The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-01-25
DIDN'T FIRE As SHOT.
WHY THOUSANDS OF INDIANS MELT
ED AWAY BEFORE FORTY MEN.


Captain NcCabo Knew tho Sioux Bettor
Than They Knew Themselves, and They
Knew tho Captain md His Men yvere
Dead Shots aud Also Scalp Talsero.
In tho pioneer days, to reach Montana
from Cheyenne. i'll Wyoming, required
roundabout journey that involved
double crossing Of the Rocky mountains,
with change of base at Salt Lake City.
Tho United States government brought
about better condition Of travel by
constructing trail through the Gallatin
valley along the course of the Gunpowder
river, reaching around the base of the
mountains. i'll Il curvilinear form, which
avoided the heights of the Rockies. To
protect this route from marauding In
dians three forts were built-Reno, Phil
AearDy and G. L. Smith. These were
Barrisoned by United States troops.
In 1866 the murderous Sioux from the
Yellowstone valley pursued n sanguinary
course up through the Gallatin valley
and into Montana. 1t was marked by
rapine and plumber. They besieged Fort
Reno and killed many of it's garrison,
including brother of A. X. Mcclure
They environed Fort Phil Kearny, and
wiped from tho face of the earth every
human being whose walls it failed to
protect. Then they surrounded Fort c.
T.. Smith, where 200 Union soldiers
found themselves surrounded by moro
than 200 death seeking Indians Els
cape seemed impossible. A courier got
word of this condition of affairs to Gen
eral Hancock, who was then stationed
ut ST. Paul, and he sent messenger to
the governor Of Montana at Bozeman.
calling upon him to relieve the besieged
garrison. The chief executive of the ter
rltory of Montana at that time was
Green Clay Smith, who, by the way, re-
Gently died i'll Washington, Baptist
clergyman. He had been member of
congress from Kentucky, but President
Lincoln made him territorial governor
OF Montana. Ho was seated OH the porch
of his residence i'll Bozcman when Han
cocks message was handed to him. To
q visitor from tho cast, who was seated
by his side, and who is authority for
this narrative, ho said
What i'll the name of heaven can
do? Fort 9. L. Smith is $50 miles
away. The country between hero and
there is filled with Sioux Indians. Our
militia force consists of exactly 427
men. Not man of them could reach
Fort c. L. Smith alive. am absolutely
powerless. However, 1 will send for
Colonel Howie."
AT that time Colonel Neil Howie was
United States marshal for the territory
OF Montana. He was typical frontiers
man.
1t was to this man that Governor
Smith addressed himself. handing him
General Hancock S dispatch and saying.
Colonel. we can't do anything for
those poor devils in Fort c. Z. Smith.
We haven enough men, and those we
hayo couldn't get there. Am 7 not
right"
NO" said Colonel Howie quietly,
without any exhibition of excitement
and with the gentle voice of woman.
There is no trouble about that, govern
or. Wo can arrange that matter and still
leave the Montana frontier protected
will need somo picked men and q good
leader for them. think Captain Nc
Cabe is best fitted for this undertaking.
l will so out and find him."
McCabe was another gentle voiced
man with blue eyes. He didn't make
much noise. He acted. He said to the
governor: "Oh, yes; it is easy enough.
But III need 40 CT the best men can
select. You can keep tho rest of your
volunteer force here
Governor Smith looked at him in
amazement So did the visitor from the
fort. They both thought he was either
insane or braggart. Governor Smith
said to him, ''How in the name of heav-
en- do you expect to raise tho siege of
Fort c. +. Smith with 40 men when
you know that it is surrounded by more
than 900 bloodthirsty Indians, and
that tho country between hero and there
is covered with thousands moro of n,ur-
derous Sioux?''
Said McCabe quietly: why, govern
Or, it is easy enough. The Indians know
us, and know that we know them better
than they know themselves. You folks
from tho east have an idea that what
you call Indian atrocities are simply un-
meaning exhibitions of brutality; that
scalping, for instance, is simply form
Of torture. In that you arc mistaken.
The Indian believes that no man can go
to tho happy hunting ground-hoaven
wo call it-who has been deprived of his
hair. Theirmotive i'll scalping victim is
to carry out fiendish hatred to its utmost
by preventing him from having happy
hereafter. Therefore to deprive an III
dian of his scalp is to rob him of his
hope of happy hereafter My men nov
er kill an Indian without scalping him,
and the Indians know that. Tie 40 men