The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1909-04-02
RENEGADE Band Surrounded by
Big Armed Force and Cap
ture Is Imminent.
CRAFTY Chief AVOIDS BATTLE
E.udes Soldiers for Time by Dividing
His Force, but Is Later Driven
Into Trap.

Oklahoma City, March 81. - Chitti
Harjo (Crazy Snake) was surrounded
at midnight in the North Canadian
bottoms, near Pierce. Three hundred
militiamen, cowboys and deputy sher-
ifs were closing In upon and his cap
ture is expected at d~aybreak.
Scouts had been keeping in close
, touch with Crazy Snake all day, and,
on information supplied by them. the
militia officers placed their forces in
such a way as to drive the old Indian
into the trap.
Militia Makes Forced March.
/ The news that he was encordoned
by a wall of men who would be like
ly to allow his escap was hurried
into Camp Hickory by cOuriers. I'M
mediately all was commotion. Believ-
ing that they had the main body of
Indians tra> ped with the chief. the
militiamen dispatched a large detach-
ment to Pierce, fifteen miles distant,
on forced march. These expected to
reach there by sunrise and join in a
final struggle with the old chieftain.
Col. Hoffman was sure the Indians
would fight, so all the troops went
heavily armed. and ammunition wag-
ons brought up the rear.
Must Capture the Snake.
A big posse planned to start from
Checotah on horseback at the first
streak of dawn to join in the attack
meanwhile picking up any of the
Snakes stragglers that might be en-
countered.
Col. Hoffman issued orders that by
no chance should Crazy Snake be al
lowed to slip through the lines, realiz-
ing hat by his capture the expected
mobilization and final stand of the
Creeks might be averted People for
miles around rallied to aid in the at
tack on the Indians, as great fear
prevails within a radius of twenty-five
miles from the Hickory grounds.
Fight With Indians.
A battle was expected at any mo-
ment during the day, but the only
thing approaching it was an attack
by deputies on a company of Indians
in which one of the latter was killed,
eight captured and Crazy Snakes
home burned. The fire was started,
deputies say. by a party of Indians
hat attention might be diverted from
the attack near by.
About twenty-five Indians, most
ly heavily armed, were captured dur
ing the day. Many of these were
known to be prominent in the cause
of Crazy Snake. They were kept un-
Ger close guard and efforts were plan
ned 20 force from them some of the
secrets of the uprising.
People Are in Terror.
The nerves Of everybody in the af-
fected districts have been on edge for
hours. The people nave not yet learn
ed what it is to be beset by hostile
Indians. They do not expect the trou-
BILE 10 last long, but live in momen-
tary fears of %outrages being commit
ted by rowing bands. They fear the
negroes and halfbreeds really more
than the Indians. Crazy Snakes men
apparently planned no campaign of
rapine and murder. Rather they
sought a contest with the organized
authorities of the state. taking what
seemed to them the best method Of
redressing what they regarded as
wrongs
Crazy Snake Shows Craft.
If it were not for the military skill
and generalship of old Crazy Snake a
battle would have been fought today.
This was what the militia wanted and
also just what the chief was most
anxious to avoid. Crazy Snake. in
stead of concentrating his warriors,
divided them into bands of various
sizes. sen them scurrying here and
there, lost himself to the white for
the moment in the rugged country
which he knew infinitely better than
they, and set about to carry on an
organized campaign.