The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1921-06-02

spirit he determined to volunteer to
General Howard as a scout. About
that time the California Associated
Press wanted a war correspondent
at the front and Parker was given
the post. He reported to Howard on
Salmon river, but he did not reveal
his newspaper connections, hoping
thus to scoop other newspaper cor
respondents then with Howard's
command. BY reason of Parker's ia
miliarity with the country he was
pressed into service promptly by
Howard and made some dangerous
journeys accommodating in advance of
the troops. Frequently he was in the
midst of battle and being fearless he
often rushed into danger where a
chance shot might have cut short his
career.
There were no more prolifit
writer's in those days than Colonel
Frank j.. Parker. The flow of Ian
guage through his pen was we'll
known throughout the west. 1t was
claimed he had no superior, but if
he ever had an equal he had one in
his brother, Aaron F. Parker of
Grangeville, Idaho now, also a news
paperman of many years standing.
Both had characteristic styles of
writing and both made their writing
felt in any emergency. Colonel
Parker ammassed a considerable for
tune and is now living in California.
Following the war Parker gained his
title of colonel of the First Idaho Vol
unteers, "for meritorious service in
the Nez Perces Indian war;" from
Goernor Brayman of Idaho Territory.
During those exciting times in
1877 Parker never failed to keep the
outside world at a fever pitch with
his graphic and realistic stories of
the movements of Indians and troops.
Many of those stories were published
in eastern papers, but all of the
coast and northwest papers were
filled with the exciting details.
Parker passed through the cam
paign in Idaho and Montana I'M
scathed and some of his best stories
went to the San Francisco Chronicle.
1t was a little more than 43 years
ago that some of the Nez Perces' had
camped at Judith Gap. Many old
timers in Montana will undoubtedly
recall the exciting chase into Mon
tana after Joseph. Howard and his
had reached a conclusion
that Joseph had been killed either by
the troops or his own braves, by the
because Joseph wanted to sur
to Howard at Kamiah before
the Indians took the Lolo trail. 1t
was believed that the Indians were
in command of Poker Joe, a sub
chief. Reporting to the San Fran
Chronicle, Colonel Parker sent
the following accounts which may be
of interest to Montanans:
CAMP STURGIS, Fish Creek, Mon
tana, Sept. % (to Bozeman by cour-
Ter, via Helena, October Especial
dispatch-The Indians camped at Jul
dith Gap (now in sight) two days
ago. We do not push them much,
to give General Miles a chance
to get ahead of them on the Mis-
souri, river; then to attack them ST.
multaneously. Thus must happen
ten days. Then the expedi-
ton breaks up, the infantry and ar
going to Omaha, via the Mis-
souri, river, and the cavalry, via Ell
lis, to Corinne.
WITH GENERAL HOW DIS
Judith Basin, Montana,
81 (by courier to Bozeman
Helena, October Especial dis
patch.-Scouts say that instead of
crossing the Missouri the Indians are
moving down Judith river. Colonel
Sanford, with the First cavalry, was
detached today, General Sturgis TAX
his place with the Seventh. They
go via Fort Ellis to Corinne. We
shall keep after the hostiles if they
lave not crossed the line.
CAMP TUITION, Yellowstone
river, near the mouth of Clark's
Fork, September Is, 1877.-Corres-l
1ondence.-I don't like to write in a
crab style and go backward in date
my descriptions, but as the
events of the past few days are yet
in my mind, I think it will be
easier for me to tell you of them first
then fill in the background with
he indistinct recollections. On the
10Th we came to a hostile camp
which had just been abandoned, at
he base of the last mountain neces-
AIRY to climb before reaching the buff
alo plains at Heart Mountain, and
ent word to Sturgis, who was on
he other side waiting the exit of the
indians, of our proximity. Unfor-
unately this message was never re-
and on the very day that
made a little scout toward
he Sinking Water, Poker Joe, his
ntire command and an immense
and of horses, came over the noun
ain and down through a precipitous
SO narrow that it almost met
n places at the top, resembling an
regular tunnel, and escaped to the
lains. Their first achievement here
to waylay some Scandinavians
Tho had just returned from the !
slack Hills, whom they murdered {
nd robbed. They met two of Gen l
raj Sturgis' scouts, and, protesting |
hat they were friendly Crows, sue t
eeded in getting near enough to kill t
ne and wound the other, who escap- I
Il
A Scotchman, known in the noun {
aims as ALEX" and a Danish part I
of his in mining, were also killed,
German who was with them escap-
to our camp. The next night S
with the Seventh cavalry +
Clusters gallantry had made SO C
amous. caught up to US, and on con- S