The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-09-25
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which had helped him amazingly in ac-
curing renown and influence among the
Apaches McLain refused to tell Paige
the name by which he was known
among the Indians, and parried further
inquiry concerning himself with ques-
tons about what had been going on in the
world of civilization. AS suddenly and
mysteriously as he had appeared, Nc
Lain then gave the signal to his follow
ers, and the visitors rose and filed out
of the camp into the darkness.
Capt. Paige was unable to learn
much more about our old classmate at
West Point" continued Gen. Wilcox.
HE made inquiries in various directions,
but could only ascertain that there was
a white chief among the Mojaves, a
great war chief on whom the native
chieftains relied for leadership in their
struggles with the troops. One of the
scouts attached to the exploring expedi-
ton reported that he had engaged one of
McLain's followers in such conversation
as his small knowledge Of Apache would
permit the night of the strange visit,
and had learned that McLain was known
among the Mojaves as Chief White
Bull At least the scout thought it
was White Bull He knew that it was
Bull but he was not SO certain of the
prefix.
'sThat was in 1868. In 1867 there was
a pitched battle between the Mojaves
and detachment Of troops in the ella
river country. The troops were defeat
ed, and defeated because of the mastery
tactics displayed by the Indians. The
officers were surprised and astounded at
the familiarity with the art of war dis
played by their foe, and were at loss
to account for it till they heard rumors
that the Mojave war chief, or captain,
was an ex-cadet at West Point military
academy. This engagement was de-
scribed in a recent number of The Cent
ury Magazine, and in that article the
writer, one of the officers who was in
the battle, pays high tribute to the mill
tary skill displayed by his unknown an
tagonist.
This is all know positively of the
career of Bison McLain," Gen. Wilcox
went on. But / have reasons for be-
lieving that he left the southwestern
country and moved into the northwest
The Mojave Apaches have been pretty
well broken up, and if McLain had con-
tinued to reside with them he would
have been uncovered. Had he met with
death in the tribe some traditions of the
taking off of such unique and noted
character would be likely to exist among
his fellows or in the annals of the from
tier What more natural than that Nc
Lain, perceiving the gradual encroach-
ment CT the whites on the Arizona coun-
try, and discovering the miserable char
acter of the Indians among whom he had
cast his lot, and perhaps firing of the
family ties which he had formed, should
seek to better his condition and enlarge
his influence by seeking alliance with the
nobler Indians of the Yellowstone, the
Black Hills and the Big Horn-the war
like Sioux?
THAT is just what McLain did, in my
opinion. l firmly believe that Bison
McLain, expelled from West Point, a
fugitive from Galveston, was chief of
the Mojave Apaches, migrated to the
Sioux country and became the famous
Sitting Bull. We have no photographs
of Sitting Bull, as he has always refused
to sit before camera, claiming that to
be bad medicine unlucky; but such
sketches as we have of him show a strik-
ing resemblance between his head and
face and the head and face which at
West Point led US to nickname their
owner Bison McLain. 1t is said Sitting
Bull is a medicine chief and not war
chief at all, but how erroneous this is
must appear from consideration Of his
great campaigns In the last fifteen years.
Were Custer alive he would not say Sit
ting Bull was a medicine chief. Custer
found to his cost that Sitting Bull knew
the art of war. Crook learned the same
thing. There has always been a mystery
about Sitting Bull, and l believe if it
could be cleared up he would be found
to be none other than my old friend Nc
Lain. Maj. Mclaughlin, of the army,
tells me in his opinion Sitting Bull is a
white man, and familiar with both
French and English. My friend Col.
Taylor, OF this city, has written a little
book TO show that Sitting Bull was
white man, educated by the Jesuits in
Canada. That would account for his
knowledge of English and French, but it
would not account for his familiarity
with the art of war as taught at West
Point-a familiarity which has enabled
him to anticipate precisely what his foe,
the United States troops, would do at
any particular crisis"
Gen. Wilcox is one OF the most promi-
nent citizens of Washington. He was
strongly urged upon President Harrison
a few days ago for appointment to the
vacant oommissionership of the District
of Columbia. He is nearly related to
General Garland.
A little romance in Gen. Wilcox's life
is worth mentioning. He and the late
Gen. George B. Mcclellan were as young
men fast friends. Both loved the same
young lady. Magnanimously Gen. vii
cox stepped aside. and left the way clear
TO union between his friend and the
woman he loved. Mcclellan did marry
the girl. and Mcclellan and Wilcox !
were warm friends as long as the former |
lived WALTER WELLMAN.