The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1901-03-01
WIPED OUTTHE GANG
THE BATTLE THAT DIFFERENTIATED
THE ExEiBY OUTLAWS.

That Won For Captain Bartlett,
Who Was In the Thick of the Fray,
the Sioux Name of "Wounded
Knee"
"How we wiped the famous Exelby
gang of outlaws out of existence has new
er been told except In official govern
ment reports" said Captain Charles q.
Bartlett, who used to be government
scout and deputy United States marshal
at Deadwood, to a group of friends
"The gang had struck terror to every
Indian on the reservation who had any
property and to every ranchman in Dako-
ia. / was at that time, in 1881, in charge
Of the Pine Ridge and Rosebud agencies.
i had been placed there because Of my
familiarity with the Sioux country. Only
a short time after l arrived | was order
ed to exterminate the Exelbys at any
cost.
Affairs reached a crisis when the
gang got away with so OF the ponies be-
longing to a friendly chief who had been
hunting just east of the Black Hills in
Will purity VI IIlShuos "A
severe winter was just coming on, and
the Indians felt that they had little pro-
lection from lawlessness if the troops Of
Uncle Sam could not stop such bold
thefts as driving away all their horses.
1.-THE theft was speedily traced to the
Exelby gang. Their stronghold was soon
after located on the Little Missouri. We
notified the sheriffs at Miles City. Mon,
and they caught one of the gang. Four
of the ponies were found grazing around
his campfire. A special deputy was sent
to bring the prisoner to Deadwood, but
before he left Miles City he received
word that the rest of the Exelbys were
lying in wait for him and meant to res
cue the prisoner if they killed all the
deputies in the country.
Ryan photographed for a posse to
meet him near Stones ranch at the
crossing of the Little Missouri. / took
the Williams brothers, Jack O'Hara, AL
Raymond, Doc Babcock and, in blind
ing snowstorm, headed the next morning
for Stones ranch. Not often in the his
tory of fights on the frontier has so we'll
known set of scouts been gathered as
rode on that campaign.
1.-THE snow was q foot deep, and we
were so cold that before we had finished
the 60 mile ride the blood on our spurs
was frozen. In fact, we were obliged
to use our spurs cruelty to reach there
at all.
1--WE arrived at the ranch about 10
o'clock at night and told old man Stone
to care for our horses. He told US all
we dared hope to find out about the Ex-
elbys. At Shuster's, as the old man call
ed it, there were three habitations, form
ing a triangle, each about 200 yards
from the other. First came Stones
ranch, then the saloon and third the
cabin where Shuster lived. Stone had
told us that Exelby and FIVE of his men
had arrived at the saloon in the middle
of the day and had been drinking and
carousing ever since. This accounted for
their being off their guard.
1--WE decided to wait till the next morn
ing. About o'clock we saw six of them
start with their packs and animals for
the road. They put their pack mules
ahead as they approached the crossing
which bridged the river quarter Of a
mile distant. We trapped them in
ravine back of Stones ranch. calling
halt as soon as we thought that we had
them dead to rights. Exelby yelled out
something about a warmer climate, but
we had no intention of taking his ad-
vice and leaving where we were. We
were seven to six, anyway, and when he
snapped back his retort to our call to
halt we opened fire.
eve had hardly pulled trigger when
the bullets began to whistle around us
from the other side of the gully, and we
woke to the fact that Billy the Kid. who
had staid behind In the saloon to fix his
saddle. had arrived just in time to join
in the exchange of shots. His first bullet
killed Jack O'Hara, one of the most IA
nous scouts who ever crossed the plains.
The second tore through Jack Williams
shoulder and the third shattered my
right knee.
ION the other side Exelby was killed
Tilly, another noted desperate. crawled
with a shattered arm and broken ankle
to Shuster's and begged for mercy. When
was hit l fell, but managed to crawl to
the top of the ravine and put an extra
hole In Campbell's nose. 1t generally
took years to rid the frontier of two such
outlaws as these, and l felt that we were
working fast. AS Campbell fell from the
saddle his spur left a deep cut in the
leather, which ! often show with inter
est. l have the saddle, the belt and his
side arms. The battle was turning in
our favor, and after another volley we
saw that not another live outlaw was
visible. Even the Kid had given up his
rear attack and had disappeared. We
ran across him alone few weeks later,
and Fred Williams had no scruples about
ending his life.
doc Batcock bandaged my knee. and
we rugged a sled with which we managed
to carry Jack O'Hara's body back to
Spearfish. Tuttle, one Of the worst char
acters of Exelby's gang. we found only
slightly wounded. We took him to Spear
fish also, but his lifeless body was found
frozen stiff the next morning hanging
from tree. Ny wound was not painful.
and 1 rode my horse as far as Spearhsh.
There the doctor said / would have to
have my leg amputated. l objected and
still have two legs, IL one Is a little
weak"
From the date Of the battle with the
Exelbys Captain Bartlett was known as
"Wounded Knee" among the Sioux
New York Sun.
Live on the Installment Plan.