The Washburn leader. [volume], December 27, 1890, Image 3

About The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986

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WHO KILLED
SITTING BULL?
The Story of His Capture and
Death as Told by an
Eye Witness.
"Bull Head," Lieutenant of Indian
Police, Says, "Yes. I
Killed Him."
"Red Tomahawk" Also Fired a Shot
that Touched a Vital
Spot.
The Old Chieftain Taken Unawares
at Daybreak While Still
in Bed.
'He Grabs His Bavolver but Has it
Wrenched from His
Hands.
A Fearful Hand to Hand Encounter
Between the Folic 3 and
the Hostiles.
Sitting Bull's Face Out and the Bones
Broken With Knocks From
a Gun Stock.
The Troops Arrive Just in Time to
Save the Entire Squad of Po
lice from Massacre,
'Who Had Been Fighting for Two
Hours and Were Short of
Ammunition.
Only Ten Bounds Left Out of Over
900 They Went in
With.
The Hostiles Routed by the Shells
from a "Hotchki&s"
Oun.
About 130 of Them Start Up Grand
River Towards the Bad
Lands.
The Soldiers Retrace Their Steps to
the Fort to Await De
velopments.
The Eight Hostiles Killed All Chiefs
and Personal Friends
of Bull.
''Shave Head" and "Bull Head," Police
Officer?, Both Die from
Their Wounds.
Full Detail!) uf tli« Killing of Sitting Bull.
KOBT YATKS, Lec. 17.-[Special]-The
full details of the light with the Indians
and the killing of Sitting Bull have not
been sent out until now, because of the
fact that the wire between here and Bis
marck lias, until to day, been under the
control of the military, and no specials
giving the particulars could be sent over
it. Everything thus far except official
messages, has been sent by courier. The
wire is now open, however, for commer
cial business. The TRIBUNE readers are
posted as to uiost o£ the incidents connected
with the campaign up to last Saturday—
the coming and going of Buffalo Bill the
order for all Indian agents to receive or
ders from the military authorities for the
present, or during the Indian difficulties,
etc., but they may not be aware of the fact
that Major McLaughlin lias had authority
for some time to arrest Sitting Bull, and
had arranged to do it on the 5th inst., but
was stopped by the order to await
Instructions from General Miles. A fef
days later, Colonel Drum received orders
from the department headquarters to cap
ture Sitting Bull and
co-operate
with Major
McLaughlin. If the Indian police could
arrest him, they were to do so, but in any
event
they were to be supported by the
military. That this order was unfortunate
will be seen later on.
For weeks and months the military
authorities have had troops ready to move
at a moment's notice in case Sitting Bull
made any attempt to leave the reservation
ADC*
.JOIN THE HOSTILES
or establish himself in the Bad Lands.
Pending any demonstration upon Bull
part, Indian Agent McLaughlin had limit
ed his efforts to confining the Messiah craze
with its ghost dance and medicine spells
and resulting demoralization to Sitting
Bull's camp, which included the leaders of
the most vicious element of the Sioux. To
keep this frenzy within bounds and pre
vent
the
was a
other camps from being affected
herculean undertaking, and that it
has been successfully accomplished is due
to the wonderful control McLaughlin pos
sesses over the friendly element among the
Indians and the fidelity of the Indian
police whose confidence in the agent and
devotion to their duty during the recent
troubles has been sublime. It was be
lieved that if the Messiah frenzy could be
confined
to
4V
IR
captured by strategy and bloodshed
avoided, and that by that move the relig
ions fanaticism and the disturbing element
would be crushed out simultaneously. The
programme had worked perfectly until
last Sunday, and next Saturday, ration
day, had been determined upon for the ar
rest of Bull. On ration day nearly all the
Indians would have been at the agency
and it would have been a small matter for
the police to have taken Bull's camp. Re
sistance would have been so manifestly
futile that it is probable even the redoubt
able Sitting Bull would not have been
foolish enough to have offered any.
