The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1936-07-03

out of our tent and ran squarely into
three Indians. One of them said, How,
john" I Immediately had urgent bust
ness in our back or bed tent and
under the bed and I hunted for it
faithfully. Pretty o I heard my sis
ter laughing and got bold enough to
peep out and I saw she was playing
with an Indian baby or papoose. My
three ferocious warriors were three
squaWs who were enjoying themselves
eating bread and potatoes. There were
so many Indians n I couldn't hear
of anyone being scalped by them at the
fort, so the fear of them wore off, and
I soon became acquainted with a great
many, all chiefs, if you would take
their word for it.
Among those whom I got to know
and with whom I became fast friends
were Two Moons, Wolf Voice, High
Stump Horn of the Cheyennes. I also
knew quite a few of the Sioux, Hump,
Two Roads, American Horse, Spotted
Elk, and many others. I remember
Rain-in-the-Face well. He was a sullen,
morose, fellow, hardly ever spoke, and
was always on a horse. He was crippled
from a gunshot wound and one leg
was shorter than the other SO he rarely
walked.
During 1878 and 1879 the troops mad
quite a few brushes with the Indians
and lost a number of men. I remember
two of the soldiers who were killed were
from the troop to which my step-father
belonged. Their names were Bader and
Douglas. Douglas had only 80 days to
serve to finish his five-year enlistment,
when he was detailed to go after some
Indians and met his death. The de-
tachment which Douglas was with was
under command of Sergeant Thad
Glover of troop B Second cavalry.
One Indian was killed and n wound
ed. One soldier Douglas) was killed
and n trooper Corp. GUERNSEY was
and brought in to Fort Keogh: Capt.
Bennett of Co. B, Fifth infantry was
killed in a fight with Bannack Indians
in 1879. Quite a few other soldiers
whose names I cannot now recall were
killed by the Sioux.
Lieut.. Philo Clark, in command OF E
troop of the Second cavalry and some
OF B and I troops of same regiment in
1880 had a fight with a band of Chey-
ennes under Little Wolf on the head
of Custer creek and captured the en-
tire band, about ITS men, women and
children, and 300 head OF ponies, with
out the loss Of a single soldier. Seven
were wounded but none seriously. The
Indians lost IS of their number. This
Was about the last engagement between
the army and the Indians of the Sioux
war.
One incident that occurred at Fort
Keogh will live in my memory all dur
ing life. One day in the fail of 1879
a large number of the soldiers chill
dren were playing on d level flat be-
tween the military stables and the a
rled soldiers dwellings. I was with a
plumber OF the boys playing baseball.
Sl1HNnn1V one nf tho hfNvS cold tsyTThot
is that nan doing on that hill? There
aren't any pickets out row." We looked
In the direction he indicated, and on
the top of one of the countless little
butteS about two miles south of the
fort we could see the figures of a man
and horse. While We looked wonderingly
the horseman moved and began rid
ing around on the top of the butte in
a circle. We children all knew that this
was a signal to his companions, Who
ever they might be. Some of the chill
dren became frightened and started
running to their houses. Just at this
time the sentry, who was on post at the
we called his attention to the horse
mar who was again riding in a circle.
The sentry stopped and gave out the
call Corporal of the guard-post No.
s." In about a minutes time he re-
peated the call and discharged his rifle
in the air. About that time I heard
another sentry give out his call q don't
remember the number of his post or
beat) followed by the report of his
rifle. In about two minutes we heard
the bugle sound, Boots and Saddles"
from the trumpeter on guard duty and
then every trumpeter in the fort was
out sounding that significant bugle
call. BY this, time all was excitement
around the laundress' village. Women
running here and there looking for
their children; married soldiers who
happened to be at their homes hurry
ing as fast as they could to their re-
stables carrying their rifles or car
bines, with their ammunition belts and
six-shooters buckled around them. All