by Walker
would say quite close to seventy. He seemed to accept Lis situation quite willingly, at the same time showed a rather tiresome air, which led me to believe that he was actually tired of being on the war-path, and only too glad to be at peace, and no doubt thinks it better for him, as well as others of his age, to be settled upon reservations, where they can freely partake of government rations and draw their annuity goods semi-annually, even if " the bad young braves " do go out in raiding parties occasionally. As to the latter, ho probably cares but very little, and will never give himself any uneasiness, even if all the young braves on the Missouri River should turn loose upon the frontier; but as far as he is personally concerned, there is no question t›ut that he intends to live quietly upon a reservation and Abide by such rules and laws as will be made to govern it.
In turning to Sitting Bull, I asked Allison if he, " Bull," would take good care of my photograph, whose reply was, "Yes, he is glad to get it and will take good care of it." This was encouraging to the writer, thinking it might stimulate him to have his own taken to give in return, as is characteristic with leading chiefs to make a return present, and more so when his heart is good toward the donor. We bade him good-by, and after the regular " shake and how," left the steamer in order to make room for others who were anxious to shake with the chief, and we must say he would shake hands very cordially with all who came along, paying especial attention to the ladies. He has, it is said, heretofore and since his surrender been quite indisposed to talk, and rather sullen, saying he did not want to be talked to death and gloated at. He wore a pair of green wire goggles, so we could not see his naked eyes, but it is said that he has a pair of as keen eagle eyes as ever was set between two high cheek bones on any red man in the aboriginal tribes. Up to this time we have hopes of getting him to sit for his photo. We now witness the Professor going on board the steamer with his camera and other paraphernalia, getting ready to make the first attempt, after arriving at Standing Rock, that was ever made to secure the photograph of Sitting Bull, but still entertaining some doubts as to his success,
– that is to say, until after lie becomes more settled and reconciled to his new home. The chief will feel quite different after arriving at the agency and getting rested, as well as getting out of the way of the hundreds of anxious lookers on, and besides, he will meet his old and trusted friends, " Gaul and Crow King," and other warriors and the families he has so often inquired after since he surrendered.
We expect to have to wait from three to seven days before he will consent to sit, and if we fail in that time, we will be compelled to hand our manuscript to the publisher without it, but not without promising to have it ready for our second edition. Just at this moment it is discovered that Sitting Bull has consented to come to the hotel, and take dinner by special invitation of Mr. Marsh, the popular landlord of the Merchants' Hotel. The chief, upon nearing the office desk, takes out a little old worn pencil and registers his name in full, with hand somewhat trembling, a fac-simile of which was secured by the writer, by means of a piece of tracing-paper, and we will promise that it shall appear under his photo, if we succeed in getting it. In writing Sitting Bull has received some instructions at various times from Mr. Allison, a worthy and trusted scout who has been in government employ a number of years, and having the confidence of the officers in this department. He is a man of fine education, having been raised and schooled in Central New York, near Utica, and later years has been in government employ as scout, and interpreter of the Sioux language.
In regard to the exact age of Sitting Bull we are unable to be positive, and we doubt if any one will be able to get his right number of years, and the best we have been able to learn in regard to it is as follows :
In the year 1875 the writer was informed, by an ex-Indian agent, that he was then forty-five years old, which would make him now fifty-one. Just after the Custer battle on the Little Big Horn, it was reported that he was then forty-two, which would make him now forty-seven. We are now informed that he is fifty-two, and we are inclined to believe the latter to be nearer correct, judging from his looks. That he has suffered hardships and privations we all know, and he has evidently taken remarkably good care of himself, as he shows a fine and healthy-looking countenance.
His own statement to Mrs. Captain Harmon seems to make him 48-that is as near as he and his father can guess and recollect.
Mrs. Harmon, while interviewing him on the steamer "General Sherman," asked him his age, and his reply was he thought he was 47. Mrs. Harmon, it appears, had some knowledge that led her to believe that he was older, and said, " Don't you think you are 48," and his reply was that he didn't know exactly, but he knew that he was a little older than " Eoaring Thunder," and just at this time " Four Horns," father of the Chief, said, " Eoaring Thunder is 46 and you are a little older-may-be-so-makes-you-48." Thia is probably the clearest and most reliable statement that has ever been obtained from Sitting Bull by any white person in regard to his age, and there can be no doubt as to his sincerity in all he stated to Mrs. Harmon, as he appeared very much interested, and at times made friendly gestures that evinced great earnestness and friendship.
It is almost impossible to get the exact age of any Indian, that has been roaming with the hostile bands, as they become more or less confused, and ofttimes entirely lost in keeping the count, which is usually done as follows:
When a child is born, the mother takes a stick of no great size and cuts a notch on one side of it, and from that time thereafter it is the intention to cat a notch at the end of every moon (a moon is a month), and knowing that twelve months make a year, and when twelve notches are cut in this stick they then select a tree or another stick, and cut a notch in it which denotes one year. We can now readily see that if they get confused in making the notches, they are, of course, more than likely to lose the exact age, and then they have to depend upon the memory of the older ones in the family or lodges to help them guess and remember.
