The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1937-10-08
Kit Carsons Last Trapping Expedition Into Montana
Yielded Only Scalps, ON Which There Was No Bounty

tTlCI, DuI Gan nao eI1ectually con-
The unfairness of it all ranked in
his boSom-his condemnation for a
crime he had never committed, the
| stab i'm the back while he was prone
upon the ground, and when he had
recovered from his wound, among his
own people, to whom he had somehow
made MS way, he vowed vengeance on
| the white race.
| Foray after foray led by Gall against
the military followed. He even lurked
about military posts and kidnapped
promenaderS from the very gates of
the stockades that enclosed the bar
racks and military quarters. He raided
settlements, robbed Black Hills stage
Gail it was who built up the wide
spread fear of the blood thirsty Plains
! Indians who as class were rather
disposed to be friendly to the whites.
Gail and his braves followed the Boze-
man expedition in 1874, compelling
ttem to be at all times prepared to
fight for their lives. One Of the Boze.
stands on the divide between the Rose
bud and the Little Big Horn at the
bend of Thompson creek.
A Raid by Night
IN 1872 he led raid on the Second
cavalry at what was once known as
Bakers Battlefield" on the Yellow
stone. It came near being fatal raid
for the white men because it was
surprise attack at night. Indians as a
rule did not fight at night.
Gall locked horns with General
Custer more than once. On Aug. 4,
1878, General Custer had gone into
bivouac on the north bank of the
Yellowstone, just above Fort Keogh,
TO await the main command under
~, ,Ara =
indian signs in the: vicinity and the
two troops of cavalry had unsaddled
and were resting in fancied security
while Gall, the crafty, bold courageous
strategist, was distributing his force
for the attack. His warriors, as silent
as snakes, crawled through the woods,
down the ravines and under the river
signal to charge. When the Indians had
advanced within 80 yards of the SOL
diers, some incident aroused the whites
and the call to arms was sounded. The
/ Indians charged and lively battle
! followed. 1t was kept up until the main
mesa several miles away, heard the
firing and hurried to the support of
Custer.
He Defied Death
j A week later Gall made an attack
on the Seventh cavalry at the head
of "Pease Bottom" a few miles below
the mouth of the Big Horn. In this
engagement Gall courted or defied
death. Dressed in brilliant scarlet, and
with a war bonnet flying. he rode back
and forth in front of the firing line
the target of hundreds of guns but
j escaped unframed.
+ Gall was the great war chief of all
the Sioux at the Custer massacre, and
again escaped unframed. He fled with
Sitting Bull to Canada in 1877 and
returned and surrendered at Poplar
to the Standing Rock agency in 1882
by steamboat. The boat was met by
a great throng- military, settlers,
agency employees and Indians. Gall in
| full war paint and regalia, as soon as
the boat was tied up, strolled ostenta-
tiously down the gangplank and sur
veyed his surroundings with an ,ap-
and tried to win his attention. She
dropped on her knees, embraced his
/ legs, clasped and kissed his hands,
moaned and cried but all to no pur-
pose.
ignoring his mothers caresses he
plank. Gall soon became reconciled to
life at the agency and proved to be a
good Indian. He supported Maj. James
Mclaughlin, the Indian agent, in every
undertaking in the interest Of the In
dams. In the grand councils of the
Sioux, Gall was the most influential
of the chiefs. He died at Oak creek,
! of Sc years. An early-day writer says:
Calls features we're massive. His
countenance has been compared with
those of Beecher, Daniel Webster and
Cardinal Newman. He was man of
great natural ability and force of
character and possessed great common
sense"