Turner County herald. (Hurley, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1901-01-10


the passing ofone who had shared.
with him many perils. Did you
ever hear of the Sibley hght?" he
asked. ssIf you have not John
Finerty can tell you one lively
side Of it, Little Bat might
have some more about, it and I
might say something myself.
Yes, we were all in it up to eur
chir1s, and as an all around close
shave think all accounts agree
that it was about the limit. The
idea of a man living on a diet of
that kind and thenggetting killed
in a saloon fight! II seems
tough. Poor Little Bal! Bad
whiskey was worse medicine
than Sitting Bull ever made in all
his year of devi1try.
But you want me to tell about
the Sib1ey fight, do you? II was
about twenty-four years ago last
July, just about a week before
the fight that wiped out Gen.
Custer and his entire command.
Gen. Crook assigned Little Bat
and myself to- go north on the
Tongue river and meet body of
friendly Crows that were joining.
us to fight the Sioux, Much to
my regret, Lieut.. F. w. Sibley
and twenty.fonr picked men of
the End cavalry were detailed as
an escort. The men were splen-
did fellows but all more or less
new in Indian fighting. We had
been moving north two days
when in the dawn of the third
morning | discovered the Sioux
moving toward the Tongue river
thicker than buffalo in the valley
of the Platte. | called Bat softly
and when he saw the great pro-
|cession stealing oyer the plains
he said: My God! We are
gone!'
Il waited until / saw them
strike our trail. Immediately the
discoverer began circllng his
horse and waving his blanket,
and about ten minutes later every
Indian in thatsection knew that
white men we're somewhere about.
I thought we might possibly get
away from them by getting up
into the moutains. 1 told Bat to
follow me with the men as fast as
he could, nyidea being to get be-
vond where the Twin creek trail
crossed our own in the mountains
knowing that the Indians would
naturally make run to cut US off
at that point. suppose I went
up the hills rather fast, for at
length got tired waiting at the
trail crossing and went back for
/ I rs
the soldiers. Imagine my sur
prise when / learned that tae
party had stopped to make coffee,
Lieul. Sibley Admitted his mex.
l'perience in a running light and
had yielded to the importunings
Iof his men who wanted breakfast
Fl told him the .ances were thai
4 none of us would eat any NOR.
1 between that time and kingdom
leone, as the Indians were psob
ably waiting for us at the. poln.
we should have passed long ago
4 / made a wide detour from tht
trailas we tailed up the noun
tain very fortunately, for they
were ambushed for US at the
crossing Of the trails between
two high tree-crowned buttes. Il
we had passed through that nat
Z =
ural gate none of us would have
|been left to tell about it. AS WI
passed up the mountain to tht
left they got on to ourcurves, ane
4 about 200 did Some wild targe'
i practice in our direction
1 Strange to say not man wa
hit. Correspondent John Finer
.(ty's horse was shot. and he cams
up and joined me in leading the
lime. The horses were inclined
to stampede at the first fire. SO a
the beginning of the thick timbe'
4 / ordered the stock tied in
bunch. The Indians tried il
Il o.,a,-., M. " ~ dra ny n,,r fire. hf1