Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1929-03-07
(By "MON TANA LOU" GRILL

4 PUBLIC announcement made on
n Nov. 3, 1880, that a sale Of sur
"a rendered Indian ponies at public
auction will be held at Fort KeOgh,
Mont, at 1920 O'clock" and that the
sale would continue each Saturday un-
til all the Indian ponies are sold, was
but the informal declaration that In
dian warfare in the northwest was vir-
tually at an end. The announcement
was made by E. S. EWers, captain in
the 5th Infantry. He gave the further
information that the ponies could be
purchased privately at the prices fixed
by the board Of officers.
Spotted Eagle and Rain-in-the-face
had come into the fort and surrendered.
With them came between five and six
hundred hoStiles who had followed
them and engaged in desultOry attacks
on the settlers and conducted fOrays
against the domestic livestock in the
Powder and Tongue river valleys. Only
Sitting Bull, who had escaped into Can
ada, and had returned to the Milk
river country remained, and with his
followers was yet to be brought in. His
painted majesty" as he was called in
those days, WIS in a mood to negotiate
for his surrender, but he wanted to
look over the terms before he could
make up his mind.
The surrendered ponies belonged to
the two thousand or more Cheyenne
and Sioux who were corraled in the
vicinity of the fort in the autumn of
1880. They had been ridden in raids
on the white settlers, had carried their
riders over the plains and down into
the valleys tributary to the Yellowstone
and were now, with arms and ammuni-
ton, given up by the Indians.
1t was in the latter part Of October
that Spotted Eagle and Rain-in-the-
face had reached the conclusion that
it was no longer desirable to contest
the growing supremacy of the white
man in the northwest. Whether by
chance or by design, they brought their
forces together and established a camp
on Sunday creek. They held a confer
ence on Oct. 20, when they discussed
this question Of surrender. Spotted
Eagle vas somewhat hesitant. He had
come in contact with General Terry a
short time previous to the meeting and
act was frustrated. His animosity had
not been cooled. Rain-in-the-face still
nursed many grievances that he held
against the white men dating back to
the time when, in the winter Of 1875
1876 he was captured by Clusters SOL
der and imprisoned, until he escaped
n night, at Fort Abraham Lincoln.
The six hundred warriors, more or less,
were a part Of the Sitting Bull follow
ing. After a long parley the decision
was reached to give themselves up.
On the Saturday night following, I'M
der the leadership of Rain-in-the-face,
the five OF six hundred hostiles came
into Fort Keogh and signified their de-
sire to give themselves over to the mil
itary forces. They were Hospitality re-
ceived. After having their arms and
ponies taken away from them, they
were assigned to a camping ground on
the Tongue river, just south Of the
present crossing Of hat stream by the
Northern Pacific railroad. The pres
ence of these hostiles, added to those
who had previously surrendered, made
a total OF about two thousand war
riors. The reports gained currency that
many more hostileS were coming in to
surrender.
These reports arose from the fact
that Sitting Bull was still out and that
he was DESTROYS of arranging for his
surrender in a manner that befitted his
painted majesty" Sitting Bull was a
stickler for ceremony. His negotia-
tons were felt, in previous conferences.
to have been largely pretense, for he
looked ahead of agreements and saw
the possibility of the rising up again OF
his people and dreams of a coming
glory and power were not uncommon
to this willy Indian leader. He had
come down from Canada where he ex-
lied himself and his followers and in
dicated that he was willing to talk over
the matter of his ca%pitulation.
Sitting Bull had a hole card that
he was nursing. Major Walsh of the
Canadian peace force had been more OF
less a sponsor for his residence in Can
ada. If Major Walsh did not come to
him with assurances Of a better deal
Sitting Bull might consider the matter