The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1921-06-01
F OIL D " Ed BY
HOSTILE INDIANS
PIONEERS RECALL EPISODE OF
EARLY DAYS OF DAKOTA
FRONTIER.

Mobridge, June In a letter re-
ceived from II. II. Larned, now of
Lansing, Mich, a former Dakota
plainsman. Ben Arnold. one of the
few remaining pioneers of Dakota.
who in the early days varied the
monOtony of ranch life by al inter
walls fighting warlike Sioux Indians
learned for the first time of a mar
row escape from death of himself
and several companions at the hands
of warlike Sioux in the early days
of the northwest The story forms
hitherto unwritten episode in the
history of old days in the northwest.
Arnold and Larned had gone to
Sioux City, Ia, from Fort Rice, in
the upper Missouri river country
for a bunch of cattle and were fol-
lowed for days by six Sioux warriors,
who planned to kill the men and
steal the cattle. a friendly Indian
who accompanied the whites discov-
cred the plot and persuaded the hos
tile Sioux to refrain from the at
tack.
In his letter Larned states that he
recalls with much interest the trip
by boat down the Missouri river to
Sioux City and the land trip back 10
Fort Rice with The bunch of cattle.
As near as he can remember. the
time was in the spring of 1866. The
cattle, 400 in number, were for de-
livery to the garrison at Fort Rice,
which was short of beef rations be-
cause Sioux hostiles had driver off
the entire beef herd of the garrison.
Larned states further that he does
not recall any particular incidents
on the journey northward with the
cattle until himself and Arnold and
other members Of the party reached
Fort Sully. There they added a
friendly Sioux named Porcupine to
their party, and it was fortunate
that they did, or all would have
been killed.
Nothing happende that we then
know off, says Larned in his letter,
"and we reached Rice in safety with
all our animals. On our way we
spent one night at Blue Blanket
creek. Porcupine strolled away and
was gone quite a while, and / feared
he had left us, but he finally came
in and things were all right; but he
saver us right then.
Later in the fall of that year
was in the company store at Fort
Berthold and party of Teton Sioux
came in to trade, and after the trade
was over, an Indian by the name OF
Black Cloud came to my room and
said:
81 was going to kill you once
When you had those cattle at the
Blue Blanket creek. There were six
of US who had been following you all
day, but Porcupine discovered us
and came TO us and said he had pro
missed to get you through to Fort
Rice safely, and he was going to dc
the best he could and Black Cloud
and his war party went their way.
Some months later Porcupine
and his band came in and | asked
him about Black Clouds story oi
what took place at the Blue Blanket
and the two statements were alike
This conference accounted for his
long absence from camp, and the
probabilities are that both you and
I ought to hold Porcupine in CRATE
full memory"
The Laneing man is planning tc
make a trip to the northwest in or
der to go over the old scenes which
have so many thrilling recollectioni
for him during those early and ex
citing days when thousands of war
like Sioux roamed over the country
for the purpose of picking off suct
venturesome whites as they could
and steal the cattle and other prop
erty which the early pioneer
/ brought into the country.
The territory in which the Lans
! ing man and others of the old Da
/ kota plainsmen experienced thei
adventures with the warlike Sioul
now is dotted with towns and thu
intervening country is cut up int
farm and ranches.