Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1890-12-26
His Face Serves for a Target for
Enraged Indians With
q Plank,
Letters from Mrs. Weldon Found
Among the Effects of Sit
ting Bull,
Warning Him That the Government
Was Intending to Kill
Him Soon,
Can Gums Story BE Believed.

A TRIBUNE reporter run on to Corporal
Gum Of troop, 9Th cavalry. last evening
at the Custer house. and from him re-
ceived an account of Mondays fight on
Grand river and the killing of Sitting Bull
that is very much at variance with all
other reports thus far received. CORPORAL
Gum was with the troops that went out in
support of the Indian police. In the first
place he says Captain Fecheu didn't have
orders to follow the police to Bulbs camp
and the military has been %wrongfully GEN.
sured for not being closer to Bulbs camp
when the fighting was going on. The
truth is, the Indian police wanted all the
credit of arresting and bringing in Sitting
Bull. They started from Fort Yates about
9o'clock in the evening, and the cavalry of
100 men left a few minutes before mid
night. The two forces were instructed to
go to W different points, the Indian Do
lice to Grand river and the cavalry to Oak
creek. At Oak creek the cavalry we're to
lind orders or couriers from the Indian no.
lice as to the latter's movements. N. t
finding any, Captain Fechet became
alarmed and started IN to Grand river.
Before they were over two miles out Red
Tomahawk. an Indian policeman. met
them. He was breathless and greatly ex-
cited and could not speak c~oherently.
Even Louis Primean, the interpreter, could
not make out what the Indian was irving
to say.
SITTING BULL is DEAD ~
he screeched, land four policemen killed
with him! Hurry up, quick. or they will
all be killed" Corporal Gum says they
disbelieved his story and they were almost
on the point of arresting Red Tomahawk,
thinking he was a coward and had desert
ed his comrades, but we decided to move
on quickly to the scene to ascertain the
situation. We galloped rapidly and when
we reached Sitting Bulls camp there was
no fighting, but a terrible sight presented
itself. Around the warriors shack were
strewn a dozen or more dead bodies, Sitting
Bull among them, together with four of
the police. The bodies Of the latter had
already been prepared for burial by their
comrades. The legs were tied tightly to-
gether. the arms strapped securely to their
sides and a cloth tied over the face of each.
THE STORY OF THE FIGHT
as given by the Indians, says Corporal
Gum, is as follows: Sitting Bull occupied
the shacks, one in which he lived with his
sons and the other occupied bv his wives
and children. About fifty lodges are in
the vicinity-within a hundred yards-of
Bulls followers. Bull Head went to the
door and read the warrant for Sitting
Bulls arrest. No one was IN the shack
but the old warrior and the two sons.
While Bull Head wa reading the warrant
n of the sons came to the door and gave
the alarm to the Indians lurking near.
Without a moments hesitation Bull Head
shot Sitting Bull before resistance was
offered. The ball pierced his breast, i'm
mediately over the left nipple. As he
staggered Sitting Bull fired one shot, strik-
ing Bull Head in The thigh, while falling.
Crowfoot was next killed and he fell across
the body of his father on the threshold.
The combat was then hand to hand. BULBS
followers rose up like magic and a terrific
encounter ensued.
U Il SHOTS wERE FIRED.
The guns were dubbed, the stocks shat
tered to splinters AMI some Of tie barrels
1-EEA 49, -