But this scheme, feasible as it seemed,
was frustrated by the receipt late Sunday
afternoon of positive information that
SITTINfi Itl'I.T, IIAl) ALL PREPARATIONS
MADE
to leave the next morning for the Bad
Lands.
Immediate and decisive action was im
pe ative. The departure of the great med
icine man could mean but one thing—a
prolonged and bloody Indian war. It
meant a renunciation by him of all allegi
ance to and dependence upon the United
States government. It meant the estab
lishment in the Bad Lauds of a religious
hierarchy, of which Sitting Bull would be
chief. Once established in the Bad Lands,
all the illy-disposed Indians in ihe north
west would gather under the banner, and
their numbers would be supplemented by
thousands of would-be friendly Indians
who are inclined to be victims of this Mes
siah superstition.
The Indian agent and military authori
ties, acting in conjunction, arranged to
make the arrest immediately.
THE PLAN.
The plan was for First Lieutenant of
Police Bull Head, in command of forty
Indian policemen, to march as close to
Sitting Bull's camp as possible without be
ing discovered, under cover of night, and
at the first break of day Bull Head,
and ten men would slip up and seize Sit
ting Bull. The remaining thirty police
men would remain concealed in the brush
but a few yards from Bull's house, ready
to rush in if any resistance was offered. It
was hoped that Sitting Bull would come
peaceably, and any exhibition of force was
to be deprecated.
The military who were to co-operate
were to be in reserve at a sufficient dis
tance not to alarm the camp. Should Sit
ting Bull be taken quietly without rousing
the camp, the police were to bring him
quickiy to the military. Should the re
sistance be overwhelming, the police could
fall back on the military for support.
Forty miles south of Fort Yates, Grand
river empties into the Missouri forty miles
up the Grand River valley, and almost due
west from its mouth, was Sitting Bull's
camp. The police were to creep u| the
valley from the east—the military were to
come from the north-east.
The programme above outlined, contem
plated the stationing of the military at
Oak creek, eighteen miles this side, and
north-east of Bull's camp, and twenty-four
miles south-west of Fort Yates.
THE MILITARY OPERATION'S
were entrusted to Capt. E.
G. Fechet of the eighth cavalry,
one of the oldest and most experienced
Indian fighters in the army. His command
consisted of troops and F, 8th cavalry
(an even hundred troops), a Hotchkiss and
a Gatling gun. His orders were to leave
this post at midnight, move noisiessly to
Oak ereek, where a courier from the police
would meet him, and, unless the courier's
report indicated need for troops on Grand
river, to remain at Oak creek until the
police either brought Sitting Bull to them
or fell back for support. Col. Drum modi
fied these orders at the moment of starting,
leaving the movements of the cavalry
pretty much to Capt. Fechet's discretion.
EVERY POSSIBLE PRECAUTION
was taken to prevent any news of what
was being done, so that Sitting Bull could
not get warning. Even the garrison did
not know till withina few minutes of mid
night that troops were going out, and then
knew nothing of what was contemplated.
At promptly 12 o'clock the command
moved out from the cavalry stables. At
the head of the column rode Capt. Fechet,
Louis Primean, the guide, two trusty In
dian scouts, Surgeon A. R. Chapin and a
New York Herald correspondent, followed
by troop G, under command
of Lieut. E. H. Crowder, with Lieutenant
Brooks second in command then came the
artillery and hospital ambulances. Troop
F, commanded by Lieut. J. L. H. Slocum,
with Lieut. M. F. Steele second in com
mand, brought up ihe rear.
During the march the two troops ex
changed positions two or three times.
It was a clear, cold, starlight night. The
new moon had gone to bed and the twink
ling stars only served to intensify the
darkness. Sabres were not carried, lest
their clanking might attract
THE ATTENTION OF THE INDIANS.
For the same reason no bugles were
blown. Commands were given in an un
dertone and whispered back from man to
man along the line. Each hoped and be
lieved there would be no fighting done, but
all realized that a crisis had been reached
and knew what the possible results might,
be.
The only impediments were one day's
rations, which means half a dozen hard
tank, and one day's forage.
