The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-04-27

man named Pete.
At about the same time the advance guard
ran ahead behind little ridge-a wast-out
# from on. couleeEgot down and commenced
plan Of riding into the train on that line.
At the same time another party of about
4oO Indians came up the river bottom be-
hind us and took position in a coulee
about $50 yards in the rear of the train.
From this point they could hit the bulk of
our horses, and there was very little time
to lose if we saved the train, so we formed
charging party of about thirty men. To
protect them in their charge ON the coulee,
another party of thirty men on higher
ground kept the grass cut down with their
bullets. The object of the charge was to
close quarters, as we had found out that
Indians wouldn't fight under such circum-
stances. And here, as on the Rosebud,
when we got into that coulee, the Indians
didn't have strength enough to run; they
were simply paralyzed. At the first shots
moro than twenty feet away, being out of
Wind from running. w.
One Indian who was knocked down
made desperate attempts in his dying
struggles to shoot arrows at the
parties nearest him, but he was SO
far gone he could hardly throw an arrow
twenty feet. The Indians got away very
slowly. They were so scared they couldn't
run. I don't know how many we killed or
wounded.
While the Indians were escaping Sitting
Bull rode back and forth on hill about $50
yards away mounted on fast horse, en-
deayoring, and also succeeding, in drawing
were within thirty feet Of us, trying to
knock him off his horse, We succeeded in
killing the horse but failed to hit the Sioux
chief: We didn't know at the time who he
was but learned it afterwards. Another
big coules inss ahead Of wher s the train
was corralled. A very large body of Indi-
ans attempted to come down there, but
were held in check by the positions our par
ties occupied, making it sure thing that a
good many Indians had to die before they
could reach the train.
It was remarkable thing that during
this fight none of our men were seriously
hurt; the, most serious hurt anyone received
was by being hit with spent bullet. But
probably therewas not man in the fightthat
didn't have dirt thrown on him from bull
let's striking the ground, and as an instance
pit and had taken out three or four shovels
Of black loan, when two or three bullets
struck in the hole. He jumped out of that
pretty quick, declaring very emphatically
that If the Indians wanted that hole they
could have it; he didn't need it any more.
bullets striking close to MIN as he was ly-
ing down. We had several of our horses
shot slightly and several head of cattle
hurt, but they were all in shape for use.
The Indians didn't trouble us after that
fight. They thought we were bad medi-
cine.
I think our success in fighting them was
due to the fact that we always got in the
first shot, and they afterward told. that we
never slept. They said We were neither
whites nor Indians, but were like lot of
bull buffaloes; We had no sense.
And it was by creating that superstitious
feeling of our being bad medicine that we
virtually whipped them. During the course
Of our fights they lost a great many horses.
and their attempts to shoot the cartridges
which We had scattered around resulted in
bursted guns and dead Indians. This made
them think that we had stronger guns than
they, and was another evidence to them of
our bad medicine.
During the expedition the weather was
very cold and sleety. A good many of the
ment of it made good many good Indians.
Tho treatment consisted in puttinga pa
tient into one of their sweat houses until
he was in full perspiration. Then the pa
tient jumped into cold the cold water of
the e Gree ia great many died. probably
OF course We didn't find any gold except a
few colors, the country being of sandstone
formation.
From this point We travelled very slowly,
making our camps very carefully. but e1-
cept seeing an occasional Indian We had no
more to do with the Sioux. We crossed
the Big Horn on the 10th of April, at Fort
@. F. Smith, and slowly travelled back to
Bozeman, arriving there on the Sd of May.