Milford chronicle., 1903-02-13
Little Bat"
AND THE
Sibley Fight.

Inc long haired man from the Yves
may be all right, but there are others.
remarked a dark, swarthy stout mai
IN this city yesterday. He was Franl
Grouard, ex-chief of scouts of tn,
United States army, the hero of a hun
dred Indian fights and hairbreadtl
escapes. There is nothing romantic il
the appearance Of this big, brawny
man, his black hair now well streaket
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
kor carrying mail over a lonely star
route. He was captured as a youth
by Indians and adopted as n son bv
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 bv
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 Baptiste Gaunier. better
known as the famous scout Little Bat.
ne quite forgot the overhanging won
der Of the elevated road and the tail
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 fghtY he asked. IF you have
not John Flnerty can tell you one live
y side of it. 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 think all ac-
counts agree that it was about the lin
II. The idea of man living on a diet
OF that kind and then getting killed in
o 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
Sibley fight, do you? 1t was about "a
years ago last July, just about a 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
/ discovered the Sioux moving
toward the Tongue river thicker than
ouifaloes in the valley of the Platte.
called Bat softly, and when he saw
he great painted procession stealing
'yer the plains he said, My God, we T
ire gone? !
Il waited until saw them strike our
rail. Immediately the dlscoverer be- q
,an circling his horse and waving his /,
Dianket, and about ten minutes later l.
very Indian in that section knew that G
White men were somewhere about. u
hOught we might possibly get away y
rom them by getting up into the "a
fountains. l told Bat to follow me W
7ith the men as fast as he could, my hi
lea being to get beyond where the 81
win creek trail crossed our own in II
be mountains, knowing that the In f'
ians would naturally make a run to al
ut US of at that point. 1 suppose / ~. ~
'ent up the hills rather fast. for at ~
myth l got tired waiting at the trail n
'Ossing and went back for the sol X
ers. Imagine my surprise when l W,
armed that the party had stopped to ms
axe coffee. Lieutenant Sibley admit de
d his inexperience in a running fight IIol
I'd had yielded to the importunings of 10
s men, who wanted breakfast. told
m the chances were that none Of us
puld eat any more between that time ~,
a Kingdom come, as the Indians in
ere probably waiting for us at the "a
int we should have passed long ago. OF
made wide detOur from the trail as Nc
toiled up the mountain. Very for the
lately, for they were ambushed for ina
at the crossineS ~ th., ELL, t'a4e-.- ~ ere
- ~ - tN99AH5 VI the LIdllS DetWeen i;e
o high tree crowned buttes. If we bo.
passed through that natural gate. ma,
ie OF us would have been left to tell On,
mt It AS we passed up the noun. thir
. to the left they got on to our regi
yes. and about 200 did some wild reg'
get practice in our direction. Strange to
ay. not a man was bit. Correspond Pay
John Flnerty's horse was shot, and all, u
came up and Joined me In leading who
line. The horses were inclined to from
npede at the first fire, so at the he. max
ling Of the thick timber ordered brok
stock tied In a bunch. The Indians Ihei
In every way to draw our fire. max