The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-05-31
THEY SHOT TO KILL
Three Montana Trappers Had a Lively
Experience.
TEN YEARS AGO
Here's a Thrilling Chapter of the
Early History of Montana
How They Slew the
Sioux Indians.

| icle takes occasion to relate the follow
ing exciting incident in the pioneer ex-
| periences of that gentleman:
1T was Woody who with Hubbel and
| Charlie Cooke. i'm 1875. made the most
! remarkable stand against an overpow-
| ering body of Indians. and Sioux at
that. ever related i'm Montana's annals
/ of Indian fighting. These three were
| trapping. and in search of better
/ field went to the Big Horn mountains
to work a stream known as Beauvis
creek. Here in a sharp bend of the
stream. directly under some high bluffs
| the trappers found some standing lodge
| poles. around which were scattered the
| remains of a camp. Tin dishes. pieces
| of clothing and at last bones of human
| beings were revealed. A close examin-
alton of the lodge poles showed that
they had been splinteced by bullets
/ fired from above. They naturally con-
| cluded that this had been the winter
| camp of some hunter who had been
| surprised by Indians from above and
easily killed. The three soon pursued
| their journey, and finding evidences of
beaver went in to camp. The place
| selected proved most admirable, in the
! light of speedy events, for IL was a lit
/ tie opening near the creek. having on
each side of il a dense growth of
| brush. Near the center of the opening
| they selected were large trees. under
| which they set up their temporary hab-
| itation. removed the pack from their
| eight horses and proceeded to business.
Next morning the three trappcrs
went to traps set the night before.
when Cooke, who had caught a beaver,
happened TO look IN from his work of
skinning it, and saw approaching a
war party of 200 Sioux. The Indians
saw him at the same time. and opened
| fire at dtstace of about 800 yards.
/ Cooke returned the fire promptly and
| killed a horse. He then sought the
brush and worked his way slowly back
to camp. being closely confronted by
! Indians az several places. At the camp
he found Woody aid both proceeded
TO make a stand for their lives. All
this time heavy firing was heard up
the creek. which led to the belief that
Hubbel was making a desperate fight.
The constant and approaching fire
showed them, however, that Hubbel
was still able to hold his own. and
that he was making for camp. He
soon arrived, unscathed, in camp,
/ where he said that he had heard
| Cookies gun, and knowing that Indians
must be around, he fastened toward
camp. Arriving at an opening he saw
at least 500 warriors i'm front of him.
BY making a short detour he again
came to the opening, with the Indians
in the rear. He ran for his life. when
the Indians opened fire. but for some
unaccountable reason failed to hit.
| They got so close that he was COM
PEELED to return the fire. and kneeling
on one knee did SO with telling effect,
killing a horse and breaking an Indi-
ans arm. With this show of marks
manship the Indians did not approach
so close and permitted him to run
some distance, when they again APP
preached and opened fire. Hubbel again
kneeled and taking careful aim fired,
and when the Indians scattered resum-
ed his trot. This was done several
times, when the Indians. believing him
to be out of ammunition. came closer.
one of them meeting instant death as
a result. Another fell forward on his
| horse as if MORALLY wounded. Hubbel
regained the camp alive and there a
joyous meeting took place.
when Woody first heard shots he
made for camp a short distance away
and undertook to drive i'm the horses.
In this he was frustrated by the enemy.
who rushed i'm and succeeded i'm driving
off all but three. which were picketed
to trees. When Cooke got into camp
both men set to work making breast
works of saddles and the camp equip
ment. Behind this the three took their
positions and prepared to sell their
lives most dearly. They did not have
long to wait. for the Indians gathered
on the surrounding hills and poured in
to the camp an uninterrupted hail of
4
saddles were shot full of holes and the
-four of the camp was scattered all
over the ground
Suddenly the Indians stopped firing
and the besieged took advantage of
this to draw the body of a dead horst.
to reinforce their barricade. The pre-
caution was taken none too soon, for
suddenly the Indians appeared with the
evident intention Of charging the camp
and taking ii by storm. They We're
met with such a deadly fire that they
gave this up with a loss of two and
retired. But az their disappearance
another party of so rode up from an
other direction. but they also changed
their minds after one of their number
had been thrown under his wounded
I horse and deliberately killed by the
trappers. And still another charge
was made by about 100 Indians, who
approached within 30 feet. and were
met with such hot fire that they also
I retired, leaving their chief dead on
the field.
Finding that they could not get the
| trappers by these tactics. the Indians
attempted TO crawl upon them and
shoot them unawares. This also failed.
for the trappers, ever alert picked off
every Indian who showed himself. and
by telling work added three to the
| death list of their foes. Cooke killed
one Indian close TO the corral, and
jumping over IL secured the body for
the breastworks. This piece of bravo
do was caused by the fact that this
Indian had shot a hole in Cookies hat.
Utterly disheartened, the Indians with
drew, and as soon as il was dark the
trappers made haste to do the same
thing.
Proceeding on their way to the Crow
agency, three days thereafter. while
near what is now Red Lodge. they ran
into another body Of Sioux. mum boring
! about 20. Il few shots were fired, the
trappers again coming off unscathed.
They pursued their Journey to the
agency. where their story was taken
with several grains Of allowance. but
a night or two thereafter the agent
had the story fully verified through the
/ loss of several head of horses which
the daring Sioux had run off. Tho
Crows then took the field with the
view Of meeting these rcleSades. but
they were never able to overtake them.
as the Sioux had taken short cut FOR