Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1912-06-27

II uttle uONNn the stream L discovered
Indians standing behind trees and peer
ing up in our direction. 1t being only A
mile tn their camp. they had heard the
rring in the night and had ON up to
investigate. motioned to them to
come and they came out rather eau
tiously. l told them what had hap
pened. showed them THE dead body OF
the outlaw on the counter. and told
them l wanted them to return to- their
camp and bring implements for dig
yinE Y grave. and to bring deers skins
Ind blankets for wrapping the body.
They did go. The Indians dug the
grave. 1t being laborious work, for the
ground was frozen. and We buried him
between two big cottonwood trees. aud
with IA Ratchet I removed the bark
from one of the trees and wrote with
a pencil the mans name and the date
of his shuffiins off. There we left him.
We had accorded him the best burial
possible. and in death AS i'm life VIZ had
treated him the beA that circumstances
would permit.
This was the 22nd day of December,
AS | we'll remember. for that day we
only travelled about Is miles up the
side of he Bull mountains. where we
camped for the night, and the next day
finished the ascent and crossed To the
east side OF the mountains. From that
elevation we could clearly see the yell
lOwstOne river, marked by the timber
on it's banks. about 30 miles distan
The sun was already low. but the next
day being the oath. kisslinghury Was
very anxious to be back at the fort for
the Christmas festivities. SO We deter
mined tn push on that same night to
the Yellowstone river. Ii was cloudy
and "A little snow was falling. hut the
| wine was not severe. and ii WAS not so
cold AS Ii had been. Carefully taking
the direction. for there was no trail. we
started. Night soon overlook us and
Il thu In IyUan sod ~ tlAt g. ,,
almost n blizzard, but We pushed for
ward. and II must have been after mid
night when We finally rode into the
Yellowstone valley. The wind had been
blowing from the southwest. ON our
right cheek. Naturally one gives u lit
tie I" the wind, and when we reached
the Yellowstone bottom, with irnber
along the banks of the river, we could
see no traces of amy kind indicating
that any one war living within 40
miles. All was unbroke EN- snow, but
along the bottom bet ween the blufYs
and the timber. was AN old military
trail. which showed clear and white i'm
the night, the small s%hrubbery and
bushes growing on each side of the
trail making it discernable, but there
were no fresh tracks.
Lostl
Here we halted and discussed the
situation. 1t was my impression that
we had struck the river below the
ranch of Hoskins d. McGurl. while the
lieutenant thought We had struck it
above them. He finally gave way to
my Judgment. One reason for going
up the river WAS that lie we went in
that direction. If W. should be above
the ranch. three miles up the river we
would strike another ranch. while If we
were really below the ranch and turned
and went down the river, We would go
80 miles without finding another habi-
tation. so we turned to the right and
started up the river. listening all the
lime for the bark of a dog and looking
for lights along the river. bur co,ld
see or hear nothing. Every little way.
being in the lead. l would dive into a
WaSholt filled with SNOW and finally
struggle through. the lieutenant follow
ing with the pack mule. Ii seemed to
me that we had gone five miles when I
nnally stumbled into another washout.
h lieutenant was discouraged and
said we would go no further. and would
camp right there. 80 i struggled back
on the same side ] Went in on. and we
turned into the woods FOR shelter. UNI
sadaled the horses and pickettng my
horse with a long rope to the willows
SO that he could reach the blufYs. we
turned the other horses and the mack
mule. loose.
Then We hunted for wood with which
7" bulld a Are. but not d particle of
NVu'o w lutO. which WaS Alto
xether unusual. for as Il rule one could
nnd plenty OF dry wood. There WAS u
reason for 1t. which we learned ut day-
light the next morning. We finally felt
or the bushes and broke OFF enough dry
tw'gs to start y little fire and make q
cup OF coffee: then we Kicked away the
snow and made down our bed and Law
down without disrobing, with bufalu
robes for covering. We were tired
enough, and We're soon sound asleep.
A Dogs Bark.
We were awakened I'm the morning
by the bark OF "A dog. Throwing of our
covering we looked i'm the direction
from which the sound came, and right
there, within 200 yards. was the ranch
that L have mentioned which was 10
Gated three miles above Hoskins & Me-
Grul's. Had we only struggled through
tE:it last ditch we would have been
right at the ranch. ON. OF the ranch
men came out to see what ths. dog was
barking at. He WAS barking at the
lieutenant's horse and the mule, which
had taken shelter under "A shed and
Were helping themselves to the proven
der. while my poor horse was paving
the snow to get the grass where he
was picketed. We gathered up our
robes and carried them over to thu.
ranch. where they soon had a good
warm fire burning and pre- pared break
fast for us. After eating breakfast we
saddled the horses and packed the mule
and took the back track and followed
1T to the place where we came down
from the bluffs into the bottom. and
here We found that If instead of turn
ing either to the right or the LETT we
had kept right straight ahead across
the government trail into the timber.
we would have found ourselves exactly
at the spot we were seeking, Hoskins e.
McGurrs. This was the morning Of the