The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1890-12-27

| utes. Mile after mile the battalion moved
on, but no courier appeared. 1t was dawn.
it was daylight, it was SUNRISE, it was only
three miles to Bulls camp, still no courier.
His nOnappearance was ominous. The ar
rest was to have been made at the earliest
dawn: We should have had some report
long ago. A cold, sleeting rain had set in
and each soldier wrapped his cape around
him and wondered if that courier would
never come. Suddenly over the brow OF
the hill came an Indian wearing a white
scarf, the badge which the police were to
wear that the troops might distinguish
them from the enemy
His appearance was a great relief, and
the officers rode forward to the head of the
column to hear his report, with perfect
confidence that it would be- a story of the
p~eaceablc arrest of Sitting Bull. The story
he told was this:
ST AN II ONLY POLICEMAN ALIVE.
We attempted to take Bull at dawn but
there were too many for lis. We killed
Bull but his friends have killed us all.
There are Il hundred and twenty of Bulls
men,"
The news was far from reassuring. The
problem was, what should be done? Sit
ting Bull wa dead. Next to his capture
alive, that was the objecto of the expedition.
There were more Indians than soldiers.
The police were dead-nothing could be
done for them. Could anything be ac-
complished which would warrant the com
handing officer in sending his men against
superior numbers with a good probability,
or at least a marked possibility, of sharing
Clusters fate?
The hesitation was monetary. Another
policeman, Iron Star, dashed up and re-
ported a dozen police, still alive, were sur
rounded and fighting desperately, with
scant ammunition. Bullet holes in his
clothing testified to the fire under which
he had made his escape.
Every officer at once declared that those
brave fellows must be relieved. Whatever
the dangers, it would be cowardice to allow
them to be butchered without an effort to
"a them.
But Captain Fechet hal anticipated the
conclusions of his officers and the order
had been given to remove overcoats, draw
carbines, form troops abreast i'll columns
afEfours and advance at a gallop. On
through the drilling rain the troops
dashed.
SITTING l. CAMP
is located in a small open space in a bend
of Grand river. The flat, except where it has
been cleared away Immediately around
the lodges is covered with underbrush and
scrub timber. From the flat, rough, broken
hills rise to the level of the surrounding
plateau. 1t was five minutes of seven
when the first courier reached the COM
mand. and thirty minutes later the troops
were on the brow of the hill overlooking
the hostile camp, where the battle was
raging between Sitting Bulls followers
and Indian police. The police had posses
sion of Sitting Bulls stable and stockade
corral, but were besieged and harassed by
a Continued fire from the enemy, with
whom the brush and timber seemed teem-
ing. We expected that the hostiles would
for us, but apparently they had not. A
short detour gave Capt. Fechet command
Of the two most prominent %eminences, and
Selling these he mounted the HOtchkiss
gun on one and the Calling gun upon The
other. Directly in front was Sitting BULBS
camp, Immediately on the left the Grand
river valley, both controlled by the artii-
lery. 1t was about a thousand yards from
our position on the crest of the hill to
where the hostiles lay in the woods. No
o had our troops appeared in sight
than the enemy turned their attention to
us, leaving the police for the time unmo-
Tested.
1t was scarcely two minutes from the
time our forces appeared on the hill before
THE ARTILLERY A OPENED FIRE,
and the Hotchkiss was dropping shells
among the Indians in the timber, who re-
sponded with irregular firing and savage
yells. Meantime troop F had been dis =
mounted, and led by Lieutenants SlOcum
and Stole, were advancing slowly and
cautiously down the hill directly toward
the camp, keeping up a continual and
heavy carbine fire. Troop G, under Lieu
tenant Crowder, also d%ismounted, were a
few hundred yards on the right, advancing
down the valley to a junction with SIocum,
and firing steadily.
Brooks vas in command of the artillery.
Fechet was everywhere directing the
movement. The Indians found the she'll
ing too hot for them, aud with a wild yell
broke for the hills. Men, women and
children, mounted and on foot, fled in all
directions, hiding themselves wherever
cover could be found, while the troops
pressed forward to Bulbs camp to relieve
the police. No time was lost, and yet it
was two hours from the time the troops
opened fire before Lieutenant Slocum led
his skirmishers into Bulbs camp. AS he
did so Red Tomahawk, the ranking officer
of the police who survived, drew his police
up in line, and salutilg. turned them over
to him. The scene in the camp was a ter
rible one. Directly in front of Bulls house
lay
EIGHT DEAD UOsTILEs.
all chiefs, all BULBS personal followers and
probably the eight worst men in the tribe.
Their names are known to all familiar
with the Sioux wars from rs to 80. They
were: Sitting Bull, Crowfoot, Sitting
Bulbs son, who, as a child, surrendered his