Colony, April 14, Little Bear's statement. I got up at daylight to go out to where our ponies were left in the evening by my bro-in-law, Tomahawk. He told me where he had left them and said they would not go very far from there. It took me a little while to dress up. I started across the creek but when I got up on the hill I met Knig Fisher running back toward the camp. He told me a lot of white men were driving off the herds and as he spoke I looked toward Ft Lyon Trail, south of the village, and saw a long black line moving toward us. Then I knew soldiers were coming to attack the village. I ran back to the village as fast as I could and found the people all fleeing up the creek. A good many of the men did not leave until the soldiers entered the camp. I ran past Black K's lodge and saw he had a flag up, tied to a lodge-pole, and he was holding it. I ran to our lodge where I found my bonnet, shield and quiver of arrows all ready. My father Bear Tongue had just been making a lot of arms to me. I had taken my pistol with me when I went out after the ponies and now I took my other weapons. By this time soldiers were shooting at everybody, and while I was putting on my war-bonnet and taking my weapons bullets were hitting the lodge like hail-stones When I left the lodge I ran behind the lodge so the troops could not get good shots at me. When I got to the creek bank I saw Big Head, Crow Neck, Cut-lip-bear and Smoke standing behind the bank, so I joined them. At first the soldiers fired at us, the mounted and followed the main body of Indian up the creek. We were in the west end of the village, not over 100 yrds from the lodges; the cr ran north of the village at this point and the people were running up it toward the north. The soldiers had come from s of the village. We ran across the cr toward a b high bank; but when we reached it soldiers came upon us us again, from all sides. Big Head and the others continued to run west, but I, seeing the main party of people going north, went in that direction with about 20 soldiers after me. Big Head and all s his party crossed the hill and ran into a large party of troops and were all killed. About 2 ms up the cr I came where the people were, with breastworks thrown up on the bed of the cr. On the way here the feathers of my bonnet were and several shots went thro my shield, but I was not hit. On the way I saw many women and children, dead and dying. They soldiers had not scalped them yet. After the fight I saw 2 or 3 soldiers together, standing over the dead as tho they were scalping them, and I saw an old woman who had been scalped and was walking., around, but could not see where to go. All her hair had been cut off. After we got into the holes not many of us were killed, but all who did not reach the hole were killed.
inscription_text
Colony, April 14, Little Bear's statement. I got up at daylight to go out to where our ponies were left in the evening by my bro-in-law, Tomahawk. He told me where he had left them and said they would not go very far from there. It took me a little while to dress up. I started across the creek but when I got up on the hill I met Knig Fisher running back toward the camp. He told me a lot of white men were driving off the herds and as he spoke I looked toward Ft Lyon Trail, south of the village, and saw a long black line moving toward us. Then I knew soldiers were coming to attack the village. I ran back to the village as fast as I could and found the people all fleeing up the creek. A good many of the men did not leave until the soldiers entered the camp. I ran past Black K's lodge and saw he had a flag up, tied to a lodge-pole, and he was holding it. I ran to our lodge where I found my bonnet, shield and quiver of arrows all ready. My father Bear Tongue had just been making a lot of arms to me. I had taken my pistol with me when I went out after the ponies and now I took my other weapons. By this time soldiers were shooting at everybody, and while I was putting on my war-bonnet and taking my weapons bullets were hitting the lodge like hail-stones When I left the lodge I ran behind the lodge so the troops could not get good shots at me. When I got to the creek bank I saw Big Head, Crow Neck, Cut-lip-bear and Smoke standing behind the bank, so I joined them. At first the soldiers fired at us, the mounted and followed the main body of Indian up the creek. We were in the west end of the village, not over 100 yrds from the lodges; the cr ran north of the village at this point and the people were running up it toward the north. The soldiers had come from s of the village. We ran across the cr toward a b high bank; but when we reached it soldiers came upon us us again, from all sides. Big Head and the others continued to run west, but I, seeing the main party of people going north, went in that direction with about 20 soldiers after me. Big Head and all s his party crossed the hill and ran into a large party of troops and were all killed. About 2 ms up the cr I came where the people were, with breastworks thrown up on the bed of the cr. On the way here the feathers of my bonnet were and several shots went thro my shield, but I was not hit. On the way I saw many women and children, dead and dying. They soldiers had not scalped them yet. After the fight I saw 2 or 3 soldiers together, standing over the dead as tho they were scalping them, and I saw an old woman who had been scalped and was walking., around, but could not see where to go. All her hair had been cut off. After we got into the holes not many of us were killed, but all who did not reach the hole were killed.
Inscription Text
false