Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1942-01-23

Everyone Is familiar with the prov
erb, There are always two sides to
story" but they rarely think of 1t
as applicable to accounts of our bat
ties with the Indians, which are gen.
orally given from the viewpoint Of the
white man, and he loses nothing In
the narrating. 1t is refreshing occa-
sionally, to hear the Indians version
of an encounter: but this was not
easily obtained. The Indian was reti-
cent, except with his own people or
tried friends, and white men, as a
rule, found difficulty in learning his
side Of story.
The Indian belonged to the child
stage of the human race, and his reti-
cence was due to the same shyness
which makes it hard for child to
express its feelings.
But thanks to that good friend of
the red man, George Bird Grinnell,
we have the Indian story Of the Rose
bud fight, which took place June IT,
1876, between white soldiers and In
dams at the bend Of the Rosebud. The
result of this engagement, according
to Grinnell was defeat for the whites.
The origin of this fight, together
with other Indian troubles of the sew
entities. is known to all who are at all
familiar with the history Of the west.
When gold was discovered in the
Black Hills in 1874, it was impossible
to keep prospectors out of that re-
gion. The white men coveted 1t be-
cause of the gold it held: the red men
priced it as valuable hunting ground,
and the land was theirs by right, If
the word of the government could be
trusted.
Didn't Hunt for Sport
The Indian did not hunt for sport,
but to provide food for himself and
his family. The Black Hills were full
of deer and bear and the Indians,
looking upon that region as their
storehouse, naturally resented its in
vasion by the whites.
AS usual the government sought to
compromise the question; and as usual
called a conference, the purpose Of
which was to take from the Indians
through a treaty, their hunting ground
in the Black Hills. This conference,
and its resulting treaty. resembled in
one respect, at least, that held later
with the Nez Perces, only in this in
SldIlCe llle government oOu6llG w Pun
chase the land.
Like the Nez Perces, some of the
Sioux were willing to sell, while others,
Of greater intelligence, realizing what
it meant for them, refused the offered
terms. They would not exchange their
storehouse for the white mems mess of
pottage, nor would they consider
themselves bound by the agreement Of
others. They would fight for what was
theirs, through former agreements
and they did.
In the spring Of 1876, Generals Terry
and Crook were dispatched to teach
the Indians of Montana, Wyoming and
North Dakota, who had not agreed to
the treaty, that they must stop molest-
ing the whites. General Terry was to
go up the Missouri and Yellowstone
rivers, and from there carry on his
operations towards the south; while
General Crook was to go north to the
headwaterS of the Powder, Tongue,
Rosebud and Big Horn rivers. On June
8, when Crooks command had reached
the Tongue river it was attacked by
Indians, and two men were wounded.
1t happened in this manner: Little
Hawk had said to the young men of
the village, Come, let us go out and
steal some horses from the whites"
With their usual love Of adventure.