The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1920-10-22
BATTLE OF cow ISLAND; HOW A PLATOON OF
SOLDIERS STOOD OFF CHIEF J0SEPH'S BAND

ating up the river.
"On the point of bluff about 500
yards down the river we could see
puff of smoke floating slowly away
on the breeze. While we we're watch
ing this smoke we saw another puff
belch forth from near the top of the
bluff and about two seconds later an
other big bullet whizzed through the
air and we all ducked our heads like
a lot of geese.
THAT kept up for an hour. We
did not know what to make of 1t and
rather enjoyed it. We could see the
little puff of smoke spring up and
then have plenty of time to dodge
down into the ditch before the ball
came and then we would jump up
and shout defiance to the red devils
before the report would reach us. l
heard afterwards that the gun was
one that had been built to shoot ele-
plants with and that Joseph's crew
had taken it from some Englishmen
they had captured in the national
park. They had got next to how to
use it, all right. for at distance of
500 yards they could put a bullet
into our little circus ring every time.
After about an hour of that sort of
practice the Indians withdrew and
we saw no more of them.
early in the morning of Septem
Der % had loaded some bull teams
for o. G. Cooper and for Frank
Farmer. The Indians went up Cow
creek and overlook these teams. They
killed a man named Bradley, who
was with Cooper, and burnt and des-
troyed the wagons and goods. Coop
er and Farmer escaped and came
back to Cow island, being very much
surprised to find us alive. They went
to Fort Benton and on the day they
left Colonel Clendennin came down
the creek alone.
"Clendennin told me that one of
the Northwest steamboats,, while try
ing to get over the shadows at Grand
island, 20 miles below, got stuck on
a sandbar. He thought there was
doctor on the boat and it would be
better to take the two wounded men
down there where they could be
taken care of. We had some flat
boats and skiffs tied up along the
shore but the Indians had turned all
loose except one small skiff that we
had dragged UP into the brush and
which they failed to find. After the
dusk of the evening, the second day
after the fight, we put the two
wounded men in the skiff and Col
onel Clendennin and 1 started down
with them. Pretty soon we were
hailed by a party from the bank
They turned out to be the Fort Ben
ton volunteers with Major Ilges, Col
onel Donnelly and Judge Tattan in
the lead.
"They wanted us to go back and
show them the ford and join them in
the chase after the Indians. We adj
yised them not to cross the river.
There were only rs of them, all told,
and we told them we could not hope
to do anything with the 800 fighting
bucks with Joseph and if they went
after them they would only get kill
ed. The volunteers went up to our
camp, crossed the river and followed
the Indians. The only thing that
saved them was the fact that Joseph
thought they were the advance guard
of General Towards command. AS
1t was, one man was killed and the
volunteers came back to Cow island
pell nell and went home.
"a few days after our fight Gen
eral Howard and staff arrived at Cow
island, camped all night, and the
next afternoon started down the river
to join General Miles. A few days
later occurred the historic capture of
Chiefs Joseph and Looking Glass"