The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1895-02-02
SOME INCIDENTS OF INDIAN WARFARE.

90 business III lLl0l line at IOIL DCIllClO III 1909
was Jefferson Smith, a resident Of the lndiar
country for over fifty years. He had been borr
and spent his boyhood in New Orleans but from
early manhood had experienced no change from
the hazardous existence incidental to a frontiers
mans life. He was one of the free trapper's
in the Crow country in 1873, SO Economically
described by Irving in his adventures Of Captain
Bonneville. After living among the Crows for a
number of years Smith joined a party of. Mime.
tarees or eros Ventres who were originallya part
of the Grow nation. He married among the
eros Ventres, became a camp trader, and pros
pcred for awhile, but some bad partnerships and
rascally clerks brought him to the verge of ruin
in which condition the writer found him in the
spring of 1869, during a few weeks sojourn with
the venerable trader pending the probating events
of my "tenderfoot" period. Besides being very
poor the old man, then nearing seventy years of
age, was almost totally blind; the sight Of one
eye gone entirely and the other nearly SO.
In this condition, Trader Smith made a trip to
Fort Stevenson during the closing days of that
year. He was accompanied by his son John then
a twelve year old lad, and a Gros Ventre 'bur
dashe." After loading up with a good jag Of
bacon and other supplies obtained from the COM
missary Of the military post, the trio started
out on their homeward way on the second day of
the new year, and concluded to follow the river
trail as offering the inducement of a shorter route
and consequent saving of time over the regular
travelled military road. When nearing the bad
lands that raise their disordered columns interme-
date Of the two forts the burdashe noticed some
Indians in their rear riding hard apparently with
the idea of overtaking the wagon party. On
nearer approach the terrified burdashe discovered
the approaching horsemen were Sioux, so ran
from the wagon toward a willow thicket some
distance ahead. The Sioux gave chase, caught
killed and scalped him and threw his body on a
drift pile, where in company with a party, | found
the remains three months later, unburied and about
as the Sioux had left it after mutilation.
In the meantime a part of the Sioux started
after the occupants Of the wagon, surrounded the
the team and commenced to unhitch them and at
the same time ordering the occupants to the
ground. The boy was terrified into speechless-
ness after witnessing the fate of the burdashe
and knowing the character of Indian warfare, he
could expect only immediate death,
81 am old, and blind, as you can see," said the
stricken old man to his captors in their own Sioux
language, "take my team, take my provisions;
take my life and my scalp, but spare my little
son."
dc eros Ventre warriors spare our clildren?"
asked a Sioux, at the same time making ready to
shoot the boy, while others were embarrassing the
mules or flching eatables from the wagon.
"Stay! y exclaimed an old Sioux who came up
just then, for nearly fifty grim warriors had gath
cred about. Stay repeated the Sioux veteran
and the uplifted gun was lowered, and busy hands
were quoted. The appearance of the speaker
seemed to command their respect, and his tone of
voice riveted attention.
He then told them that over twenty years
before a party of Blackfoot Sioux, himself among
the number were encamped on the lower Yellow
stone, when an ice gorge suddenly overwhelmed
their camp from effects of melting snow. All
they could do was to save their lives, and some
were drowned. Horses, teepes, guns and bedding
were covered under a mountain of ice. 1--WE
were hundreds of miles from oyt people,, went
on the speaker, with enemies all about US. With
guns, arrows, robes and horses we would not have
cared. But without them we were afraid. Near
the Missouri's big bend we sneaked into the eros
Ventres' winter camp. We were entertained
sulkily and half suspected all of us would be killed.
a Af-4 Isl