It was a command to move rapidly.
Starting at a fast walk, the gait soon
changed to the regulation cavalry trot,
which was almost steadily maintained
during the silert march. Reacting Oak
creek twenty-four miles out at 4:id a. m.,
without further incident than the occas
ional upsetting of a piece of artillery, the
tirst sensation was experienced.
ANXIOUS MOMENTS.
The courier who was to meet us with
advices of the disposition of the Indian po
lice was not on hand. What did it mean
If he had been interfered with, it meant
that the hostiles were apprised of our
movements.
What
Sitting Bull's immediate fol-
ars that as soon as cold weather was
aanently established they could be
should be done? A hurried con­
sultation of officers and the whispered
command, "forward march," indicated the
determination to push on to Grand river,
perhaps after all the courier was only late,
or we were not expected so early. We
would certainly meet liini in a few min­
utes. Mile after mile the battalion moved
on, but no courier appeared. It was dawn,
it was daylight, it was sun-rise, it was only
three miles to Bull's camp, still no courier.
Ilis nonappearance was ominous. The ar
rest was to have been made at the earliest
dawn: we .should have had some report
long ago. A cold, sleeting rain had set in
and each soldier wrapped his cape around
hint and wondered if that courier would
never come. Suddenly over the brow of
the hill came an Indian wearing a white
scarf, the badge which the police were to
wear that the troops might distinguish
them from the enemy.-
Iiis appearance was a gre.it relief, and
the officers rode forward to the head of the
column to hear his report, with perfect
confidence that it would be a story of the
peaceable arrest of Sitting Bull. The story
he told was this:
"I AM THE ONLY POLICEMAN ALIVE.
We attempted to take Bull at dawn but
there were too many for us. We killed
Bull Out his friends have killed us ail.
There are a hundred and twenty of Bull's
men."
The news was far from reassuring. The
problem was, what should be done'* Sit
ting Bull was dead. Next to his capture
alive, that was the object of the expedition.
There were more Indians than soldiers.
The police were dead—nothing could be
done for them. Could anything be ac
complished which would warrant the com
manding officer in sending his men against
superior numbers with a good probability,
or at least a marked possibility, of sharing
Custer's fate
The hesitation was monentary. Another
policeman, Iron Star, dashed up and re
ported a dozen police, still alive, were sur
rounded and fighting desperately, with
scant ammunition. Bullet holes in his
clothing testified to the lire under which
he had made his escape.
Every officer at once declared that those
brave fellows must be relieved. Whatever
the dangers, it would be cowardice to allow
them to be butchered without an effort to
save them.
But Captain Fechet had anticipated the
conclusions of his officers and the order
had been given to remove overcoats, draw
carbines, form troops abreast in columns
af|fours and advance at a gallop. On
through the drizzling rain the troops
dashed.
SITTING BULL'S CAMP
is located in a small open space in a bend
of Grand river. The flat, except where it has
been cleared away immediately around
the '.odges is covered with underbrush and
scrub timber. From the flat, rough, broken
hills rise to the level of the surrounding
plateau. It was five minutes of seven
when the first courier reached the com
mand, and thirty minutes later the troops
were on
"the brow of the hill overlooking
the hostile camp, where the battle was
raging between Sitting Bull's followers
and Indian police. The police had posses
sion of Sitting Bull's stable and stockade
corral, but were besieged and harassed by
a continued fire from the enemy, with
whom the brush and timber seemed teem
ing. We expected that the hostiles would
have heard of our coming and be ready
for us, but apparently they had not. A
short detour gave Capt. Fechet command
of the two most prominent eminences, and
seizing these he mounted the Hotchkiss
gun on one and the Gatling gun upon the
other. Directly in front was Sitting Bull's
camp, immediately on the left the Grand
river valley, both controlled by the artil
lery. It was about a thousand yards from
our position on the crest of the hill to
where the hostiles lay in the woods. No
sooner had our troops appeared in sight
than the enemy turned their attention to
us, leaving the police for the time unmo
lested.
