Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-04-07
written for TIE EVENING STAR
PIEGAN JOHNNY'S CIRCUS
WITH INDIANS.
BY WILLIAM T. HoRNADAY.
Author OF Two Years in the jungle
Copyrighted, 1855.


hate tina Italians because the latter are lazy and
wont work steal ponies raid ranches and Kill cat
tia whenever they dare. The Indians hate the
cowboys because they are afraid OF them, much
more so than they are OF the soldiers, who are
hanpered BY milit ~ regulations and discipline.
I;ptil quite recently sided with the Indians In
the most OF their troubles with the frontlersmen.
Ihad the 'rnan-and-brother" feeling for them and
Ihad IL pretty bad. Well, / have been cured Of
that, BY Indians, and they were not medicine men
either.
ter so To speak, and TO make sure OF getting
good one my friends in Miles City sent 10 the
Cheyenne reservation. distant two days travel. 10
get young fellow who had once been one OF Gen.
eral Miles scouts He came he saw, and ne con-
quered US completely, In less than fortnight.
Although lie talked English very wei. he pre-
tended he could not, and be was as mulish, lazy
and utterly incompetent as II seemed 10 Us any
Indian could be and live, which Is saying good
deal
He was hired 10 assist US IN hunting buffalo,
and the only time ne ever sni ,a WIS Wnen
he laughed my face at the aOSurdity OF the idea
But We found buffalo without him, which was
more than we ever could have achieved with him.
once when we hunted for eight miles through puZ-
ziing pad-lands 10 certain du.-out, said TO him
when we mounted our horses TO return TO camp:
"Now, Dog, yougo ahead and md ma the tepee,"
tour tcntl-
In the presence OF George Hedley and two cow
NO savyy teepee!' de, 81 don't know where 1t
So took thepead and plotted him back TO camp.
The next day We bounced him, and he made re-
marably quick time In getting back to Miles City,
going straight as q crow would fly.
The country lying south or the great northern
Ini:al reservation. occupied By the PieganS,
BIC DDS, BlaCkIeet. and AssinabOines. Is visited
eyry year Jy small bands OF redskins who are
generally ont for no good purpose. Tine PieZans
make annual raids upon the Crows, WAC occupy a
their ponies with degree OF enterprise that IS
worthy OF better cause. There is enough Of dif-
nculty and danger attending such stealing eXpedl-
tons 70 make them peculiarly fascinating TO the
restless young bucks. Their campaigns against
the Crows have been so successful anu so OFT re-
peated that during the last two or three years
they have become more daring, and raids upon the
souri, break out every fall lk" an epidemic. Last
year bandof Piegans ran OF l60 head OF horses
at one fell swoop from single ranch, taking the
ranch company entire herd
There Will be an Indian war up there before long
II the Government does not by some means put !.
stop 70 those raids The ranchmen have put up
with Just about as much hOrse-stealng. cattle
killing and ranch-raidng as they going TO sub
init 70 without taking the matter into their own
are becoming more and more frequent and now a
gang rarely goes into settlement or cattle cOun-
where you Will west OF Red Water, you will hear
stories OF Indian devilIry and "cussedness.'
The first and only time we encountered a band
OF Indians on our late hunt for buffalo did not
even see redsk1n; but, as the cowboys say, they
gave 1t 10 US in the neck lust the same After
we had chased q big bull buffalo for twelve miles
and killed him, and partly skinned him, gang OF
Pfegans lit down upon him IN the night, stole
the bones for the marrow, and smeared the head
with nasty war-paint as "A defiance. But have
told that story before
The Indians are very careful not TO fool with
COWBOYS where there are two or more In crowd,
nor even with one unless they can set the drop on
him But II Is quite In their line TO corral lone
cook In a ranch house, when all 1.-THE boys are
away. and make him cook a bountiful dinner for
all hands AT q ranch on the Big Dry gang once
refused cold dinner, and compelled the unhappy
cook 10 get them up special repast. bran new and
smoking hot. The THEFT OF provisions from ranches
is common occurrence, but the Indians A rule
prefer 10 call when the cook Is at home and
thereby avail themselves OF his services. They
want IL hot, and they viii catch II hot OF these
days TOO. When the ranchmen and boys OF
Montana get out ali their WincheSters and SIX
shooters and go a-gunning for redskins, would
respectfully advise the latter gentry not TO stop
short OF the British line. II the Government would
shoot or hang dozen or two OF those professional
horse-thieves nor, II would prevent the very seri-
fore very long. The cattleInen have endured a
long series Of petty outrages with admirable
patience, but II am able TO read signs core Getty
they are about ready TO call halt, and when they
do they will have the entire sympathy OF the un-
dersigned, for enough IS enough OF anything, in
one day during our long and wearisome search
for buffalo In the most desOlate looking country
this side OF the Sahara, a cowboy rode up 70 our
hunger. hospitality Is the rule everywhere and
the stranger was promptly invited TO .1get OF and
put up with US for the night" He said:
swell, thank ye, don't care II i do. I've been
ari1in since sun-up this mornin'. and to tell the
oflen I git rattled Qostj, but I've never been
through this part OF the country before, and l
must a-missed the landmarks. 1 started out fer
the LU-oar ranch. Can you rellers tell me where
n ISL
Yes fortunately we knew: He got out Of his big.
