The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-01-06
FOXY IS THE PIECAN
BE Makes the Enemy Believe he Is a
Whole Tribe.
HOW HE FOOLED THE CREES
A Mischievous Crow Indian SOLO a
Band of Coxey Tourists Last
Summer in His Pecu-
liar Style.

Fort sill Letter to Buffalo Express.
"A member of the Canadian mounted
notice. Lieutenant McDonough, told
me-" said Captain Particle at the oHi-
GERS club. 1.-The following incident OF a
band of Crees and solitary flesai
Indian, which is novel and interesting.
1t occurred about 100 miles from rore
Walsh. A band OF Cree INDIANS W. .
up one snowy morning 20 ma lha'
about one dozen of their choicest po-
mics had been run off during the MIGHT
Pursuit. was soon organized. ana WIN
an a few hours a fresh trail was fouhd
in the snow. After following une erdh
some 80 miles II entered a river POT
tom and headed for a wooded isiaho III
the middle of the river.
Smoke was seen rising from the
trees. and an opening. which seemed 10
be, the mouth of a cave, appear Ia
plain view. Presently a single indian,
a Piegan, showed up IN front or the
opening. He was in war paint ana
there was a dog at his heels. Pretty
soon the dog scented the Crees ana pc
gan growing and barking. The ne
gan looked up, glanced moment
about him. and then instantly entered
the cave. In about 10 seconds anotner
Piegan came around the rocks and also
went in: then another and another
and another, there being but rev
seconds between them. The Crees lay
silently in the bushes watching anu
counting until upward of 90 Plesa
had come around the rocks ana gone
into the cave. and still they kept com
ing What seemed remarkable was
| the fact that all these Indians were 10
| all appearances exactly the same size
| were dressed and painted alike eacn
carried a winchester rifle and, most
remarkable of all, each one seemed
little lame in the left foot, hmpihg
slightly. aud tho
Crees counted 20 of them. The super
stitious Crees naturally concluded that
the evil spirit had something TO 90
| with It, for there was no DOUBT thal
there were 20 Piegan Indians on the
island who were exactly alike.
80 thoroughly were they filled with
the idea that the devil was mixed W
with the mystery that even when rein
forcements arrived, which was in a
few hours, they were reluctant TO at
tack the island That night one cree
less superstitious than the rest, crossed
over on the ice to investigate. on ap'
preaching the supposed cave he wa:
surprised to find ii was no cave at an
but simply an opening leading some II
feet into the rock, where IL mace
turn and came out on the other sue
1t required but a glance to understand
what had seemed so mysterious before
| There was but the remnant OF slngh
camp fire, the ponies were gone an
not an Indian was in sight. The ap
parent presence of So other warrior
was a sharp trick on the part or Tn
Piegan warrior to deceive his enemie
and gain time for his escape, wnlcl
he accomplished in good shape
while 1t is true that most red me-
are ridiculously superstitious and 9th
er-s again 20 stolid and Indifferent tina
YOU might enter their presence with
brass band, throw handsprings befor
them, smile, weep, have commissions Q
; do some other outrageous thing an
} | vet they will sit and look at you Wit
a cold. reserved glance and disinteres'
ed eve. stin there are some who haV
the bump of humor pretty well deve
oped, and are intense wags in the
I own way The trader at Fort Bel
!. thold, on the upper Missouri caught
Tartar one day.
"A Rec Indian had given him col
siderable annoyance by hanging aroun
] the store i'm a half-drunken condition
and was told that in case he was see
again with a bottle Ii would be take
: from him and thrown in the fire.
few DAYS afterward the Indian appeal
ed with a pint flask in his blanket,
usual The trader was as good as n
word, and demanded the bottle, whit
d was given up without protest an
then the redskin darted for the doc
The trader threw the flask into u
: stove, when bang! went the stove al
out came the windows, the trader 10
: lowing. Had he stopped to investig'a
: before throwing he would have -four
e the flask contained gunpowder, n
- whiskey.
some of Coxey's foot tourists
II eastern Montana were badly sold la
spring by a mischievous Crow India
who moved a sign on the road TO b
:, nngs reading Six miles TO Billing
: and stuck IL up in a strange plaS