Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, D.T. [N.D.]) 1875-1878, 1876-05-17
APILGRIM,S RETURN.

RtVef BOyS TO the EBONY hue
MOuntains..Fight with Indians.
Death Of George ward..-.Othe
Black Hills Notes and News.
On the 22d day of March party Q
Bismarckers reinforced BY parties from
Grand Forks, D.T., Winnipeg, and othe
small parties from Minnesota, number
ing in all 70 men, 5 women and 70 chill
dren, left Bismarck for the Black Hills
They mere well supplied with provision
and well armed and in addition to the
double horse and mule teams, 20 Ret
River carts and six horsemen, drove for
ty head Of cattle, principally cows
owned by the Wards. and j. S. Collins
They left immediately after the heavy
snow storms in March and were forcee
to shovel paths much Of the way unit
they reached the Belle Fourche, three
days march of the Hills. They were be-
set by storms, were overloaded and
found the trip. taken all in all, terri.
bic one. .7'tf.ss
They saw no Indians, or traces o1
them, until the evening Of April 1st,
when party Of four Indians made a
dash on the camp and stampedcd their
stock getting away with Is head of cat
tie and two ponies, and wounding a COW
and an OK so that they had to be killed
next morning. ~st @5&
When daylight came the immigrants
took in the situation, and determined
to follow the Indians and recover, the
stock. So, party consisting of Oscar
and Geo. Ward, j. S. Collins, Tom.
Gushing, - Smith, French Joe, Hite
Stoyell, and Joe Mitchell, of Bismarck,
VIM. Bulge, James jerks and "Frenchy"
from Grand Forks, VIM. Ryan from Ft.
Totten, Chas. Robards, from Michigan,
and James Williams from Fort Garry,
went out to recover the stock. The
stampede occurred at Big Meadow and
they followed the trail back to Rabbit
Springs, or Black Horse creek, as the
Indians call it, where they found the
stock huddled together IN hollow
guarded by four Indians. They recap.
tured it and just as they started back
with it the Indians opened fire on them
from the knolls in every direction. The
boys, of course, abandoned the stock
and made dash for one Of the knolls
where they fought the Indians for about
three hours, j. s. Collins, Tom Gushing,
Vim. Bulge and Jim. jerks each killing
an Indian. jerks killed the chief
"Slave," who led the attack and captur-
ed his horse. Charley Nearing, from
whom we gathered these facts, says the
Indian story that Slave approached
them with white flag in one hand and
his papers-certi6cates that he was good
in the other-and without gun IS all
CANNON, and will do to tell to Indian
sympathizers-to the agent in order to
explain how they lost their chief; but
the first notice they had Of the approach
of the noble red man and his followers
was the crack of their rifles.
OF fthe whites Geo. Ward, of Bismarck,
formerly Of Albert Lea, Minn., was
killed, James Williams had his leg bro
ken, and J. S. Collins was shot through
the knee and received shot through
the stock of his gan.
The Indians, about twenty-five in
number, finally withdrew from the field,
carrying three of their dead with them
but leaving "Slare's" body in possession
of the whites.
Wards body was carried to camp and
given a decent burial-buried on the
camp ground at Big Meadow-about 80
miles south of Grand River. Hide
brand set Williams leg as best he could
but made bad job of it, and after they
reached the Hills it was reset, and
again re set few days later. 1t had
given him much pain and will make him
q cripple for life. Collins wound was
flesh one and was nearly we'll when Near
ing left the Hills.
The party was % days on the road,
owing to the deep SHOWS, and became
short of provisions and of forage, much
of the -four having been fed to the
stock of which the loss in storms, and
through other difficulties, including the
Indian stampede, was twenty-seven head.
After the Indian battle no Indians
were seen until Rapid City was reached,
but they had hardly gone into camp be-
fore @4f1ring all along the line'' commen-
ced. Upper and lower Rapid Cities,
and eatlYing camps being attacked, the
Indians getting away in this instance
with the loss of another man.
Most of the party were pretty badly
discouraged when they reached the hills
and after remaining FIVE or six days
Charley Nearing, Andrew Nesbit, the
two Keefe boys, and Cahoe, took an
outgoing train for Fort Pierre, where
they arrived May 1st. On the Sd Near
ing took the Nellie Peck for Bismarck
where be arrived on the 18th inst.