Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1928-02-03
Milk River Country Once
Favored Hunting Grounds

man. The extent of the cheating lone
at these posts and on the different reser-
vations, may be judged when it was the
common report, in 1878, that n Indian
agent, in the short term of two years,
accumulated a fortune of $3.50 900, a
goodly sum for so limited a period. Even
today no Indian credits with honesty a
white man he does not know.
Lik most frontiersmen, Kelly called
most Indians towards, r~ascals, scoundrels
and cut Threats.
Yellowstone Kelly was a scout for Gen
eral Miles during the Nez Perez flight
towards the border, and has a different
story to tell of how the pursuit was con-
Quoted near its conclusion. 1t will be
remembered that General Miles was pro-
ceeding at a leisurely pace n~orthward,
under the mistaken impression that he
was ahead Of the fleeing tribe, when he
discovered his error.
Kelly had been sent to accompany
Lieutenant Bailly n a detachment Of
cavalry to Carol to guard the ammuni-
ton there, when he learned that Miles
and his troops were at the mouth of the
Musselshell. This surprised him. 'for
when we left the cantonment on the
Yellowstone there was no movement on
foot for. an expedition. / saddled my
horse n wendell my way along the
ridges, disturbing much game in the eve
ming time" About midnight Kelly found
and followed the trail of the troops lead
ing down the Musselshell.
Even when Kelly reached the camp the
general had not yet discovered that the
Nez Perces were ahead Of him. General
Miles told Kelly that "he intended to
cross the river soon and wanted me to
take the scouts and go ahead and pick
up the Nez Perez trail II 1t could be
found, though the Nez Perces were last
reported in the Judith Basin.
Il retired and went to sleep some
where. 1t was now past ! O'Clock a. M.
Sept. rs, 1877. In the morning I learned
that some troops had been put across
the river the day before to scout the
country and the general was waiting for
news At any rate he allowed the steam
er to go, but 1T was still in sight when a
couple OF men came down the river in q
small boat and said that the Nez Perces
had crossed below Cow island, forty or
fifty miles above.
The steamer was almost out Of sight
when General Miles ordered a field gun
to be fired with shell. and jumping onto
q stump he waved an army blanket to
attract attention. The people or the
boat evidently heard the gun or saw the
shell explode along the bluffs, for 1T pres
emily came back and the scouts crossed
on the first trip"
IL should be noted here that the two
men In a boat who informed General
Miles that the Nez Perces were in adj
vance Of him, belonged to the little COM
pany from Fort Benton, which had come
down to Cow island and there witnessed
the crossing Of the Indians. Judge Tat
tan wal with this company. He wrote
me not long before his death that he ex-
pected to write his life IN Montana. 1t
Is greatly to be regretted II death pre-
vented his doing SO, as his account Of
this episode would have proved invalu-
able to Montana historians. 1t Is to be
hoped he had 1T in manuscript form. n
that 1T will some day be published.
The Communicated steamer was the
last to descend the river that season. Had
1t gone a little farther, or failed to re-
spond to the signals, Joseph would ave
been "over the border and ava" N the
figb@ Of the Nez Perces have had another
ending.