The Bozeman weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1889, 1886-07-14
The Crow Indian.

J. w. Redington, the versatile editor
of the Heppner, Ore, Gazette, was with
the Howard expedition as correspondent
of the Chicago Times. In speaking Of
the celebration at Billings on the 4th of
July, in which several members of the
Crow tribe participated, Redington is led
to take diamond hitch upon his mem.
DRY and vank out the following bit Of
interesting history:
Those same Crows ought to rehearse
the little incident they met with on Can
yon creek in September, ". Gen. How
ards footsore command was working
down Clarke's Fork of the Yellowstone
then, on the trail Of Chief Joseph's Nee
Perces, and Fishers little party of scouts
were joined by an outfit of Crow war
Tiors mounted on fresh horses. They
promised Fisher to help him out After
long and forced march of two days and
a night through soaking rain and many
fordlngs of the river, the main Yellow.
stone was forded and the scouts, with
the cavalry under Gen. Sturgis,
overhauled the Nez Perces on CANYON
creek. The fight that ensued lasted all
day, but quite early in its course the
Crow warriors made dash at a
weakly guarded rart of the Nez Perez
herd and succeeded in cutting off a
couple of hundred head of the 1900
horses Chief Joseph's outfit had along.
The Crows waited no longer 10 help the
whites. They dashed off to their reser-
walton with their capt.red horses. Be-
fore break of day next morning, fresh
outfit of 30 Crow warriors dashed into
the soldier camp and showed profilse
signs of friendship for the whites and
hostility towards the Nez Perces. They
talked with their hands, eyes and ears.
The soldiers and scouts knew that their
itch for hostile horses was at the bottom
of their friendship, so it was determined
to let them take their own chances in
capturing booty. Mr.. Crow clamored to
be led against the foe before the morn
ing sun had yet gilded the ragged ribs of
the little dog-tents of the camp on the
battle ground, and were too impatient tc
stop and partake of the stringy steaks
from the dead mules. on which the sol.
dieFs were making their royal breakfasts
The Crows were told to charge ahead
and jump up the Neg Percss, and the
soldiers and scouts would follow up and /
be in supporting distance of them. 1t |
was deemed to be fitting time to play
r even OH the Grow nation for the way
they had went back on the soldiers the
lay before. So camp was leisurely brok
IN. The dead were buried and the
wounded men in the improvised hospital
inder the cottonwoods close bv the pool
If throat-cutting alkali water were made
IS comfortable as possible. Fishers and
Houston scouts moved out in advance,
citing their horses jog along in the d.
ection of the Musselshell, careful not to
lurry and intrlde upon the little tribal
ceremonies they supposed to be then go-
ng ON between the Crows and Eez Per-
es The scouts had followed the trail
ut few miles when they met very
orry outfit returning. The gay cava
ade of Crow warriors who a few hours
efore rode their prancIng steeds like
nto men born in the saddle, were now
liking a straight shoot back to their res
rvatlon. About ten of their number
ere missing, and the balance acted as {
lough they thought they would soon be
iissing too, if ttey didn't get out of that
icinity. Some of them we're riding
luhle and few had lost their guns. It
ems that they had placed too much !
it'll in the whites, as the whites had :
aced too much in them the day before. :
ID in following the fresh trail Of the
ez Perees and trying to make another 4
lul Of horses, Joseph's men had surned
them, killed those they could reach, 7
ID run the balance on the back ira x
+ several miles. The Grow procession
ssed the scouts without any professions p
friendship Or assistance this time, and Il
united very short answers TO questions Z =
out hew many horses they had cap q
red. Old frontiersmen among the Is
outs pronounced them the sickest-look- 3
J specimens they had ever seen, and If g
: Crow nation would forever blast its All
= record with the eastern people d n
Ilings. who were not on the Yellow ns
ne when real war existed there, let II
III rehearaa their stampede near Can
Q creek IN ~