Only four days after the interview with Mrs. Harmon, when interviewed by an officer at " Standing Rock," he gave his age 44, and said he was born near old Fort George, on Willow Creek, below the mouth of Cheyenne River. Next to himself, lie considers " Four Horns," who is his father, the greatest living chief. Many years ago his father was known as the famous chief, " Jumping Bull." He says he never committed any depredations in the white man's country, and that he did not surrender, but only came in to stay a few days, and how wants the government to let him go; that he never made a treaty nor sold any land, nor made war on the white man's government. He says he has been on the war-path since he was fourteen years old ; and previous to that time, and since he was old enough, he killed buffalo most of the time, giving all of his surplus meat to the old men and women that were poor and too old to hunt. It is generally admitted that he is very tender-hearted and affectionate toward the old men, women and children of all the tribes in the Sioux nation, and the real reason, together with his bravery and artfulness, of his gaining such a stronghold in the hearts of his people, has been on account of his extreme generosity and kind feelings toward them when in distress. He has always showed a disposition to share equally with them the hardships and sufferings they have had to endure ; and it is a noted fact that the great majority of the Indians throughout the Sioux country have a warm corner in their hearts for Sitting Bull.
He says he is a chief by inheritance, has two living wives and nine children, two of whom are twins. It is not only a noticeable but a very amusing fact that he makes various reports and conflicting statements to the different interviewers ; having watched his reports with great care from time to time since his surrender, and are unable to discover any two alike as regards to the same question when being asked by different parties; but as he now gets pay for his " words and big talk," perhaps he thinks he should give to each interviewer a different statement. The writer intends to see him before many weeks, and have a hearty laugh over his various and speculative interviews. We are inclined to
think, however, the old chief will only laugh and say, " the white folks are all the time a-trying to fool him and his people, and I thought it just as well to have a little fun by myself and see how they would like it to be fooled." That is about as much as he or any other Indian cares about making a false statement to white people. Another statement made in regard to his family was that he had two good wives, loved one as much as the other, and by them both had seventeen children, seven of whom were by his last or second wife, and six of them, the youngest, were three pair of twins.
He seems very much attached to one of his daughters, who ran away from him last winter, eloping with a young brave who had become tired of taking his rations of buffalo meat on the open prarie in the deep snow, and wisely concluded to come in and partake of Uncle Sam's hospitality at an agency provided especially for him and his people.
It is said that he mourned very much over the elopement, and at times would writhe in anger, claiming that she and " Pretty Plume," his wife, were the two handsomest squaws among the Sioux; and in fact we may truthfully say that " Pretty Plume " is really a handsome and queenly-looking squaw, and if she were a white woman, and favored with the usual facilities for an education and moral training, eta, etc., she would be a reigning belle in society. The chief claims that white people induced his daughter to elope, and before he had surrendered, some scalawag had led him to believe (at least he so pretended) that our officers at " Fort Yates " had her confined in irons, and in one of his statements regarding his surrender, he said he did not want to come in to surrender, but came to see his girl who was in irons at " Standing Rock Agency," and now wants the government to let him go back; but as we have said before, he makes a great many statements, and as a general thing no two are alike.
All there is about it, nothing but starvation and nakedness among his people ever forced him and his remnant band of followers to come in and surrender. He made up his mind to take the step he did, not because he wanted to, but because he and his people were starved out. There was no game, no, nothing, absolutely nothing, for them to live on.
He had wandered around and over a desolate country,, where thousands of buffalo and antelope once roamed, and now not a track to be seen. Eighteen or twenty years he has waged unceasing warfare against the whites, and it is admitted, not only by his own people, but by our military authorities, and Western men generally, who have had means of knowing the facts, that he is the boldest, most malignant and artful of all the cunning war chiefs, from the Eio Grande to the Northern boundary line. But the chief has surrendered, thus relinquishing all his rights to the sturdy pioneer and ranchmen of the Western plains. In order that you may form an idea of an Indian chant, poetry and the " prayer of a squaw," we furnish the exact words, as translated by an interpreter soon after the final surrender of the chief:
"Be brave, my friends, be brave. The white men have brought us food; They will not hurt us ; Their hearts are full of pity for us, My father and my mother, be not afraid, Your hunger once more is stayed, And there is still food in abundance. My brother and my sister, comb your hair, And paint your faces with vermilion, For the Great Spirit has softened The hearts of our enemies, and they feed us with food.
