Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1881-02-17

u TERRfRLE CALAMITY.
A Whole Tribe Made Desolate ov
thc Ya0ktOnnaIs Were swept
sxv,.. No..

A Whole Tribe Made Desoiafe How
the YanktOnnaIs Were swept
Away In One Night.
Special to the New York Herald.
FORT BUFoRD, d. T., Feb. IA "A bearer
of dispatches has just arrived here from
| Poplar Creek Agency, M. T., bringing
| news OF u calamity which Can scarcely be
appreciated 10 its full force by anyone who
is not familiar with the frightful harslships
of frontier existence About five days
ago news reached us here that the
Missouri river had opsued at Fort b .nton,
Nj T., about three days previous.
Shortly after ward wa heard that 1t was
gradually breaking up all the way down to
Fort Peck, souie 900 miles below Benton
| In view Of these reports the fact that the
agent of the Yauktonnais at Poplar Greek
took no step to avert the misfortune above
ferred TO would seem TO need explana-
tor Ii seems from the report OF the
courier whose statement is verified by ;he
personal knowledge of your correspondent,
that the greater part of the Ysnktunnai.
camp was located for the winter,
presumably for the purpose of being near
water. on large, low flat Immediately Oh
the bauk of The Missouri river, and that
on the eysoing of the 10Th inst. the water
WIS fouud to bs rapidly rising in their
| | Immediate vicinity.
| After the manner of these savages they
made efforts that were equally vigorous
and futile TO escape from the evident de-
s'aton which threatened them. The,
tried o drive III their horses, but found
THAI tha, poor bcutes were even more para
! lyz by fright than they we're They
endeavored to take down their tepees, bu,
discovered that the loose poles were tight
| f ozsn in the grouud Tue theremomet-,
Indicated that the cold was alreaiy 22'
below zero ILd sui. intensifying. Major
Lees hal ordered al! tbs troops out aud
he soldiers we're making every possible
effort to save their red skinned brethren,
hut the reIi-tles ilJw Vt the rising river
Came steadily GU them ia the dai kness and
tho cod. The m0uruful wall of the
'qnaws hlied tho air in Intellectual protest
to heaven, and the feeble cries of the
blbea and children, sickeued almost unto
death with cold and fear, seemed fitting
soug over ths death Of the rights of their
| fore fathers.
With the dawn of the day came a sight
which viii haunt for many night every
Que who saw it. Where yesterday was
busy and merry camp, filled with The hum
and hustle Of life, was now only a great
vase of t.Oz-n water. High up ia tn.
trees, where evidently they had Il d to
escape the pursuing flood, were to be seeu
the bodies of eight Indian men, frozen
stiff and STARK Five hundred ponies were
also dead, some standing ouly knee deep
in water, but rigid form the cold, ana
many more teiDg frozau into thu ice, thu
water having first drowned aud then solid
fed srould tb III The number of Indl-
Aas Who actually pofished caunot nov be
stated with any degree of certainty. Th.
1 whole tribe are iu mourning ana refuse to
be comtofted They feel that the Great
Spin. Is against them. Their condition
| II md led most pitable one The fruit
OF their winter 3 hunt aud the buffalo robee
they have brought in have all been swept
away III one night. Their loved ones
their lodges, 'helr ponies are all gone.
Could any story of dssoAtion be more
| gUtnpiAtAy