The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-12-01
THE BIG HOLE FIGHT
General Gibbons Army Saved
By It's Own Rifles.
naaaaTIvE OF CHEF JosEPH
Mes peres warriors DID Net Know GEN
sr4I Hsward was Approaching
-maftsrs of History.

rs one of the Portland city papers Of the
18th fnSt. appears an EDITORIAL from Walsh
the following Is 81 sxtraet;
az sxns ffe rees nsought IN b. Josepb sscoHia
f1at esersrnl Howafd's command W0ala Son
,eaeh ffa scene Of the Big Hole azht EAAt aigne
saved the brave. thOagk tooi-hafdy band naslsf
Gfbfon."
This Il the renewal Of claim made I'M
rnediatesv alter the battle by some afiofly-
mons newspaper correspondent with Ten
eral Howard Originally q was 70 the effect
that bat for the arrival Of Howard = COM
mand my force would have met With Gus
teE's fate. The report was repeated ~ tni-
caeo by q correspondent who LETT ! 70 DC
inferred that hs received bis information
from General Howard. General Howard,
however. denied this.
Six Years alter the battle General nner-
man visited the ground, and one Of his
staff officers. In speaking Of the matter, re-
newed the absurd claim that We had been
saved By The arrival Of troops which did
not reach osss position I'LL the second DAY
after the battle. Where this staff oiiaeer
rot bis impression ! have never been able
20 discover.
In General H0ward's book on The Pur-
suit Of Joseph. statement Is made which
leads ii 10 be inferred tpages 1873 and l9Jl
that Joseph fed because Of Information re-
ceived from his scouts that he lHowafdl
was coming.
And now the assertion again appears, as
quoted above. Twelve years after the battle
Fortunately for the truth Of the matter,
which possibly viii be Of more interest TO
p<,sseriiy than TO the present generation, the
means are at hand 20 settle the question
A. 10 the information possessed by Chief
Ioaeph Ill the time. and the reasons for his
leaving WssGzoxat renewing the attack.
After seeing the Portland paper ! held
talk with Chief Joseph, which give here,
not telling him. rs viii be shown BY my
questions, what the OBJECT was until after
ho had answered The questions Ia bis own
way
.ichief Joseph, want TO ask you some
thing which may call up sad thoughts TO
Won. but ask IL with on object which
will tell ron about later. When We had
the fight at Big Hole, at what time did you
learn that General Howard was coning9'
II did not know that he was anywhere
near there at sll. When we were first at
tackled. / thought the soldiers were from
about Missoula. The last VIC heard OF
General Howard was when I was at Fort
Ovens. near Eteyenssille A courier came
rom Kamia and caught up with me there.
He told rne.thas General Howard was NOV
ing and that he thought his direction was
ACROSS the faountains toward me. Then
again another man from Lapwai told me
that General Howard was on the road ave
or ak dass behind. This was after ! got
pass Fort Iesnhi. IL was above Lemhi,
near Medicine Lodge"
Did you move the whole Of your camp
on The day Of battiel"
ave all left that day. We moved out
that day and went over TO SONS low
meadow land aud caFnped there. Locking
Glass said, Let ns go back and attack the
forces again. We all returned 10 the
hattie ground that day. Five of us stayed
there where We could see the camp and
fhe wagon with soldiers abont 1t going TO
the camp. The wagons were in between the
soldiers; some of the soldiers were in front,
some behind and some on the sides.
ssHow far were you from my camp7'
ssAbout as far as from here 20 the middle
of the Columbia river" (About one miie.)
II want yoa 70 recollect as well as you
can. whether that was the day OF the battle
or The day after the battle.
al did miss day. The day we had the
battle IL do not know what time of day we
all picked up and left the battlefield We
STAYED that night where we went into camp
with the woman and children and wound
ed. Then We came back towards the
evening of the second day TO = knoll
with some trees on it, ard from there we
could see your camp. The soldiers were
soing hack towards the ravine from which
they had come on the morning Of the bat
he. / said, We are just little too late and
they are going hack. But was mistaken;
they were going back after the wagons.
Then when they got out OF sight We got
up on the mountain aud looked down.
We could see the wagons, but We did not
know which way they were going.
These same i've men you already men
toned Z"
Aud good many more. Tsare were
lots or "a. We eeuld see the wagons going
10 the battle-ground. Some OF eur men
said Let as attack them | said No. bold
on; let us see what they are going 10 DO.
We crossed above where yon we're in-
trenehed. and then came down and went
up ON 10 a high point, from where
we could see the Wagons. Then
We came near 10 whore you
we're. same Of our party said part Of
Won STAYED there TO take care Of the
wounded the rest went 10 get what ron
Iefs behind We ait left shen except fye
III us. Looking Glass said. They are in
trenshei there. IL is . hard game. ies Us
wp.s We stayed there 60 watch. Then the
I'VE crossed the creek and came sr On me
opposite side, and We ceaid hear n bell
down ia the bottom. like on . bell
horzs. We got up close enough
"a hear somebody taking. We had one
young fslhaw who was very brave. lie
said. Hold sny horse and will So and
srs whe they are Ee vas away long
While. and then reported shas the Aorscs
and mules were ell secafsa. lie said ~
soase IL yoa 30 aionng ! eau stesa the bell
and yaa 81 steal the horscS.' bnt they
wonld not &c. They said il was 10
use. spoke % Locking Glass the vas
one al the Evel. then We gave Il az.
said let Is give az this thing, il S nos a
fasx ewht. I 80 not lska this Kind 81 light.
ins: in the saosning, Il they estch up with
Us. we vii srht 80 iha aeAth. Looking
class sid VERY wells let as 60. Ihree
os Ihe yeung men Sad they weGid sry q
ran GO TIRE stask. and uv heard thsm E.gsng
az tAesr gems % stampede IL
s.was 4 dark when yea kest there ?"
s,1usi IN the eseaing. Ii vas lust aboat
ssrk.
The rezs0a hare asked yea tbs Is ~.
cause i hAs heen s.assnsa tAss ysa left 10.
cause year scouts tosa yes sienesa1 Howard
was eemsng. assd that il 6enegas Howard
hasi nos essEae W msy soldiers weaEG bare
As0s4 WsFss8 sSssF z