Fergus County argus., 1902-08-20
SKELETON OF
BLUE BIRD
Remains Found in a Canyon In the
Bad Lands Proves to beThat Of
Blue Bird, a Half Breed.
HE STOLE BELkNAP HORSES
Was Followed by a Sand of Revenge
ful Reds and Died Fiercely Fight
ing for His Life.

With bullet through his head, Il
gaping wound in his chest, Blue Bird
the renegade breed and ex-govern,
ment scout, breathed his last as the
chilling wind of a December morning
sifted the frozen snow over his chill.
ed form. Pursued by men of his own
blood over bench and coulee, weak
and dying, he took refuge behind q
huge rock, and at each bark of his
trusty rife a redskin bit the dust
The life spark snuffed out as the radi.
ant sun cast glorious vision through
the crisp winter air.
This is not the exordium of dime
novel, but the record of the death oil
Blue Bird, a half-breed killed by the
Belknap Indians during the winter OF
1887, and over whose body a coroner's
jury held an inquest last Saturday
says the Havre Eagle. Suspected OF
duplicity by the government officials
and officers at Fort Assinniboine, he
was discharged as a government
scout. A month later found him work.
ing by night and resting by day I'M
til he had gathered up a band of 81.
D." horses belonging to the Belknaps.
These he drove west until he reached
Chinook, where the Indians overlook
him and recovered the horses. A
band of braves, seeking his blood,
took after him, kept the trail SO hot
that he was many times exposed to
their unerring aim Reaching point
on the river where Toledo is now 10
Gated, he started up the big coulee
for the bad lands When exhausted
from loss of blood and exposure and
unable to travel further, Blue Bird
crawled behind a huge rock and the
wall of the ledge and intYenched him
self. At either opening he piled up
rocks and brush, covering the top Of
what was to be his tomb with a tent,
securely pinning the canvas down
with heavy rocks. Through an open
ing in the rock he thrust his gun and
for two days kept band of seven In
disns at bay, killing four of them.
The remaining three retreated, and
Blue Bird later died from wounds
which he had previously received.
The coroner's jury found the body
entrenched behind the rock, his sad
die standing leatherless and the skel-
eton of his faithful pinto pony a few
hundred yards away. All were whit
ened by the passing Of time, the mag.
gots of dissolution doing well their
work. Twenty-seven empty 80 cali
ber cartridges, of the pattern used
in the army carbine of a decade ago,
were found on little knoll five yards
from the body. Bits of strap and
leather belonging to the saddle and
chewed into pieces by the coyotes,
lay about the open grave.
The coroner's jury assembled about
the open hole, one of their number
handed up the bones and laid them
in the coffin. The skull was intact
except for the bullet hole through one
side. Two of the ribs were splinter
ed, and upon portions of the blue
army coat worn by the dead man
were found blotches of blood. These
blotches were also found upon pieces
of the canvas tent. They could only
be identified after polishing on the
coating of green. A part of one moe
casin, two rawhide strings, as well as
q bone charm which hung around the
arm. were found. The clothes, blank
ct and cotton batting quilt were found
in fragments, all of them so rotten and
tliscolored that 1t was difficult to say
what their original color was. The
dead man. as close as could be judg-
ed. wore brown pair of trousers, an
army coat, good underwear, heavy
Scotch socks and moccasins. The
army coat was the only article of ap-
parel that retained its color. His cap
was not found. With the bones were
found what was once hair brush, n
large bowie knife. tin cup and tin
pan. The teeth in the skull were all
In an excellent state Of preservation:
the collar bone and right arm gave
evidence of being fractured at one
time. From the size OF the bones it
was apparent that the dead man was
about FIVE feet nine inches In height,
and of heavy build.
The body was inferred and the jury
took the evidence of several persons
who had any knowledge that could
relate to the dead man.
Albert Davie testified that a year
ago last fail man came to his ranch
late at night in a half froze condi-
ton. Mr. Dayie gave him q night's