The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-05-30
GRAVE Is OF GOLD
BODY OF CHIEF WHITE HORSE Is
20 BE DISINTERRED AT LAST.

There IL Almost Positive Proof That HI
Took With Him Into the Damp Wall
Of His Lest Domicile Fifty Thousand
Dollars In Gold and Come Adventurous
Souls Do Not Believe the Circulating
Medium Should be CurtAiled and They
VIII Go to the Tomb and Take Posses
sion Of the Coin.
Deadwood. S. D.. May 2s.-H. Bonhan
editor of the Deadwood Pioneer; Solo
mon Star, mayor of Deadwood; John
r. Wilson, state attorney; Jean P. Dock
er, w. F. Robertson and Chief White
Horse, the famous Sioux, are now on
their way TO the Bad Lands on the
stranges. treasure hunt Of modern zines
Their destination is the grave of Wind
ing Hawk, once the head chief of the
Sioux nation. In his grave, besides nj:
skeleton, there is believed 10 lie s5o, 200
in gold. The party travels with a six
horse team, wagon and several saddle
horses. Every member is well armed
and has ample ammunition. sufficient
amount Of provisions were taken 10 last
| during prolonged stay.
J The Bad Lands, into which the party
intends to penetrate, forms that strange
! and weird country which the late Gen.
eral Harvey described as ''hell with the
fire put OUT The grave for which
search is to be made is located few
miles north Of Wounded Knee creek, in
a deep valley, whose precipitous sides
offer no means OF ingress to the unini-
tiated.
| The secret Of entrance is, however,
known to the Indian chief who accom-
panies the party. 1t is said there are
really two ways of entering the valley,
but these, even to those who know them
vel. are exceedingly perilous. That
! courage is needed quality in the make
up Of such an expedition it is unneces-
sary to state when it is known how care
| fully and jealousy the Indians guard
| the remains Of their departed relatives.
| Terrible indeed would be the punish
ment melted out TO the person caught
Decorating the ground held sacred to
their dead.
For many years II has been tradition
in this particular part of the west that
| in the early sixties United States pay
master and his escort had been murder
ed and robbed by band of wandering
Sioux. It was not until United States
court began holding semi-annual ses-
sions in Deadwood that the truth Of the
| al al
thentic source and its details came from
one who in his youth was participant
in the bloody ARRAY.
A great many of the cases tried before
the United States court Of this district
have their origin in crime and INSIDE
| meanors committed on the Indian res
ervations Of South Dakota, and al every
| term there are IN attendance numbers Of
Indians. 1t was during one of these
the Indian mentioned told his story of
the massacre and robbery TO a white
friend; but. as a nlea sure of precautior,
he prefaced it with the condition tina.
the source Of Information should never
be divulged. His request has been re-
ligiously compiled with by his conf
dant.
The paymaster who was murdered
and robbed was enroute from the cas-.
10 Fort Douglas, Utah, with the money
necessary to pay off the troops and gov
eminent employees of that post, then the
last of series of posts between the Mis-
souri, river and California. He had
already visited Fort Kearney, now in
Nebraska. and Fort Larimie, now stu
ated in an acute angle formed by the
Platte rivers. Wyoming, and was on his
way 10 Fort Bridger, the last outpost Of
civilization on the eastern slope of the
Rocky mountains, when the tragedy oc-
cured.
The fight, II such il may be called,
took place on the head of Chugwater
river, eighteen miles west from Fort Lar
liner, and resulted in the complete ex-
termina ton of the paymaster's party.
The camp was surprised in the early
morning by Winding Hawks band Of
renegade Sioux, and the half-wakeneu
soldiers and civilian attendants were
ruthlessly murdered as they staggered
from their tents.
y
became OF The money which the official
carried. As much of il was in gold, Il
was believed that part Of il had been
cached by the Indians. but until the old
Indian who told the story detailed the
disposition made of the money the mys-
terry remained unsolved. The old In
dams tale contains the following addi-
tional particulars, which, although the
secret has been closely guarded, have
managed TO leak out.
Winding Hawks stamping ground for
m any years prior to his death was in
the country about the present site of
Fort Larinie, rolling prairie whose
still. green waves beat up against the
abrupt slopes of the Black Hills on the
north, and stretch away in undulating
swells 10 the Rocky Mountains on the
west, losing themselves in the fertile
Nebraskan plains. whose many wales
and timbered valleys made an ideal
dwelling place for the sscretive Sioux
Some time before ne died Winding
Hawk and his companions divided
among themselves the money which they
captured in their raid. which consisted
OF something over s50000 in gold and
abou: the same amount in currency. The
Indians were all familiar with currency,
its values and uses. but not with gold.
Winding Hawk was an exception. how
ever, and so when the paper money had
been divided equally among them there
arose a discussion as 20 what should be
done with the gold-it was heavy ami
would. perhaps. prove burden 70 them
he came to thief ront with a PROPOSE
ton which was a. once selected as So
luton OF the dilemma in which they were
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