Omaha daily bee., 1895-12-01

who remained at the garrison. The Indians
came in shouting and crying the results of
their prowess and victory; they were painted
in gorgeous colors 10 indicate their rejoicing,
and yet, as they were several hours in ad-
vance of the interpreter, it was impossible
for them to make known to the anxious as
ssmbly that gathered about them the results
of the battle. 1t was known by their having
the Nez Perces stock that they had been in
an engagement. They made signs that two
Of the officers were dead and several wounded,
and they also made signs that the big chief
was all right, to the great delight of my wife
and little daughter, yet for several hours the
other officers families were in great distress
to learn what two officers had been killed,
but it was not until three or four hours later
when the interpreter, John Brughier, ar
rived. that they could BE- informed. Although
a coed rider, Brughier had not been able to
keep up with the pace of the Indians. When
he did arrive he announced that the two Of
fcers were the two bachelors. Hale and Bid
die, and also gave tie names of the others
who had been killed and wounded. There
was then thrse days of anxious waiting for
the returning
On the fourth day it~made it's appearance
on the high bluffs to the west, slowly ap-
preaching the edge of the mesa and descsnd-
ing along the winding trail down to the
ferry, which crossed the Yellowstone at the
point where twenty-seven days ago it had
climbed the steep in the darkness Of the
night and in the gray OF the morning of Sep
TENDER IS. The families of the officers and
soldiers and all other people at the garrison,
including the band Of the Fifth infantry, citi-
zens and Indians. lined the bank of the yell
lowstone; and as some Of the principal off,
GERS, including myself, together with Chief
Joseph and one or two Of the principal 1ndi-
ans, stepped into the boat, and 1t moved from
the northern shore, the band struck up Hail
to the Chief" and then as we neared the
other shore it suddenly changed to 20, No!
No! Not for Joseph which it played for a
short time and then went back to the former
strain.
DIsPosING OF THE NEE PERCEs.
The Nez Perces Indians were given a COM
Portable camp on the right bank of the
Yellowstone, and ii was my purpose to keep
them there during the winter, and send them
back to Idaho in the spring. They were a
very bright, energetic body of Indians; the
most intelligent that 1 have ever seen. Ex-
ceedingly self-reliant, each individual man
seemed to be a unit within himself. able to
do his own thinking, and purely democratic
and independent in his ideas and purposes.
1t was my opinion that if they were justly
treated they could be made a loyal and use
full people. They remained there for ten
days, or two weeks, when / received an order
from the higher authorities to send them
down the river to Bismarck, Dakota. They
were therefore loaded into boats and sent
down the Yellowstone to its junction with
the Missouri. thence down the Missouri to
Bismarck.
In passing the Mandan agency a singular
incident occurred. The officer in charge
stopped at that agency for two hours to get
some supplies he required, and during that
time the Nez Perces had great curiosity to
sec the Mandans, and the Mandans, in their
turn, had heard much about the NeZ Perces
and were equally anxious to see these people
of a different tribe, from a distant part of
The country. and yet of the same race.
bad INDIANS" IN ABUNDANCE.
Among the Nez Perces was an old Indian
nearly 20 years of age, who had been named
George Washington" possibly on the pre-
sumption that he and the father of his coun-
try possessed at least one characteristic in
common and II so, in this instance he GER
tainly maintained that reputation. After leav-
ing the Mandan agency and continuing down
the river, this old man said to the officer IN
charge, ''Those Mandans back there are bad
Indians" The officer asked him why, and he
replied, Because they stole Two Nez Perces
blankets" Now in their tremendous march
of nearly a thousand miles, together with the
severe enga gements in which they had taken
part. the Nez Perces had lost nearly every
thing; so the officer could not help thinking
how much they needed the blankets In the
approaching cold winter, and accordingly ex-
prs ssed much sympathy, though Of course II
was impossible to turn back up the stream TO
recover them. Finally, after giving his
strong condemnation Of the theft, 1t occurred
to him to ask George Washington if the Nez
Perces had taken away anything belonging to
the Mandans. 20, yes" he responded, I'VE
got away with four buffalo robes" So 1t
seems that the Mandans were not the only
bad Indians, according to his own standard.
From Bismarck they were ordered to be
sent to Fort Leavenworth, Kan, where they
remained during the winter, and in the spring
they were sent to the Indian Territory They
remained there for a few years and the low
malsrial districts and climate caused sad
havoc in their ranks. In a short time they
had lest nearly so per cent Or their number by
death. / frequently and persistently for
seven long years, urged that they be sent TO
their own country, but not till 1884. when !
was in command Of the Department Of the
Columbia. did | succeed in having them re-
turned west Of the mountains to near their
own country, where they have remained at
peace ever since that time.
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