The Bozeman weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1889, 1883-07-18

tIalu, WuACl CVII0ACus AUDus ha1A oA WIZ
left fankers (who were about 250 yards
from the train and next to the Indians)
ran in, leaving but five; one of these
Sweeney had shell catch in the cham
Der of his Winchester, and he, against
his will, had also to go in. The other
four would drop on one knee and shoot,
and then up and run few steps toward
the advancing Indians, who became de-
moralized by such audacity and swung
around to the left in front of the train.
The namse Of the four who stopped this
dangerous Charge by their reckless BRAY
cry, were Neil Gillis, Irving Hopkins
Tom Rea and French Pete.
The advance guard used the same tao
tics as the fankers, till they gained .
point that commanded the country in
front, which point they held till the end
OF the battle.
There was coulie about $50 yards in
the rear of the train the Indians took
possession of this as soon as twas desert
ed by the rear guard, and hot CALLING
fire was poured into the train from it.
This had to be retaken, so about 40 men
charged it. There must have been 800
Indians in this ravine, and they fed like
sheep as the chargers came in sight.
The nerves of the chargers were 80
shaken by their hard run, that they did
very poor shooting and only killed one
Sioux, though they wounded several.
Conger Smith captured very fine horse
in this charge, which next day was acci-
IDENTIFY shot by Bird Calfee.
Just after this charge, which virtually
ended the battle, the Indians were seen
riding swiftly back to the old camp,
where the shell had been buried. It was
supposed that the shell had exploded, but
nothing in regard to it was positively
known till 1877, when Cheyenne, who
had been in the fight said that in going
off it had killed one and wounded six
others, two of the latter being squaws.
A short time afterward two warriors
came out on a point near the old camp,
and one, taking a rest fred at the train /;
the bullet struck the ground inside the
corral and just under horse. Jack Bean
took rest and careful aim and returned
the compliment, and when it was time
for the bullet to get there, the Indian
shot at dropped. Several who were look
ing at the Indian with glasses, declared
that the ball had hit him. The distance
between the parties must have been
nearly mile. Jack used long range
rifle (12O grain sharp's) and had made
several very effective shots during the
trip.
This shot was the last fired with hos
tile intent during the trip, and the party
travelled to their second camp beyond
the Big Horn river without incident
they took every precaution, but the hos
tiles showed themselves no more.
At the camp spoken Of, which was on
Beauvais creek, small party, while
hunting on the stream above named,
came on to an apparently deserted lodge
standing in a short bend of the creek,
near to high face of rock. The canvass
of which it was made had in it several
bullet holes; on the ground near by were
many cut pieces of wolf skin upon look
ing inside the hunters found the remains
Of two white men that had been killed
about four months before. There were
bullet marks in several places on their
skeletons, and one of them had been
shot through with an arrow that lodged
in rib on the opposite side. The lodge
poles showed bullet holes ranging down,
| and the conclusions reached by the party
were that they had been attacked by the
Sioux at night, and while asleep, and
that the volleys that killed them came
from the cliff above. No doubts exist in
the minds of those informed of the cir
cumstances, that these were the bodies
of Joseph Lee and George Ackerly; fol
this was the place to which they had ex-
pressed their intention of going the fall
before.
At the next camp that the expedition
made there came in war party of Crows
who were greatly elated at the sight o.
the scalps and other trophies, and Dor
rowing them all, they made glorious
night of it, singing and dancing. The
whole Crow tribe expected utter annihi
lation for the party, and were greatly
gratified to hear of the outcome.
From accounts given by the Siou,
themselves alDerward, the party killed
knear hundred warriors, but they secur
ed but eleven scalps, for an Indian viii
70 much farther to protect dead com
rade from mutilation than he will for I
| live one, for in their religion the belle
is, that none can go to the happy hunt
ing ground till after a long probation, i
their scalp has been taken.
Till the last fight all of the Indians en-
gagged were Uncapapa's; many pieces o
I flour sacks were found on the trip, ant
they were all branded Durfie & Peck
showing plainly that they were For
Peck Indians. In the last fight the!
1 were joined by some Cheyennes ant
Ogalallas, making altogether about ! ,6O'
warriors.
There was another thing found and tn
reader can draw his own conclusions
Scraps of newspapers were picked VI
and captured from dead Indians, and al
of the pieces were parts of the Chrisia
advocate.
The party had twenty-three horse
killed, but more than made the loss goo
by capturing twenty-five. Many robea
blankets, moccasins, medicine bags, wa
bonnets and other trophies were car
. tured.
Major Reed and Bowles, were sen
! with dispatches from Bozeman to tn
i, Expedition. They came to the scene {
!. the Rosebud fight, about two weeks afte
that occurrence, and concluding that
would be too dangerous to follow, the
turned back. They reported havIn
seen four dead Indians in the camp, tbs
had apparently died by poison. Tws
}, found out afterward that several Indian
: had been injured by the exDlosion of tn