The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1937-10-22
Buckskiu-CZad Army Packer Started Fake Gold Stampede
to hin Safe Conducf tr Himself Through ZuAmm Country

and working the mines. He raised a
lot of money, but he also spent it
rapidly, for he was dissipated and OF
extravagant habits.
Eventually he was supplied with
everything that he had requested and
the members of the party which had
been thus formed were in readiness
himself intellectually and delayed
the start on the ground that there
were too many watching him and that
to head for the Big Horn while all OF
the excitement was on would result in
such a large crowd following them that
it would create trouble in the camp
which they hoped to establish and
take a very small claim, because, he
said, the diggings were limited in area.
He finally yielded to the urgings of
his partners, however, and the expedi-
ton started. There were 238 in the
party, Of whom II were women. They
were of every conceivable description.
Some q were- experienced @4prospectors,
ging for gold. Some were supplied with
adequate equipment and others had
nothing whatever. The party made IS
miles the first day and camped on
Redwater creek. There they remained
a day to organize. A man named
Bierce was elected captain. He had
been a colonel in the union army dur
lation of the expedition was adopted
and the members were thoroughly in
formed as to the danger they were
facing from the presence in the region
of hostile Indians.
The party was headed into the
country where the Custer massacre
had occurred the previous year, and
although the Sioux who had taken part
in that had been chased into Canada,
dams making raids on the plains area
west of the Black Hills. While they
were still in their first camp On the
Redwater, the Deadwood sheriff and
a deputy rode in and arrested two
members of the expedition on a charge
of having removed mortgaged prop
erty from the territory OF. Dakota in
pertaining thereto.
It appeared that the two men for
whom the sheriff had come had mort
gagged their team and wagons to raise
money with which to make the trip,
and then had started on the trip
driving the mortgaged team to the
m~ortgaged wagon as their only, means
There were three lawyers in the party
and upon them Colonel Bierce called
to decide whether the Deadwood
sheriff was possessed of authority to
take the men back with him.
Deadwood was supposed at that time
to be in Montana by a lot of people,
the three lawyers among them. Acting
agreed that that being so, the two men
had violated no law, because under
the law they had a right to take the
mortgaged property any place in the
state or territory in which it had been
m%ortgaged and without let or hind
n The two prisoners, however,
proved to be men of honor. They re-
fused to- take advantage of this loop
hole and said they would return with
the sheriff.
It was by this time late in the af-
ternoon, and the officers decided to
remain in the camp of the argonauts
over night and start back with their
prisoners in the morning. They left
accordingly early the next morning
with the prisoners driving the wagon
in which they had made the outward
trip, and the two officers riding be,
hind them on horseback. All were well
armed, the prisoners being allowed to
retain, their guns.
The four were hardly out of sight of
the camp before they were attacked
by Indians. The sheriff was killed by
the first volley. The deputy and the
prisoners ran, the chase being wit
messed by members of the expedition
who, when the first shots were fired,
rushed to the top of the hill over
which the four had only recently
where they could see the trail ahead.
The deputy was shot from his horse
by the, fire of the pursuing Indians.
The two men in the wagon had better
luck. They both laid in the bottom Of
the wagon box, and while one drove
the team at q dead run, the other
kept the Indians back by a whitening
fire from his protected position in the
back end Of the wagon.
The Indians then gave up the chase
and turned to attack the camp. Eight
or 10 Of them WIN triad Ia drive Off