Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1941-03-08

his keenness of sight, his ability Il
think rapidly, to meet emergencies, t
adapt himself in every way possible
to his circumstances, whatever they
might be.
When the boy was or 10 years old
his father would send him away on a
run of 10 miles across country. Some
times the trip would take him through
dense forests; at other times over
ranges Of hills: in another instance
across a river that he would have to
swim in going and coming and the boy
was required to blaze a tree, or lean
a pole against a tree, or do something
to prove to the investigating commit
tee who might go the next day, that
he had been there.
Sometimes the boy would be started
on one of these runs st shutdown and
required to go to the top of a certain
hill, 10 or IL or Is miles away, and
there light a fire, so that everybody
in the camp might know ne was there
and when he arrived. AS the boy grew
in years and size the severity of the
training was increased until by the
time he was 20 years old he was re-
quired to do, and often did, things
that would have been impossible for
any human being that had not been
verely as this boy had.
Kills Two Whites
In December, 1873 or 1874, while
quartered with q portion of his tribe
at the Standing Rock agency, about
10 miles south of Bismarck, Rain-in-
the-Face got into an alteration with
four white men. and killed two Of
them.
AS soon as his anger cooled and he
realized what he had done he knew
he would be hunted by the cavalry, and
if caught would be shot or hanged;
so he fled into the desert. This was,
of course, in the dead of winter. There
was two feet of snow on the ground;
the temperature was ranging at 20 to
40 below zero, and the wind was blow
ing the snow up from the ground and
driving it hither and thither. No pur-
suit was made that night, but early
the next morning several squads of
Indian police and two attachments Of
cavalry were sent after him. They
secured the country nearly all day
without finding a trace of the fugitive
until near nightfall. Then it became
necessary for him to make a run from
one hiding place to another, in order
to warm his blood and avoid freezing
to death.
snow EraSeS Tracks
Earlier in the day the flying snow
had obliterated his tracks as fast as
he made them; but this time party
Of Indian scouts crossed his trail al
most Immediately after he had passed,
and so could easily follow 1t. They soon
found him concealed, as best he could
be, in a shallow cleft Of rock on the
bank of a creek He was crouched on
the ground with his blanket drawn
over him and a bunch Of Sagebrush
pulled in front Of him.
The sergeant In charge of the hunt
ing party called to him to throw up
his hands. Rain-in- the-Face realized
that resistance there would be futile,
and obeyed the order, knowing that
while there's life there's hope.
He was bound, taken to the agency,
and thrown into jail. This was tenn
oorary, unfinished log structure with
out floor, and the cracks between
the logs had not been plaStered. There
was no fireplace or stove, and OF course
no fuel. There was six or eight inches
If snow on the ground that had blown
IN through the openings in the walls,
and the prisoner was confined In this
house. near night, without food and
With only one blanket; so that his
)nly means Of keeping from freezing
vas to walk almost constantly around
he room.
AS soon as the prisoner was incar-
,erated a dozen or more Of his friends |
got together In a tepee some distance |
rom the agency, and laid plan to
'elease him, or at least to make the !
attempt Two of the number were de-
allied to do the work, and when dark |
ness came the next night they started
N their mission. They crawled on their