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

Indian ideas to abuse anyone inside
of the camp.
We were taken at once to Sitting
Bulls lodge, and he received 10
much more graciously than we had
expected. He motioned US to the
place of honor at the back of the
lodge, and after smoking, Allison told
Sitting Bull our message. Sitting
| Bull listened in silence. When the
interpreter had finished, he did not
speak. His face was as hard to read
as that of the Sphinx, but behind the
politeness he displayed, his beady
eyes glittered with feeling of hate
that he could not disguise.
We sat there for couple of hours,
occasionally smoking when the pipe
was passed. Nothing was said. Fi-
nally I signed to the rest that we
had better make start to 60. We
rose and left the lodge. Sitting Bull
never spoke nor moved. We were
extremely nervous, for the looks we
got from the bucks and squaws in
the camp were anything but friendly.
We knew, too, that a large detach-
ment of the men had left on their
horses. Where were they?
But we travelled back in safety.
Sitting Bull and his people declined
the invitation to go to the Yanktonais
camp. Colonel Diehl sent a dispatch
to Fort Buford to be sent on to his
paper in Chicago.
Then, In few days, an order came
from General Terry to attack the
Yanktonais camp across the river.
BY this time it was freezing weather,
and the troops moved across the ice
in body, surrounding the camp and
firing into the lodges. But the Sioux
had deserted the camp and were hid
ing in the bushes along the river, so
after half an hour of shooting, the
soldiers entered the lodges to find
them empty. They then tore the
lodges down, piled them up and
burned them. Meanwhile the Sioux,
freezing in the timber and without
their habitations, were forced to
come out and surrender. A few
young braves refused to do so, but
the rest went with the soldiers over
the river to the agency, where Sibley
tents were issued, each housing TWEEN
ty-five Indians. The Indians were
given cord wood, which they burned
in the tents, scorching out the tops.
They were kept there as prisoners
for several days.
The cold was so intense that there
was much suffering, but suddenly a
thaw came and the ice in the river
broke up, Overlooking the ground
across the Missouri where the Indian
lcamp had been. Then, almost as
suddenly, the river froze again and
|spread out so that the stream in
places between Poplar River and
Wolf Point was ten miles wide. When
their camp ground was flooded, many
lof the young bucks who had not sur
rendered were up in trees to save
themselves from drowning. They
stayed there without food while 1t
was warm, but when the freeze came
they were weak and froze to death,
their bodies falling out of the trees.
, frozen stiff.
) Finally, orders came to remove the
, prisoners to Fort Buford. There
. were not many wagons available, and
Major Ilges put the squaws in them
[ thinking it would make the journey
: easier. That was just what the bucks
! wanted, for they could then walk
) and keep warm. Several squaws
were frozen to death in the bitter
t weather even before they started, and
more died on the way. There must
! have been 500 prisoners in the party
e Altogether, Colonel Diehl found q
: good many things to write about. HI
| was a fine gentleman and yer,
= able newspaper man. Later he be
g came part owner and editor of thu
e San Antonio Light, which position
D The still fills.