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Among the Sioux chiefs of the "transition period" only one was
shrewd enough to read coming events in their true light. It is
said of Spotted Tail that he was rather a slow-moving boy,
preferring in their various games and mimic battles to play the
role of councilor, to plan and assign to the others their parts
in the fray. This he did so cleverly that he soon became a
leader among his youthful contemporaries; and withal he was apt
at mimicry and impersonation, so that the other boys were
accustomed to say of him, "He has his grandfather's wit and the
wisdom of his grandmother!"
Spotted Tail was an orphan, reared by his grandparents,
and at an early age compelled to |
shift for himself. Thus he was
somewhat at a disadvantage among the other boys; yet even this
fact may have helped to develop in him courage and ingenuity.
One little incident of his boy life, occurring at about his
tenth year, is characteristic of the man. In the midst of a
game, two boys became involved in a dispute which promised to be
a serious one, as both drew knives. The young Spotted Tail
instantly began to cry, "The
Shoshones are upon us! To arms! to arms!" and the other boys
joined in the war whoop. This distracted the attention of the
combatants and ended the affair.
Upon the whole, his boyhood is not so well remembered
as is that of most of his leading contemporaries, probably
because he had no parents to bring him frequently before the
people, as was the custom with the wellborn, whose every step in
their progress toward manhood was publicly announced at a feast
given in their honor. It is known, however, that he began at an
early age to carve out a position for himself. It is personal
qualities alone that tell among our people, and the youthful
Spotted Tail gained at every turn. At the age of seventeen, he
had become a sure shot and a clever hunter; but, above all, he
had already shown that he possessed a superior mind. He had come
into contact with white people at the various trading posts, and
according to his own story had made a careful study of the white
man's habits and modes of thought, especially of his peculiar
trait of economy and intense desire to accumulate property. He
was accustomed to watch closely and listen attentively whenever
any of this strange race had dealings with his people. When a
council was held, and the other young men stood at a distance
with their robes over their faces so as to avoid recognition,
Spotted Tail always put himself in a position to hear all that
was said on either side, and weighed all the arguments in his
mind.
When he first went upon the warpath, it appears that he
was, if anything, overzealous to establish himself in the eye of
his people; and as a matter of fact, it was especially hard for
him to gain an assured position among the Brule, with whom he
lived, both because he was an orphan, and because his father had
been of another band. Yet it was not long before he had achieved
his ambition, though in doing so he received several ugly
wounds. It was in a battle with the Ute that he first notably
served his people and their cause.
The Ute were the attacking party and far outnumbered
the
Sioux on this occasion. Many of their bravest young men had
fallen, and the
Brule were face to face with utter annihilation, when
Spotted Tail, with a handful of daring horsemen, dodged around
the enemy's flank and fell upon them from the rear with so much
spirit that they supposed that strong reinforcements had
arrived, and retreated in confusion. The Sioux pursued on
horseback; and it was in this pursuit that the noted chief Two
Strike gained his historical name. But the chief honors of the
fight belonged to Spotted Tail. The old chiefs, Conquering Bear
and the rest, thanked him and at once made him a war chief.
It had been the firm belief of Spotted Tail that it was
unwise to allow the white man so much freedom in our country,
long before the older chiefs saw any harm in it. After the
opening of the Oregon Trail he, above all the others, was
watchful of the conduct of the Americans as they journeyed
toward the setting sun, and more than once he remarked in
council that these white men were not like the French and the
Spanish, with whom our old chiefs had been used to deal. He was
not fully satisfied with the agreement with General Harney; but
as a young warrior who had only just gained his position in the
council, he could not force his views upon the older men.
No sooner had the Oregon Trail been secured from the
Sioux than Fort Laramie and other frontier posts were
strengthened, and the soldiers became more insolent and
overbearing than ever. It was soon discovered that the whites
were prepared to violate most of the articles of their treaty as
the Indians understood it. At this time, the presence of many
Mormon emigrants on their way to the settlements in Utah and
Wyoming added to the perils of the situation, as they constantly
maneuvered for purposes of their own to bring about a clash
between the soldiers and the Indians. Every summer there were
storm-clouds blowing between these two clouds usually taking
their rise in some affair of the travelers along the trail.
In 1854 an event occurred which has already been
described and which snapped the last link of friendship between
the races.
By this time Spotted Tail had proved his courage both
abroad and at home. He had fought a duel with one of the lesser
chiefs, by whom he was attacked. He killed his opponent with an
arrow, but himself received upon his head a blow from a
battle-axe which brought him senseless to the ground. He was
left for dead, but fortunately revived just as the men were
preparing his body for burial.