It was scarcely two minutes from the
time our forces appeared on the hill before
THE ARTILLERY HAD OPENED FIRE,
and the Hotchkiss was dropping shells
among the Indians in the timber, who re
sponded with irregular firing and savage
yells. Meantime troop had been dis
mounted, and led by Lieutenants Slocum
and Stale, were advancing slowly and
cautiously down the hill directly toward
the camp, keeping up a continual and
heavy carbine fire. Troop G, under Lieu
tenant Crowder, also dismounted, were a
few hundred yards on the right, advancing
down the valley to a junction with Slocum,
and firing steadily.
Brooks was in command of the artillery.
Fechet was everywhere directing the
movement. The Indians found the shell
ing too hot for them, and with a wild yell
broke for the hills. Men, women and
children, mounted and on foot, fled in all
directions, hiding themselves whereever
cover could be found, while the troops
pressed forward to Bull's camp to relieve
the police. No time was lost, and yet it
was two hours from the time the troOps
opened fire before Lieutenant Slocum led
his skirmishers into Bull's camp. As he
did so Red Tomahawk, the ranking officer
of the police who survived, drew his police
up in line, and saluting, turned them over
to him. The scene in the camp was a ter
rible one. Directly in front of Bull's house
lay
EIGHT DEAD HOSTILES.
all chiefs, all Bull's personal followers and
probably the eight worst men in the tribe.
Their names are Known to all familiar
with the Sioux wars from '76 to '80. They
were: Sitting Bull, Crowfoot, Sitting
Bull's son, who, as a child, surrendered his
father's gun to Major Brotherton Black
Bird, Catch-the-Bear, Spotted Horn Bull,
Brave Thunder, Little Assinaboine, Sitting
Bull's adopted brother, and Chase Wound
ed, Little Assinaboine's son.
Inside of Sitting Bull's house lay the
dead bodies of four police—Little Eagle,
Hawk Man, Broken Arm and Afraid-of
Soldiers, liawk Man was the policeman
who brought the news of Bull's intended
flight to the agency. He had ridden a hun
dred miles in twenty-four hours, reaching
Bull's camp just in time to enter the fight.
With the dead police in Sitting Bull's
house were Bull Head and Shave Head,
lieutenant and sergeant of police respect
ively. Bull Head was suffering from three
wounds. One bullet shattered the thigh
bone justavove the knee another shattered
the forearm ot the left arm, and the third
struck the lower rib. Shave Head was
shot through the abdomen.
in Bull's stable, 100 feet away, lay an
other policeman, Alex. Middle, shot in the
ankle. All the dead mentioned had fallen
within a radius of fifty feet.
SITTIM BULL'S BODY
showed three bullet holes and his face had
been fearfully mutilated with knives and
the bones crushed in with blows from the
stock of a rifle which lay beside him. On
taking possession of the camp the police
were found to be almost entirely out of
ammunition, only having ten rounds be
tween them, though they went into the
fight with 900 rounds. Had the troops
been half an hour later every policeman
would have been killed. Equipped with a
fresh supply of ammunition the police im
mediately went to work to drive the In
dians hiding in the brush back to a re
spectful distance, while the troops busied
themselves demolishing the ghost ring
where the famous ghost dances were per
formed and searching the tepees for pris
oners. So hasty was the flight of the In
dians that women, children and property
were left behind. In one of Sitting Bull's
log houses were found his two wives ami
eight or ten children, wailing bitterly.
The two wives were sitting on a bed and
so strenuously objected to moving as to
excite suspicion that they were concealing
something under the bed. An investiga
tion' revealed two men poorly disguised as
squaws in hiding under the bed. They
were Looking llorse, a nephew of Sitting
Bull, and Silas, son of Little Assinaboine.
Tliev were taken prisoners.
While the search of the camp was being
made some friendly Indians drove in for
protection. Their team was immediately
pressed into service to transport the body
of Sitting Bull and the dead police to this
post.
