The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1876-11-08
General Crooks Expedition.
TROOPS REIURsING TO CIVIL
lIzATION-NO IxDIANSE NCOGk-
TERED RY GENERAL HER-
RIrT,H NCOCTING PARTY.
IxcAxr on IA CREEK. d. n
Oct. %. 1916

on Hu CREEK DIT
Oct %. 1870
sOne Is be evIs II all new mining
Icomnubilie-, and to which the Black
Hills offer no exceptions. is the pre-
verbal weakness for the equine ami
NAL by many who make his abduc.
ton a source of revenue. Hemp
aud lead, though often quoted good
tin The materia mediea, have generally
failed 70 cure this ~prosiration @beu
it comes under The legal aspect For
many days-in fact, ever aimee we
have struck the settled portion OF the
BLACK Hills couatry, these ~knight-er-
rants have followed US like our shad-
ows. just previous to Genreal Mer-
Iritt's scout starting on the 18Th. a
portion of the Third Here bad a
stampede, aud the horse-thieves were
in clover. Oa the same night the
wagon train lost about q dozen OF
the lopg-eareG animals by direct steal
ing. the Iariats being cut aud the
picket pins left in the ground.
Our wagon master, Parker, was
not to be SO easily non-plnsed, aud
accordingly, when armed details
were sent after the horses, he mount
ed a few of his teamsters aud ike
wise proceeded in search OF the
Wv sboe csnaries."
Taking the trail ifom camp be
found il 70 lead toward Harvey
Peak, near Custer City. 10 this
vicinity is the toughest country I'M
aginable heavy pine timber grow.
ling among the steep rocky hiil-
which here and there ~inclose small
prairies. accessible only by dinl un-
known trails, it is q fit haunt for
brigand or outlaw. Fortunately. h'
overlook his missing stock, safely
guarded and being guarded By two
thieves, before they had fairly entered
the worst portion Of their district,
.BRgsH1 WITH GUERILLAs.
Seeing only a small portion of Pae;
ker's men, they rashlv attempted Il
brighten them off by firing at them
bus this was only filing out the pro
gramme as Parker desired, for in a
many seconds as il takes to write II
in a running fight be sen them to th'
happy bunting grounds, and recov
cred eleven mules and four horses
IL was emioenilv wonderful how dii
ferent parties after that brought II
lost government horses that they
had picked up grazing around loose.
Snliiee to saw that with little dill
gent scouting. not only ali The STAN
peded horses were recovered, bu
also a goodly portion of those whicl
we had missed before.
After General Merritt's departur'
on mis- scout, the remainder Of tn
command, under ColOBel Royal, tool
up the march southwark toward Res
Cloud Agency by very short marches
The general character of the countr,
is the same as that previously de
scribed, there being plenty of pin
timber on the hills, and the little vaI
legs are easily susceptible Of caiti
Yation. Reaching Buffalo Gap
six miles before the soaih fork Of IN
CheyenDe River is reached, we ma,
say that We fairly qlit The BiacI
Hills, and stretching between Iben
aud the South Cheyenne i marrow
: strip of level couatry, from i've 1
) tea miles in width. devoid Of timber
: the streams strongly impregnate'
with saline matter, and, 10 general
all the characteristics Of the rive
valleys of the great plains -th
Platte, Arkansas, etc further south
: Splendid bunch, baffalo, aud gram
ma grasseaare abundant, but the sol
lacks that black and loamy riehnes
necessary AZ an inducemeut TO enir
, %vation, aud which the smaller valley
of the Ellis adjoining possess. Ffot
the south fork OF the Cheyenne t
/, Red Cloud-ifty-three nrlIes-,h
{ best maps show a strip of the ba
lands; but for niue miles 10 Hs
Creek, where we are camped, tber
is no %appreciable difference in III
country and that already describe
as Immediately north of the Chey
enne, and afford most excellent graz
ing.