He has, within the writer's knowledge, given three distinct accounts, and no two of them alike, of Custer's last battle against him in the valley of the Little Big Horn,, and there can be no doubt as to his first report being in the main correct. It was about as follows :
He heard the long-haired chief and his soldiers were coming, and he sent out thirty young men on the day before the battle, and that night twenty of them returned and reported the white soldiers coming, and he then told his braves and all his old and young men to get ready for battle* On the morning of the battle seven more of the young men came in and said the soldiers were closing in upon their village, and not long afterwards the remaining three came in and reported the whole column of cavalry in sight, and he then sent the women and children away, and before they had been gone long the white soldiers made their first charge, and just at this time his wife came running back, saying she was so badly scared that she forgot her baby. He at once brought the little one from his tepee, and giving it to his wife and telling her to run, he then turned toward his braves, who were just resisting a bold and gallant charge made by Custer at the head of his men. He then raised a pole with a flag, and at the top of his voice shouted, " I am Sitting Bull, the big chief and leader of all the Sioux warriors." His men had but little trouble in driving our column back, and every charge that was made by our men after that was met and checked by his braves, and those not killed on the field were driven back into new positions; and when the cavalry was finally reduced in numbers to a handful of men, they all rallied to where Custer stood, and then the fighting was soon over, they all falling nearly at the same time.
He then gave orders to go over to the other band, meaning " Major Reno's command," leaving the squaws on the field, which was near their village.
It is supposed by those who came upon the field first after the battle, that just at this period some one of the chiefs gave orders not to mutilate Custer's body, and also made a mark across his nose and cheeks for a notice to the squaws to that effect, which was obeyed; hence we find Custer's body not mutilated.
The chief further stated in this report that Reno and his whole command would have shared the fate of Custer had it not been for the arrival of "Terry and Gibbon" with reinforcements.
Another report he gives about as follows: saying he sent his wife and child out back to hide and then started to go over where they were fighting, and just then a heavy shock of thunder and many sharp streaks of lightning struck the whole of Custer's command, and that was what killed so many men, and when the thunder was over, his warriors killed all there was left.
Another statement is, that after his braves had killed nearly all of Custer's men, he told them to cease firing, as they had killed men enough, but they still insisted upon wiping out the whole command, and then Custer's men made such fearful charges they had to kill them all in order to save their own lives and their women and children. Now, it is more than probable that his first report is the nearest correct, as it compares very favorably with the two made by " Crow King and Low Dog," at Standing Bock, only a few days after the surrender of the chief. It is doubtful if we ^ver arrive at the actual facts in relation to that battle any nearer than is embraced in those three reports, which includes the first one made by the chief, and those two by Crow King and Low Dog respectively, who were leading war chiefs in the fight.
We have never, up to this time, heard of thunder and lightning making an attack on a battalion of cavalry, nor are we willing to believe that Sitting Bull ordered his warriors to cease firing, at the same time telling them they had killed men enough, and that the soldiers were not to blame, as they were told to do so and were fighting under orders from their government, etc., etc.
Such action on his part is not one of his characteristics, nor is it consistent with his mode of warfare against either white men nor his red brethren, for only a month or six weeks before his surrender he annihilated a small band of .Nez Perces, some seventeen in number. This, however, has recently come to light. In 1877, when the Nez Perces surrendered to General Miles, a small band escaped and fled to Sitting Bull's band across the boundary line, and it appears of late they drifted away from the Sioux warriors. "We are at the present time unable to get the exact facts in regard to the trouble, but, as far as we can learn, a sudden quarrel broke out in the lodges and the Nez Perces were killed to a man.
Sitting Bull's report that he " ceased firing " is only a lame Indian plea in the shape of begging for mercy, thinking our authorities will be more lenient with him should he be fortunate enough in making them believe that he really did save the lives of some of the survivors of Custer's last battle. He has mustered his ingenuity in this plea, thinking it will be the means of drawing an additional amount of mercy to that already shown him. We will soon show how
it was
that he happened to be so humane and thoughtful as to give his much talked-about order, and just at this particular time, to " cease firing."
It was the day after Custer fell that our men came on the hill and at once discovered that Custer's body was not mutilated, and a mark had been made across his cheeks and nose, just below his eyes. This was done by some one of the leading chiefs as a notice to the squaws that this body must not be mutilated on account of his bravery; and well they knew and felt it, for over one hundred empty cartridge shells were found near by where his feet had stood just before he fell, and there can be no doubt but that he brought down many a warrior before he fell. It so happened that Major Reno found that he was overpowered, and being fore-sighted enough to entrench himself, was thus enabled to hold at bay the unrelenting hordes until Generals Terry and Gibbon came to his relief, and just about this time the chief no doubt did give an order to retreat and also to cease firing. At all events he retreated to the hills in a very short space of time, which was, of course, done to save his own men instead of Reno's, who were entrenched, and were alone giving him a hot battle.
As before stated, the writer has taken no little pains in procuring facts from the most reliable sources at his command, and at the same time has been very cautious in arriving at conclusions, in order to get at actual facts and circumstances as they have transpired during this important campaign, and must say that not until the present time have we been able to get an Indian account of the Custer battle from their own lips any way satisfactory, or that looked half way reasonable.
We have quite recently noticed an account given by two leading chiefs, " Crow King and Low Dog," both subordinates under Sitting Bull, and were in the " Custer battle." It appears that Captain Howe, at Fort Yates, or more generally known as the " Standing Rock Agency," succeeded in getting a voluntary statement from these two chiefs, and it is the clearest and most satisfactory account that is known, to have been given by Indians who knew the facts. We