The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1895-06-01
FIRST BLACK HILLS MINERS
Evidences That the First White Men
Were Killed by Reds.

Were Killed by lSeus'
Yankton, s. D., May 25.-Ever since
:he Bl:.ck Hills became settled by
whites, evidences have been discovered
rom time to time showing beyond
toubt that white miners had penetrated
hat country, whether or not they ever
,eturned. 1t is quite probable that they
| lever did return. Major DE Witt, now a
'esident of Yankton, but who was n
If the first Indian agents IN the upper
Missouri, says that it is probable that
me or more of the many hunting eXpe-
iitions that We're sent west in the early
los may have penetrated the Hills coun-
| ry. Sut he was never able to learn hat
tuch vas the case from the ndian In
tS40 a French boy u years of 6 came
Up from st. Louis to old Fort Pierre
End secured employment with the
American Fur company. This boy was
louis Veto, who afterwards became
famous drought the northwest as the
crenchman who never drank liquor.
| With the employees of the American Fur
| Veto made annual hunting eX-
leditions to the Black Hills. On one 81
| hese expeditions Veto was accompanied
,nly by indians. 1t was in the spring,
IND a very severe storm arose
and frightened the Indians so that they
deserted him with his stock of furs, val
| ued at So, 900. The Indians eve re-
| .urned, and 1t was three weeks before
relief came from the fur company. The
indians entertained a superstition that
HE great spirit, in Il fit of wished
to drive them out of tho Hills. Veto
afterwards entered the employ of Major
De Witt, and always asserted that he
lever heard of any white men digging
gold in the Hills: neither had he ever
lleard of Indians digging for it. In 1858
Father DeSmet came down the river
from the mouth of the Yellowstone,
having come there from a trip trough
ihe Black Hills, and gave it as his opin-
ION thai gold existed there, n stated
that he had seen Jumps of gold which
indians had strung upon wire for brace
lets. Father DeSmet reached the mouth
VI the Yellowstone i've at q time when
a very severe drouth prevailed over the
and, and being a man of Goo the lnd1-
ans began clamoring for him to produce
ain. Very few of the Indians had much
faith in his ability to get rain, even
| through prayer. Father DeSmet, in re-
ating the incident shortly after, admit
ed that he had some doubts about the
outcome himself. but he assured them
that he would beSeech the great spirit
20 send them rain and otherwise do
what he could for them. He made a
short prayer, after which he sought the
seclusion of a neighboring thicket,
where he withdrew from The capacious
pocket of his coat a barometer, which
ne always carried, and then learned
hat the atmospheric conditions We're
favorable for rain in a very short time.
Returning to the camp, Father DeSmet
made a strong appeal to divine provi-
ience to pour forth a copious rain. a
hort time later one of the heaviest rain
storms the Indians had eVer known oc-
cured. After that there was nothing
too good for him. In 1852 a party of
nine men left Fort Bridger with the in
:ention of digging for gold in the Black
Hills. Indians attacked them and news
vas brought back that the men had all
been killed. This story was never veri-
led, and it is not improbable that these
were the men who first invaded the
Hills. evidences of whose presence have
been found. This would account for the
indians having gold nuggets in their
possession, and would further substan-
tiate the story engraved upon a fiat
stone found near Sneartish some years
ago. This tablet conveyed the intelli-
sence that Indians had attacked them.
secured their gold and killed all but one
man, and'would easily explain the mys-
cry surrounding the finding of mining
implements far below the surface by
early prospectors.