The Somerset reporter., 1901-03-28
Little Bat"
AND THE
Sibley Fight.


may be all right, but there are others.
remarked Il 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
Che appearance of this big, brawny
man, his black hair now well 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 5 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 Injured 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 Baptste Gaunier, better
known as the famous scout Little Bat
he quite forgot the oyerhanging 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 fight" he asked IF you have
not John Finerty can tell you one live
ly side of it. Little Bat might have
told you some more about it, and |
might say something myself. Yes, we
were all in it up to our chins and as
an all round close shave think all ac-
| counts agree that it was about the linn
it. The idea of man living on a diet
of that kind and then getting killed in
saloon fight! 1t 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
Siblcy fight, do you? 1t was about "a
years ago last July, just about week
before the battle that wiped out Gen
eral Custer and his entire command.
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
+. 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 | discovered the Sioux moving
| toward the Tongue river thicker than
| buffaloes in the valley of the Platte.
| called Bat softly, and when he saw
the great painted procession stealing
over the plains he said, My God. we
are gomez
~ 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. |
thought we might possibly get away
from them by getting up into the
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 In
dams would naturally make run to
cut us off ut that point. | suppose |
went up the hills rather fast, for at
| length ! got tired waiting at the trail
crossing and went back for the sol
ders. Imagine my surprise when |
learned that the party had stopped to
make coffee. Lieutenant Sbley admit
ted his inexperience in a running fight
and had yielded to the importunings of
! his men. who wanted breakfast. | 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 wide detour from the trail as
we toiled mp the mountain. Very for
/ tunately, for they were ambushed for
| MS at the crossing of the trails between
! two high Tree crowned buttes. If we
] had passed through that natural gate.
/ none of US would have been left TO tell
/ about IT, As we passed up the noun
tain to the left they got on to Our
/ curves. and about 300 did some wild
/ target practice in our direction. Strange
! to say. not Il man was hit. Correspond.
ent John Finprtys horse was shot and
he came up and joined me in leading
the line The horses were inclined t.
stampede al the first fire. so at the be
ginning of the thick timber | ordered
the stock tied in bunch The Indians
tried In every way to draw our fire,
I but Sibley, at my suggestion, ordered
no firing unless they charged up 10 us.
which is not the way an Indian tights.
1--WE got to the timber at 10 o'clock
in the morning. and we did not fire a
shot until , O'Clock in the afternoon.
Every man had his tree, and he stuck
to it closer than a brother. Early in
the day a leather lunged Sioux yelled
at me that he knew Bat and myself
were there, and they were going IL
have great fun with us-partlcularfy
me. knew what that meant without
map, so | told every soldier to save
good cartridge for himself before
surrendering to the fiendish tortures