The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1901-01-19
WIPED OUT THE GANG.
Thrilling Border Experience in the
Early DAYS of Montana.

Early Days of Montana.
Residents of eastern Montana of IA
score of years ago may recall the Ex-
elby gang of outlaws that infested
that section and western Dakota. They
were finally killed off.
Captain Charles E. Bartlett, once
a deputy marshal of Deadwood, S.
d., furnishes the following story of
the manner in which the Exelby gang
was wiped out, which is said to be the
first published account other than
was contained in the government re
ports.
The gang struck terror to every
Indian on the reservation who had
any property and to every ranchman
in Dakota. | was at that time, in
1881, in charge of the Pine Ridge and
there because of my familiarity with
the Sioux country. Only a short
time after | arrived was ordered to
eterminate the EXelbys at any cost.
Affairs reached crisis when the gang
quietly got away with SO of the ponys
belonging to a friendly chief who had
been hunting just east of the Black
Hills in company with party of his
| friends. A severe winter was just
coming on and the Indians felt that
they had little protection from law
lessness by the troops if Uncle Sam
could not stop such bold thefts as
driving away all their horses.
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, Mont, and they caught
one of the gang. Four of the ponies
were grazing around his camp fire. 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 rescue 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. Il
took the Williams brothers, Jack o.
Harra, AL Raymond, Doc Babcock, and
in binding snowstorm headed the
next morning for Stones ranch. Not
nftnn in h ie%D >f
frontier has SO well known a set of
scouts been gathered as rode on that
campaign.
The snow was foot deep and we
were so cold that before we had fin
ished the siXty-mile ride, the blood on
our spurs was frozen. In fact, we
were Obliged to use our spurs cruelty
to reach there at all
I'VE 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 EXelbys. At Shuster's, as the
old man called it, there were three
habitations, forming 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 be-
ing Off guard. We decided to wait
till the next morning. About 8 o'clock
we saw six of them start with their
packs and animals for the road. They
put their packmules ahead as they
approached the crossing which bridg-
ed the river quarter of mile dis
tant We trapped them in a 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 eli
mate, but We had no intention of TAX
ing his advice and leaving where we
were. We We're seven to six anyway
and when he snapped back his retort
to our call for halt we opened fire, |
We had hardly pulled a trigger when
the bullets began TO whistle around lis
from the other side of the gully and |
we awoke TO the fact that Billy the
Kid, who had stayed 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 famous
scouts who ever crossed the plains.
The second tore through Jack Will
liam's shoulder, and the third shatter-
ed my right knee.