The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1934-09-06


W1pH8 from the granite Of the Black Hills
WU Of South Dakota, on which are en-
W. nj grayed the symbols Of q pipe Of
HKVV peace and broken bow, arrow and
SAF tomahawk On 1t also In bronze
tablet which tells Tie by that near this
spot on September 3, 1877, Crazy Horse Of the
Oglala Sioux was killed-dying AZ he had lived,
q lighting man. 60 ~.
Chief Crazy Horse (Tashunka Witko) was
only thirty-three years old when his warrior
career ended, but he had already written his
name high In the annals Of the Old West Al
though he was the principal leader in the two
greatest victories ever won by his people over
the white men, It was the irony Of fate that In
each case credit for the achievement should be
given to another Sioux chief whose name and
fame happened to be more familiar to the white
men than was Crazy Horses One Of them was
Red Cloud, whom most historians record as be-
ing the leader In the so-called "Fetterman Mas
sacre" near Fort Phil Kearney, Wyo.. In 1856,
despite the testimony Of Indian survivors that
he was neither In command that day nor did he
have any hand in planning or carrying out the
ambush Of Fetterman's Inflated command. The
other was Sitting Bull who IL popularity (and
erroneously) believed to have been mainly re-
sponsible for the maneuvers Of the Indians which
resulted in the disaster to Clusters command on
the Little Big Horn In Montana ten years later.
Crazy Horse was born In 1874, the son of an
Oglala Sioux chief Of the same name. His mother
died when he was two years old. but his step
mother, who was also his aunt, raised him as
her own. Trained by her and his father in the
rigorous physical regime required Of young boys
of the Sioux he early learned the lessons Of cour
age, selfdenia1 generosity, modesty, truthfulness
and fair dealing which SO strongly characterized
his later life. A fine horseman and a skillful
hunter, he joined his first war party when
he was only sixteen years old and by the time of
the first serious war between the Sioux and the
whites 1S66) Crazy Horses tribesmen looked
70 him as principal war leader, and even the
Cheyenne chiefs. allies Of the Sioux, practically
acknowledged his leadership. a
Although Crazy Horse had distinguished him.
self In the Fetterman battle and at the famous
Wagon Box Fight year later, he rose to his
greatest heights as q general In 1875 and 1877.
On June II, 1876, he attacked the army Of Gen.
George Crook on the Rosebud river in Montana
and fought that experienced Indian-fghter to
q standstill, thus breaking up the army's plan
of campaign and making certain the humiliation
Of Clusters command a week later. The only
army officer who defeated him fairly and square
~ was Gen. Nelson A. Miles ("Bear Coat'o who
did that at Battle butte in the Wolf mountains
In Montana on January 8, 1877, an engagement
which led directly to Crazy Horses surrender
q few months later.
BY this time the hostile Sioux had begun to
realize that the white was too powerful
for them. Through the influence Of Chief Spotted
Tail of the Brule Sioux, uncle Of Crazy Horse,
the Oglala chieftain was persuaded to come in to
Fort Robinson Neb, and surrender, which he
did on May 6, 1877.
At the time of Crazy Horses surrender, his
wife was suffering from tuberculosis and the
medical care given her by Dr. v. T. McGlly-
cuddy, a surgeon with the Third cavalry, not
only won for him the friendship of the Oglala
chief but also the name of Wasicu Wakan, the
"White Miracle Man. and Tasunka Witko Kola
"the Friend of Crazy Horse" The events lead
ing up to Crazy Horses death are told in this
frst-hand account by Doctor McGillycuddy, who
Is still living in California:
'In September, 1877, General Crook held an
important council at Fort Robinson with Crazy
Horse. I was in the Indian camp that day and
the council was a heated one. 1t finally broke
I'D with no results except to create the belief
in Crooks mind that Crazy Horse medtat-
ing desertion and attempt to rejon Sitting
Bull who was still in Canada where he had