The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1920-07-15

of beating our swords back into pillow
Montana, were never see before
: and have never been seen since.
i. Some Early Events
The first birth to occur at the
-post was that of a daughter to the
wife of Sergeant John Ogle, on
August Is, 1879. The first mar
/ riage was that of a civilian carpen-
ter to a French half breed girl.
The first army wedding did not
take place until Jan. s, 1881, when
Chaplain Dodd married Joseph
Benton to Emma Smith. The first
death was that of an infant daugh-
ter of John Brown and wife, Sep
TENDER %, 1879. A man named
Charles Hairless, a civilian en-
p1oye, about a month later fell
from the roof of the post traders
store and was instantly killed. The
following February pneumonia
prevailed and Edward Hall, a pri-
vate soldier, was the first enlisted
man to die at the post. Three COM
missioned officers also passed
away there, Major Morris, Captain
Manley and Lieutenant Low.
The famous, or rather Infamous,
Riel rebellion throughout the Can
adam northwest territory, early in
1885, put the garrison at Fort As
sinniboine in a state of excitement.
Riel, it will be remembered by old
residents of Montana, was a half
breed we'll known throughout the
northwest, and a man who exerted
a wide influence upon Indians in
general and the Cree Indians-itin-
Grant bands of which are now scat
tered over northern Montana - in
particular. The military labor
growing out of that disturbance
fell to the lot of the 10th infantry,
which had relieved the 18th infan-
try, and which, with a squadron of
the First cavalry, made up the gar
rison. After the capture of Riel
and the collapse of the rebellion,
the Cree Indians poured into the
territory of Montana in large
bands.
Colonel Elmer S. Otis, who has
since been promoted to a major
generalship, and the same officer
who has been so severely criticized
over his administration of affairs
in the Philippines, was repeatedly
warned by telegraph to keep a
sharp lookout for Little Poplar, a
notorious Cree chief who for some
years had been the terror of the
border. For three weeks the sol
diers at the fort slept with one eye
open all around and when Little
Poplar did show up Colonel Otis
twas not only inhibited from attack
ing him, but also from the respect
full courtesy of inviting him to quit
the country. Little Poplar was
killed near the post by a half breed
named James ward and after an
examination and much Geographic
communication from Washington
concerning him, was released and
allowed to leave that section. The
remains of Little Poplar were sub
s~equently exhumed by Assistant
Surgeon Woodruff for comparative
purposes and the chiefs skull was
sent by the doctor to the anthropo-
logical society of Washington.
When Famine Stalked Abroad
The winter of 1869 was one
of extraordinary severity and the
renegade Cree Indians from across
the line, who camped near the post,
were reduced to the direct extremi-
ties. Famine and pestilence made
inroads upon their members and
they even sacrificed their dogs to
appease the pangs of hunger. There
was no appropriation or authority
to feed the INDECENT wretches, but
the commanding officer, actuated
by a sense of humanity, issued
stores to these vagrant red skins
at his personal risk. 1t was a kind
ly act and after a good deal of red
tape, the officers act was approved