The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-10-03
A CAPTIVE FOR YEARS.
james Beck's Story of His Expe.
rience With the Sioux.

-.
7; a typical Western pioneer arrived at the
Union Depot and spent an hour there, wait
ing for the train which was to take him
East to pull out. He wandered about the
sheds in a strdnge sort of fashion, looking
cuiiqilSly at eyerything, for every thing there
was stfange:to him. :. -.
(: When Ire was told that the country was
covered with d network. of Just such roads
as he lad Travelled over, he said, with his
queer accent: =
81 have not seen them. 1t is long time
since | knew anything about what the white
man is doing. hardly can speak his Ian
guage any more"
=''Where have you beeu?"
+: "Me? With the Indians. | have been a
prisoner with the. Sioux Indians for fifteen
men since then. | only escaped two months
ago., and now. l am going to look for my
wife,
',Youhaye been held prisoner for fifteen
years?"
Yes. And have not had the most good
time while was with them. L was at the
Standing Rock Reservation in Dakota, and
it was fifteen years of hard time and agony"
r How were you captured?'
81 just had my discharge from the Ninth
Infantry When this gold fever broke out in
the Black Hills. | was married and had
CUltu, Out i tIlOllSui CUulu Hldho lIl6lH llCI
very quick by going to the Black Hills,
though | knew there were Indians out there.
" We got to: the. guleh near Deadwood on
July II, 1879. Every body was buying mines.
If you had money you paid high prices for
mines; If YOU had little, you could get mine
Tor What you had. | bought one long way
back IN the hills, and the next morning L
went out there with my wife and Child. We
+ had III tent and had to live III the open air.
We built a fire at highland went to sleep,
but we had just laid down when the Indians
came Down on us, My wife and child and
myself were strapped on horses and blind
folded. We rode for four days, and
when l was taken off my horse my
+ wife, and child had disappeared. The
Indians told me by signs that they had been
taken In the other.directlon. lie chief OF
the band was. Black Moon. | thought |
would be killed with torture, but Black
Moon made me hunt i had TO help the
braves trap and all the mean, hard work
had to do. Twas neverlet go half r mile
from camp. except with the braves, and
when the ira S had to be set they would go
it'll me aud watch me do all tho work. l
: had to bring all the game we caught into
camp on my back. They wouldn't carry
any and they wouldn't let their ponies be
used. Their ponies were too good for that
kind of work when was around to do it.
Alter awhile learned to sneak Sioux and
then, was treated better l never had to
work for the squawS after l learned to
speak the language. The Indians used to
fight much withthe white men then, and
have seen hundreds of eaptiyes, many OF
whom were killed. but most of them died
because they couldn't stand the hardships.
We had nothing to eat:but. half-raw meat
and sage tea. SOME of them. lived and they
are still with The Indians" :
why didn't you appeal to the Indian
agent p" /
. CaptiHes never see him. was strong
man.. Ibid the hard work. They did not
want to lose me- When the Indian agent
came was hid In the woods, tied to tree.
could n0tgeta pony and gun then without
stealing them from the Indians, and / knew
if: did that / would be followed: and cap
tured. and if 1 was,>I would be killed.: In
the last of June got a tMeuty-mile liberty
from the chief. i told him wanted TO
hunt, and he. let me have a pony and guu
and 1 started. ] never went back. In ten
days Egot.tO Fort Walsh. 1 he place was
forty miles north of the boundary line of
Canada and on the east fork of the Milk
River. Itwas dreary place, but the En-
glish soldiers, when L told them my story,
gave me some inouey and l started SOUTH"
st OIlis POst-DisDatch.