The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1926-08-20
The Mnrder of Petit Cris

The Murder Of Petit Girls
Having been stripped naked, they
were driven by the Piegans through
the nov and intense cold, urged on
by continual beating until they were
finally overcome by the elements.
They were then killed and their
horses taken by the warriors.
Their bodies we're many weeks af-
ter found by the eros Ventres. This
incident was followed by other repri-
sails on the part of the natives who
had become enraged by the malicious
acts of irresponsible whites who had
in previous years come west with no
constructive or well-meaning intent,
but rather a thirst for adventure
which they usually had obtained at
the costly expense of the redman.
Other such incidents happened
from time to time in the late sixties,
and brutal murders were committed
by both the whites and the Indians.
In '6S there was experienced much
trouble in the Sun River country. In
the spring of that year, a herder for
the Diamond 'R' outfit was found
murdered in his cabin about six miles
below Sun River Crossing. Twelve
whites set out Immediately in pursuit
of the murderers who were alleged
to have been Piegans. They captured
a Piegan brave. To save his life,
this warrior promised to lead his
captOrs to the hiding place of a COM
paniOn and two squaWs. He declared
his companion had murdered Clarke.
, This Indian in question, (LOne Writ
err was captured and hung to a tree,
and the infOrmer who was kept a pris-
! Oner in a blacksmith shop at Sun
River was taken out at night and
: shot by an unknown party.
In 1859, four or five wagons were
I, attacked by Crows about Is miles
! from Fort Benton, arOusing the pop
: ulace to "blOOd-heat". At this most
I critical time, a brother of Mountain
! Chief, then head of the Blackfeet
nation, and a Blood boy, aged IA.
rode into Fort Benton with special
orders from Major CulbertsOn OF the
American Fur company. These two
l. innocent Indians were shot down like
I coyotes by the people who called
i themselves civilized.
Naturally Mountain Chief avOWeC
q vengeance and instituted a series o.
raids against the white settlers, il
which 500 hrOses are said to havt
L been stolen and a number of white
KILLED. Then in the summer of 6!
q that noted frOntiersman, Malcolm
Is Clarke, who had married a Black
"a feet woman, was murdered at hi
ranch home in the edge of Prick,
Pear canyon.
Colonel Bakers BIunder
-, There was then dispatched frOT
- Fort Shaw, Colonel Baker and fOu
troops of tina Second cavalry. Thes
:, headed for Mountain Chiefs rendez
=. vOus on the Marias river. 1t has OF
ten been narrated, how Colonel Bak
= er blundered in this attempt at re
=, prisal. 1t is familiar knowledge tina
he slaughtered an entire camp of hel
= less victims of that dread disease
smallpox. It has been stated tina
Colonel Baker was too drunk to knO7
what he was doing when he annihi
ated the camp of Heavy Runner, Kill
tie ing 173 d~efenseless men, women an
ms children and WOunding the tWent
DIS survivors.
ed A Feeling Of Intense Hatred
d. Thus, at the time Of the CypreE
IS Hills affair, here was the bittere'
es sort of a feeling between the tw
tn races. It was the elimination Of
M half century of guerilla warfare, wit
he the ~On-flOOding rush Of white civ1l
Oh alton placing the Piegans and OthC
As northern tribes mostly on the defens
Not only had their country been o.
= errun by the whites, but vice and d
sease brought among them by Il
white race had proved more d
~structive than war. In the face of a
this, the Piegans and their allit
maintained a fortitude and cOurai
that were heroic and for the
the admiration Of the white men WI
we're brOad-minded enough to di
Germ the d~eplOrable situation fro
the Indians perspective.
The great Indian fighter, Gener
Miles, IS accredited with the fOllO7
ie- ing comment: 'eThe art OF war amor
us the white race Is called strategy
3N, tactics; when practiced among Il
Of Indians it Is called treachery. Th'
es. employed the art Of decetving, mi
in leading, decoying and surprising q
at enemy with great c~leVerness. ~
in celebrity and secrecy Of their NOV
a ments were never eXcelled BY q
warriors OF any other people. Ia
g had courage, skill, Eagacftys endu
ith ance, f0rtitude and se~lf-sacrifice
Der g high order. They had rules Of Cd
5s- uization Ga their intercourse amol
on themselves or with strangers ga the
me councils. some Of which might
ne. copied with advantage"
le- lae CgrEew Et.9 Massacre
Hsrn Fnrfrnnfr "era Wnan@r. In ft