The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1893-12-26
SITTING BULLS DEATH.
The Old Indian Full of Cunning
Up to the Time Of His
Demise.

DIR. r. W. Shufeldt, U. S. A., in
the Great Divide.
Omitting the peculiar train of cir
cumstances which led up to the ne
cessity of making prisoner of Sitting
Bull, the incidents which surround
the history of his tragic death can be
briefly reiold here. He had two log
cabins at Grand River, large and a
small One-Ole upon either side of a
wagon road that passed between them.
Ere the sun had risen on the day
which was to be the las. in the career
of this remarkable Iudian, he was
asleep in the larger of the two. when
there boldly appeared between them,
well mounted and armed, forty-three
determined men. They were men,
bers, for the most part, of the special
Sioux Indian police force from the
agency, acting under orders of the
agent, to make the arrest. One Of
them, "Bullhead' was first lieuten-
ant; three others. "Shavehead,"
cred Tomahawk" and Little Eagle"
were first, second and fourth sergeants.
One hundred and fifty warriors and
women, more or less crazed with the
"ghost dance" idea made up at the
time the sleeping camp of Sitting Bull.
Ten eager men entered one cabin
and eight the other: impatiently the
remainder held the horses in the road
way. He was found and disarmed by
the party in the larger house. He
said, "All right; l will 60 with you
! will put on my clothes" and was
permitted to dispatch his wife across
the way to fetch those he desired to
wear. He was also allowed to direct
one of the police to repair to his corral
and bring him his favorite pony sad
died, upon which he wished to accom-
pany his captors to the agency. By
all these preliminaries the willy old In
dian meant only to gain time, and he
succeeded in his object. Before he
had completed dressing himself he
commenced soundly abusing the police
for disturbing him, and this he contin-
ued as they took him without the cabin.
Finding there that his followers
were congregated in numbers, he be-
came still more excited. Coward that
he wac, this gave him courage. and
believing the tables to be com PleteIy
turned, he first refused to 60 and then
called upon his warriors to rescue
him. These latter the brave police
kept pressing back as well as they
could and endeavored bv reasoning
with them to be allowed to take away
their prisoner without molestation.
As the excitement came to its highest
pitch, Lieutenant Bullhead and Ser
gent Shavehead stood one upon either
side of Sitting Bull, with Red TOma-
hawk in his immediate rear to prevent
his escape i'm that direction. Mean
while, CrowfoOt, Sitting Bulls son.
kept taunting his father
for allowing himself to Ike
taken by handful of men
in the midst of his own camp and out
numbering the enemy three to one.
This was more than Strike-the-kettle
and Catch-.he-Bear. two Of the old
chiefs most ardent adherents, could
Withstand without striking a blow to
free him. They forced their way
through the excited crowd. and Catch.
the-Bear fired and shot Lieutenant
Bullhead in the right side, but before
the latter fell to the ground he too
fired and shot Sitting Bull in the left
side, and the latter, in falling. re-
ceived second shot in the right cheek.
Sergeant Shavehead was shot and NOR
tally wounded by Strike-the-Kettle. A
private of the police. "Alone Man."
then shot and killed Catch-the- Bear,
whereupon the fight became general
to hand at close quarters.
But by a display of indomitable
courage and superiority of discipline,
the police soon prevailed, and charged
their $50 savage antagonists into a
piece Of woods near at hand. Return
ing, they gathered the dead and
wounded into one of Sitting Bulls
cabins, which they held until q body
of troops arrived from Fort Yates,
where the agency was a few hours
later.