The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1921-02-17

Few men know as much about the history of eastern Montana as
does Colonel G. r. (Bi1D Norris of Lewistown. He came to Montana
in the early days, and because of his love of adventure, was of great
service to civilization IN the guerilla warfare then existing between the
the Indians, traded with them when they were at peace, learned their
customs and languages. He served with General George Custer as a
scout in that officers earlier campaigns, and was with General Nelson
A. Miles in the campaign which led to the defeat of Chief Joseph of
the Nez Perces nation. Here is his narrative of a battle which was
fought with the Sioux at the mouth of the Musselshell river in which a
white woman was scalped and lived, the only instance of the kind ever
This fight occurred on March Is, 1869. At that time there was a
settlement at the mouth of the Musseshell on the Missouri, compTis-
company, and the trading post Of George G1endenin. This place was
established with the idea of making it the head of navigation on the
be hauled overland by Wagon to Helena, Virginia City and Diamond
City. During good seasons on the river, when the water was high, it
mouth of the Musselshell to St Louis in a single season, a tremendous
advantage in trading
War Party Attacks Woodsmen.
had been constructed around the trading posts. Early on the morning
party consisting of Captain Andrews, Tom Stuart and one or two
other men whose names l have forgotten, started up the Musselshell to
the settlement and just below the mouth of Crooked creek.
while busily at work getting out the logs they were attacked by a
Musselshell, but no attention was paid to the shooting, the men think
ing some hunters were shooting at game.
"A Mrs. Smith and a Crow squaw, the latter being the property of
Tom Stuart, had started from the trading posts UP the river to where
time tn the indians had attacked the men in the timber, and after a Sharp
sknmish had gotten the best of the fight, and the men were rereatng
down the river with the idea of reaching the trading posts. Several
Indians who had slipped around ahead of the men, discovered the wo-
men coming towards them. They concealed themselves in some cumps.
of bushes and when the women got within range the Indians came out
of the brush and began firing at them.
Zone of the shots struck Stuart's squaw in the thigh, making an ugly
flesh wound, but breaking no bones. The squaw fell. Mrs. Smith pick
ed her up and when she had gotten her on her feet the squaw started
to run, and I doubt if she could have been caught by a quarter horse
Bleeding profusely she ran all the way to the post and safety.
Indian Scalps Mrs. Smith.
"By this time the Indians had overtaken Mrs. Smith, and one running
alongside of her shot at her with a pistol, the bullet striking her in the
back of her neck This was not a dangerous wound, the bullet just
creasing her, but it probably grazed her skull, and she fell to
the ground senseess. The Indian then jumped on her and scalped her,
taking her entire scalp off, the sharp knife slipping and cutting away
a small piece of flesh from the back Of her neck, below where there
was any hair. All this time Mrs. Smith, luckily, lay perfectly still, as
she was unconscious.
by this time the woodcutters, who had made a short cut for town.
in sight of the settlement. Stuarts squaw had also arrived at the
and had told of the situation in which she had left Mrs. Smith, so
several men, including myself, grabbed guns and rushed out to the
rescue. When we arrived at the scene of the scalping the Indian who
had attacked Mrs. Smith started to finish his job by striking the woman
his coup stick, this being an act which constitutes, among the In
dams, a coup of much more Importance than killing an enemy. The
blow brought Mrs. Smith back to consciousness. We were then about
200 yards away and we stopped running and began shooting at the In
who shook the scalp at us in derision, and started to run, cutting
capers as he went. None of our shots hit him, although we cut the
dust all around him. But he got away and lived to tight another day.
at was lucky for Mrs. Smith that she was unconscious during the
scalping, as had she moved as much as a muscle, the Indian would have
finished her by driving his knife through her heart When we got to
her she was covered with blood, laundering around in the sage brush,
and we thought she had received a mortal wound.
Some Rough Surgery
1--WE carried her in a blanket to the post, washed and cleaned up her
terrible wounds, but found that aside from the scalping, and the bull
- L. T. URIC nnnnnred Ahhof IN do ufhI