As soon as the surgeon had dressed Bull
Head's wounds from his lips was related
THE STORY OK THE FIOIIT.
Although suffering terribly, his face was
calm and unrufllcd, and when 1 spoke of
Sitting Bull's death, a triumphant smile
lit up his face as he said, "yes, I killed
him.-" Though weak almost to death,
Bull Head was eager to tell the story of
the fight as well as his strength would
permit. The police, so Bull Head said,
carried out their orders to the letter. When
the
first
light appeared forty-one police­
men, Bull Head commanding, were con
cealed in the brush fifty feet from Bull's
house. Bull Head, Shave Head ami eight
others, quietly and unnoticed slipped into
Bull's house and sei/.ed him in bed, just as
he was grasping a handsome revolver giv
en him by Mrs. Weldon, the Brooklyn
woman who has figured so prominently in
Bull's affairs. This revolver Red Toma
hawk wrenched from him. Bull llead
tried to induce Sitting Bull to go quietly
and he promised to do so. but was no soon
er outside than lie gave a yell which
brought Catch-the-Bear to the rescue, who
yelled for the hostiles to bring their guns,
and almost instantly the entire camp was
aroused. Catch-the-bear fired on Bull
Head, striking him in the leg above the
knee. Like lightning Bull Head turned
and put
A BULLET THROUGH SITTING BULL'S HEAD
while Red Tomahawk simultaneously shot
him through the body with the revolver he
had just taken from him. The police rush
ing to the defense of Bull Head and the
hostiles to avenge Sitting Bull's death, met
over the dead body of the chief and a des
perate hand to hand encounter ensued,
lasting about three minutes and costing a
dozen lives. The police finally fortified
themselves in Bull's house and the hostiles
in the stable, 100 feet away. The police
soon drove the enemy from tlip stable and
compelled them to fight from the brush,
but the hostiles had the police surrounded
and with an apparently limitless supply of
ammunition, kept them in a state of siege
till our troops arrived, not a minute too
early to relieve them.
The bravery, carnage and loyalty dis
played by the police in this matter should
forever protect them from the aspersions
which have been cast upon their fidelity
and give the lie to the rumors that the
agent had lost control of them.
Captain Fechet, having loaded the
wounded police into the ambulance and
the dead police and Sitting Bull's body on
a wagon, and knowing it would be very
hazardous to attempt to hold the camp
with the force he had, withdrew and fell
back eighteen miles to Oak creek, where
he was joined by Colonel Drum and com
panies II and G, 12th infantry. Shortly
after midnight Monday night
THE HOSTILES CAME BACK.
Capt. Fechet left the women and chil
dren in the camp unmolested and assured
them that Sitting Bull was the only one he
wanted and that they might tell the others
they could return and would be unharmed.
The hostiles did return before we were
QUt of sight, but it was only to gather their
Women and ponies and flee.
Col. Drum decided to withdraw to the
post and await developments. Shave Head
died at 7 o'clock this morning. He, with the
other dead police, will be buried with full
military honors to-morrow.
A courier just in—4 o'clock a. m.—re
ports the hostiles in camp on Grand river
thirty miles west of Bull's camp. The loss
to the hostiles in Monday's fight was much
larger than above reported. From fifteen
to twenty were killed and several
wounded. Strike the Kill is badly
wounded. Information has been sent to
Maj. Carroll of the present location of the
hostiles. Carroll is only about thirty
miles from them with two fresh troops of
the 1st cavalry. Col. Con rod with three
companies, 22d infantry, is patroling the
north line of the reservation and will pre
vent Indians passing towards the white
settlements.
Hostiles Coming Iu.
FORT YATES,Dec. 18.—Bull Head, who
was mortally wounded in Monday's fight,
breathed his last to-day. He was sergeant
of the Indian police and a faithful servant
of the government. One hundred and
thirty of the hostiles came in to-day and
gave themselves up to Agent McLaughlin
—mostly women and children. Among
them were Sitting Bull's two wives and
family. Scouts claim that others of the
hostiles will come in soon, and it is px
pected all will come back.
