St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-01-11
WALK NIGHTS BREAK.
Gen. Merritt Gives the In
wardnesS Of the Chey-
enne Trouble.
An Indian Killed d Heifer Be-
longing to a Ranch
man.
The Sheriff Is Experiencing
Trouble in Making the
Arrest.
Military Authorities Do Not
Anticipate There Will Be
BlOOdShed.

Brig. Gen. Wesley Merritt, U. S. A
commanding the department of Dakota,
was interviewed last evening concern
ing the threatened danger of bloodshed
among the Northern Cheyenne Indians
on Tongue river. Montana. He said:
A member of the tribe named Walks
Nights killed a heifer belonging to one
of the ranchmen, and another Cheyenne
named No Brains was accused of being
accessory to the deed. Both were ar
rested by the sheriff of Custer county,
but Walks Nights jumped from the
sherlff'S wagon and, although the Of
ticerS fred at him, he made his es-
cape. They took No Brains to Miles
City, Mont, distance of about forty
miles. where. upon examination, this
Indian was released. Walks Nights Sc
cured the aid of Howling Wolf and
other bucks. probably four or five alto
gether, and went into the Bad Lands,
where he is lodging Sheriff Jones, of
Miles City, who has been making a
strong effort to capture him. Walks
Knees has told various members of the
tribe that as the officers shot at him he
is still afraid of their guns, and pro-
poses to dodge them if possible.
He has confessed that he killed
the heiter by throwing stone at
her. but claims that she had come
to his corral and eaten his hay day after
day, although repeatedly driven off.
This confession has been reported to
Capt. Boutelle, of the First cavalry, and
Capt. Webster, of the Twenty-second
cavalry, by Mr.. FULLY, agent of the
Northern Cheyennes. The telegram
sent by me and Coy. Toole, of Montana,
was advisory, counselng careful action
Oh the part of the sheriff, for in case
the officers undertakes the arrest in
clustering manner, the Indian and his
friends might shoot, and either one or
more persons would be killed or
wounded. From the information re
ceived here it appears that quite
number of the Northern Cheyennes
desire Walks Knees to submit quietly to
arrest. By taking little time the ar
rest can be accomplished with the aid
of the Indian police, but the latter do
not want to force the matter until excite
ment of Walks Knees and his handful
of followers cools down. The military
are quite willing to assist the civil au-
thorltleS i'll carrying out the law in
these matters if called upon, but In this
case it is evident that discretion and
probably little delay is desirable
until the Cheyennes, who are on
the defensive, are appraised by their
Indian friends of the fact that the Off
GERS do not want to shoot them down,
There are not enough of the Northern
Cheyennes to make any notable war,
and at the most we look for nothing
more than skirmiSh between the sher-
ifs posse and the few bucks who are
with Walk Knee
The Cheyenne Indians.
The Northern Cheyenne Indians. once
powerful tribe, are now reduced in
not more than 800 are bucks. They
are ocated on the Tongue river
forty to fifty miles south of
Miles City, Mont, and the men of the
tribe now present a sad picture of
feebleness and disease as compared
with the strong, sinewy fellows who fif-
teen or twenty years ago represented
their then formidable fighting force.
Efforts have been made to allot
them lands IN severalty along the
| Tongue river, but their poor qualities
as farmers have worked against sue
| cess. In the early part of the eighties
some OF the families were placed on
| farms at Fort Keogh, near Miles City,
| but the results were very unsatiSfac-
tory, although at one time-about 1885,
| glowing reports were sent to Washing
| ton concerning the Indian farmers of
Fort KeOgh. They are well supplied
with ratiOnS, however, and have no
| cause to complain of on that score.
One of the most remarkable court
| scenes ever furnished in Montana oc-
Cured In 1885 at the trial of Black Wolf,
| one of their chiefs, and dozen men,
Ders of their tribe, on charge Of arson.
| Hal Tallafero, cowboy. and his
| in front of Zook and Al
derSon's ranch. Hal pulled his re-
volver and in a spirit of reckless fun
| shot at the Indians high hat. The bull
! let went through the hat and also grazed
| Black VOLTS skull. He fell over stunned,
and the cowboys, thinking he was dead,
rode south, changing horses on the
! trail and weut to Mexico. Black VOLTS
followers found him, and, in mum Der
| about thirty, witnessed the leaders burn
Zook d Anderson's ranch. At the trial
for this offense five of the Indians
arose In court at a critical moment
and dramatically confessed that
they were guilty and that
their brothers were innocent.
Black Wolf and the other ,eXculpated
Cheyennes retired, and the self-con-
fessed culprits were sent to Deer Lodge
for terms of two to five years each.
Howling Wolf was one of these culprits.
Most OF them died in Jail, and it is Pc
culiar fact that many of the
Cheyennes would rather hang them
selves in Jail, and some of them
have done so in Montana while locked
up for various offenses, than suffer the
odium and restraint of incarceration.
Black Wolf was alive at last accounts,
and the writer has written for him some
years ago numerous letters, which he
always signed by drawing picture of a
wolf at the foot of the communication
and blackening the picture all over with
pencil.