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THE MINERAL INDEPENDENTio:ThouIneidELNOO ACE WHERE in America today there is an ancient fold watch—a rare Jheirioom piece—which fif-ured in a train of events thai ended with the death of two ienduring the Custer massacre in June 1870. Billy Mitchell of Livingston 4mii«the story. Billy came to Montana in 1874: in the summer he chopped wood for the steamboats Benton-bound up the Missouri river; In winter he hunted buffalo for their hides. He was in eastern Montana and in North Dakota during the time of the events involving the watch—even then an ancient timepiece.It was in 1874,” says Billy, “that a surveying crew scouting the route of the proposed Northern Pacific railway was camped at an old cantonment north of the Yellowstone and a little below where Glendive now stands. A detachment of troops under Custer’scommand was military guard for thethe Northern Pacificverterlnarian namedsurveyors. Inparty was aHoltzinger.“Both civilians and soldiers were under orders not to leave camp while the preliminary survey was under wav. except in working parties unde quate guard.“But Holtzinger and the camp______chafed under the restrictions. They wanted some excitement. One dai they left camp, intending to go a little way. They got to chasing antelope and soon were some distance away northwest of where Glendive now is A band of renegade Sioux, looking foi trouble, came upon them. Both rheri were killed.of men to the agency to learn cause of the delav. YiCAPTBrother of Gen. George A. Custer who was sent to Standing Klt;* k agency to arrest Rain-in- the-face.“When they failed to return to camp a detachment was sent in searcn ol them. They were found mutilated and robbed. The bodies were returned tc camp and buried, and relatives were notified.Holtzinger’s relatives In an eastern state wrote to Custer that their unfortunate relative had carried a highly prized gold watch, a family heirloom; they would like very much that It be recovered and returned to them. Orderswere sent to all posts to be on the lookout for It.‘In the fall of 1875 an Indian entered the post at the Standing Rock44agency in South Dakota and proffered*or sale or trade for goods. The po6t trader suspected it was the Holtzinger watch. He stalled the In-dlan off, and sent word to Custer that had reason to believe he could re-er the watch and get a wanted prisoner at the agency.General Custer, then at Fort Lincoln sent his brother, Capt. Tom Custer, and Puddin’head Charley Reynolds to Standing Rock to get the watch and bring in the prisoner. CharleyReynolds was a scout who died fighting with Reno’s command at the Custer massacre. The men remained for sometime at the agency, but the Indian did not show up again.Becoming impatient, General Custer Captain Yates and a-detachmentates piad been there but few days when the Indian appeared again. The trader pointed him out to Reynolds, and when he again entered the po6t he was grabbed and turned over to Captain Yates as the senior officer present.“Captain Yates prepared for immediate departure for Fort Lincoln, but before he could leave a note was handed him which said: '“ Do not leave the post tonight.’ “Yates heeded the warning andeaced the prisoner under heavy guard. ■ the morning he received another note warning him to stay in the open and away from the badlands for the safety of himself and his men.“Subsequent investigation revealed that an Indian girl, educated at Carlisle, had written the notes after discovering the plot of several braves to waylay and massacre Captain Yates party and rescue the prisoner. The girl had been much with white people she explained, and didn’t want to see any white men killed.■■ te detachment returned safely to Lincoln and the watch was returned to Holtzinger’s relatives.“The Indian thief was placed In the guard house and it was not long before he was identified as Rain-in-the-Face, who later was to gain considerable fame.“Capt. Tom Custer took a violent dislike to the Indian, and when he was in charge of the guard and handling prisoners, he put Rain-in-the-Face at the most menial degrading tasks he could devise. Rain-in-the-Face resented441Rangers Let Their HairDown and Tell Some ofSeason’s Prize BonersBILLY MITCHELLwoodchopper, railroad worker and trader, now a prominent citizen of Livingston.About this time of the year the experts in Yellowstone park suffer a letdown from the season-long barrage of tourist questions and let the cat out or the bag about the ‘‘boners” thevtgftan pun.This year’s award for the most foolish query propounded by a park guest goes to the lady who asked: “where can I see the talking bear?” After she had read a sign in the Canyon ranger station, “Bear Talk, 7:00 O'clock.” It was explained that not a bear but aranger-naturalist would do the talk-Hflt;At Mammoth Hot Springs a mank ^tently studying the terracesbuilt through the years by the hot springs suddenly asked: “Is there a lime factory on that hill?’'Hung on Sky-HooksA motorist on his way to visit the Grand canyon of the Yellowstone wanted to know “which side of the river is the canyon on?”And that reminded a ranger of the time he was directing a lady to a scenic point. He had told her to followtne trail to the river then pmccand not like the creatures in the zoos back home.• A stock question the rangers have to answer is: What time 3o they let the bears out?”As old as the custom is with the bearsthe ranger-naturalists have a hard time getting tourists to believe the animals sleep all winter.Boatmen on Yellowstone lake are^ ^Pjain the whiter at a certainseason of the year tepollen fromflowers and not fish Then of course, there’s the hardyKrenmal old gag about the glacial ulder near the canyon of the Yellowstone.41What’s that?’’ asked a tourist, pointing to the huge, roundish boulder resting in solitude among some trees.“That’s a glacial boulder,” the ranger replies. • .....Well, where’s the glacier?”Gone back for morp hnnlrtorc 994444 4:jgled out for humiliation I’ll cut yoalso in the guard housebridge. “Which e bridge on?*he told Tom CusterSome day I’ll cut your» man named Hanna. _ known along the frontier and llowed the popular pastime ofpiece of get his distinguished him from his friends was the fact that he was unfortunate enoughwas beinger. Hannas friends didn’t want him to go to I^avenworth prison, for he really was a likeable fellow. Spies discovered the guard routine, and a purse was made up to bribe a certain soldier to be looking the other way’ on his tour of night duty on post.Hanna’s friends rushed the guard house and secured their comrade. They discovered they would also have to Rain-in-the-Face, too, becausethe Dridge on?” she asked.A ranger who had just given a group of tourists the figures of the height of the Upper and Lower falls of the Yellowstone river was at a loss to answer this one—“Well, how high would that be at a lower altitude?”~ ‘ “ ‘ puzzle visitors most.25 TEACHERS RETIREDThe state teachers’ retirement board at a recent meetlmr approved the applications of 25 public school teachers for retirement andpT«cclt;i L1 othcr* °a the disability list. The retired teachers, it was stated, would re-celve pensions of approximately $450 a yearA r£eer explaining that it had taken10,000 years to build Old Faithful’s coneWOMEN WHO HOLD4444could be removed to Fargo for trial76 Hachains. Safely away from the fort, chains were cut. Hanna's friendswas stumped whencommented, “ThenTHEIR MEN»»In the spring of 1876 Hanna In-in-the-Face were chained fcogethtook care of him, I ______Face was left to shift for himself oidn t care about returning toStanding R/irk qtrt mimU.Playing with FireA lady was watching an electrically-illuminated eruption of Old Faithful one night and was heard to assure her son. “No, they didn’t light a matchNEVER LET THEM KNOWNO matter how much your back aches and your nerves «un. your husband, because he •nly a man, can never under-
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Superior Mineral Independent
Superior, Montana, US
Thu, Sep 30, 1937
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USA 25 Jul 2020
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Superior Mineral Independent