The Brule sustained him in this quarrel, as he had
acted in self-defense; and for a few years he led them in bloody
raids against the whites along the historic trail. He ambushed
many stagecoaches and emigrant trains, and was responsible for
waylaying the Kincaid coach with twenty thousand dollars. This
relentless harrying of travelers soon brought General Harney to
the Brule Sioux to demand explanations and reparation.
The old chiefs of the Brule now appealed to Spotted
Tail and his young warriors not to bring any general calamity
upon the tribe. To the surprise of all, Spotted Tail declared
that he would give himself up. He said that he had defended the
rights of his people to the best of his ability, that he had
avenged the blood of their chief, Conquering Bear, and that he
was not afraid to accept the consequences. He therefore
voluntarily surrendered to General Harney, and two of his
lieutenants, Red Leaf and Old Woman, followed his example.
Thus Spotted Tail played an important part at the very
outset of those events which were soon to overthrow the free
life of his people. I do not know how far he foresaw what was to
follow; but whether so conceived or not, his surrender was a
master stroke, winning for him not only the admiration of his
own people but the confidence and respect of the military.
Thus suddenly he found himself in prison, a hostage for
the good behavior of his followers. There were many rumors as to
the punishment reserved for him; but luckily for Spotted Tail,
the promises of General Harney to the Brule chiefs in respect to
him were faithfully kept. One of his fellow-prisoners committed
suicide, but the other held out bravely for the two-year term of
his imprisonment. During the second year, it was well understood
that neither of the men sought to escape, and they were given
much freedom. It was fine schooling for Spotted Tail, that
tireless observer of the ways of the white man! It is a fact
that his engaging personal qualities won for him kindness and
sympathy at the fort before the time came for his release.
One day some Indian horse thieves of another tribe
stampeded the horses and mules belonging to the garrison.
Spotted Tail asked permission of the commanding officer to
accompany the pursuers. That officer, trusting in the honor of a
Sioux brave, gave him a fast horse and a good carbine, and said
to him: "I depend upon you to guide my soldiers so that they may
overtake the thieves and recapture the horses!"
The soldiers recaptured the horses without any loss,
but Spotted Tail still followed the Indians. When they returned
to the fort without him, everybody agreed that he would never
turn up. However, next day he did "turn up", with the scalp of
one of the marauders!
Soon after this he was returned to his own people, who
honored him by making him the successor of the old chief,
Conquering Bear, whose blood he had avenged, for which act he
had taken upon himself the full responsibility. He had made good
use of his two years at the fort, and completed his studies of
civilization to his own satisfaction. From this time on he was
desirous of reconciling the Indian and the white man, thoroughly
understanding the uselessness of opposition. He was accordingly
in constant communication with the military; but the other
chiefs did not understand his views and seem to have been
suspicious of his motives.
In 1860-1864 the Southern
Cheyenne and
Comanche were at war with the whites, and some of the Brule
and Ogallala, who were their neighbors and intimates, were
suspected of complicity with the hostiles. Doubtless a few of
their young men may have been involved; at any rate, Thunder
Bear and Two Face, together with a few others who were roving
with the warring tribes, purchased two captive white women and
brought them to Fort Laramie. It was, however, reported at the
post that these two men had maltreated the women while under
their care.
Of course, the commander demanded of Spotted Tail, then
head chief, that he give up the guilty ones, and accordingly he
had the two men arrested and delivered at the fort. At this
there was an outcry among his own people; but he argued that if
the charges were true, the men deserved punishment, and if
false, they should be tried and cleared by process of law. The
Indians never quite knew what evidence was produced at the
court-martial, but at all events the two men were hanged, and as
they had many influential connections, their relatives lost no
time in fomenting trouble. The Sioux were then camping close by
the fort and it was midwinter, which facts held them in check
for a month or two; but as soon as spring came, they removed
their camp across the river and rose in rebellion. A pitched
battle was fought, in which the soldiers got the worst of it.
Even the associate chief,
Big Mouth, was against Spotted Tail, who was practically
forced against his will and judgment to take up arms once more.
At this juncture came the sudden and bloody uprising in
the east among the Minnesota Sioux, and
Sitting Bull's campaign in the north had begun in earnest;
while to the south the Southern Cheyenne, Comanche, and
Kiowa were all upon the warpath. Spotted Tail at about this
time seems to have conceived the idea of uniting all the Rocky
Mountain Indians in a great confederacy. He once said: "Our
cause is as a child's cause, in comparison with the power of the
white man, unless we can stop quarreling among ourselves and
unite our energies for the common good." But old-time
antagonisms were too strong; and he was probably held back also
by his consciousness of the fact that the Indians called him
"the white man's friend", while the military still had some
faith in him which he did not care to lose. He was undoubtedly
one of the brainiest and most brilliant Sioux who ever lived;
and while he could not help being to a large extent in sympathy
with the feeling of his race against the invader, yet he alone
foresaw the inevitable outcome, and the problem as it presented
itself to him was simply this: "What is the best policy to
pursue in the existing situation?"
