The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-04-27
THE STORY OF A MARCH.
GOLD SEEKERS AGAINST REDSKINS.
BOHEMIAN TO WOLF MOUNTAINS.

dams shot above the eyes, and the others in
the coulee commenced to shoot at random,
holding their pistols over the edge of the
coulee. While they were doing this a num-
Der of their hands were shot of in that
game. This we afterwards learned
them at the time. We soon found that the
Indians had to be charged out of this
coulee, and a party of about thirty men got
ready. Before this, however, we turned our
attention to the Indian who was behind the
ash stick. We thought shell from the
from his position couldn't take sight at
him. So, in order to help him out, we COM
menced shooting all around in order to
keep them down while the gunner jumped
on top of the gun 80 as to get the location
accurately, and while we held the Indians
loaded the howitzer, and the next minute
turned the gun loose. There was an explo-
sion as the shell struck the stick, and we
afterwards found pieces of blanket and In
dian, and saw patches of blood. Instantly
on the discharge of the piece there was a
scattering Of Indians, and the charging
party of thirty men jumped on top of the
Indians in the coulee. They were the worst
lot of paralyzed Indians ever saw. They
staggered around like lot of fool hens,
and didn't have strength enough to
run. We got thirteen of their scalps that
time and following up the charge captured
twenty-three of their horses, making us
good for all they had killed. We laid over
at that point the next day but took the pre-
caution to put a picket post across tbs coulee,
SO as to prevent any further occupancy of it
by the Indians while we were there. We also
loaded lot of rifle shells, such as we
Thought would fit their guns, by extracting
powder in its place, and scattered these
around SO that the Indians might find them.
We also captured a large lot of their penn
mican in the coulee and dosed it pretty
strong with strychnine. We afterwards
had some proofs, of its effects. Two men
discovered four Indians laid away in tree
with no signs of any wounds on them.
Here the party had bitter trial; those
who didn't know much about Indians were
anxious to take the back track and get out
of the country as quick as they could, but a
and were aware that any attempt to turn
back was infinitely more dangerous than to
go ahead, finally persuaded the others to
keep on. We then continued our way up
the Rosebud nearly to the head waters.
mad camp and laid over day with the
mountains. A party of thirty men went
out to hunt up road that day, and the
Indians expecting we were going that way
had ambushed the road for the train; and
we afterwards learned they claimed that
they had those thirty men completely in
their power but wanted to capture the
whole outfit together.
We next crossed over to another fork of
the Rosebud where there was open country
and made camp on a low hill that was al
most surrounded by valley. In this camp,
about 8 O'Clock in tho morning.
D while - our horses tba were ea.ns turned
fhroo Nn1nr,na rnQ6o doch tho horI
Fortunately, perhaps, our horses were worn
out, and so many had the epizootic that
they failed to stampede them. They came
after them in Indian fashion, swinging their
blankets, whooping and Yelling making all
too prompt in getting around the herd and
turning the stock into the corral. We
didn't lose horse. We captured one of
their horses, his rider having been shot off,
and the horse running and joining our
band.
Here we had one very exciting little
scene. An Indian had been knocked off his
horse by bullet, being creased, not badly
hurt, but came too about the time some Of
the boys were trying to get his scalp off.
As there was no other way out of it, An
derson stuck his knife into the Indian and
then took his scalp. One young fellowiwho
mountaineers and frontiersmen around the
camp fresson the way down the Yellowstone
about the scaIptng they had done, used to
comment on the brutality of such thing,
and would get Disguised as he heard the
stories told. It SO happened that he was
the Indian on this occasion, but failing to
do that, cut off the Indians ears as mem
ento. He was nice, we'll educated boy.
and had been a druggist in Bozeman. While
thile this was going on there were not less
than 800 Indians within 400 yards shooting
81 4
work. In an attempt to secure the scalp of
an Indian that had been knocked off his
horse, ono of our best men, lack Yates, got
shot through the heart, dying almost in
stantly. In packing him to the corral we
concealed his death as we'll as We could, but
hardly hoped to do SO completely, because
the Indians are very apt to discover such
things.
Here we buried Yates in the breastworks
so that the Indians couldn't find him.
After the fight was over we proceeded to
hitch up. and pulled out as though nothing
had happened. We crossed the Rosebud
that day and made camp on level bench
thought We were pretty safe. We laid over
there day to recuperate our stock. The
travelling was fearful. the wagons rolling
up great coils of gumbo, so that we had to
stop every little while and cut it off with
axes and shovels.
W0 ucAt UIdVellcO dDOub uuIc0 Iu11ob OV0F
to little point close to Long Creek.
While we were resting the stock here we dug
a grave and proceeded apparently to bury a
body. We thought that the Indians knew
that they had probably killed one of our
men. But instead of burying body we
buried loaded shell, over which we placed
log chains and a few sticks of giant powder
and such other missiles as We thought would
take effect in case the Indians attempted
to open the grave. The gunner fixed the
primers and laid board over the shell and
other things, and arranged it so that if any
one attempted to lift the board up at either
end, it would be certain to explode the
charge. We afterwards found out that
four or five Indians were killed there in try-
ing to open the grave. That morning We
were very well aware that we had to fight
during the day from signs We had seen and
information brought in by the pickets and
scouts. In the camp on the point over
looking Long Creek an amusing incident
occurred. The Indians attempted to cut off
two of our pickets, who were Gallatin val
ley farmers and had lazy horses under ordi-
nary circumstan noes. The Indians were we'll
mounted, but had no chance to catch up
with those two men, who came into camp on
the dead run, although several of our men
were going in the direction of the Indians
just as fast as they could 60. The men
from the camp drove the Indians back,
however, and established the outpost.
We moved from this hill and got down
into the creek bottom, and about a half
mile from where We struck the bot
tom had to cross the creek. This was really
the most dangerous point of the whole ex-
petition. From the coulee on the left, and
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