Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1907-12-24
A FIGHT WITH
HORSE THIEVES

IllUl Y | Hill y LU
Described by Leader Of Posse
Of Officers Took Place
on Little Missouri River a
Quarter Of a Century Ago.
lA fight with horse thieves, described
by the leader OF the posse Of officers
that took place on Little Missouri
river a quarter of a century ago. 81.
The following account of fight
with horse thieves in the early days
in the northwest, taken from the New
York Tribune, was written by the
leader of the posse Of officers. The
narrative is published without any en.-
bellishment and just as he wrote it. !
North of the Black Hills, at a point
where Dakota, Wyoming and Montana
Join, was once a great endezvous for
desperadoes and horse thieves. &9l
| In the winter of 1s83-84 the .tgang"
known as Exelby's ontfit ran off a
herd of ponies belonging to Young
Man Afraid of His Horses, TIA Sun
Ke Ko Kipapi Hoksilan) and his band
Of Sioux Indians, who were north Of
FGrand river hunting buffalo.
The Indians followed the thieves as
far as they dared, but to no purpose.
lEReturning to their agency (Pine Ridge,
Dak.) =, the Indians complained to their
i agent Of their loss. The agent gath
cred what facts he could in the case
and forwarded the same to the Unit
| ed States authorities at Deadwood. 4.
Z. being at that time deputy United
States marshal in Dakota, was in.
4 structed to break up this band Of
horse thieves, If possible. and bring
them to justice. .& Ss 81:
sent communications to sheriffs al
different points along the Northern
Pacific railroad where had reason tt
think the thieves would go. These
communications = consisted Of the
names and descriptions of most of tht
; gang and much other information tina
would help to recognize then, all o
which + had gathered from time t,
time. This done kept on with m.
other official duties, Of which 4, hal
all I could do. s % y s 2 I. s#
II In due time, however, a TELEGRAM
came from Miles City, Mont. to tn
e effect that one Of the gang, Jesse PIT
den by lame, had been apprehende
the day before. Immediately tell
graphed back to hold him and woul
IL send aasspecial deputy after him an
bring him to Deadwood for an exam
a ination before the United States con
n missioner. Answer came back, "a
Z right ~ :4~4 -. ~
I deputized one Joe. r. to go afte
9 Pruden and started him out the mex
) morning across the country for Mile
I City. 1t was a disagreeable job, for i
], was dead of winter, but it had to b.
/ done. knew Joe was equal to tn
8 emergency. Fs ~.
l. N.7'
q AS soon as Joe reached Miles Cit,
| he wired me to that effect, and ais,
that he had learned that Exelby's gans
intended intercepting him at Stone'
Z ranch, on the Little Missouri river, OF
4 his way back for the purpose of re
4 leasing Pruden, and requested that
send out a posse to meet him ant
q help him through.
Y he Posse Sets Out
8 During the next three days / mad,
' my preparations, engaged five picket
: j men, and on the fourth morning afte
y getting Joes telegram, which was tn,
= 18th day of February, 1884, we lef
Deadwood for the Little Missouri riv
err. :ssJ .4. sr..., :
: The roads were bad, there beini
= much snow On the ground, causin:
4 us to make very slow time, and j
= was 2 o'clock the following mornin
= before we got there. -
4 We raped up old Lew Stone, VIII
u kept the ranch, and asked to put uI
d a request which was of course grant
4 ed, We said nothing in regard to GU
q business any more than to infer tina
q We We're going to Miles City. Befor
: Il going to bed, however, 1 ascertaine
i that the horse thieves, seven in nun
4 Der, had come the evening before an
d We're cen then asleep at the saloon
q which was kept in building abou
a two hundred yards west Of Some
house. We had plenty recshrdlueta
Il houSe We had 5nartIv reckonad n