Year: 1872

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Found Among the Indians.


From the Helena tMontana) Gazette, May l5.l


There is a romance connected with
the young man whose name heads this
article, who was one Of the party accom-
panying A. j. Simmons down the Mis-
souri, to treat with the hostile Indians,
and who went as an Indian interpreter.
AS the painful story of the ruthless
murder as related in our paper yester-
day has not been contradicted, and as
young Bent was an employe in the Ga
zette office, and known to many of our
citizens, we presume the following will
not be uninteresting to our readers


Early in the fall of 1868 a boy Of about
eighteen years Of age, clad in buckskin,
sunburnt and weather-beaten, entered
the Gazette job Office and asked for EN-
ployment, stating that he knew nothing
about the pristing business, never
saw printing Office before, but was
willing to make himself useful, as he
was hard up and wanted to stay in a
white settlement long enough to earn
the price of horse, rife and outfit. ="
The boy, despite his greasy buck skin
suit and tanned and sweather-beaten
appearance, had bright, hand
some and intelligent countenance,
and employment was given to him
in the Office, where he worked faith
fully until spring opened, when he quit
his situation, purchased horse, blankets,
rifle and accoutrements, and bade US all
good bye, stating that he was going back
to his tribe; since which time we have
never heard of him until connected with
the story of the massacre of A. j. Sim
mons and party Bent was a white boy,
but knew nothing of his parents. He
was brought up by old Colonel Bent, of
Fort Bent, on the Arkansas river, who
purchased him from the Cheyennes. All
that young Bent knew of his history was
what the Cheyennes related to Colonel
Bent, on his purchase, which was to the
effect that during the California emigra-
ton across the plains, train was at
tackled by band of Cheyennes, ana the
whole party was butchered with the ex-
ception of Billy, who was then sucking
infant, and he was cared for and brought
up by the Indians who captured him, and
taken with them through all their wan
derings, from the Arkansas river to the
Red river of the North, and when pur-
chased by Colonel Bent he fully believed
he was an Indian, and could speak no
other language but the Indian dialect.
Billy was taught the English and French
languages and to read and write at Fort
Bent; but his rowing disposition led him,
when able to handle rifle and ride a
cayuse, to desert his benefactor and seek
his old haunts among the Indians. We
never could learn why he left the In
dians and came TO Helena, but from
hints surmised that fatal quarrel
between himself and one of the young
Indians, in which Billy got the best of
it, and had to flee the camp. Young
Bent was natural artist, and often, on
the cold winter nights of 1868, while
sitting around the stove of the Gazette
composing-room, would the young bar
barian take pencil and sketch from
memory any mountain scene 1t would
be our pleasure to ask for. Among
those scenes he has given US accurate
sketches Of the falls of the Yellowstone,
the Upper Falls of Missouri, Longs
Peak, Pixies Peak and some of the won
ders of the Yellowstone which are now
part OF our geographical knowledge, but
at that time were only regarded by us as
visionary sketches of the boy. he stated
that the squaws taught him how to paint
rude figures of birds and animals upon
robes, but one day he found case of
pencils and Hudson Bay receipt book,
and on each was a picture of a female.
He had never seen anything like it be-
fore, and having learned the use of the
pencils he soon learned to draw fac
smile of the cut, and from practice soon
became a frst-class sketcher, as related
above. Poor Billy, we hope a better
fate is reserved for you aud our old
friends who accompanied the expedition.
All who were reported killed on the ex-
petition We know personally, and some
We regarded as our personal friends.