The avant courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1871-1872, 1871-10-11
THE LATE INDIAN ADVENT.


Our Helena contemporaries, in mi over a,lx
ious desire to give their readers a live local
something suggestive Of tie tomahawk an,
scalping knife, magnifed a report of tn
ssealngof some thirty head of mules be
longing to Wilson & Rich, by three dis
mounted Indians in this county into an ex
tensive Indian raid into this valley, and graf
flied the morbid taste of those who delight ii
the sensational to an extreme degree. Will.
II Is their privilege, probably, to dish w
these sensational articles lit the expense o
our valley upon any flying rumor, we mus
object to their shifting the responsibility
upon our people.
The only persons that seemed to be very
much excited over the matter, were the ed.
isnrs Of the Herald and Gazette. The peo-
pie Of GalIatil county are not of that ner-
volls class who become unnecessarily excited
or alarmed, particularly in regard to Indian
raids, as their past actions demonstrate.
They do not harrow the feelings OF the women
ofthisnoiihty, and send them trembling to
their beds, by carelessfy circulating runiors
ofsludistn raids; but when slich raids do oc-
cur, IS they havsfequently il the past. the
settlers Of the invaded district lose no time
in ''going lori the savagrs, and have sue
reeded IN Diminishing. the number of war
hribfsssnakMg such raids. Tie remarks Of
the Gazette 10 regard to our people crying
Yoifn when there IS no wolf, we5ttink UNI
: just aha hhcafl.d for. There was no unwar-
ranted excitement IN regard to the matter
- alluded to. but. prompt and decided action,
such aY HE Observation-Disclosures; NE
IN regard to the equally distorted state
ment that there was no foundation for the
r'lmor, and as to whether there was cause for
any aaaihn at sll, We submit the particulars
Tuesday night, the 25th of September,
the train of Wilson & Rich campcd on
Reese creek, and the hcrtler started the mules |
south, to Ross creek, in order for them to |
have better range. He had not gone far when
three Indians rose among them, and began
70 throw hieif flafiats to catch the mules.
The Indians were close to the herler, and I
commenced firing at him, one ball passing
through bis clothing andpuncturing the arm.
The miles stampeded, but the herder, get
ting around a portion of them, started them
toward the East. Gallatin. After driving
them awhile he went to camp and gave the
alarm. A reliable man was dispatched to
Bozeman with the news. Lieut.. Hamilton,
with a detachment of cavalry, proceeded
through Bridger canyon to Sixteen Mile
creek. to intercept the Indians on their re-
treat: party of citizens left at the same
time for Reese creek, where they met Cot (,
Hays and other citizens Of tile valley who
had been gathering up the mules. all OF which
were finally recovered, the Indians getting
away with only one horse SO far The prompt
action of the citizens i'll the vicinity OF the !
stampede made it too hot for the Indians. !
and saved the mules. The same Indians !
were seen by citizens in that neighborhood i
the evening previous, and their tracks have /
Since been seen by several. This party were q
evidently watching herd of one hundred i
Oregon horses. a few miles below at the time, q
which were recently driven into the valley and
have been closely guarded, and the mules + fl
being driven almost over them, they conclud- / a
ed to gobble them. 1t is generally Believed Ic
BY persons below that these indians are In f
The mountains this side Of the range, over Q
aokingt the valley, and are only awaiting a II
good opportunity to make descent on an
anguarded herd lin
The Helena papers magnifed the incident b,
100 much in the first place, and in the second ia
we're wrong in saying there was no founda-
ion for che report. The "reprehensible = I'll
lrtcle of the Gazette was out Of place. ! This s;
natter was conducted in such a Quiet 4.
manner that many of the citizens of Boze- n
nan did not know of the circumstance until 81
hey saw the heavily eaptioned articles In the tn
Helena papers of another big Iudian raid in W
he Gallatin valley, and even then not single w
woman tainted. n,