Pike Landusky - Part 3

Originally published in the Hysham Echo on May 26, 1927 by Dan R. Conway

Trapper and Wolfer

It was in 1868 that Landusky pulled away from the Diamond R people and Last Chance. Forming a partnership with another soldier of fortune in the wilderness - John Wirt - he went down the Missouri river to the vicinity of the mouth of the Musselshell and engaged in trapping and wolfing. Wirt was a well known pioneer of the gold camps and in the Indian infested country of eastern central Montana. Level-headed, cool and fearless, he was quite the opposite type to the impulsive, reckless Landusky.

This new occupation furnished the youthful “Pike” with ample excitement from the very start. Hostile Sioux Indians were continuous in their raids upon the camps of white trappers and woodhawks at the mouth of the Musselshell, and trapping operations were ever attended by dangers of the most adventurous brand. By the late fall of 1868, Landusky and Wirt had accumulated fur worth more than $800 at the current prices and these they placed in a “cache” on Holly Flat, near the mouth of the Musselshell on the Missouri, while they made a trip to the new town of Carroll to secure supplies. With their furs and pelts they also hid their camp outfits and most of their other possessions.

Punishing a Sioux Warrior

During their absence a war party of 18 Brule Sioux discovered the “cache,” seized the camp outfit and cut the furs up for their own personal use as leggings, etc. Upon their return, as Landusky and Wirt approached the cache on Holly Flat, they were met by the Sioux war party. The Indians were all painted and striped for fight, and they surrounded the trapper pair, escorting them across the river, the chief designating a place for Landusky and Wirt to camp. They were prisoners, but on their refusal to give up their guns, the matter was not vigorously pressed by the Sioux.

The white men were given some buffalo meat, and Landusky cooked it for supper for himself and Wirt. As it was frying in the pan, a Sioux reached over “Pike’s” shoulder and seized the meat for himself. Thereupon, Landusky flew into one of his uncontrollable fits of passion. Seizing the heavy frying pan, he struck the Indian over the head with it, splattering him with grease. Then grabbing his gun, he pocked it into the Indian’s stomach and knocked him down. He then seized the Indian by the breech-clout, pulled it off and whipped him over the head and face with it. This was the worst insult he could offer an Indian warrior.

At once Wirt concluded that the end for both of them had arrived, but he resolved to die gamely; and while the fight was in progress, he stood by cool and determined, with his rifle cocked and lying over his arm. The Sioux chief rushed over and told him to make Landusky stop at once. “My young men’s hearts are bad and they will kill you both,” he said.
Wirt merely pointed to Landusky who was still punishing the warrior, and said “wha-sta,” meaning “It is good.”

Bad Medicine

At this moment, while the Sioux were hurrying over from their camp one of the warriors pointed to Landusky and made the sign for “crazy man.” He believed (and very reasonably so) that only a man without his senses would take such chances. This explanation of “Pike’s” ungovernable rage was accepted by the remainder of the Sioux; and as all plains Indians were possessed of a superstitious fear regarding a crazy person, and as it is against their medicine and religious beliefs to harm a person so afflicted, they immediately caught up their horses and fled. This war party of the Sioux were on their way to the Crow country to steal horses, and they sought the good favor of the Great Spirit on such an expedition. Thus, they wanted to be free from the influences of a crazy man. Ten days later, they returned after a successful raid, and presented Landusky and Wirt with 16 horses to compensate for the harm they had done them by destroying their furs.
From this day forward, however, despite the amends made by this war party, the hatred of Pike and his partner for the Sioux knew no bounds, and Pike thereupon declared a feud against these particular tribesmen that lasted for years. To the time of his death he hated the Sioux nation.

