Omaha daily bee., 1890-12-23
STANDS FIRSTS STORY.
He Says the HOstiles Barely Gave Him
ti-- His Life. ..s, -. - go

ZINE RIDGE AGENCY, >. ID. (via Rushville,
Neb.), Dec. 22.-[Special Telegram to The
BEE. Stands FIRST, widely known as one of
the most sagacous and bravest of Indian
scouts, returned from spying errand to the
hostile camp last night. General Brooke
sent him out last Thursday and he spent all
of Saturday in the camp of the savage clan.
He had been within the camp grounds but a
few hours, he said, when he was threatened
with his life. Then he made an attempt to
deliver the advice of peace which he had been
told to give. AS soon as he commenced to
speak, he says, the hostiles, of whom he saw
over four hundred in one bunch alone, set up
a series of war howls that completely drowned
what he said. They crowded around him,
making him the center point of a great
circle Having done this they leveled their
guns at him. The bowling then ceased and
the spokesman for the bloodthirsty gang ad-
dressed him. He was told that they, the
hosties, had listened to their peace talk.
They would hear no more of it. They would
never again allow an advocate of peace to
leave their camp alive. Statements they had
previously made to the big peace party sent
out week ago to the effect that the white
soldiers were towards and afraid to fight
them were reiterated with a more mad vio-
lence than ever. They taunted him with
assertions that he, Stands First, was acting
like woman; that he was not worthy of
being an Indian and that he was a cowardly
slave of the white man, To this last charge,
Stands First says that he replied:
'lf you think me coward Shoot me but
If you do there are many more whom
you will have to fight when am gone. Kill
me, kill me- You are too cowardly to kill m e.
You are acting like fools to refuse to give up
your designs of war. What will become of
your old men, your squaws and your children
when the soldiers come and you are killed, as
will surely be the case if you persist in this
way of doingl"
"When the soldiers come when the SOL
diers come" mocked the hostiles. 1.-THE SOL
diers are towards they will not fight us. AS
for our families, we have been ready for
month 10 show how we can protect them.n
Before he left their camp Stands First says
that the hostiles told him they had field
glasses and through them had seen soldiers
(probaby Carr's command) many, many
miles to the southwest of them. A fter leaving
the hostile camp he saw young Indian warriers
a long way off shooting, apparently, judging
by their peculiar antics, having skirmi sh
with the soldiers The scout concluded
his talk by saying that he passed
the party of 1874 friendlies going on
the final peace errand and that left
here yesterday morning, He says their er-
rand will be fruitless, for he has every reason
to believe that they will not be allowed to
enter The camp. Stands First believes there
are are few in the bad lands camp who
would come in but they amount to nothing,
he says, in comparison to those whom it will
be totally impossible to bulge particle from
their determination to fight.
Included in the great lot of provisions
taken out by this last peace party to the hos
tiles were three wagon loads of Omaha
crackers. CHG.