Lives of Famous Indian Chiefs: From Cofachiqui, the Indian Princess, and Powhatan; down to and including Chief Joseph and Geronimo. Also an answer, from the latest research, of the query, Whence came the Indian? Together with a number of thrillingly interesting Indian stories and anecdotes from historyWood, Norman B. (Norman Barton)
History
Lives of Famous Indian Chiefs: From Cofachiqui, the Indian Princess, and Powhatan; down to and including Chief Joseph and Geronimo. Also an answer, from the latest research, of the query, Whence came the Indian? Together with a number of thrillingly interesting Indian stories and anecdotes from history
Wood, Norman B. (Norman Barton)
Indians -- Origin; Indians of North America -- Anecdotes; Indians of North America -- Biography
Five miles from Sitting Bull's camp, the troops and police held a
consultation. It was agreed that the soldiers should station themselves
within two or three miles of the Indian camp, where they could be readily
signaled.
Lieutenant Bull Head now selected ten policemen, including Sergeants Shave
Head and Red Tomahawk, and at their head entered the house about 5:50
o'clock on the morning of December 15, and arrested Sitting Bull. He
occupied considerable time in dressing, and at first accepted his arrest
quietly; but while dressing, his son, Crowfoot, commenced upbraiding him
for agreeing to go with the police. On this Sitting Bull became stubborn
and refused to go. After some parleying, the police removed him from the
house and found themselves and prisoner in the midst of a howling mob of
ghost-dancers, frenzied with rage.
{Illustration: Indian Village.}
In a letter written by Major McLaughlin we learn what happened at this
time. Said he: "The policemen reasoned with the crowd, gradually forcing
them back, thus increasing the open circle considerably; but Sitting Bull
kept calling upon his followers to rescue him from the police; that if the
two principal men, Bull Head and Shave Head, were killed, the others would
run away; and he finally called out for them to commence the attack,
whereupon Catch-the-Bear, and Strike-the-Kettle, two of Sitting Bull's men,
dashed through the crowd and fired. Lieutenant Bull Head was standing on
one side of Sitting Bull and Sergeant Shave Head on the other, with
Sergeant Red Tomahawk behind, to prevent his escaping. Catch-the-Bear's
shot struck Bull Head on the right side, and he instantly wheeled and shot
Sitting Bull, hitting him in the left side, between the tenth and eleventh
ribs, and Strike-the-Kettle's shot having passed through Shave Head's
abdomen, all three fell together. Catch-the-Bear, who fired the first shot,
was immediately shot down by Private Lone Man."
It is said that while reeling, Sitting Bull managed to draw a revolver,
which exploded just as he fell, the ball entering Bull Head's thigh. At
the same instant the second sergeant, Red Tomahawk, shot the old chief in
the stomach.
The fight now became general, Sitting Bull's followers swarmed around the
police and guns were clubbed. The ground was strewn with broken stocks and
bent barrels.
The entire force of Indian police under Red Tomahawk now engaged in the
fray, but were getting the worst of it and retreated to Sitting Bull's
house. At this instant the white soldiers arrived and quickly formed for
action.
The cavalry, under Captain Fechet, charged the Indians, while the
artillery, under Lieutenant Brooks, began to shell them with their
Hotchkiss and Gatling guns, and the hostiles fled in disorder.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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