Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1911-03-09

1t was on Sunday, July 81, 1881 tina
the crafty old Sioux warrior, Sittin
Bull, got his first view of railWa
locomotive coach.
l was in the employ of the Northern
Pacific Railway company on the dat
named and was waiting my turn out a
bismarck. Dak., now called Nortl
;Dakcta, when the news came that Sit
ting Bull and a portion of his tribe
about 200 all told, were on boat com
ing down the Missouri and would prob
ably reach Bismarck before noon.
This was the time that the Sioux In
dams were returning to the Unite'
States from the British possessions
where they had been from the time o
the Custer massacre in the summer o
1876, our government having promised
them immunity from any further pros
ecutiOn if they would return, behave
themselves and remain on reserva
ton assigned to the Sioux tribe nea
Fort Buford.
In those days Bismarck was on the
border of civilization and was probab
| ly the first village worthy of note thai
I the red men had ever visited.
There was considerable excitement
in Bismarck that Sunday morning and
undoubtedly, every inhabitant was al
the wharf when the boat landed. Every
body wanted to see Sitting Bull and
the gang plank hardly touched shore
I before it was loaded with struggling
mass of humanity, and they would
have swamped the boat if it had not
been for squad of United States sold
iers who forced them back.
The captain informed us that he
would land the Indians if we would ar
range ourselves on each side of the
pathway so that the redskins" could
pass up between the lines. This was
soon done and gave everyone good
view of the Sioux.
Sitting Bull and his sister with a
number of other chiefs of less motor.
iety were the last to leave the boat
and went directly to fOur-seated
carriage awaiting them.
Hearing the interpreter say that
they were going to take the chief and
his companions to the opposite side
of the warehouse to see locomotive,
l took another direction from that
taken by the carriage and was on top
of the switch engine cab before the
Indians drove up.
General Manager Haupt, of the N
P, had his private car attached to the
switch engine.
The Indians were both excited and
interested, but what was said was not
understood. The interpreter was
white man and all that I got was that
Sitting Bull said it was the first time
he had ever seen one of the things
and hoped he would never see another.
From the time Sitting Bull got into
the carriage until he got out of it he
was continually reaching out to shake
hands with anyone who would shake
hands with him and kept repeating, in
Indian language of course, that he
wanted to be at peace with the white
people.
Mrs. Haupt left the car and went to
the carriage to shake hands with him
and, with others, tried to get the
bunch" to ride up town in the pri-
vate car All efforts failed, however,
and the load was driven to the Mer-
chants hotel where dinner was fur
nished them.
The interpreter registered for all ex'
cepting Sitting Bull, the latter writing
his own name in very legible manner.
There was gentleman present who
offered the landlord IS for the leaf in
the register containing the names and
the answer he got was:
mot by damned sight"
The leaf was then torn from the
book and locked in the hotel safe.
The name registered for Sitting
Bulls sister was "Pretty as Plum
Woman" and l think the name of one
of the assistant chiefs was "White
Eagle" the rest have forgotten.
Sitting Bulls clothes consisted of
a pair of buckskin leggings, held up
in place by thongs tied about his
waist, and modern. we'll made white
shirt; and partly over one shoulder
and around his body a blanket was
thrown. Every time this blanket 60:
moved little naked "redskin" hip
was in evidence. He wore a pair of
colored goggles, which served to part
ly hide the expression on his face. a
thing that regretted very much. His
hair was parted through the center
and cross parted with two b8ids OF
considerable length hanging down his
back. In the places where his hair
was parted liberal supply of red
paint had been placed, and the pers.
piration had carried down the red
stain SO that his face and the white
shirt showed an abundance of color.
OF course. newspaper reporters
were there, all of whom were anxious
to make scoop" in their efforts to
give to the world the first inside par.
ticulars of the battle of the Little !
Big Horn;" but what they did not get
would make very large book. It
was claimed that one of the report |
ers from the st. Paul Pioneer Press
had three and onehalf hours in.
terview with the old chief, but the
information most wanted was denied. |
About all Sitting Bull would say re.
garding his battle with Custer was
tho% ho 1od Tho Indian forooc &hof