The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1892-07-21
ADOPTED BY SIOUX.
Thrilling Experiences OF Four White |
Men Among Indians.

Thrilling Experiences OF Four White
Men Among Indians.
Mrs. Grace Dexter, daughter of county
clerk Crossen, sends the following mar
rative to her father. AS Chas. Mellette
was once a resident of The Dalles, the
incidents will be OF local interest. It isl
in the form of dispatch from Pierre,
South Dakota, July 10th and reads as fol-
lows: Fuller particulars of the cap
ture of a party of four. consisting of
Charles Mellette, clerk of the federal
court and con of Gov. Mellette; S. B.
Wallace, superintendent of Pierre street
railway and electric light works = Nelson
Gardner, foreman of the Wells Mereau
river horse ranch, and.a a COW boy guard
called Broncho Bob, by the Indian
police, were brought here today by
special agent Thompson to the governor.
He is incensed atthe treatment accorded
the party, and especially as they had
safe conduct across the reservation
signed by Secretary Noble. The party
started from Pierre July I'd, their desti-
being Wells horse ranch, $50 miles
northwest.
"When the party reached the Chey-
enne river on the reservation border,
where old Big Foot's hostile camp is
located, party of painted savages
swooped down on them led by uni
formed Indian policeman, Their arms
and camp equipage were taken from
them and the prisoners were bound and
confined in an Indian tepee until the
next day, when they started for the
Cheyenne river agency, 100 miles away.
Mellette,. who was badly sunburned
through being several days on the
prairie, was at first taken for an Indian,
bearing a strong resemblance TO hos
tile called Crooked Leg, but as he could
not talk Sioux the mistake was soon
discovered, and he then was the butt of
savage jokes.
1.-THE agency was reached after Sc
thrown in a guardhouse and stayed there
over night, along with several renegade
Indians locked up for cattle stealing.
Finally the case was brought to the at
tention of the agent, who liberated them,
and they returned to Cherry creek to re-
gain their wagon, horses and property.
| The pass that Secretary Noble sent came
! by wire and was written on a telegraph
blank. It was regarded by the Indian
police as so much useless paper, as they
knew no passes except such as are made
out on agents. letter heads. Gov. Mel
lette wired the secretary for the pass
and had no fears that itwould fail to see
the party safely across the reservation.
A big Indian congress was in session
at the agency when the prisoners were
brought in. When their captivity was
made known to agent Frank Willibridge
he summoned twelve of the leading
chiefs who compose the supreme court
of the council of the Sioux nation, and
had the prisoners brought before them.
An interpreter explained who the pris-
oners were, and on the information the
chiefs swelled with dignity and asked
for a pow-wow The spokesman, Chief
Charger, said:
The Great Father, by his treaty, has
given us this reservation. He says we
| CaiI hSSp aii "iiiIo Aieii iioAi CotHihS oAi
it or crossing over it. 1t is the last land
the Sioux has left that he can call his
own. Not even the white chiefs, Noble
and Mellette, can say who can come on
our lands; no, not the great father at
Washington, but we want no trouble.
We will let these four go and will give
them the freedom of our lands" A feas,
was then prepared for the late prisoners
and, according to Indian custom where
great friendship is to be evinced, Mel
lette, Wallace, Gardner and Bronche
Bob were adopted into the Sioux tribe
and let 60.