The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1879-02-28
GIRARD's DEFENSE.
An IncIden, OF Frontier Lire.


|
Frank Girard, the celebrated scout
OF tho plains, relates a thrilling ad-
venture he had In tho winter Of 1868,
when no was In charge Of Fort Ber-
thold. The Indians living there had
moved from their summer village to
their winter quarters, from forty to
flfty miles away. On tho evening OF
the 23d of December, about 600
Sioux passed the fort unknown to
Girard and his employees, seventeen
In number. Their intentions was
to rob the village, but before coming
up with il, they discovered that IL
Mad been reinforced by 200 Assini-
boines, and they changed their
minds about fighting. They turned
round, and on tlieir way back re-
solved to capture the fort. Next
morning one OF Girard's uten report
cd Large herd Of buifIloes about
two miles away. Girard ordered his
horse TO be saddled, and began to
prepare for days hunting. In the
meantime, however, ono OF the men
had gone up to the block, with u
pair of glasses and found that tho
supposed buiialoes were Indians APP
preaching tho fort. Taking their
rifles, Glrard nnd about dozen Of
the men started out Ia meet them.
When mile away from tho fort and
GOO or 700 yards from the Indians,
they were fired upon, and for the
first time became aware OF the hos
tile intentions Of tho approaching
savageS Glrard's men had passed
the deserted village, which was com
posed Of dirt tep0cs. They noticed
that Indians were going into the
tepees with the intention OF cutting
them or from the fort. Girnrd hal
loocd To To the men t9 run for the
fort, and they started back, seventy
or eighty Indians firing on them us
they passc I. They had barely time
to get inside and close the gates Of
the fort, when the whole body Of In
dianz were In the villnge, which WAS
within thirty yards of the stockade.
The battle ragged from o 4. 81. to 3
o'clock in the afternoon. About sew
enty-five tons OF hay were set fire to,
rs we'll as large number Of the dirt
tepees in tho immediate vicinity oil
the fort. Under cover Of the smoke,
number of the Sioux came up to
the block-bouse with fircbrauds,
which.they thrust through the port.
holes and endeavored la .rt fire to
IL by shaking the sparks nn the floor.
At times the smoke was ~, dense
that Girard and his nen wcrn com
PEELED TO fall on the ilJ0r Tor a breath
of air. They managed Ia keep The
sayages ut bay until the friendly In
dams, forty miles away, attracted by
tho column OF smoke, moved for
ward To their assistance aud scared
Off the Sioux. About filly OF the
enemy were killed during the
fight, but Girard's small force
was uninjured with the exception of
one man who received u scratch on
the nose from flying splinter. Next
day the friendly Indians returned to
their winters quarters, and every
one OF the employees deserted Girard,
being afraid that tho Sioux would
return and be little more successful
in their second attempt to capture
the fort. Girard stayed In tho fort
alone for ten days. Scarcely day
passed without seeing some hostile
Indians on the outside. Every
night he went to the block house and
mounted two dummies, placing old
United States muskets alongside Of
them. One morning, on taking them
down, he found two arrows sticking
IN the breast of one OF the dummies.
Each morning, after lighting the
fires, he would go on the block. house
In different dresses-sometimes rig
ged as Il white man and then as an
Indian, using different eolored blan-
kets. Altogether he assumed twen-
ty different characters, and probably
succeeded In convincing the redskins
that there were twenty or thirty men
inside the fort who were prepared TO
defend 1t to death. Girard had de-
termined to sell his dearly in case he
was attacked. lie had arranged
twenty-five kegs of gunpowder in a
circle, knocked in the head Of one,
and piled all the merchandise on top
of the powder. 1t was his intention
to wait until good number of Sioux
were inside, and then send them in
simultaneously to kingdom come.
There was, however, no need for the
extreme measure. The friendly In
| dians learned that he was alone in
the fort, and, on the tenth day, forty
of them came and took up their quar-
ters with him, and remained with
him until the. spring. His employees
also came back, and the bIo0dthirsty
Sioux gave up the idea of capturing
the fort.