Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1885-1890, 1885-06-11
10 THE POOR INDIAN.
Stories That Give an Insight Into Tie
Character Of the Red Nan.


The Indian is progressive. He is
fast becoming civilized. An Indian
shot and killed his squaw and then
blew his own brains out. He did it
within two miles Of Fort Assinaboine.
The Indian was known as Bull.
It is remarkable, writes a Miles
City, Montana, correspondent of the
New York Sun, what a fascination
the name Bull has for Indians, They
use it with every qualification Sit
ting, Standing and Rn,saing*s The
Indian Bulls are propcrtionately as
numerous as the white Smiths. This
particular Bull, who does not appear
to have been provided with the usual
descriptive adjective, but to have been
! plain Bull, was on his way to the fort,
accompanied by his squaw, When
near the fort he drove her into the
brush and shot her dead It is be-
lieved the squaw had some money
which she declined to turn over to the
brave: hence the sudden and bloody
act After the murder Bull went to-
ward the fort. At hunters camp
near by he told an Indian boy what
he had done Afterward he started
back to the place where the body of
the murdered squaW lay. A white
scout in the employ of the govern
ment happened to Ee in the ncighbor-
hood locking for scme stray hcrscs.
Bull, seeing him, supposed he was
coming to arrest him. He sat down,
put the muzzle of the gun to his fore
head and blew his brains out.
Suicide is rare among the red men,
but | have known several instances
within tie past eight or nine years
A young squaw shot herself through
the heart in 1877, when she was held,
with her mother and other squaws, in
temporary captivity at Fort keogh as
a hostage for the performance of GER
tain agreements by White Bulls
band of Cheyennes to which she be-
longed. She was one of tho captives
taken on the eve of the fight at Wolf
mountain, Wyoming. A chief was
deeply enamCred Of her, and the first
offers of his band Of Chcyenncs to
surrender were due, in some measure,
to this tender sentiment, and not
wholly to the Indian rcyerses at Wolf
mountain. After the Tongue river
expedition had returned to TT. keogh
and the captives were safely lodged
under guard, truce-bearers were sent
in by the tribe to negotiate for the
let; n Of the captive. Negotiations
were reopened for the surrender of
the Cheyennes. A large party, head
ed by White Bull, who was enwrap-
ped in an old calico American flag,
was allowed to come into the canton
ment to have a talk. They were also
allowed to see the captives and talk
with them. After the first days coun-
ell it was seen that the Cheyennes
were playing a diplomatic game. The
Cheyennes were allowed to return to
their tribe still in the field. Their re-
quests that the squaws be allowed to
accompany them were firmly refused
The warriors who feared forcible
cetentlon, were much pleased when
they We're allowed to return to their
tribe. During tht Epreyious night an
ominous stiffness reigned among
them. They were all camped in the
center of the parade ground. They
evidently feared treachery OF bad
faith. Next morning tie scene was
changed
They were feeling gooo. They sad
died their ponies and packed their
mules. The captives EefFFs satllio atlliiosssesal to
remain with their relatives during
these preparations. The young
squaw, with face beaming with
smiles, was saddling her pony. and
the young buck, her fance, was not |
far away. She expected to go with |
the party, but she was detained, with |
the other captive squaws, as a hos
tage for the return of White Bull and |
his party in twenty days. A very dis
tingushed young warrior, Buffalo
Hump, also remained voluntary
hostage, The party moved out in the
usual Indian fashion, and promised |
their speedy return with the rest of
the tribe.
The young squaw, when she found
she could not go with 1.-THE band, was
deeply grieyed. Shs could not be
made to believe that they would ever
return again. The sight of her de
parting lover and her friends was
more than she could bear. The Indi-
an-male or females creature of
impulse. She drew small pistol.
which she had in some way secretd
in her clothing, and shot her. L
through the heart. At the appoa