Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1930-10-02

each and every one of them had a tune
Of its own, as it passed through the
air.
Organization was effected on Febru-
airy IL, at the Yellowstone river with
Frank Grounds, captain; William
Wright lieutenant, and Eli Way, adju-
tant. The duty of the latter. was to
provide the guard night and morning.
Time OF service for the guard was six
hours on and six off. Their route lay
on the north side of the Yellowstone
until they reached Goose creek. There
they p%rospected from one end to the
other of the creek but failed to discover
the promised riches.
When they were at Vernon's camp,
he excused himself from accompanying
them, promising to join them later.
This, of course, he did not do, as the
consequences might have been serious
for him when the men found they were
victimized.
Not finding gold on Goose creek, the
expedition decided to prospect south Of
the Yellowstone. On crossing the river
they caught sight Of Is Indians, who
~retreated in haste, leaving their blan-
ketS and equipment to be confiscated
by the white In return for this
loss. the band followed the expedition,
and at every opportunity made life
miserable for its members, who never
felt safe to leave the protection af-
fOrded by their fellows.
A little later an Indian made signs
that he wished to talk with a picket.
One Of these started out to interview
him, against the advice of the other
pickets. When he reached the spot
where the Indian had been he was
no longer there, and the man turned
back, only to find himself surrounded,
or nearly so, by six Indians. Evidently
they wished to take him alive, as at
first they did not shoot, but rode so
close to him that several times he was
struck in the face by their quirts. The
pfcket'S horse being the faster he man.
aged to reach camp, but on the way
received a shot through the shoulder,
and n through the instep that came
out at the sole.
The next day the party came upon
travOiS signs showing Enthusiastically
that q large body of Sioux was neal
at hand. That night they looked for
an attack in which expectation they
were not disappointed. 1t came about
midnight, when the camp found itself
surrounded by hostiles. The camp was
on the Rosebud about 400 yards from
the stream, and about 60 yards from
a hay draw running from the foothills
TO the river. The draw was about so
feet wide, and sage brush a foot and
a half high grew between the camp
and the draw. A trench was dug two
feet wide and two feet deep on two
sides OF the corral to serve as protec-
ton for the pickets. Holes were dug
out from two to three hundred yards
from the camp. Then, continues Cook,
Each man cut a head log from eight
TO ten inches in diameter and about
three feet long. We laid this on the
embankment and dug a little post hole
under the log, so that the Indians could
not shoot us in the head while we we're
shooting. Our rule was that whenever
a picket fired a shot, all the other
picketS were to come into camp as
soon as they could"
About midnight Of April 4, such a
shot was fired and the pickets fastened
to camp, where all had tumbled out
from their blankets In anticipation of
an immediate attack. Nothing hap
pened, and the men, shiyering In the
cold night air, went back to bed and
the pickets to their posts.
One Of the pickets had not quite
reached his post when a dozen or more
shots were fired at him, and he prompt
" retreated to camp. The firing now
became constant. all from the direc-
ton Of the draw, killing several horses