Here is his speech as it has been given to me,
delivered at the great council on the Powder River, just before
the attack on
Fort
Phil Kearny. We can imagine that he threw all his wonderful
tact and personal magnetism into this last effort at
conciliation.
"'Hay, hay, hay! Alas, alas!' Thus speaks the old man,
when he knows that his former vigor and freedom is gone from him
forever. So we may exclaim today, Alas! There is a time
appointed to all things. Think for a moment how many multitudes
of the animal tribes we ourselves have destroyed! Look upon the
snow that appears to-day -- to-morrow it is water! Listen to the
dirge of the dry leaves, that were green and vigorous but a few
moons before! We are a part of this life and it seems that our
time is come.
"Yet note how the decay of one nation invigorates
another. This strange white man consider him, his gifts are
manifold! His tireless brain, his busy hand do wonders for his
race. Those things which we despise he holds as treasures; yet
he is so great and so flourishing that there must be some virtue
and truth in his philosophy. I wish to say to you, my friends:
Be not moved alone by heated arguments and thoughts of revenge!
These are for the young. We are young no longer; let us think
well, and give counsel as old men!"
These words were greeted with an ominous silence. Not
even the customary "How!" of assent followed the speech, and
Sitting Bull immediately got up and replied in the celebrated
harangue which will be introduced under his own name in another
chapter. The situation was critical for Spotted Tail the only
man present to advocate submission to the stronger race whose
ultimate supremacy he recognized as certain. The decision to
attack Fort Phil Kearny was unanimous without him, and in order
to hold his position among his tribesmen he joined in the
charge. Several bullets passed through his war bonnet, and he
was slightly wounded.
When the commission of 1867-1868 was sent out to
negotiate with the Sioux, Spotted Tail was ready to meet them,
and eager to obtain for his people the very best terms that he
could. He often puzzled and embarrassed them by his remarkable
speeches, the pointed questions that he put, and his telling
allusions to former negotiations. Meanwhile Red Cloud would not
come into the council until after several deputations of Indians
had been sent to him, and Sitting Bull did not come at all.
The famous treaty was signed, and from this time on
Spotted Tail never again took up arms against the whites. On the
contrary, it was mainly attributed to his influence that the
hostiles were subdued much sooner than might have been expected.
He came into the reservation with his band, urged his young men
to enlist as government scouts, and assisted materially in all
negotiations. The hostile chiefs no longer influenced his
action, and as soon as they had all been brought under military
control, General Crook named Spotted Tail head chief of the
Sioux, thus humiliating Red Cloud and arousing jealousy and
ill-feeling among the
Ogallala. In order to avoid trouble, he prudently separated
himself from the other bands, and moved to the new agency on
Beaver Creek (Fort Sheridan, Nebraska), which was called
"Spotted Tail Agency."
Just before the daring war leader,
Crazy Horse, surrendered to the military, he went down to
the agency and roundly rebuked Spotted Tail for signing away the
freedom of his people. From the point of view of the
irreconcilables, the diplomatic chief was a "trimmer" and a
traitor; and many of the Sioux have tried to implicate him in
the conspiracy against Crazy Horse which led to his
assassination, but I hold that the facts do not bear out this
charge.
The name of Spotted Tail was prominently before the
people during the rest of his life. An obscure orphan, he had
achieved distinction by his bravery and sagacity; but he copied
the white politician too closely after he entered the
reservation. He became a good manipulator, and was made
conceited and overbearing by the attentions of the military and
of the general public. Furthermore, there was an old feud in his
immediate band which affected him closely. Against him for many
years were the followers of Big Mouth, whom he had killed in a
duel; and also a party led by a son and a nephew of the old
chief, Conquering Bear, whom Spotted Tail had succeeded at his
death. These two men had hoped that one or the other of them
might obtain the succession.
Crow Dog, the nephew of Conquering Bear, more than once
taunted Spotted Tail with the fact that he was chief not by the
will of the tribe, but by the help of the white soldiers, and
told him that he would "keep a bullet for him" in case he ever
disgraced his high position. Thus retribution lay in wait for
him while at the height of his fame. Several high-handed actions
of his at this time, including his elopement with another man's
wife, increased his unpopularity with a large element of his own
tribe. On the eve of the chief's departure for Washington, to
negotiate (or so they suspected) for the sale of more of their
land, Crow Dog took up his gun and fulfilled his threat,
regarding himself, and regarded by his supporters, not as a
murderer, but as an executioner.
Such was the end of the man who may justly be called the
Pontiac of the west. He possessed a remarkable mind and
extraordinary foresight for an untutored savage; and yet he is
the only one of our great men to be remembered with more honor
by the white man, perhaps, than by his own people.
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