The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-09-25
WHO Is SITTING BULL?
GEN. CADMUS MARCELLUS WILCOX
THINKS HIM A WEST POINT MAN.
his Opinion Is Based Upon the History
of q Former Cadet Named McLain.
This Man Was for Some Time a Minor
Chief of the Arizona MOjaves.
Especial Correspondence.1


Chief of the Arizona Mojaves.
Especial Correspondence
WASHINGTON, Sept. Ills Sitting
Bull, the Sioux chief, an ex-cadet of West
Point Military academy? This is start
ling question, and 1 shall let Gen. Cad
mus Marcellus Wilcox, of Alabama, an
swer it. Gen. Wilcox, it is well to say
by way of preface, was one of the bravest
generals of the Confederate army. He
oughtdesperately against overwhelming
odds, and being beaten has been one Of
those who accepted defeat gracefully and
manfully. He was also soldier in the
Mexican war, and the night after the
battle of Cerro Gordo enjoyed most
novel experience. He slept in a horse
stall with two other young soldiers, one
of them being Maj. Robert Edward Lee,
and the other Capt. U. S. Grant. Lee
and Grant, whom the fates had destined
to meet twenty years later at Appomat-
tox, slept under one blanket and with
their heads together under the same
manager. Like his bedfellows of that
memorable night Gen. Wilcox was a
graduate Of West Point. He had, indeed,
just left the academy and taken his COM
mission.
lone of my classmates at West Point"
says Gen. Wilcox, "was a young man
named Thomas F. NJ McLain. He came
from Missouri, and was admitted to West
Point in the year 1874. McLain was one
of the most peculiar men ever knew.
There seemed to be something wild and
solitary in his composition. He was full
of strange moods, and none of his class
! mates was able to understand what
manner of man he was. He was studi-
Gus, and got along nicely in his class,
but had few friends. His only bad
habit was drink Two or three times
he was disciplined for intoxication. Nc
Lain was a dark skinned, black eyed
young fellow, with a great shock Of
black, coarse hair. His resemblance to
buffalo was so striking that all the
cadets called him Bison McLain.' By
that name he was known as long as he
remained at West Point, which was not
a great while, for his habit of sneaking
liquor into his quarters and drinking
more thereof than was good for him
finally caused his expulsion. The Mexi-
can war broke out soon afterward, and
we heard that Bison McLain had started
for the scene of conflict. But at Gal
weston he became involved in quarrel
with planter and killed him, and to es-
cape Justice fed to New Mexico and
Arizona.
'This was the last heard of Bison
McLain for many years." continued
Gen. Wilcox, "but a short time ago l
met an old friend of mine, Capt. Paige,
of the Confederate army. Paige was at
West Point the same time l was, and of
course knew McLain there. 1t was a
startling story he had to tell me-a story
which might not have been inclined to
believe but for my acquaintance with
the narrator. Paige had been in the
government service out west, and was a
member of the surveying and scientific
party sent to explore the ella river and
its valley. The route finally carried the
expedition into the country of the
Mojave Apaches, the worst Indians in
the southwest, and at that time violently
hostile. Hence all possible precautions
against surprise were taken by the COM
mander Of the expedition. Travel was
exclusively by daylight, and at night the
boats were tied to the shore in the safest
places that could be found No Indians
had been seen, but the prudent COM
mander did not for that reason relax his
precautions.
Imagine, therefore, the surprise and
CONSERVATION which my friend Paige
and his comrades must have felt when
one night a band of fifty Mojaves, I'M
armed, walked quietly into the midst of
the camp and sat down around the fires.
Their intentions were evidently peace
able and beyond feeling to see that their
revolvers were in place, ready for instant
use, the white men made no demonstra-
ton. At the head of the visitors, evil
IDENTIFY their leader and spokesman, was
one big, shaggy fellow who did not sit
down, but who fixed his gaze on Capt.
Paige most determinedly. Paige looked
at him for some time also, but the chief
was the first to speak.
How are you, Paige| he exclaimed.
You don't know me, do YOU?
" L certainly do not replied Paige in
amazement.
81 knew you at West Point contin-
ned the chief; i am Bison McLain. Do
you remember meY
Paige stepped forward to shake hands
with his old classmate, but word from
the latter spoken in French caused him
to stop. McLain, for reasons of his
own, did not want his followers to know
that he and Paige had once been friends.
Then, at Paige's request, McLain told
his story. On fleeing from Galveston TO
escape the consequences of his crime he
had gone alone into the wild regions of !
New Mexico and Arizona. made friends
with the Indians and been elected mi
nor chief in the tribe of Mojaves He
declared that he had forever renowned |
civilization and would live and die an
Indian. The more thoroughly to iden- |
tify himself with the wild people with !
whom his lot had been cast he adopted |
their style of dress, in SO far as it was |
convenient, and married a Mojave wo-
man.
IL have the confidence of these In