The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-03-18

the whites or destroy their property.
No answer was made to this offer a.
no one had authority to make any such
agreement. az
Families in Shelters.
In tho meantime. the settlers OF the
Bitter Root becoming much alarmed
for the safety OF their families. placed
them in old Fort Owen at Stevensville
and In two new sod forts which they
hastily constructed at Corvallis ana
Skalkaho.
The Indians were now reported TO
be on the Montana side OF the noun
tains and they finally .encampcd on
Woodmans prairie. some 10 or -
miles up the Lolo from the Bitter Root
river. and We learned that the soldiers
from Fort Missoula were going up to
meet them and attempt to turn them
back or obtain their surrender or fight
them. as the case might be-
Settlers Meet Soldiers.
On Tuesday morning 36 men. pio-
nccr settlers OF the valley. left Fort
Owens for the I.olo. They were, Of
course, well armed and took with
them blankets and n few days prov,.
sions tied to their saddles About
where the town Of Lolo now Is. they
met Captain Rawn In command O! Is
soldiers from Fort Missoula, with
them wcr" Captain Logan, Licuten-
ants English. Woodwork and two
others whose names do not recall.
John Robertson. Cortez Coff and
were delegated to have n talk with
Captain Rawn and explain our situa-
ton to him. We told him OF the de-
fenseless condition Of the valley. Of
the hundreds Of women and children,
to say nothing Of all our property.
that would be mt the mercy Of the In.
dams II infatuated by an attackk that
wouldn't be and could not be defeat
for them. Captain Rawn. with solno-
what OF that contemptuous manner
that too often charactcrizes regular
army officers In their intercourse with
mere citizens, would hardly listen 10
US but did say he had been ordered TO
meet the Nez Perces and turn them
back or fight them and he proposed
to do with or without our help, and
added that he might as well threw up
his commission II he did otherwise"
Decide to Fight. T..
We realized that fight with the
Indians whether by soldiers OF citi-
zcns would have the effect u make
them hostile toward us, We decided
to 60 with the soldiers and naturally
placed ourselves under the direction
and command Of the regular officers
Word was being sent out from Mis-
soula to all Western Montana for help.
and for them to como running and the
call was nobly responded to, for In two
or three days several hundred well
armed men from Missoula. Philips
burg. Bear Gulch and Deer Lodge to-
gether with 80 out OF the 100 able bod
led settlers OF the Bitter Root valley
were at the front up the Lolo
But to return. on that Tuesday
night. the soldiers and citizens---S0
Lolo and went into permanent camp
In the hevay timber in II narrow part
of the canyon and about three miles
below where the Indians were camped
| on the big prairie. We Immediately
began Telling trees and building log
! breastworks. and with the help OF the
new arrivals. had in two or three days
a very strong barricade across the
gulch. behind which We Eel: secure
from an attack in front. the only d.
rectlQn from which the cummlnli,g
officer seemed to think an attlck was
possible. There was no protection
from the cross-firc Of the Indians
lodging from tree to tree on the
mountain sides. and It was the belief
Of most of US that In case OF a fight,
especially before our reinforccments
arrived ii would have been another
Custer massacre.
| Meet With Indians.
On Thursday. Governor Potts came
up with an escort OF abou. 80 men.
went to hold a pow WOW with the
chiefs at the lower end Of the prairie
about bali way between the opposing
S""pH. i'ta' wv WIZ oy III
equal number Of Indians VINO came
down and stopped in line n hundred
yards from us. Governor Potts with
Captain Rawn rode out and met Chiefs
Joseph and Looking Glass with their
interpreters. and talked for nalf
| hour or more. The situation was Just
u little bit tense and strained as we
sat facing each other with guns ready
FOR instant use and each side watching
for the first sign OF :rca:hCry. We
remembered the fate of General Cam
by. when killed by the Molocs in n
similar situation. But nothing hap
pened and We rode back 10 repeat the
performance the next day
Nothing came OF the meetings, the
Indians refusing to turn back or sur
render. SO the governor went back Ia
Missoula and left the situation az he
found 1t. The Indians had announced
that they would move Saturday morn
Ing, but II was as yet unknown to Us
whether they would turn back or rc
north over n trail that would bring
1