THEY'RE ALL LIES.
That's What a Winona Correspond­
ent Says Regarding- Dispatches
Sent out lroin Ft. Yates.
He
Till'
Declares that the Arrest of
Sitting Hull Was a
Bundling4 Jolt.
Watisau Light Guards Ordered
Out to Protect Settlers on
Public Lands.
The Old James Gang- Cave Discov
ered, Together with the Skel
eton of Young: .James.
Another Slory lU'tfiirtiiii) Sitting Hull.
WINONA, X. 1., Dec. lit.—|Special ].—I
have just read the account in the TBIISU.NE
of Silting Bull's death and think it could
be corrected considerably to do justice. 1
was at Fort Yates when dead policemen,
and Sitting Bull were buried, and
can tell a thing or two that hasn't reached
the newspapers yet. My information is
gathered from the Indians themselves, a 1
can talk their language, and believe what
earned is true, your report says Sit
ting Bull was killed while resisting arrest.
Such is an untruth. Murdered while get
ting ready to go with the police would
sound more like it. When Bull Head said
he, had come to arrest him he started into
the interior of his shack. The police
thought Bull was after his gun. They
warned him not to shoot or they would
kill him. Sitting Bull replied: "All right,
I will go with you. I don't want any
trouble: I want to get my moccasins." Ilis
two wives commenced rummaging in
search of his articles to go along, anil in so
doing raised a little commotion and
aroused the cam)). Another story i.- that
Catch-the-Bear heard the noise and came
up with his blanket tlnown over his form,
concealing a gun. Sitting Bull said to
him:
UI
am arrested want no trouble
will go to the agency." Catch-the-Bear
asked him if he was a dog and Sitting
Bull growled like a hear, whereupon the
former threw oil' his blanket and siiot
Lieutenant Bull llead in the thigh. Bull
Head returned the lire, but instead of
shooting Catch-the-Bear, lie fired at Sitting
Bull, the bullet going through his body and
touching his heart killing liini instantly.
was shot again by lied Tomahawk, but
he never felt it for the first shotkilled him.
The fighting then became general. Crow
Foot, Silting Bull's son, was not killed iri
this fight. He was killed like a dog. This
is how it happened: The police wanted to
place two of their wounded upon the bed
on which Sitting Bull's two wives were
sitting. The squaws were ordered off.
They hesitated, but were compelled to
move. Under the mattress Crow Foot was
hiding. The police discovered him, pulled
him out and killed him and threw him out
the door near the dead body of his father,
lie was but fourteen years old. It is said
an employe of the agency took Sitting
Bull's scalp and some of the big guns at
the agency carried away all iiis trinkets.
His body was pounded into pulp. The In
dians do not like this business very well
and time will tell whether this bad blood
will cause trouble. The Indians do not
like,to talk to white men about it. They
seem sulky.
OBSERVER.
flight (iuartlH Orl«rel Out.
MIL\VAI KEK, Deo. 20.—A special from
Wausuu says: A great raid on the land
office to file claims on land in the great re
serve strip began at 9 o'clock this morning
and thus far filing lias proceeded without
disturbance. At an early hour this morn
ing Mayor Muellor directed Captain Bellis
of the Wausau Light Guards to march his
company to the court house square to pre
serve order, and forty-five bluecoats with
glistening bayonets, took up a station close
to the land office. The arrival of the
militia put an effective damper on the or
der of the homesteaders who could not get
in line, and everything was peace and
quiet when Register Saunders slid back
the wicket for the lirst filing. Up to noon
forty-five claims, aggregating 8,000 acres,of
theTjest laud in the strip had been filed on
and a line of over 100 men were still wait
ing at the wicket. Eight hundred settleis
left last night with supplies to squat on
land. Besides having to contest with these
squatters, the men who filed claims this
morning will probably have to go to law
with Byron S. Hamilton, a Wausau lawyer
who walked into the land oflice shortly be
fore 8 o'clock and laid down an applica
tion with the necessary tees and tendered
them to the receiver. The tender was re
fused and Hamilton announced his pu
pose of bringing a suit. At Eau Claire
there was almost a riot. The windows of
the land office were, smashed, but the land
officers succeeded in quelling the disturb
ance. The trouble was caused by a police
man, who was stationed at the wicket to
preserve order, filing a claim for himself.
