The New York herald., 1877-10-23

hv,,g him cose be womb have either thrashed them
or made his escape Miles Is soldier not oniy 10
name but in roay, TO his long experience IN IN.
dan aghting and his skill aud untiring energy. must
be attributed his success HIS failure 10 capture SIT
ting Bull last spring never DC fairlv consaersd
FAULT besides, the Teton Chief Is an Indian VINO wlii
never be captured alive make direct surrender.
When matters becoming not for him ne settles
the question OF his capture by crossing the line
BETWEEN CHIEF HowARD's LAIR and SITTING Bull
The distance between the Of Miles victory NJ
Bear Paw Mountain and sitting Bulls encanpment at
Wood Mountain in Canadian territory is on an air line,
about $50 miles, but by trail u is certainly hot less
than 400, that the statements OF communication
being kept up between Joseph and sitting Du'i ana
an underslandiua &c. are nero hctionA FOR some
mouths past Jossph's foreign correspondence must
have been slight indeed His nearest attempt to cross
corralled him at Bear Paw Mountain. The alliance
between him aud the Teton chiei 10 mere
inference suggested because they are oosn nos..es,
and turned into capital with The view OF furnishing
sensational stories and oil inducing government eA.
penditure IN tnat region And u may % rcned upon
that the statements to the effect that Sitng buii mas
on hand vast stores OF ANN unition &o, are untrue
for TIE that whom he and his vanqushed band
crossed line and lay weary down under the shell
ter OF the Union Jack they almost destitute OF
ammunition, blankets, provisions, &C. Vi horses
were the settlement aud some who wont there
afterward know 10 their proni.
A srEcuLAToRs EXPERIENCE.
balf-breed trader. long accustomed TO the Plains
told mo that he made lccaredl $4,000 by his summer
trip TO Wood Mountain. This man, with large num-
oil ked RIVER lell 81 west
OF Pembina early in May on his usual summer trad
Ing expedition to Wood Mountain HIS stock con-
sisted chiefly OF tea, tobacco -four powder and snot
When he reached The vicinity OF Wood Mountain
no heard OF Sitting Buls presence there, and hurry
ing forward. IN less than TWO days sold out
his entire stock for $4,000 worth oil horses
and buffalo robes Ono OF the horses he purchased
rs a beautiful white cavalry norse-a splendid steed.
He purchased 1t Tor two sacks OF hour and . lew
pounds OF tobacco. The animal has undoubtedly been
cavalry horse. and was captured by ono OIL Stting
BULBS braves at the time oil the unfortunate affair on
neshy part OF The shoulder, but The wounds
must have been slight as the animal does
not seem 10 DO aneosea oy mem s,suu on.
cers Of the seventh cavalry, ana when captured inc
bloody tragedy had been enacted Sitting Bull MN.
self is VINO has but lew words 10 say TO traders,
and even whom he was in need at Wood Mountain the
trafc and trading were left 10 tho "mercnants oi n
court He however, told my acquaintance that never
before we're he and hl camp 80 they were
when they reached Wood Mountain. True, buiialoes
were not very scarce as me hunters mao keps me
travelling light, and every thing except necessares
was thrown away.
The belt and cartridge boxes OF tho slaughtered
troops OF Uncle Sam were retained as mementoes that
the encampnent, Saw sight that would have amused
HIM but for the terrible events which II brought up
Almost every brave wore one Of Uncle SANS belts
sluug around him, through which were thrust re-
volvers OF all patterns from the silver mounted pocket
companion TO the heavy navy. These were all
rophes OF the blood fields OF the Yellowstone
countrx ana. though in most instances cartridges
were still they carried them as trophies pe'
hevug they would be redeemed by tho friends vi the
former owners. My friend said he saw beautifully
mounted pistol, OF an English pattern, which an
Indian brave had, but declined to part withs stating
that he intended to keep Il until the friends OF ITS dead
owner would redeem It. Engraved on Tho stock was
the name OF 'sAies W. Keogh, seventh United States
mere nothing and strange to say that which was tho
least valuable often brought high price, just as
the Indian priced It. some OF me troops oi the
ed police purchased considerable in the way oi
known relics with the OF forwarding them 70 the
friends OF the deceased owners. The grotesque ap-
poarauce which some OF Sitting Bulls warriors make
In the coats and hats OF dead United States soldiers
whom they shot, scaped and mutatod Is not easy
to describe Once the Indian puts the coat on MN.
he does NOT let It go until 1t drops OIL Some OF the
uniforms were blood stained. Occasionally ono
would be with officers tunic, cavalry sabre,
sans pantaloons. but plus the usual orecch clout.
TRADING THE INDIANS.
While the Indians despiso the uniform Of Uncle
Sam their hatred does not EXTENT -. enous ~ nI
stroy tnat which they can wear considerable
quantity OF suffers stuff has At various times fallen
into the hands OF Sitting Bull and his force Muon OF
this stun has been traded of some OF thrown away
in the ha5Iy flight, some OF 1t rccapturcd, and not
q little worn out There is no particular
method Of trading with Indians. The man
ner very much depends upon circumstances
Generally the trader, II he Is not At u post,
for an Indian encampment with general assort-
ment. Arriving the-vicinty he corrais his stock,
making his carts q stockade Then the squaws and
boys girls OF the camp como along aud bring with
them things which thsy propose TO exchange ior the
goods oil the trader The trader OF course fixes the
price, when he 1nds that al Indian or squaw Ii
determined 10 have something oI MS Tor very ttle IN
return the trader plays losing game, parts with his
article half quarter Of It's value but this IL only
done further custom, and before the trading
Is done WITH the Indian gets the worst OF II. The
business considered trading, but vuigarly IT would
be called ..swappingn Sometimes pug 0t Solsco
will buy buffalo robe, sometimes u VIII buy pair OF
them. There are no fixed priccs The lndian badly
wants something, and the trader generally dictates
what no shall take for It Thus became rich tho
Bollineaus, the Gongras, the Grants. the
Roulettes ana the early ST. Joe traders
Fifteen and twenty Thousand dollars season
was a good year tor who went to the Plans in
early days That the Sitting Bull Commission rs now
failure foregono conclusion. The chiei personally
states urmly that he Will not treat with the United
States government because he neither admres 1t
nor agents, nor are The white people oil the
American continent destined long 10 enjoy their con-
OF This latter, however, is pure ianatcism
and braggadocio He thinks that he can mako good
terms with the Canadian government. he thinks
IL Is honest and It's agents more friendly TO ana
Just TO the Indian than the Americans. Neither he
his warriors entertain any notion OF hostile alli
ance with other indians as against the whites This,
they maintain IS got up to drive them back TO
Montana. They say that they are on friendly terms
with tho Black Feet, Crows, Picgans aud Santcaus,
but IL Is oniy friendly alliance, and existed long be-
70 they Canadian territory. They claim
be and are country The Cree and Santeau In
dams, who are friendly and who have never been
hostile whites, and that II they meant trouble
or anything OF that KIND no and his band could go
further INTO the Blackfeet country, but Canadi
ans are friends and protectors. and the Tetons
know 1t aud will not destroy that friendship on their
part.