The Kevin review. [volume] (Kevin, Mont.) 1922-1929, 1923-01-18
(By Alex Cruikshank.)

troops on the North Fork of the Big
Hole on August 8, 1877, the Indians
under Joseph continued on their
way, arriving at Horse Prairie creek
August IL. There they massacred
a number of settlers and a party OF
freighters and ran off all of the
horses belonging to the whites that
they could gather. With several
other white men who escaped death
at Horse Prairie creek, I rode to Ban
mack to help organize a posse to re-
venge the settlers who had been kill
ed, and to try to o the stolen
horses.
General Howard arrived at Ban
mack a few days after the Horse
Prairie massacre, and about 1875
miles behind the hostile Nez Perces.
He Immediately took charge of the
organization of a company of scouts.
I took a commission with him, with
orders to follow the Indians and re-
port the direction they were taking,
1t not being known then whether
they were going into the Salmon
river country, were following the old
Medicine Lodge trail or we're headed
out on the Birch creek trail. In case
they went down either the Medicine
Lodge trail or the Birch creek trail,
1t was Towards intention to head
them off at Sand Hole crossing.
Find Agency Deserted
We left Bannack on August IT,
there being in my party Pat Demp-
sey, Charles Turner, George Sperry,
Charles Mcintosh and myself. Head
ing up Horse Prairie creek, we took
up the Indian trail and followed it
Ger the side of the mountain to the
head of the Lemhi valley. We ar
rived there the following day and
that the wisest course
be to go down to the Lemhi
agency after a reinforcement of
friendly Lemhi Indians. However,
IN arriving at the agency, we found
It deserted. All of the Lemhis had
gone down the Lemhi river to Salmon
City at the approach of the Nez
perces.
We rested our horses and slept +.
a few hours, as we had been In
he saddle all night. While we were
Colonel George L.. Shoup
a man known as Red" McDon-
lid came along and informed us they
we're going to Junction, where Col
mel Shoup expected to meet five of
lis 12-mule teams, loaded with gen.
raj merchandise from Corinne, the
learest shipping point on the Union
Pacific for the Salmon river mines.
lie feared that his freighters would
caught at Birch creek by the Nez
'erces. We decided to accompany
i'm, and started up the river. At
Eight Mile we found where the In
.ians had camped the night before.
Nez Perces Avoid Settlement
The next day we arrived at juno
ion, where the settlers were found
0 be strongly fortified and unmolest-
d, as the Nez Perces were not look
lg for trouble. They had gone
round the settlement.
Dempsey, Turner and Sperry re-
urned to Bannack to report. Nc
Dan Osgood, a mar from the
and I, with an Indian well
nown as major Jim" and fourteen
emhi warriors, headed for South
Lodge, as the settlers said
thought Joseph's warriors had
one up Hawley creek for the Medi-
ne Lodge trail. We had gone but
short distance up Hawley creek
hen we met Frank Price, a pros
sctor, coming into Junction for
'ub, totally of the Indian
i'd. This showed US that the In
ans were heading up for Lemhi q
r Birch creek, so we turned back :
i'd took the trail for the Birch +,
eek divide.
We had proceeded only a short
stance when we met two Cinnamon,
40 made us understand that the
81 Perces had attacked Colonel
freight outfit on Birch
eek the night before. The Chinese, |
10 had been with the freighters, /
re unable to tell US much about !
Q massacre. The Orientals only
ew that they had escaped, but said :
of the white men had been killed
afterward developed that they G.
ire nearly correct, as only one n
lite escaped. L
Old Squaw Found Scalped d
Osgood and I started back with L
ice, the prospector, toward juno d
N, when we met a party of fifteen 8
lites whom Colonel Shoup had or II
nized and was leading. With them :,
re Chief Tendoy, his two sons, q
,pompy and Jack, and 25 Lemhi d
We joined them and pro- v
eded on the trail to Ten Mile .f
lere we found some exceedingly g
Ssh Indian signs. On the way we 81