Ilis application was refused. Miss Mamie
ltichardson. a daughter of General Rich
ardson of Chippewa Falls, fought heroic
ally and when she reached the desk her
hat
she
was gone and her hair disheveled, but
„_ got a tract worth §5,000. Two men
fainted and were laid out on the sidewalK.
PROCEEDED I'EACIBLY.
When the United States land office was
opened at fl o'clock this morning the court
house square was crowded with people, but
the local militia companies drawn up be
fore the land office with fixed bayonets,
protected the men in line in their right to
make first filings. The crowd feared the
bayonets and no organized attempt was
made, as had been expected, to force an
entrance and crowd out men who had been
camped out in line two days or more. The
making of entries progressed rapidly all
day and at 4 o'clock this afternoon when
the oflice closed, eighty-five had been made.
The most valuable claim of all lias 2,000,
000 feet of standing pine upon it. It was
entered by Louis Golsch, the first man in
line, and a resident of this county. It is
worth 810,000 to §15,000.
The Cave of the Jewie Junm Gang.
ST. PETER, Minn., Dec. 20.—'The cave
wherein the Younger and James gang hid
during the raid on Northfield, where six
men were billed, has been discovered and
at the same time the mystery of the disap
pearance of the youngest of the James
j.
ens
boys lias been solved, his skeleha|A guont
been found in a subterranean rendezvous.
A narty of hunters traversing the Great
Fay ravine in Nicollet county found an
old door opening into a common dugout of
hewed logs. At the rear was formed a
"blind door,'' which led into another room
twenty feet long and sixteen wide, along
one side of which hunks were arranged
and from the number of these, at least
thirty persons had found sleeping accom
modations in this abode. This room con
tained several benches and stools. On the
table were tin plates and cups, a kettle,
eook stove and various cooking utensils,
and the skeleton referred to. There was
also a letter referring to the theft of some
horses supposed to have been written by
Frank James to Jim Younger. Still an
other apartment was found, where horses
had been secreted, the artificial cave being
large enough to accommodatc twenty head
at a time.
CougreNftioiial.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 20.—Senator Keagau
to-day olfered in the senate an amendment
to the linaneial bill agreed upon to the sub
stitute for the first section of the bill for
free coinage and to amend the remaining
section of the bill to a corresponding pur
pose by striking out all reference to silver
purchase. The proposition looking to an
international conference on the subject of
silver coinage is allowed to remain un
touched, although Reagan says he does
not believe it will amount to anything.
Senator l'ettigrew introduced a bill to
prohibit the sale of fire-arms and ammu
nition to Indians on reservations. Re
ferred.
Senator Moody from committee on In
dian depredation claims renorted the house
bill for adjudication of claims arising from
Indian depredations. Placed on the calen
dar.
Senator Spooner then spoke in support
of the elections bill. Spooner spoke for
over five hours and his speech was listened
to with marked attention and interest on
both sides of the chamber. Ingalls de
fended the bill and Iliggins got the floor
just before adjournment.
iu the house Mr. Milliken of Maine pre
sented a number of conference reports on
public building bills. In every case the
change made in the measure was purely
verbal iu its character and the reports
were agreed to.
Representative Carter of Montana, from
tin- committee on coinage, weights and
measures, to-day reported to the house a
hill agreed upon by the committee to
amend t,he act of May 2ti, 1K82, authorizing
the receipt of United States gold coin in
exchange of gold bars for gold coin discre
tionary witli th' secretary of the treasury
instead of mandatory as the present
statute has been construed to be, and also
cives authority to impose charge tor such
xchangc equal to the cost of manufactur
ing bars.
