The Bozeman courier., 1927-12-23
Dakota that Captain Fielding was killed.
No Mention of Incident


In looking through the accounts of
the Sully campaign contained in the
Montana Historical society's volumes,
find no reference to this tragedy. This
seems the more remarkable for the $50
men, women and children which consti-
tuted the emigrant party could not have
been familiar with such sight as that
which met their gaze, as the $50 wagons
slowly filed by the spot where the Indian
heads surmounted the poles. 1t would
seem to have made an indeltble impress
/ sion on those who were not hardened
onlookers. Soldiers become accustomed
to such -grueSome spectacles. It is pos
sible that the experiences of the party
While crossing the Bad Lands OF the Lit
tie Missouri proved so exciting as to blot
out the memory of this earlier happen
ing.
The Post contributor apparently at
temps to excuse the act of the soldiers,
in beheading the Indians and afterwards
setting the heads on poles, in the fol-
lowing words: "If we wish to live on the
border with any sense Of security, we
must deal with these savages harshly-
a blow must be struck which will strip
the barbarism from their savage nature
and discover what little resemblance they
bear humanity through the effect Of
dread and terror"
This latter needs no comment when
we consider that the white soldiers who
decapitated the dead Indians were the
product Of ages Of culture together with
whatever refining influences Christianity
has supplied, while the Indians were still
in the primitive condition through which
all peoples have passed. Is it not pos
Stble that If men with the views Of the
slain captain could have dealt with the
} red men, there would have been less
necessity for terrorizing them in the
manner just described?
Judge Htlger tells us in his account oi
: the Sully expedition of a caValrYman''
death resulting from accident when the
company entered the Bad Lands.
II His company, composing the rea,
guard, had halted on the edge of the higl
bluff above the general encampment afte
darkness had set in, and was thereb,
prevented from following the trail Of tn
army down among the mass of broker
rocks below. Blinded by the glare Of
campfire and deceived by the shadows
this soldier in attempting to pass aroun
the fire stepped over the edge Of the bluff
falling two hundred feet onto the rock
below, and was found in the morning a,
II unrecogn1zable mass Of broken bones an
H bloody flesh. The remains were burie
H BY his comrades on the spot where b
II fell"
II Indians Poorly Armed
Il How easily an accident like this coul
II N~fS N@ASN VIII " ASaeA4oC0 W pei
II sons who have wandered at nightfa
II through strange country. The 6AadoW
II are deceptive and one cannot tell Wheth
Il er he is going over the edge Of a prec
II pice OF unknown height, or is about I
descend a gentle slope Of slight deptl
II ! know, from having tried to find m
|. way over prairie and bluff at that tin
Of the day.
II In the different encounters which toe
IIl place between the expedition and the II
dians, number Of soldiers were kille
II and that more were not killed was dJ
to the Indians being poorly armed. The
had few guns, fighting with bows ar
arrows. The consequence was their slai
greatly outn,unbered those Of the white