heavy stock-saddle and at first his Joints were 20
stiff ne could hardly walk straight. he removed
tue saddle from his tired pony, led him down to
tied the end OF the pcket-rope TO a cump OF sage
brush, and came and sat down 10 supper.
In the course OF our conversation he mentioned
trc 1act ''tlc called s.PteCan
NY" and said
Vow, II i am not too inquisitive and Won will
excuse me. I'D ike 10 know how a cowboy ever got
Z name from such a gang OF horse-thieyes The
Iput the question as delicately as I could for
from It's very nature, IL might easily prove oDec.
iionaole But Lay guest took IL very good natured-
We'll" said he earnestly, at 4. q dogconed
shame that any decent white man should be
named aiter such blank BANKED set OF thieves
and eutthroats as them Piegans, and If IL W ISN'T
Ter one thing wouldn't allow the boys 20 call me
.l1ssan Johnny my They give me that name on
last year; and I've give EN- leave TO call me that
right along until I get even with that gang.
I'm a-layin' fer 'ern. And III pay 'em on one o.
these ine days, you just bet"
He muttered another sentence between his
teeth, but IL contained such big words and so
many on them. and was so far from complimentary
70 the honesty and virtue OF the Pegans, that am
really afraid 10 report it verbatim.
"lr you don't mind telling" said l. ssI'd like 10
hear about that affair. think I've heard some
believe that II really happened"
We'll" said PECAN Johnny s.ye gsee IL was This
way. Last year wus down on the Blg Porcnnine
Workir FOR the q. II. B. ouLfit ana IL was the frst
season had ever worked this far north In fact
was little oettern a tenderfoOt In this part or the
country, and wasn't up 10 snun In someth nys
Well, wnen our boys oil went on on the spriny
roundup, was LEFT at the shack (ranch house1 M
take care or what little stock was left l had
quite little bunch OF horses 10 keep track OF be-
sides a couple OF mich cows and a team OF mules
OF course all the stock ran out, and had 10 round
them up once In awhile 70 keep them from stray
inS away and getting lost.
'One day while was out huntin' horses started
about halfway up half dozen bucks Ipdians1
showed up on the Top OF the rse leveled their guns
on me, and motioned 10 me 20 60 around EN-
VOW, ye know It's kinder rilin' 10 have any BODY
afaw on ye when we're on yer own ground and
haint done nothIn. Well, pulled up and cussed
ETA q little, ana then rode OF around EN- There
want no Indian troubles then and hadn't been
or years, 30 knew In q minute that them bucks
mao peen ste nn ponies somewhere, and didn't
Sant any white man TO see what they had.
wel- didn't md my horses that day and IL
was al.ef shutdown when got back 10 the snack
ipcketed my pony ana then went into the SNACK
and set down 10 the table 10 have a h,ya 70 aas
was settln with my back 10 the door and "a had
Iock would have II, j bad LETT the door open /
was hungry as could be. and was fight b,,.y win
the Nlttle-, when the 1rst thing knowed dan-eJ
IL somebody behind me didn't iprk INV sty sha-1, -
Gut or my belt! IL hung behind me 50 AMI Va
Know the holsters they make now DOM have no
Maps 10 en- the way the used 20 have
i Jumped up qulckern nghtn;n, and ~ tho
wnoie ooor wasn't oiocked up with Indians I'm a