New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-11-11
AT THE CROW AGENCY.
GRATIFYING PROGRESS OF THIS NprAr
NATION.
LETTER FROM GENERAL JAMES A. BsrsBrx.-
"ENAToR BECK IN MoNTAyA-AS
EXCITING DOG HUNT.

Beck, of Kentucky, | visited the Crow Ind.,
Agency. As we drove up the valley Of the La,t,.
Big Horn from Fort Custer, we passed over N.
line of march which Gibbons and Terrys column.
followed when they went to the relief Of Rem.
after Clusters massacre. The ground was famjla,
to me, four companies of my old regiment "A
United States Cavalry having led the advance -
Gibbons column, and / pointed out each SPOT a,
interest to the venerable Senator. But this bs.
nothing to do directly with the Crow Indian.
This tribe inhabits the southeastern portion ~
Montana, and its reservation contains some OF IN.
finest lands in the new State. The reservatio.
embraces 4,7I2 $50 acres, of which more than hsb
! is good agricultural land OF this vast body a.
Crows till less than 1000 acres. They hav
however, $4,000 acres fenced, and seem fond a,
stock raising especially Of breeding horses This
year they built great deal Of fence for pasturs
land Enclosures. They own over 5000 horses and
$500 head Of cattle, have great many teams and
love TO ride about in wagons. They were in.
duced to haul during the last year, with their own
wagons, over lO0 900 pounds of freight from thu
railroad, forty-fve miles distant, and seem Quit
willing to earn money in this way
The agent, Major Wyman, seems to be good
man, and although new at the business is honest
and capable, and in time will make an excellent
agent. He told me good joke on the Civil Ser.
vice reformers. Soon after he came to the agency
the Indians had q great council and arrived IL
the following conclusion: Their former agent had
be en- the agent of their former Great Father, M
Cleveland, who a Democrat Their new agent
was the agent of their present Great Either Gen
eral Harrison, who was Republican. Mr.. Ceye
lands agents people must be Democrats, and now
that they had Republican agent, he should turn
everybody out and appoint new men. Having
reached this conclusion the council adjourned and
committee of chiefs waited on Major Wyman to
explain to him the situation and demand the dis
charge Of the employees appointed by the former
agent Mr.. Wyman, who Is not much Of a party
man. heard with amazement the demand, and II
amused him greatly. He himself told me tho
story, and added " Great Scott. what would our
friend George William Curtis say if he knew this
Even the poor savage with an untutored mind
knows better than to attempt TO run Govern
ment on Civil Service rules !" 1t is indeed a sod
blow to the reformers to think that blanketd
warrior of the plains knows better than their be-
loved chief; but you must not tell him, else, 90
the illiterate people of the West say, George
William will go behind the house and kick him
sells
The Crow Indians number 2,456 souls, about
evenly divided between males and females. Some
200 of them wear citizens clothing entirely, and
1873 are partly dressed in citizen garb, with
blankets, feathers, etc, to top out l noticed
however, that nearly every Indian had dress
suit of paint and feathers, which was donned az
the slightest sign of an entertainment. When
Senator Beck and myself were there horse-racing
was forbidden at the Agency, but knowing the
Senator was from Kentucky, and fond of seeing
+bav tba
of his presence TO ask the agent TO give few
horse races in honor OF Mr.. Beck, and for his
entertainment. OF course the request could not
be refused, especially as the Senator heartily
backed it up. This shows I think, that the
Irdian is not slow in Selling upon q favorabls
occasion The races were excellent, the young
Indians riding bareback, and with nothing but
a breech-cloth on their bodies. They started in
skies, tours and tNvos, and the running Of the
ponies was really wonderful
About 10 Crow Indians can read and $50 speal,
more OF less English Notwithstanding the COM
morly received opinion that the Indians are dying
out, the Crows are slowly increasing in numbers
each year, the births last year exceeding the
deaths BY some Atty souls
Riding through the Indian camp with Mr.. Beck
| saw standing by one of the lodges strange
looking animal, which L at first took TO be
IOA, DuJ on closer Inspection 1OunQ 10 De one OIL
the numerous hybrid Indian dogs to be found
in every village. This little fellow had foxs
head and yellow and red coat, with little white
along the belly. A lady in Philadelphia some
time ago made me promise TO send her an Indian
dog, and thinking this one would suit her told
one of the Indian scouts to catch the little beast
which had already taken refuge in the lodge
The scout entered, and moment later there WIS
scufle, yell, and the scout came
out holding by the back of the
neck the most Misunderstanding cur
ever saw 1t was not the dog l wanted and
| told the scout TO try again. Meantime my sly
little Reynard true TO the instincts of his nature
and knowing something wrong, had slipped
out under the edge OF the lodge and was stealing
through the sage brush. An Indian saw him ana
at once gave chase a swift pony / tod TWO
more scouts to join in and the fox-dog was forced
out on the open plain. Then the race began u
earnest The dog doubled and turned, bid In
ravine and did all he could TO elude his aci's
pursuers But who or what ever got away from
three wellmounted Indians2
1t was as pretty race as any one ever sw
and lasted for over forty minutes. Dodge and
hide and turn as he would. there was no escape
for the poor little dog. Then the lariats OF tho
Indians began to fly through the air The dos
was a small object for n moose, but after many
efforts the moose fell squarely over bis head, the
Indian ierked. and the little dog turned hesa
over heels. Then he wound up, hslf-stran-
gled, and the Indian, catching him by the neck
and holding him out at arms length, Gailopcu
furiously back to camp and handed me tine aus
/ gave the lucky man half dollar for DIS ~
bic, at which he seemed greatly pleased anu na
fun of the others. who had been less lucky '''N
himself. ,
We tied the dog securely with rope aroa.
the neck, put him in a sack and TIED u up ~.
fastened the rope to a chain in the Doo' VI 1T
ambulance and strapped down the ooo' w.
we thought mouse could not get out
toned the scouts knowing the WHY ha'u'e
the heat hut they assured me that he was se'e