The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-05-14
AN lNTER-INDTAN WAR.
Breaking Out Of HostlIties Between the
Snakes and Sioux
SKETCH OF AN ANCIENT NATION
A Great Chief and Ills Friend
ship for the Whites.
ON rus PLAINS, May !. 1875.

ON THE PLAINS, May I, 1875.
Some dsye ago the telegraph informed the read
ers Of the HERALD that the sioux and Arrapahoe
Indians had gone 10 hgnt the Shoshones. We
now nave the first bit 81 indian news In this cam
paign, which comes us rom The wind River
Valley, and ~ il favor OF the Sioux, they having
stolen some ponies from the Shoshones Tie
Shoshones snake Indians-as they are best
known by the latter name-possess an uncommon
history and nave been at with the Sioux FOR
over hall century. residence OF over three
years among them viii enable me 20 tell you
something ABOUT them. Their earliest recollec-
tion they say, OF white men Is OF Lewis and clarke
VINO, In 1000, came up the Missouri River in
the middle OF the not moon august and
ascending the JEFFERSON Fork, tied their boat and
came TO the village. The tribe then numbered
IS 900 souls and was under great chief named
Cameahwat, VINO really seems TO have been q
great man and sort OF King Philip Ia the West
The Indians we're greatly excited at tbs approach
or the white men, and some wanted TO kill them,
1 hut CameahwalE babe them be quiet and sent out
sixty warriors 20 receive and welcome the stran-
i gers. The great chief met them at the
| eoge Of the village and escorted them
/ TO lodge made OF new skins where
1 he washed their feet gave them food and
ordered the whole tribe to show them every
respect. lie sent young men to wait on Lewis
| and Clarke and onered them young women for
wives While they stayed In his village This royal
host seems 10 have entertained the white men az
became king, and when they departed he accom-
panied them with an immense reunue TO their
boats. The SNAKES, or, in their language, the Sho
shones, IN those days lS0G) were scattered over
a large territory ana claimed all the lands between
the Columbia River and Missouri Valley. They
roamed principally Green River, Bear River,
sw eetwater, the colorado and Platte rivers, and
had vast herds, numbering tens OF thousands.
Their nelgnbors we're the Sioux. BlacRfeet, Co
manches Mlnnetarees and Pawkees, and they
were constantly at war. me Snakes were "a
TERROR TO ALL NATIONS
and they fought with desperation and bravery
equal to the Greeks and Romans. Carrying I'm.
mense shields OF bunalo hide Oh their left arms
AID spears IN their night hands they advanced to
battle on foot and nothing could exceed the
ferocity or persstency OF their attack. II
was not until 1910 that they obtained guns and
learned TO use them. They bought their arms from
the Yellowstone Indians, who said they got them
from fur dealers tprobaDly the Northwest Fur
Company. Schoocrait thinks The Shoshone In
dams were one OF the primary stocks OF Rocky
Mountain Indians. but in this he was mistaken.
The snakes say they came from the south. and
they are undoubtedly u branch OF the Camanches.
THIS view is sustained by General Alvord, now
Paymaster General Of the army. who served thirty
the SNAKES for forty years, and IN 1863, at
Fort Laramie recorded them as onshoot
OF the Comanche family. what caused them
20 separate from the Comanches, or when the sep
aration took place is not particularly known, but
the snake traditions put the independence OF the
tribe AZ 1880 70 1877, aud that Is probably about
the time they separated from tue parent stem Of
tue tribe.
The decay OF me Snake tribe has been very
,fu
tinct tribes Eastern and Western Shoshones.
and IN 1850 they broke up into four bands, Root
Eaters Buffalo Eaters, Sheep Eaters and Honey
Eaters. The tribe In 1850 numbered 4 500 souls
In ls4e they had declared war against
tue whites and Tor a time necessiTated
the Abandonment Of the route TO Califor.
mia. Tney we're among the few Indians who
understood the efnciency OF charge IN battle.
From behind . hill they would dash ont on their
swift ponies, swoop down on tram and shoot or
tomahawk the drivers almost before any one
could draw a revolver. From Sweetwater t0
Green ldyer the ROAD ~ marked with graves OF
emigrants slaughtered by the snakes and almost
every NIL and canon has q history Of blood and
IN 1860 the Snakes we're divided into Lake Dig.
gers Salmon Eaters, Sheep Eaters and BunatO
Eaters. In tae winter OF 1868 the bands, alter !
long truce, having become again
HOSTILE TO THB WHITES,
General COnnor, with regiment or California
volunteers, surprised them on Bear River and al
imam 1000 souls. The Aga-dlk-ara. or Salmon
Eaters. i've on snake River aud, their name
indicates subslst on salmon. The Took a-rik-ara,
or sheep Eaters. i've on salmon River and eat the
mus.nOn, or Rocky Mountain sheep These are
the widesr looking Indians ! ever saw. The
Koolsa-uk-ara or Bufralo Eaiers, live on Wind
RIVER aud are known a. Wasnakle's band. IL -
g se g ~ arht T6ey live on The sead ID LII
wind River, where they nave an agency, and two
years ago Washakie aud his band numbered l,040
souls ana could muster 800 warriors Tor battle.
The writer was in the Wind River country in 1859.
1870, lsTi end most Of 1871 When the Sweetwater
gold mines were opened In ls6S and people began
to flock IN Red Cloud claimed the country
as sioux land and warned the whites TO
leave. Washakie at once sent WORD the
laud belonged to the snakes, aud the
whites we're his friends aud should remain
and mine u they wished Battles were fought IN
the summer OF 1905 between the Snakes aud
WINES on one side aud tue sioux on tue otaer.
until IN the spring OF 1862 when the government
sent IL Its troops, occupied the country and butt
a f0rJ 20 protect the mines. This tort was known
as old Fort Brown, and was dismantled In 1871
and removed to the head OF Little Wind River,
where II IL now known a. New fort Brown, aud
second United states cayary. In 1870 the govern
mcnt built two company pos, near Seutn Pass.
on the side Of the Wind RIVER Mountains, ana It
is now known as Camp Stampaugh and is garrl-
s0ned by Company d, second United states cav
airy, Major y. ,, Gordon commanding. The lort
is named after Lleutenant Stamnaukn, who fell
IN 1870 while gallantY hgltIng the Sioux Indians
in the Wind River Valley. In the summer OF 1863
his best nghung chiefs Little SIX, 10 attack and
harass the troops IN the wind River country.
y.
White men and succeeded IN killing one soldier,
when Leutenants DinwddIe and StamDaugu,
win thirty men OF Company D. second cayaIIy
aud i've IlUZens
ATTACKED THE INDIANS
Killed Little Six aud FIVE oil mis- warriors. The
nght lasted rom two O'Clock 10 the afternoon
until sunset and enned IN the retreat OF the In
diaus the troops lost seventeen horses killed
and wounded, one soldier killed. eve undcd
ana citizen wounded. Washake aud his
I.d.ans we're az me time seventy mics up. toe
Wind River. lie was sent word TO come down
and attack the sioux In rOnt while tne tToOps
wcgld follow them up, but Washable toOE the
wrong side Of the mountain and missed the sioux.
Al one time the two bodies ~ Indians
we're within three miles OF each other. the one
coming down ana the other going. M only low
mountain ssparatng them. but neither party saw
ne 10 IL .Idn n