The Powder River County examiner and the Broadus independent. [volume] (Broadus, Mont.) 1919-1935, 1922-03-03

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ground.
The other day ran across an old
pair Of moccasins In my trunk. They
are beautifully embroidered with por-
cupine quilts, stained and woven in
the Sioux designs. They were given
to me by Sitting Bulls sister at the
Sioux chiefs camp at the mouth of
Milk river in the fall of 1881, and
they brought back tn me 40 vividly
a. though It were yesterday q some
what thrilling day in my life-one
Of those days when you don't know
whether or not you will be alive to
see the next days sun. And as ! re-
called the happenings of that day
more than forty years ago, the
thought came to me what q fierce
old rascal Sitting Bull was and what
fear he was held in right up to the
time he was killed.
In the spring Of 1881 I was at Fort
Benton, and just before the ice went
out built q mackinaw boat to use
for trade down the river with Indians
or white men at the wood yards that
were scattered along to supply the
steamers with fuel. A few days be-
fore was ready to start, Thomas A.
Cummings, who still lives part of
each year at Fort Benton, was APP
pointed U. 8. collector of customs for
Montana and Idaho. and he at once
asked me to take the position of dep
uty under him. He wanted me to
make my headquarters at Wolf Point
to watch the smuggling that was 60
ing on back and forth across the
Canadian line. I accepted the offer
and set out down the river. trading
for furs as went. BY the time I
reached Wolf Point I had fair num-
Der, and finding two-room log cabin
that looked suitable for an office, I
traded furs for 1t and took possession,
running up the American flag.
Wolf Point and the place known
as Poplar River were both admins
tration points for the Poplar River
Indian agency, being twenty miles
apart. Wolf Point was the SUBJ
agency for the Assinniboines. At
Poplar River there were some gov
eminent troops. That summer, how
ever, things ran along quietly enough
and there was little excitement.
But in the fall there was a sort of
feeling in the air that trouble threat
ened. Major 1lges, who was in charge
of the troops at Fort Benton, came
down to Poplar River to take charge
of the soldiers there on orders from
the department commander at Min
neapolis, who sent word that some
of the Sioux, who had been hostile
ever since the Custer fight, were to
come in there and surrender. These
included a couple of hundred lodges
of Yanktonais Sioux, in camp direct
ly across the river from the agency,
and also Sitting Bulls camp, so
miles above Poplar River at the
mouth of Milk river. It seemed, how
ever, that Sitting Bull had no such
intentions, and as he was friendly
with the Yanktonais, his Indians
kept coming down to visit them op-
posite the agency, SO that they could
keep informed on the movements of
the troops. Sitting Bull was at that
time as fiercely hostile to the whites
as he had ever been. He was vim
dictive, treacherous and filled with
murderous hatred. A white man
took great chance on his life by
going near his camp.
As the weeks went by and the
Sioux did not surrender, General
Terry in Minneapolis sent orders to
Major 1lges to call council of the
Sioux and tell them that II they did
not surrender at once, troops in suf-
ficient force to make them surrender
would be sent to Montana.
| In this way things were looking
rather dubious and eastern papers
were beginning to talk of further
fighting with the Montana Indians.
It had been only four or five years
since the Custer fight, the Big Hole
battle, and the affair in the Bear
Paws, and a repetition OF some Of
these was looked for. The Chicago