The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1924-11-21
THE Hateful YELLOWSTONE EXPEDITION OF
1868 WHEREIN THE BRAVERY OF CAPTAIN JAMES
STUART SAWED HIS PARTY FROM MASSACRE

| that would be too good thing fol
the thieving scoundrels.
''As soon as we began to pack III
they proceeded to forcibly trade
horses, blankets, etc, and appro
pirate everything they wanted. l saw
the time had come to die or do;
| therefore I ordered every man tC
fire upon them when / gave the sig
nal With one hand full of car
tridges and my rifle in the other,
told the Indians to mount their horses
and go to their camp, telling them
that they were thieves and liars; in
fact called them everything / could
think of under the pressure.
81 ordered them to leave instantly
or we would kill all of them. They
weakened, got on their horses and
left. Pretty good for the chivalry of
the Grow nation to be driven off by
fifteen men,"
Other accounts show that Captain
Stuart's conduct on this occasion was
heroic. The Indians at first dis
played their arms, but concluded not
to fight in view of Stuart's firm
stand.
On May 5, the party camped at
the junction of the Big Horn and
Yellowstone rivers and laid out a
townsite there, named Big Horn City,
and known today as Big Horn. Then
the little camp went in the direction
of the Big Horn mountains, treacher-
Gus Crows lurking on their trail all
of the time. On the night of May
IL, the Crows made their long pre-
meditated attack. Creeping up in
the dark they fired a volley on the
camp with awful effect.
The attack was repulsed but not
before many of the party were
wounded Watkins and Bostwick
received fatal wounds. Watkins died
without recovering consciousness.
Bostwick, the following morning, re-
alizing that he would be a hindrance
to the party, blew out his brains with
a revolver shot. Bell, Underwood,
Geery, Hauser and Ives all received
wounds, and several others were
slightly hurt. All night the wounded
and the sound lay on the ground ex-
pecting a second attack, but it did
not come.
Throwing away all their outfit
save meager supply of provisions,
the party started at early morning
for the emigrant road on the Sweet
water. ImpedeG by their wounded,
heir journey was beset with pitiable
Incidents. On the 14th, Geery acct
1entally shot himself with his rifle.
n spite of the entreaties of his com
)anions he shot out his brains in or
Ter that he might be buried and that
he party might leave the spot before
lark. This, Captain Stuart referred |
o in his journal, as ''the most heart
scene of the whole trip"
Varied and terrible were the ex-
'eriences of the 16 days of travel /
hat ensued. In that time the be-
eaguered adventures rode on their
AIDED and worn horses more than 300 /
niles through the trackless Big
Torn and Wind River mountains,
nd this, with men among them
almost to death. Often
hey were without grass for their
amished and footsore horses and ;
luch of the time small ration of
read per day had to suffice in APP :
easing the hunger of the men, be- ]
ause of the scarcity of game along .
ne route.
Some Characteristic entries are ]
obtained in the journal of these
'ying days. Everything all right
lis morning; nobody Dead wrote S