The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1889-10-26
MASSACRE AVENGED.

Rquence of events for cause and
and TO find in accidents the
positions of Pre- violence or super
IN wrath to see the workings
tnral justice in chance, and to
Hptih the misfOrtunes of eyil.dOers
iunishment meted to their sins.
~ twenty years ago occurred a
of events of an intensely tragic
4't<'e which bear as clear lesson to
is# people as If declared in holy
1870 the uplands of Montana
lHr hardly touched by white set.
f4 Buffalo in countless thousands
a nd its grasses in June, crossing
fDanada in skirmish line 800
b in length, to return when the
5tnorthern winds late in August
8eitl the waning, summer. South
O lisfey prsrsrheSss srassara . se'
EAiHo Pacific in herds so dense AS to
STOP De trains and stretching farther
than te eye could reach, natures
unbraned kline, hoof-free and un-
numbers, until the broad plains OF
Texas gae them winter forage.
Where Helena, Anaconda, Boze-
man, and cher thriving cities now
stand. wee military posts, from
which a feWeompanies of cavalry and
infantry he'll the Crows, Bias kfeet, g,
Shoshones, ad Gros Ventres in loose
check. The Grows, at no time very
quarrelsome,s suffered from continu-
Gus raids of hieving Piegans, who
stole down acOss the Canadian line,
near the Maias river, penetrating
the Crow cointry nearly to Fort
Ellis, now within rife shot of BOze-
man. So bolt, cunning. and exas-
perating had they become. that it
was tacitly Understood that the next
band of maraulers would be made an
example of.
One mOrningin the winter of 1870
III Crow runner came into Fort
Ellis breathIess with distance, and
Informed the commandant that q
party of Piegans had ralded a Grow
village the day before. killing seV
eral of the bucks and stealing a lot o
ponies and their seasons shooting o
buffalo hides, nearly thousand In
number. They had made off, he said
to the north as rapidly as possible
and, he feared, would reach the Ca
madam frontier before overtaken
1.-Two companies ofthe Second Cavalr!
IsNsia strung detachment of infantry
veh> ordered in pursuit. and in al
bur were on their way, with tw
yeek's provisions on their pacl
mules. 1t was Montana winter
The cold was intense. Not for a da.
did the thermometer rise to zero
The snow had crusted and froze
bird enough to sustain the cavalry
Vhich moved to the northward at
aick trot, sabres clanking and rifle
swaying. The infantry were 500
lift behind, and, so far ss the narrs
i've is concerned. they were out
T. and might as we'll have been bac
IN Fort Ellis.
Col. E. D. Baker was in comman
Of the cavalry. a gallant officer. an
an ideal soldier-he obeyed his o.
ders to the letter. Let no censui
rest on his memory; he is dead. Th
Second Cavalry was Col. Jim Mon
romery's old command. 1t was r.
cruited along the frontier and life WI
held cheap-especially the life of a
Indian.
= The Piegan trail was struck befol
nightfall, broad. clearly defined, an
leading due north. 1t was eyidel
that the Indians were not anticipa
ing sudden pursuit. or were confide
that they could easily escape in
4 Canada. The scouts declared tn
there were squaws and children
q the party, which numbered over IL
that they were at least thirty-s
honrs in advance and moving ia
& with relays of ponies.
: Three hundred miles to the fror
. Tier, as the crow flies, the thermom
s ter below zero, and the Piegans pro
b ably miles ahead. The problem W
to oyertake them. For five days t
= cavalry followed the trail. On iroz
snow they bivouacked. wrapped
i blankets and buffalo robes, huddli
n close to their horses sides to Ike
,e from freezing in the intplerable co
r. Frost-bitten ears and noses were
% rule, and frozen feet ard hands I
infrequent. If fortune favored
piece of woods furnished dfi
branches for making coffee anc
scanty fire. The glare of the sn
2 produced snow blindness in maj
}, and the horses feetlocks were r
from contact with the broken cru
The roughness of the country p
: vented rapid pursuit. On the e