The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-07-16
BLOODY KNIFE'S STORY
AN INCIDENT OF THE UsTER CAM
PAIGN IN THE NORTHWEST.
Honesty, Fidelity and Frankness Dis
played by en- Untutored Savage
at q Critical Time.
w. E. Curtis. in Chicago Record.

BILE the traditional Indian chieftain in APP
pearance any more than in stature. His
features did not favor the Indian race,
being more delicate and refined, and he
might have been taken for a Cuban or a
Spaniard, except for the rich, deep copper
color of his skin. His mouth and nose were
small-the latter a straight aquiline. His
lips were thin and delicately cut, but wore
a sort of cynical curl, an index of his dis
position, for a tawny cynic was Bloody
Knife, and did not reciprocate the conf
dence that was placed in him. If he had
ever been a trustful Indian, experience had
taught him that white men, as well as the
reds. were mighty unsartin." He wore no
ornaments; no rings in his ears, no beads
or red flannel braided in his long, heavy
hair; no bracelets of silver or brass upon
his arms, no feather in his scalp lock, moth
ing but a small steel horseshoe hanging to
his cartridge belt, the significance of which
1 was never able to discover.
Bloody Knife never allowed himself to be
caught, like his fellows. with the bait of
tawdry fnery or the cheap chaff which the
white man generally filings out to catch the
red mans favor. He had a fine sense Of
discrimination, too. and usually answered
Q fool according to his folly.
Bloody Knife had the rare reputation Of
honesty, fidelity and frankness-qualities
not often accredited to his race, and Gen.
eral Custer used to trust him absolutely.
Lonesome Charley Reynolds" Clusters IA
vorite scout, gave him similar confidence,
and between them there was a BOND Of
friendship like that which tied Leather
Stocking to The Last of the Mohicans."
There was a story behind the brotherly
affection between this Yale College gradu-
ate and this untutored savage l could
never get the truth of IL, although / Ques-
toned both of them several times. The pop
ular version was that Charlie Reynolds and
Bloody Knife met for the first time while
on a hunting trip In Montana and were at
tackled by a band of Crows. who chased
them to the shelter of a half ruined cabin.
There they stood them off for several days,
and while their assailants retired for REIN
forcements and ammunition Reynolds and
Bloody Knife managed to escape. Bloody
Knife was badly wounde in the leg and his
strength soon gave out. Reynolds was a
man of slight stature. but he had legs
on his back nearly a hundred miles to Fort
Berthold, a little incident which the Indian
never forgot. Reynolds said Bloody Knife
had the heart Of a white man, but l never
heard Bloody Knife express his opinion Of
Reynolds in words. However. they lived
together and died together at the massacre
u IAS 1hNNAC 1fo OhN N"O IVY ~ ohC
was found lying upon the body Of the other
at the top of the knoll which was Clusters
last stand.
MADE CHIEF OF SCOUTS.
Bloody Knife was Of mixed blood. His
father was a Sioux and his mother an
Arickaree. Although the two nations were
hereditary enemies, he lived with both. He
was once head chief of the Uncapapa band
of Sioux. but for some reason was deposed
| opd tool raffroo hfc rpnthnrSc ra4D1a
where he raised a squad of scouts for Gen.
| Custer, who placed him in command with
the rank of sergeant. Bloody Knife always
wore a soldiers blue blouse with the SER
| geant's chevrons upon the arms in place Of
the usual Indian finery.
1t was in the Black Hills expedition Of
1874 that Bloody Knife performed what Gus
ter used to say was the most remarkable
piece of scouting and exhibition of plains
craft he had ever seen, and to the tender.
miracle.
We had been marching over the hard clay
plains OF Dakota for three weeks. The
grass was burned almost to a crisp by the
so hot that we could feel it through the
soles of our boots. We had not been able
to find a drop of water for two days except
a few stagnant pools, which had been
poisoned and polluted by the Indians that
could be used was by higgins holes saa at the
sides and letting the water filter through.
We thus obtained enough to make coffee
for the soldiers. after it had been thorough
ly boiled, but there was none to fill the can
teens, and the small supply usually carried
in the wagons for an emergency was ex-
hausted, so the poor animals had TO depend
upon the scanty dew that was caught by
the dry tufts of gamma grass.
That night, after We had made a dry
fearful significance OF the words-Gen. Gus
ter called Bloody Knife, Bears Ears, Goose,
Reynolds and two or three other scouts
asked them where we could find the nearest
water. After an exchange of opinions among
them Reynolds explained that Bloody
Knife knew of a mysterious hidden spring
about seven hours march to the eastward,
but it was very difficult to find, and would
take us out OF our way,
ously.
Bloody Knife said "Ugh"-a sound which
frequently comes from the throat of an In
to the infection. On this occasion it was a
covert sheer at Clusters lack of confidence.
Bloody Knife never boosted, but at the
rest upon his ability or sincerity.
rs there water enough for all the men
and animals?' inquired the general.
Heap, plenty" was the laconic but lucid
reply.
DESCRIBES A SECRET SPRING.
Bloody Knife said it was only a little we'll
in the open prairie, invisible half a mile
away and the rivulet which carried off the
overflow sunk and disappeared in the thirsty
sands. All this was told in the poetic and
|1igurative language of the Indian.
AS Bloody Knife squatted on the ground in
the freight by Gen. Clusters tent he drew
a map with spears of grass to show where
the hidden spring could be found. Here was
a butte that appeared on the map; there
was a deep canyon, and We were to pass to
the left of it.; then came q wide. rolling
prairie covered with dry grass, and there,
hidden in a small gully, was a noble spring,
perhaps twelve feet in diameter and seven
or eight feet deep, which he had visited
many Tins as a boy and as a man, and
which had saved the lives of many a thirsty
Indian.
Did any one else know of 1t? No: none but
Bloody Knife, although Goose had heard il
described and believed 1t was somewhere in
the vicinity.
We broke camp very early the next morn
ing-not long after midnight-and were well
on our way before dawn, in order that the
weary soldiers and the almost exhausted ami
mails might not be compelled to endure the
heat of the sun as well as the pangs of
thirst. 1t was a doleful journey. When a.
man is hungry he becomes faint and weak.
requires the greatest degree of self-control
10 behave as a human being should.
Bloody Knife rode at the head of the col
umn, looking neither to the right hand nor
TO the left, giving no sign Of interest, no evi.
dence of fatigue. No pranks were played
were muttered oaths and surly growls or a
cheerful word of encouragement from a san
guine and self-conffdent soul. Now and then
the air would be rent by the wall OF a mule.
a noise that no other being can imitate-a
volume of grief and woe unloaded upon the