.Secretary Noble has withdrawn his order
suspending his approval of the final ad
justment of the land grant in favjrof the
Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha
Kailroad company and Wisconsin Central
Railroad company.
Tin Italian's Flint Ended.
NEW YORK, Dec. 20.—Signor Succi, the
Italian faster who began a fast of forty
five days on November 5, at 8:10 a.m.,
ended his fast at 8:20 to-night. Dr. Tanner
could not sit up after tenth day and could
not write Iiis name after the fifteenth da'
but Succi lias scorned the idea of wea'
ing all through the weary weeks.
fifteenth day lie rode seven mile?
back and lias exercised ever'
The doctors took their las'
li o'clock, the result of wine
Weight, 10fi?.f on Novembers,.
total loss of 42^pounds,or less tha.
a day temperature W8.2 pulse 02
tion 19 general condition, weak to.
clear, moist and steady. The bulletin v»
signed by thirteen physicians, who havi
watched during the fast. The worst at
tack of gastric trouble he had during his
fast occup'd at 5 o'clck to-day, during
which his pain was so acute that it was
feared he would collapse, but his indomit
able will power carried him successfully
through. From 5 o'clock until he took his
first cup of cocoa at 8:20, his pain contin
ued to be more or less acute. It was
evident in many ways: By the
distortion of his face, which was
terribly shrunken by his frequent change
of position on the lounge upon which he
was reclining by nervous twitching of his
wasted hands by the restless ulare of his
deep sunken eyes and in various other
ways. When cocoa was prepared, shortly
after 8 o'clock, Succi got off the lounge
and staggered to the table where nourish
ing diet was placed. The spectacle he
presented was truly pitiable. He looked
like a skeleton automaton, and when he
smiled it was simply ghastly, much the
same kind of a smile a condemned prison
er might be expected to make befcre go*
ing to execution. When lie sipped cocot
there was a burst of applause frc the
spectators. To-morrow evening Succi
leaves for Boston, where he will
for a man on ttie stage for $1,500.
hibit
Saw Sitting Hull's Ghost.
PIERRE,S. D., Dec. 20.—Tom Hetlund,
a rancher on Bad river, arrived to-day and
reports new excitement among Indians in
ghost dances. The cause is on account of
a story to the effect that Sitting Bull's
ghost appeared to a band of upper Bad
river Indians and by motions ordered
tliein to join his followers and avenge his
death. As a consequence ghost dances are
being started afresh and reach down as
far as Willow creek.
Au Ohio Tragedy.
BLANCH ESTER,O., Dec. 20.—Bert Cad
waliader shot anil killed Jasper Lazure in
Larnore's saloon to-day then jumped
through the window and fled, pursued by
a hundred men,' some of .whom were armed
and fired at him whenever within range.
Finding he could not escape, Cadwallader
shot and killed himself. The men had
quarrelled about money. Lazure was 60
years old and Cadwallader was 22 and a la
borer.
Irlftli-AmerlcaiiH Indoroe Parneli.
NEW YORK, Dec. 19 About 2,000 Irish-
Americans attended the meeting in Cooper
Union to-night, called by the municipal
council of the Irish National league to en
dorse Parneli as leader of the nationalist
party. Michael Breslin presided. Reso
lutions were unanimously adopted and
ordered cabled to Parneli, endorsing him
as leader.
Claim* the Bauk Defrauded Her.
NEW YORK, Dec. 20.—Nathaniel Nlles,
ex-president of the Tradesmen's National
bank, was arrested to-day by the deputy
sheriff on an order issued by Judge Beach
of the supreme court, in a suit by Eliza
beth Parret, to recover 873,000 cash and
chattels, of which she claims he defrauded
her.
Killed on a CroHslng.
ERIE, Pa., Dec. 20.—TheLakeShore ex
press, east bound, while running at a fifty
mile rate, near Nottingham to-night,
caught Farmer August Kirkhogel with, a
a load of hay on a crossing. Kirkhogel. ac
companied by his son William, a lad of IS
years, werestruck by the pilot and crushed
to death. The horses were also killed.