The Bozeman weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1889, 1883-06-20
The Chronicles of the Yellowstone.
An Description Of the Couny its Indians the Early
Settlers Their Struggles with the Aborigines, and
Interesting "reminiscences Gathered from
The Early Pioneer.
CRON1B YELLOWSTONE has been applied
for and will leventual in book 6rm1
CHAPTER TX.

CThe copyright for the "CHRoNIcLE
for and it will eventually appear in book
CHAPTER TX.
rHRFE MEN BURNED AT THE sTAKF-MON-
TANA MILITIA.
The killing of Bozeman stirred up
quite : furore against the Indians and
Gov. Meagher was authorized to and did
raise force of militia. Thos. Thorough
man had charge as colonel, and the three
companies were commanded by Capts.
Bob Hughes, Hart and Clifford, L. NJ.
! Black, Of Boscman, supplied many Of the
horses, and provisions were furnished by
the traders from all parts ofthe territory,
for which they received vouchers; none
of these were paid for several years. In
1872 Gen. Hardee was sent to the terri
tory to take evidence ON these claims;
after his report Congress took action,
and paid the holders Of the vouchers
from ten to seventy per cent. Of the sum
called for.
The command when organized went to
the Yellowstone and laid in camp on
Shields river for four months; OCCASION
ally small party would 60 out prospect
ing, and once gave chase to party of
Sioux, but otherwise did nothing but
grumble and quarrel among themselves.
During one of these squabblings Captain
Hart killed one of his soldiers with a
pistol shot, for which he was not brought
to account. In the latter part of Septem-
Der Hughes and the hard cases of the
command, organized secretly, and when
ready forcibly took horses and provisions
and went across the country to Laramie ;
the rest scattered over the territory, and
30 ended the Montana militia, as tough
and useless crowd as was ever gathered
together.
During August man named Weston,
his son "a boy of l3) and deserter from
Fort Ellis, went down the Yellowstone,
intending upon reaching Clarkes Fork
to 60 up and prospect that stream. A
few days after they started, some Indians
were seen near the militia camp by a
hunter, and Capt, Hart, with forty men,
took five days rations and went after
them. The Indians had discovered the
presence of the militia and struck out
down the river. The pursuers found
their trail and followed them down just
below Boulder and near that creek, they
found Weston's party all dead. The
body Of the boy was half mile from the
others, and had in it thirteen arrows.
They had been killed about two days
and had probably been surprised, for
there were no indications of a severe
fight. After burying the bodies the
party went on; when about five miles
from the Boulder they heard irregular
firing ahead of them, and dashing on.
soon came in sight of party of forty In
dians who had three men. deserters from
Fort C. F. Smith, corralled. When the
Sioux saw the approaching whites they
fed the militia chased them for three
miles, but finding they could not be
oyertaken ceased the pursuit, and going
back to the scene of the fight camped.
The deserters had taken their horses
from the fort as they left, and had come
to their present camp without noticeable
incident. Just as they were eating their
breakfast the next morning the Indians
dashed in and took away the picketed
stock. The soldiers rushed to point of
a hill near by from which the crest of a
sandstone ledge projected, behind which
they fought. The Indians took posses
sion of the adjacent points and held the
white men in their position for two days
and nights, during this time wounding
two of them. Being feverish, the wound
ed men suffered greatly for water, and
would soon have died if help had not
come; one of them drank go much when
he came to the spring that he became
stupefied, and died the third day after
ward, just after arriving at the militia
camp. The militia concluded to remain
one day at this camp, and few of the
party went down to the river to catch a
mess of fish here they found and des-
patched . wounded Indian who was
soaking himself in the river. The next
morning the party went up the river and
arrived at the camp on Shields river
with no further adventure. The two
surviving soldiers went to Fort Ellis and
gave themselves up. The wounded man
suffered greatly for month, when he
was relieved by death.
In the latter part of September man
named Aaltby, with two companions,
left the canyon in boat and went down
the river. Nothing more was heard of
them till 1870, when by Brule Sioux
interpreter, came the report that that
tribe had, in 1867, near the mouth of the
river, captured three men who we're
going down in boat, and burnt them at
the stake.
Bozeman's first paper was stated in
August of this year; twas called the Pick
and Plow, and was owned and edited by
H. N. Mcguire.
JEFF Standifer and twelve other men
started from Virginia City and went to
and up the Yellowstone, and crossing
the divide at the head of that stream,
went down Wind r1yer; with him was a
hard case named Uhlen; he was very
passionate, and vented most of his spleen
on man named Bridger. One day,
when on the head of Wind river, Bridger
resented this usage, and Uhlen shot
him dead. The party gave the murderer
trial, and after much argument conclud-
ed to take from him his horses and arms
and turn him loose. This sentence was
executed, and it is supposed that he died
in the mountains, for he was never seen
or heard of again by any of the company.
The party found some prospects of gold
below this, but getting short of provi-