sassge foe grew more distinct:
The forms Of the duaky demons surrounded her;
the horrible scalpln2 knife WIS pressed upon her
head, In n moment more the Enllo had cut deep
| down to her akuu = ghastly circle, her hxir Waf
seized by the savage hand. md her scalp NaA dan
Cling In the air. AL this while she WIS
yet living! Think Of ,hls ,e philan-
thrupic men, Je tender.hearted women,
who would DO no h1rm 10 the "untusored
| child Of nature" and take the lesson home To
yourselves Imagine your sister or yourselves In
| the poEtion Of this poor woman. Remember that
Jou arc ycarly paying taxes to aid In clothing,
feeding and furnishing ammunition 70 the beings
that do these deeds, and then ssy that a radical
reform is not needed In the policy adopted by the
government towards the Indian tr1bes While the
hloodcurdl1ng scene above described was being
enacted, the remaining white man, having the
whole party Of 1nlAns between himself and the
! fort, found himself IN close quarters His cspa
| were sooo exhausted, and run for Life enaned.
lIAv!ng the talents Of m Asuoldodser, this man
cluded his foes for soune time, but finally being
brought 10 bay By them, cluhbcd his Etne for the
nnal and almost hopeless conflict Lie had Just
laid ont one Of the Indians, when small party o1
whites, sent out from the fort for his rescue, ar
rived upon the scfhe and compelled the saTasei
. to retreat Tue WoEnan who hsd been scalped
although abe was fearfu1ly beaten by ths
Indians, WIS found to be still living, WAS taken tc
tho post, and Is now IN a fair way for recovery
Such we're the trals and provocatIons which. hAf
nothing else occurred, Inspired tho garrison Of
the Auscleahen With tho most intense hatred o
| which transpt1cd At = lateF date.
On the s&h of AaT the dltncuittea on Ac Muscle
! shell reached their elimination. During the nigh
. | previous to THAI day nbout one hundred and err
. Santse Sioux had placed themselves In asnh'ls'
about The foss, ready 70 pounce upon any unpze
q | tected paItteo that might kal1y forth Abou
c O'Clock tn the morning I whlte ma
!, md two s4uAws went cut distance Of somc fo1
e hundred yards from the post for tho pu1pose c
1 procuring wood. The Indians, who had bee
previously concealed behind clumps Of aage brush
Immediately ru8hed, Yelling and firing. upon th
+. party rddllag their clothes with bues1, but fo
,, tura1ely, failing to wound them The woot
II gathcrers ohtAlned shelter behind tho stocfadt
r, The Indians, In the uost insulting md deda1
l. | manner, nox banteted those In the Tort 10 com
v out and fight thenl relying upon thct oyerHb belu
ID Ing nuubers for an easy victos5. The chalten2
It was Immediately Acccpted-tndeed It needed n
bantestng 10 induce the whites to neet In bait
II thoae from whom they had suffered so many u
ID gressions- Although the CARLSON cotslstcd OF b1
seventy men, sixty Of these were detached for &c
vtce against the enemy. aud only ten LETT TO ho
- tho fort. For the purpose Of R1l1lt
el | the advantage OF position the Indians now :
l, treated, keeping up running nght for distan'
Of half mile, when They made stand In na
q row and deep ray1ne formed BY a rapid stzea
y, which In the wet season poured through 1t on
ec why to Join the Auscieshc1L The Sides OK tho Z
It. vine were PERCEPTIONS that the wh!tes could
<. fire into 1t from the positions which they took up
n the hills bordering IT. either side, ani the rast
or Has so crooked that they could not approach I
~ Indians nom the direction Of the tort witho
=. meeting the concentrated nre Of the enemy up
ia turning certain point Nevertheless char
!. ~as made upon tho foe through the ravtnc-
~ murdcrous yolleJ arrested the progress Of
~ whites instantly killing their leader and ser1ou
~ wcundinS another. The light continued for
cc hours between the 1ndlnns IN the rasl
~ and the whites uron the hills wttht
-. other eject than the wasting Of ammunition a
~ at7ows Not being 0spoecd to indulge TOO nu
- IN boys rsaJ, three OF the whites detached the
~, sc1vcs Tron the main patty. intc1i upon
49, nArardous undertaking Of stacking she 1ndts
intnc rear. The tavtne referred 10 approach
the river with steep sides, End the Whites COZ
,as only accomplish their purpose b. tsstns 70
nater below the mouth Of the rAvtnc and wad
Of up the stream nnder the cover Of the thick wno
OF which tlpc its haukA THIS they did, and
cautiously reconno!tezing the Situation sfter rea
Ive Ing the mouth Of the fay1oe, found the1f enen
&c, exposed to fnt1 view and ali unconscious Of
he fearful fate awaiting them. The three men N.
1n ,no their presence Known BY comnerctnE
NJ "puup snunder" Will their 1IcarJ I'D
he The san2o wAs zuort, znd An Ind
The fell a1 each discharge Tho ssvazes Kese pat
II r. ktzcken suppnanR tnat !nge frre Of
'e1 whites were In the rear, tncJ found taeusei
re- Pretty eGectuaIl1 bQtt;ed rp. although net
tined for PRESERVATION Thel e1orta were
~. ~ directed entirely to es1pe, but, tur1 whiche
inr way they would, they met the Tnes OF The VIII
Us pouring their vo1l!es upon them. Thirteen lndi
we're given instantaneous transportation to
81 81 hsppy hunting grounds, while othegs Eece
~ their death wounds while attempting 70 escs
By swimming the river. or while creeping n
sur- through the H1llowA II l. estimated that the
ou. dlau loea was not les than t~enty kGlcd ant
on On sstu 1srser number wounded. The whites
6--
azs, fesed no loss 8ase as e1esaJ sl4sea' M.noaen
escapea from desth were many and In betwee'
re. The tgtt conclnded. the whites Y
oe" jnh!lant. They had aveo2ed the death Of r*1
,b1- cptnnAulou ssv1Ecy butcht7ed on ths banks Of
too | Missouri
md And now, reader, prepare foF a chapter OF
1yM roIx Tue thirteen Indians found dead upon
.t,ie neld were scatped, thclr cars cut on Gnd I
y NJ heads teyered from thet1 tod,ea- Tae ecAps
mSae | arranged upon poles neN thu furs; beside t
| |; xcrr paced three bottles Of the CAS- pickle
Y wnis1ry, and arranged systematically beside Il
rea were the Indlan heads, Or rathc1 skull, ths
having been boiled en. Upon these sknls ,
sarcastic inscriptions, rejecting severely upo
Inlhu peace commissions IN general. and c.,
ou. .s 544,ns posts which nayr furnished the Ind
,nnet amuua1,ian) In particular. The following
speetmcas: ~ an On RescTxtsou 1t l.
ron ACT Hagpe.s tel Of nx, vtttncs; Ho
,oe Greeley nnxs In out' IA Eood-loo
rshe halI-n7eed, the so1 Of : rs1y distinguished P
4 p{ | Commissioner. THIS Wss barhzruas, you
and 70 do VIC TAs Il not eIecsah.e: -Au
mess The whites va one who bad, only short TIN
rids fore, seen hh partner seapcd. NhIle Jet n1tn
toIIy .hc.e nY1gc fod, Others tAd been thctns
alton fred upon md wounded By the 1ndiAc4 haa
thai rc,,t.vrs Ind frter,ds murdered by them md
pugn ~ ~ s.n-,,, ,ton. ri thr nr.rr,,inr nr,1f,.
Cub =. H.a ~ 49, 49, ~. b,d s,w... e,ds.-a-,