The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-06-20

in every way to avoid it; that there were
times Of excitement when he felt uneasy
but that he had done his best with an ever
present evil.
Curtis-"The governor, who sent me,
would like the young bucks to leave their
arms in the teepees SOFAS not to frighten the
women and children and then to 10 homo
and attend to their land.''
Two Moons My young men shall leave
their guns in the teepees."
Il will tell the settlers what you say and
when the Indians show they mean to be
good, the whites will leave their guns at
homo. The settlers say the Cheyennes Kill
their cattle.''
Il know it is wrong. l have tried to get
moro to eat, but no moro comes.''
Tho chief then told his wants relating
to the increase Of rations and farming
implements. A general handshaking then
ensued and Two Moons then retired. White
Hawk. head Of the Indian police, after a
conference. asked that the governor be told
that since Agent Upshaw had como the In
diana had been well treated, but that the
police wanted house at the agency whore
they could sleep when they came in from a
long journey. The polioc were between the
reds and whites, and whom talk went like
wind and trouble came then the police were
needed. AS the talk seemed to have good
effect on the Indians, it was thought best to
80 next morning to Ashland, about twenty
five miles south, from which section settlers
had been warned away, and where half the
tribe is said to be camped.
Col. Curtis, Maj. Carroll. Agent Upshaw,
Detective Smith and your correspondent
compoeed the party. Ashland consists of
just one house, which lies in rich bottom,
and facing it is a range Of hills, and looking
up the road the first thing
which attracted attention was a
Resticulating figure on the hill.
Soon all the hills had single occupant.
Mr.. O'Connell, the postmaster, explained
that he had seen none but squaws since the
Friday before; that for two weeks past the
Indians had had lookouts ON all prominent
points. and that on Saturday night they
had thrown up breastworks on the hill near
est their tepees, had put the squaws and
pappooses in the tepees and were prepared
for an attack. Before our arrival Lieut..
King came in with troop with orders to
count the tepees on Tongue river and the
guns in possession of the Indians. His
advent caused stir among the squaws,
who told him the bucks were away
hunting ponies, but would return at night
He counted fifty tepees, but only squaws
and old men and children filled them
Shortly after the lieutenant went into camp
runners came to tell him that il he would
come at sundown he might count the guns,
and shortly aftsr noon visit was made tc
the mission and word was sent to the te-
pees that the chiefs must come to pow
WOW. At 4 so'clock they commenced to
come from lall directions and soon the
front Of the mission was filled with them
After little talk by Agent Upshaw and
Curtis, and the inteDretsr proving unsatis
factory, the powwow was adjourned til
night. And what crowd 'ther,
was! Some whites were present, as Al
the powwow at the agency, while the In.
dams were closely crowded about the room
and the doors and windows were blocked
with them. Here was the war chief Little
Wolf, who led the Cheyennes from the In
dian territory to Montana, leaving trai
of blood behind. and White Bull, Black
Wolf, American Horse and thirty others
equally as noted, American Horse was
chosen by the Indians as speaker. He is a
born orator, and stepping to the center oi
the floor posed as though in the national
congress. then dramatically took an oath
that what he said would be truth. He de-
MED that he or his people had any enmity
toward the whites; that he intended to hurt
settlers, or that he feared the cowboys, and
also that his people carried guns. Asked
the meaning of the breastworks on the hill,
he said the pappooses had put them there
to play in.
The questions becoming pointed, Ameri-
can Horse gave way to White Bull, who de-
MED any desire to hurt the whites, and said
the Indians wanted more rations; that seven
days rations only lasted three. "If we
were not a tough people we would have
starved to death long ago, and we fear you
[pointing to Curtis] are like many more
men who have come to talk to us,-you will
not listen as we'll to us US We to You. We
want more rations of every kind"
Curtis-"We will all try to get you more
rations. Now you must go to your tepees
early in the morning, pack up and go to
your lands and do not carry your guns
around with you."
This all promised to do. Agent Upshaw
then made some very appropriate talk ex-
planning the position of Col. Curtis and
and Gov. Toole in the premises. Father
Vandevelan advised them t, go home, and
the powwow was over. That the Indians
did some tall lying was very easy of proof.
In the first place, every Cheyenne buck has
either Springfield or Winchester rifle
with belt full of cartrides. In addition
they have reloadine outfits and buy all the
powder they need. Then again their
tbreastworks were built by men and were
composed of immense rocks, some of which
two men could not lift. But they did keep
their promise about going. and this morn
ing many of them began to travel. This
afternoon examined the Notifications on
the hill and they showed great skill on the
part of the Indians. There were three
of them, one nearly at the crest
commanding one road, another on the
south and commanding the river. which