The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-11-10
BORDER VENGEANCE.
A Fierce Battle with Montana In
dInns In 1871.
From the Helena Independent.

From the Helena independent
1T was in the spring Of Is that the
massacre Of Battle Greek occurred" said
an old-timer the other day, land, as little
has been said of that little brush with
the Indians on a spot that is near enough
to the railroad TO make II one of the
most easily accessible points Of interest
in the state, / don't know but the story
will bear retelling. Back in the fall Of II
the settlers In the vicinity of the present
site of the town of Toston We're troubled
considerably by the depredations Of the
Indians, who were stealing their best
horses and stampeding those they didn't
carry away with them.
zone day in particular a number Of
thefts were reported. There was st.
Huntleys ranch, on Grow creek. across
the Missouri river from TostOn The In
dams had stolen the best animals he had,
and had driven a lot of the rest away
Then word came from the valley that the
settlers up there had been visited in tine
same manner. That night the Indians
went up the Missouri valley, where they
got lot more, and committed the same
acts OF vandalism on the property they
had no use for. The settlers became
thoroughly aroused and hastily organized
body Of the most available men to take
the tran before II grew cold.
ION the line Of the Northern Pacific,
three miles the other side Of Toston, you
may remember II you have ever been over
the road, Is big spring crossing the
track. IL was just about where this cross
ing now is that the settlers found the
trail. There were moccasin tracks ming
led with those of the horses, and other
evidences that the place had recently been
the rendezvous of q band of redskins
The settlers followed the marks that their
experience taught them so well to know
taking the route up SiXteen-mile creek,
the present course Of the proposed Mon
tana railroad. The fleeing Indians were
heading for the Smith river country. The
pursuers concluded that the Indians
would probably have pickets stationed
along the line. and so they turned Off
up Dry creek, making a long detour, ana
coming in on Sixteen-mile creek after u
forty-mile ride.
And, sure enough, at the mouth of Bat
tie creek, one Of the branches Of the main
creek, they located the thieves and the
horses They had camped there In the
morning and were resting the horses dur
ride at night across the open country thar
begins at that point The pursuers ana
their own animals were pretty thoroughly
tired out, and so II was decided to make
the advance on the enemy a desperate
rush to overcome them before night fell
and TO stampede the horses so that the
Indians could not make away with them
In the meantime a lookout had been
posted on the top Of the mountain to keep
watch of the movements of the enemy
and through mis- carelessness the In
dams caught an inkling of what was
going on. They arose hastily and began
saddling and getting the horses togeth-
er. Then the settlers saw that there
were just eight of them, and immediate
ly charged the hill. The Indians fed,
panic strickn, as their pursuers came.
'Al Deadman, one Of the members of
the party, saw a big buck I'm the act
Of riding one of the horses away and
fired as he rode, knowing that If the
horse did start there would be no chance
for his recovery. The Indian fell thus
scoring the first blood for the settlers.
Then the Indians began to shoot. All
the pursuers dismounted, and JEFF Sharp
reached the ground just in time to re-
ceive a wound In the knee. He was
cripple from the wound until the day OF
his death, which happened by coinc-
dence twenty-five years afterward, on
the anniversary Of the battle. Deadman
had gone after another Indian and COM
ing back was right in time to catch an
Indian in the act of shooting, and he
soon put an end to him. Another ran
up a draw and disappeared into the sage
brush on the south side of the creek.
Deadman pursued him afoot, and gained
ground so rapidly that the fellow made
a stand There was a little piece Of
rolling ground between them, and they
took turns bobbing up and shooting at
each other.
The wonder had been at the time that