The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1877-07-29
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A legend Of lifelong. Standing Crows Sioux
Feud-how Crow Butte. Received
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Eight miles east of the Red Cloud
Indian Agency, and overlooking the
beautiful valley of White river, a mas.
sive and sharp-cornered pyramid OF
gravelly clay rises abruptly from the
surrounding prairie, towering grandly
some fifteen hundred feet above ada.
cent densely wooded bluffs. This is
known as Grow Butte, and from con-
venience of access, and the fact that
from h summit q most magnificent
view of the vast and beautiful surround
ing region is obtained, has become n
resort for the officers and ladies at
Camp Robinson and visitors at Red
Cloud Agency. While visiting Red
Cloud recently, the writer, with a
party of friends, assembled the Butte
and there, reclining at ease, listened to
the s%ubjoined narrative, originally told
by Jack Wright, u reliable African,
who was in The country at the time,
and knew the facts:
In the summer of 1857, twenty years
ago, Il war party Of about two dozen
Crow Indians, who were raiding through
the Sioux reservation, stealing horses,
penetrated to the White river valley
and before they could retreat were
surrounded by several hundred Sioux.
The Crows managed to reach this
Butte, which IL only he assembled on
one side, and, were soon on top of it,
where, with their Leman rifles they
could successfully keep at bay the
bloodthirsty demons who were howling
beneath them. The Crows were safe,
but they did not care to remain on the
Butte. They had their horses and dogs
with them, and by eating them could
avert the danger of being starved out
for some time, but this would not do.
They saw their enemies dispatching
couriers in all directions to inform
their brethren Of the affair, and knew
that not many suns would rise and
wan before the valley would he full of
Sioux and all hope of escape gon
The Crow chief ordered the approach
to the summit guarded, and calling
two or three of his wisest warriors to
him, sat down for Il council. These
brave and willy redskins were not long
in deciding upon their plan of action.
Soon after night had wrapped earth in
a sable mantle, several volleys were
fired by the Crows. The Sioux, safely
hidden about the one side of the Butte
which could he assembled, laughed
quietly at what they considered a
foolish waste of ammunition, and
whispered to each other of the fun they
would have when the Crows attempted
to descend the Butte.
The Crows were not idle. The vol
leys they fired told of the death of their
faithful ponies. Their dogs were then
tied fast to the dead ponies. Their
strong rawhide lariats We're spliced
together, making ropes of sufficient
length to reach the ground on the in
accessible sides of the Butte, and one
by n the Crows slid down their i'm
provised ladders until all save one, who
had been mortally wounded, were
safely at the bottom. They had marked
the location of the ponies of their enc
mics, and a few minutes later the
Crows, well mounted, gave Il defiant
war-whoop, and driving several hun
dred Sioux ponies before them, rode
away. y strong force of Sioux fol-
lowed soon after, but the Crows gained
the wooded bluffs on the opposite side
of the valley and easily escaped, taking
with them an immense herd of ponies.
When the Sioux who were watching
at the foot of the Butte assembled, the
next morning, they found the dead
horses, the wounded Grow and the
dogs. The helpless Crow vas horribly
tortured. Ills flesh was taken off by
piecemeal, and after he was dead his
bones were literally hashed up by the
Infatuated Sioux. The carcasses of the
horses were rolled off the summit, and
the Grow dogs soon after furnished a
feast for the captors. ae