Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1908-02-02

sort of night Waterman and scout for
the Grant-Casselberry post, land
Chief Long Soldier, an Indian who
had local reputation for getting
himself and others into trouble, hap
pened to be ranged side by side ait
the stockade. Long Soldier twitted
White Horse with being a slave of
the pale face.
White Horse gave the other chief
a singing blow in the face and both
made a dash for their rifles, which
had already been stacked prior to
the dressing of the beef. Long Sol.
der got his rifle first, but missed aim
and White Horse brought him down
with a broken leg. Then White
Horse stood over his victim and
poured the contents of his magazine
into the body.
The whites looked for more trouble
between the friends of the dead man
and those of his slayer, but it hap
pened that they belonged to the same
society. The society held a meeting
then and there and decided that, it
had been a fair fight.
1t was decreed, however, that
White Horse must give all his prop
erty, consisting chiefly of ponies and
blankets, to the widowed squaw.
The decision reached, Long Soldiers
body was bundled into a canoe along
with his squaw and papooses, and
the mournful little boatload was
padded away to the west bank where
the tepees of the camp outlined them
selves against the sky.
Three weeks later the funeral was
held. There was a frightful din of
dancing and beating tomtoms and
wild chants, when all at once the
music and the dancing stopped and
the Indians in as much excitement as
they ever showed began running
about in every direction getting
ready to march. So
Through an Interpreter. Mr.. Cassel-
berry and his companion, the post
surgeon, learned that an Indian run
ner had just brought word that the
United States troops were coming
down the river from Fort Lincoln to
take the Indians rifles and ponies
away fro mthem. The commander of
the post was quickly summoned, but
his protestations of innocence of any
such intention were of no avail.
The following day Mr.. Casselberry
left for Bismarck. On the road Mr..
| Casselberry saw half a dozen Indian
ponies staked out on the prairie near
a gulch which was as fine a place
for an ambush as any one could wish.
The blackboard with two men and
$4,000 in currency aboard, ratified
through the half mile of the gulch at
breakneck speed, but there was no
sign of Life until just at the end of
the gulch and over a little rise could
be heard the beat of hoofs. Mr.. Cas-
selberry had his rifle 1evelled to fire
at the first head that showed itself,
but dropped the weapon in surprised
relief when he saw the uniform of an
officer of the United States army.
The group fhorsemen were of
ficers attached to the command of
Gen. Terry at Fort Lincoln, and Mr..
Casselberry learned that the Indian
runner had told the truth about dis
armament and that a substantial
force from Fort Lincoln was coming
| down to perform the task.
After passing the last of the detail
the trader came across an Indian
trail, and his driver, a well-trained
Indian fighter, estimated the number
of redskins who had passed over the
trail at 1000 When Gen. Terry's
men reached the encampment at
Standing Rock they found no one
there but the old men, the squaws
and the papooses. The 1,5O0 fight
ing men of the encampment were
gone on the warpath.
When Mr.. Casselberry reached
Fort Lincoln he learned that Gen.
Custer and all his men had been
killed. Apparently the news had
come after Gen. Terry had left the
fort.
Later the trader went to the old
Indian enacmpment again and found
Chief Kill Eagle there inirons. 1t
was believed for time that he was
the Indian who killed Custer. After
ward he was let go.
On the traders last trip to Stand
ing Rock the Indians arms had
been taken from them and one of the
prominent chiefs asked Mr.. Cassel-
berry to lend him his rife to go hunt
ing with. The trader consented.
Three chiefs started ON the hunting