Montana oil and mining journal., 1940-08-03

ther adventure, having uau AtC SoO'
! luck to elude some warriors VINO ha'
been posted to guard against their es
cape. One Of the other members 0
the party, named Dennis, became sep
arated from his companions and los
them. much to his dismay. He floun-
dered around until daybreak, when N
was appalled to discover the Indiana
upon his trail. He fled at his beS
speed but found that he was rapidly
being overtaken. Escape seemed I'M.
possible, but he pressed on alinoS
frenzied with despair.
Hides In Sink Hole
! He was now lost in the bad lands
of the region. Presently he dlscovereo
a water sink, common IN sucn regions
where the water had worn SuoJer-
ranean channel from high ground 70
the bottom of some ravine. The In
dams were now so close at hand that
Dennis had no choice but to plunge
into the sink and wriggle forward untli
he foInd a curve In the SIDE, INTO
which he huddled and made himself as
small and stin as possible; Tne m IN,
dams knew where he was but hesiIateo
| to attack, for only one man coulo ,se Mote
| forward at q time and desperate WINE
man armed with a knife and gun ap-
reared too dangerous a foe to pe at-
tackled single-handed. 49,, ,.,.
ant at last they discovered the exit
Of the sink in the ravine DeloW 1lS
oreninr here was wider, and the IN
dians reasoned that Dennis attenClon
would be directed at the entrance ~
the sink, hence they might De aDle ~
come upon him from the rear pelOle lS,ls.
he was aware Of them. 80 ILlIee youAis
warriors stripped and entered.
Dennis. however, was alert tor any
attaclx from any direction, and ne was
NOT taken unaware. He sensed raGheE
than heard the cautious approach oA
tne the red trio. and huddled back waiting
for them to be right on him before ne
fired. He intended that no sno1 o. ALs Is
revolver should miss, or no SLrOhe "a
his knife be futile If the conlDAe ~
came hand-to-hand And so SUI was
S1a that the foremost of the three was
uron him before the red man dlscov-
cred Dennis Then 1t was TOO iaGe;
Dennis shot the man, the muzzie Ol
lois O1ln almost against the oLner
flesh and then turned the muzzle 10
fine sioux behind the first. He Kllleq
this man as easily, and coulo nave sos
the third except that the man IuILieu
and fled with all speed. ...,so ,,,o-.o
The Indians who waited ouIsluT 1S, WE oye
annaIled and unnerved when only one
al tjne attacking party returned. AnSy
held council and decided that tne
1vnita mans medicine was too strong;
after which they mounted ano rooe OH
All day Dennis remained in the cav
ern and at night came out. During
two days thereafter he wandered Will
ont food or water, when he managed
to reach a camp Of the friendly Cro"
tribe. eoA
Tho snrino of 1869 brought some en-
- 1nhA0lldIlIS
who renained at MusselshelL General
Hancock. commanding the department
of Dakota in which Montana was N
Guided directed the survey OF mil
farv road from Fort Ellis to the NOUN
of the Musselsheu river and selecteo
q military reservation in the vlclnlty
of the latter point. In Marcn, 1ooS, q
large party of Sioux advanced agalnst
the soldiers garrisoned there. Ihey az
tackled party Of four WooocnDSpPShiS S, l'sho
al the mouth Of Fourchette creek VINO |
were at work near their cabins. Inree
were killed but the fourth reacneo
shelter. and managed TO survive tne
raid by barricading himself In ms capIn ,
with a companion and successfully
fighting off the raiders. ,,,
The Indians went on to MuSseISnlSsn lSs
and put themselves in ambush on Ine
of March %, within quarter
Of a mile of the town. Iney aeIacAeu s-St
,Wo wagons full of woodchoppers, NOT
Silling anybody. The woodcutters 1leo
md before they could be overtaken py
he Indians or discovered in their ND
NO places the citizens OF the Town,
alarmed by the firing, turned OUT.
AS Colonel Clendennin turned tne
corner of his store he saw an lnuian
Gaping about in the sage ABOUT
hundred and fifty yards away, ana
ired at him several times. ~ was ~
his place that a white woman, VINO
lad been with the woodchoppers, was /
ater discovered. She had been Scalpeo,
MT she managed to survive her ex-
,erience. All but one Of the attacked !
,artv reached town In safety. This one
vas old Captain Andrews, wen
.nown miner of early Montana;
on the morning Of the ninth OF
Aav. 1869, a man named DAVIS ano /
lis squaw started down the MLSsoutl {
owards the MrSselshel for fuel. As
hev approached the Musseisnen an
indian lifted from ambush and fired
non them, missing both. An alarm
1as instantly communicated 70 tne I
own. and about 20 men, armed, ran !
own the valley.
Colonel Clendennin discovered a
arQe number Of Indians hidden In
ulch. and he and his men advanced
pom it. AS they approached, tne In
ians opened heavy fire and the
mites were compelled to lie down IN 8
ne sage. Jacob Leader. German em- e
loved by Clendennin, rushed forward G
sshly. but a bullet smashed through Q
g nose. Meanwhile q rain storm had
4 In. Then Jim Wells, Frank Smith Y
i'd q man called "Frenchy1 cooked
) plan to cross the Musselsheil az
point below the glllch and attack ol
frnrn the upper end. This they ac- q