The Brules 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 Brules 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 1860-1864the Southern Cheyennes and Comanches were at war with the whites,and some of the Brules and Ogallalas,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 Cheyennes,Comanches,and Kiowas were all upon the warpath.
