The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1912-05-30
SOME NEW SIDELIGHTS
UPON CHARLIE COLLINS

D. T.. to the attorney general, com
planning that 1t would be impossible Il
secure a jury to conyic them OF &C
count OF the sparse population; and
that Judge Kidder, the only court Of
hcer IN the district, could not leave
travel the 1900 miles through Iowa
and Minnesota, to reach Pembipa &c
try the cases.
Gold Is Found.
In 1874 Clusters exploring party
found gold in the Back Hills. On the
I'd Of August, Custer dispatched a re-
port from French Creek, telling of the
discovery, news Of which reached
Yankton via Bismarck and St. Paul on
the 18th, Intense excitement prevailed,
and the citizens Of Yankton n Sioux
CITY began arrangements to reap q
rich harvest from the gold seekers
who must pass through their doors on
the way to the dlggins. Sioux City
championed the Nebraska way, willis
throughout the press Of the nation
Yankton advertised its route" by
railroad to Yankton, then by palatial
steamer to Pierre, from whence a
short three days overland trip would
land the gold seeker at the mines.
Meanwhile Charley Collins was not
lazy and was making more progress
than anybody in promoting expeditions
by way Of Brule City and White Riv-
er, even establishing a recruiting Office
in Chicago. On the 9th all his expec-
tation was crushed by General Phil
Chertdan's famous order to General
Terry, ~instructtng him, IN c~onformance
with the obligations of the Indian
treaty, Should companies now organ
iZing at Sioux City and Yankton tres
pass upon the Sioux reservation, you
are hereby directed to use the force at
your command to burn their wagon
rn ne 6nC POW l@t - -
the leaders, combining them at the near
est military post in the Indian country.
Should they succeed in reaching the in
terror, you are directed to send such
force of cavalry after them as will ac-
complfsh the purposes above named"
His Expedition.
Indignant mass meetings followed at
the settlements, and Charlie Collins
closing his recruiting station at Chica-
go, returned to Sioux City, where he
sent out to the Associated Press that
he intended to abandon his expedition;
but In fact he never gave up, and on
6, 1874, a party, 26 men. one
woman and a 9-year-old boy, organized
by Collins and under the leadership of
his partner, Captain Russell, set out,
bound ~ostensibly for O'Neill, and guild
by John Gordon, from which the ex-
afterwards took It's name, who
had same knowledge Of the country. |
Collins remained at his post on the
Sioux City Times. They appear to have |
followed the Keya Paha to its source,
crossed the White through the Bad
Lands, passed the headwaters of the
II reached the Cheyenne at the
mouth of Elk creek, and the foot hills !
near Sturgis on December 9. After
rambling they struck the trail of
made in midsummer, followed
1t to within a few miles of the present
City, located for the winter and
stockaded on French creek, where a
quantity OF nuggets and gold dust was
as an evidence OF good faith;
and on February 6, an exceedingly cold
morning Gordon and Whitcher mount
I'd their horses and began the several
hundred miles trip to the settlements
It iankton, which were reached
/.
Their story and the exhibition of
'colors' through the town into indie
excitement, and Collins came
lot o Q from Sioux City to welcome his
'eturned heroes. After a short so3ourn
n Yankton, Collins conducted the gold
TO Sioux City in q bunting dec
train, he himself seated On the
catcher, waving his arms and yell
and singing like q maniac.
Collins Q up occasionally at other
laces IN early territorial history. and
South Dakota Historical society is
exceedingly anxious 10 secure further
uthentic Information concerning this
centric characters operations in Da-
ota.