The Press., 1901-06-06
Little Bat''
 AND THE Sibley Fight.

'"The long haired man from the west may be all right but there are others" remarked dark, swarthy, stout man in this city yesterday. He was Frank GrOuard eX-chief of scouts of the United States army, the hero of a hun dred Indian fights and hairbreadth escapes. There is nothing romantic in the appearance of this big. brawny man, his black hair now we'll streaked with silver, but his exploits are liber- ally blazoned on the army reports by Crook and Sheridan. Born on an is- land in the south Pacific in 1850, the son of a missionary, through stress of circumstance at the age of he was left to shift for himself. Doing chores about the California mining camps and driving an ore wagon were his training for carrying mail over a lonely star route. He was captured as a youth by Indians and adopted as a son by the famous Sioux chief Crazy Horse, living five years in Indian camps, eat ing his meat without salt, forgetting the taste of bread. and intrusted with the mysteries of medicine making by Sitting Bull. This school inured him to hardship and eventually led him to meet and overcome dangers that few men have experienced.
 When he saw the telegram in the newspaper of yesterday relating the tragedy at Crawford, Neb., that sound ed taps for Baptiste Gaunier, better known as the famous scout Little Bat, he quite forgot the overhanging won- der of the elevated road and the tall buildings to tell his regret at the pass ing of one who had shared with him many perils. Did you ever hear of the Sibley fightY he asked. If you have not, John Finerty can tell you one live ly side of 1t. Little Bat might have told you some more about it, and l might say something myself. Yes, we were all in it up to our chins, and as an all round close shave l think all ac counts agree that 1t was about the Him. it. The idea of man living on a diet of that kind and then getting killed in a saloon fight! It seems tough. Poor Little Bat! Bad whisky was worse medicine than Sitting Bull ever made in all his years of deviltry.
 "But you want me to tell about the Sibley fight, do you? It was about A years ago last July. just about a week before the battle that wiped out Gen. General 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 against the Sioux. Much to my regret. Lieutenant F. w. Sibley and "A picked men of the Second cavalry were detailed as an es- cort. The men were splendid fellows, but all more or less new in Indian fight ing. We had been moving north two days when in the dawn of the third morning I discovered the Sioux moving toward the Tongue river thicker than buffaloes in the valley of the Platte. I called Bat softly, and when he saw the great painted procession stealing over the plains he said, My God, we are gone!
 "I waited until saw them strike our trail. Immediately the discoverer be- gan circling his horse and waving his blanket, and about ten minutes later every Indian in that section knew that white men were somewhere about. l thought we might possibly get away mountains told Bat to follow me with the men as fast as he could, my idea being to get beyond where the Twin creek trail crossed our own in the mountains, knowing that the h. dians would naturally make a run to cut us off at that point. I suppose I went up the hills rather fast. for at length I got tired waiting at the trail crossing and went back for the sol diers. Imagine my surprise when I learned that the party had stopped to make coffee. Lieutenant Sibley admit ted his inexperience in running fight and had yielded to the importunings of his men. who wanted breakfast. I told him the chances were that none of us would eat any more between that time and kingdom come, as the Indians were probably waiting for us at the point we should have passed long ago. made a wide detour from the trail as we toiled up the mountain. Very for tunately for they were ambushed for us at the crossing of the trails between
 
 had passed through that natural gate, none of us would have been left to tell about 1t. As we passed up the moun- tain to the left they got on to our curves. and about 200 did some wild target practice in our direction. Strange to say. not man was hit. Correspond ent John Finerty's horse was shot, and he came up and joined me in leading the line. The horses were inclined to stampede at the first fire. so at the be- ginning of the thick timber ordered the stock tied in a bunch. The Indians tried in every way to draw our fire, but Sibley, at my suggestion, ordered no firing unless they charged up to us, which is not the way an Indian fights.
 "We got to the timber at 10 o'clock in the morning. and we did not fire shot until 3 o'clock in the afternoon. Every man had his tee, and he stuck