The Helena independent., 1893-12-18
BAD INDIAN SOLDIERS.
fhey Fill Up on Firewater and
Make 1t Lively for Their
Lieutenant
Three OF the Redskins Clubbod
Into Insensibility by the
Young Ofnoer.
The Camp Filled With Wild, Yslling
Bucks, shooting Mules and Horses
With Their CArblncs.

army is not all one big SNAP" a. 40 many
people profess to believe, says the Pioneer
Press. This is especially true Of those who
are stationed at some of the frontier posts.
One Of the most disaRreeable things that
falls to the lot of an officer ia when he has
to take detachment of troops on prac-
tice march. Aud whom the detachment 10
composed of lndisns. who are notorious for
their treachery aud cunning In seeking re-
vsnge when they think they have been i'm
rosed upon. the duty may become abeo-
lutsly dangerous OF all the Indians of
The west the Apaohes are deemed to DO the
most unreliable. ~ shown some years ago
BY tho experience Of Gen. Crook with his
Apache scouts. This winter. among
other troops who are out on practice
marches. 10 4 troop Of Cheyenne Indians
under the command Of Lieut. F. G. Mar
shall. Of ths Eighth oavalry. q somewhat
recent graduate OF West Poins who is
pretty we'll known In this CITY. Some time
seo this young officer loft Fort KeoRh,
whore hs 10 stationed. with troop Of
Cheyennss on . march through the Mus
sslshell country in Montana. Part of the
country has never boon explored and
Lieut.. Marshall was also detailed to keep
an itinerary Of the trip and to make maps
of the country through which he passed.
The troop has already arrived at june
tion and word has been received from there
at the army building OF q rather exciting
experience which Lieut.. Marshall had with
members Of his troop who had succeeded In
getting hold OF some "hte water" He is
she only white man with the troop and
though the men aie fond OF him there is
t,~h hsn ~~Nt
tion, a. Indians are Indians The report
states that the march from the Musselshsll
has been very severe; that tbs only man
Who owned any hay between the Mussel-
she'll and the Ysl!owstons refused TO sell
except al the fabulous price Of $40 per ton
though there was plenty to be had for ths
picking up. Several of the horses. pattiou..
laEly the young ones gave out and six of
the men had TO mount on pack mules.
On the night Of Dec. some Grow
Indians suooseded in snusalina into the
Of the men got fighting drunk. They got
hold Of oarbines and began firing in the
air. One shot through tho lieutsnants
tent while he was dressing . stab in the
sEm of one Of the Indians. missing him
only BY foot. II was quite an accidental
himself and went out. By the time he had
dubbed three Of the men to insensibility
the rest thought they had had fua enough.
He then took the firing pins out OF all the
guns. and the next day put half the troop
at = time OIL guard and kept them there.
to death and horse received severe flesh
wounds in both fore legs and had to bs
Left behind. In letter hs tells Of his ex-
psrienoe thus:
1.-THE great trouble in dealing with these
men lies In their absolutely refusing to give
~ thARA dav 1yrh md
I did not see any shoot so I cannot make
case. When I questioned the troop the
next morning no man knew anything.
Even the man who was stabbed does not
know who did II. The sober ones-only
twelve Of The men ver: ,rn m1nsasabls- ms, .n
bines ~ fast as they could get them. and I
took away good many guns myself. often
from the very ones who had seized them
before. I have not any clear idea of
the individuals. took the names of the
drunken ones and tried them all the next
lasted some ten minutes before We corralled
all the guns. the sosues were shifting 80
rapidly that I could remember nothing.
Ono man that was morally sure had
laid out with my oarbins turned up In ths
morning with two guns he had seized.
one Of the shooters was ont of the camp
all night on a pass and turned up in tho
morning cold sober. There was a csrtain
clemens Of uncertainty about 1.-THE camp
filled with yelling Indians shooting, mules
and horses all but stampeded, kicking and
snortinR. and The constant puffs OF light
from a oarbine. We havs done all that We
can to establish the guilt of some one GER
tainIy. and one boy named smith (Ameri-
can Horse) who is one of the quletest and
best behaved men In tho troop 10 tho only
man feel reasonably sure was in the shoot.
ing. and yet every man in the troop swears
that he had no hand in II. l know hs did
something. for his head is laid OF en- whore
he says hit him. erred in not having
stronger guard but the men have behaved
30 very we'll for the past six months that
deemed it necessary only to look out for
the horses and mules. Tho next day the
men were all very penitent, but they were
all tried before summary court on charges
that will not bar trial On mole serious ones
In ease any good evidence can be OBJ
tainsd."