“Flopping Bill”

These two continued to trap together for some time with good success; but finally they parted. Three years following this incident with the Sioux war party, Landusky started out in pursuit of the inglorious profession of horse thief. In this capacity he operated with another noted character of those early days - a man whose real name was William Cantrell, but who was known on the cattle ranges and along the river a “Flopping Bill.” Cantrell was undoubtedly as tough a character as you could have found in a week’s ride in those parts. Later he gained considerable notoriety as a contracted executioner of horse and cattle thieves. At the time he and Landusky became partners, he was a wolfer and woodhawk on the Missouri.
Landusky and “Flopping Bill” started down the Missouri toward Polar river, and quite suddenly and unexpectedly encountered a party of three or four Sioux Indians coming up the river. Pike recognized among their number the Indian who had taken his meat from the frying pan three years previously. In an instant he had thrown his rifle to his shoulder and shot the warrior through the heart. The other members to he Indian party beat a hasty retreat, and Pike proceeded at once to scalp his victim. Not content with this, he cut the body open, extracted the Indian’s bladder, and later tanned it, using it for a tobacco pouch to the day of his death.

Lucky Fort on Flatwillow

Pike, during the years which followed divided his time between trapping, hunting and woodhawking till 1880, when with a man by the name of Joe Hamilton, and an Indian trader named John Healy he built old Lucky Fort trading post on Flatwillow creek, about 70 miles southeast of Lewistown. It was at this post and on December 8, 1880 that Pike was crippled and almost lost his life. Joe Hamilton was a man of iron nerve, but withal jovial and kind. In his head flashed a pair of dark, steel-gray eyes, which seemed to look clear through you; and at once commanded unqualified respect. He was a natural born leader, having command over both white and Indian wherever he happened to be. Joe was married to an Indian woman, whom he had named “Pocahontas,” and that added to his standing among the natives.

That autumn following the completion of Lucky Fort, a hunting party of about 150 Piegans and 20 squaws under the leadership of White Calf arrived at the post; the white men were driving a good trade with the natives and business bore promising aspects until -

At this particular time there were four white men at the post, Pike Landusky, Joe Hamilton, John Healy and Him H. Boucher. Pike and Healy had been up all night dealing with the Indians who refused to leave the fort so long as they had furs to trade and the supply of trade goods held out. It seems that after some parleying, trouble arose between Pike and a young Piegan brave. (Landusky afterwards declared that the warrior tried to stab him in the back.) At any rate, he knocked the young Indian down, and in the throes of one of his typical fits of rage, hurled chunks of wood at him. The Indian escaped into the brush. Immediately pandemonium broke loose. Healy made a flying run for Hamilton and Boucher, who were eating breakfast in the kitchen which was housed in a separate building. When Hamilton arrived at the store, White Calf and a subchief named Running Rabbit were coming out and he noticed that the two Indians were bleeding from cuts about the head. Pike was shouting loudly and seemed transformed into a veritable demon. Joe closed the door and shouted to Pike: “Now keep that door locked and your mouth shut, and this thing will blow over in a little while.”

Battle of Flatwillow

Leaving Pike alone in the store to cool off, Healy went to the kitchen while Hamilton proceeded to try out his diplomatic powers with the Indians. He was apparently succeeding very well when White Calf appeared upon the scene and announced his intention to go to the store. Joe protested, but immediately a number of Indians picked him up bodily and carried him to a wagon that was standing between the kitchen and the creek. There they laid him down. He immediately got to his feet and fled to the kitchen.

About this time, White Calf secured a small tree and started to paraded up and down in front of the store. The sapling was about 12 feet long and White Calf was dragging it by the small end. Suddenly he stopped beside the door and crashed the stick through the small window which furnished light for the room.

Pike Wounded

This was evidently too much for Pike. He snatched a Winchester from the gun rack and advanced to the window which was so small that he was able to get only his head and one shoulder through. In this position, however, he opened a lively fusillade in the vicinity. He shot three times at White Calf, who ran dodging, and was not hit. At this moment, the young Indian who had been a party to the first altercation, and who had been awaiting his opportunity, shot at Pike from cover of the brush. The bullet struck Landusky on the chin, shattering the right jawbone.
Pike jumped back into the trade room, and when Healy and Hamilton who had heard the shooting, rushed into the post, they found Pike sitting on the floor loading his Winchester.
“Are you hurt, Pike?” asked Joe.
The answer was something that sounded like “Yes.” Then both Pike and Hamilton opened fire upon the Piegans. The first shot from Pike’s gun dropped an Indian and this unfortunately happened to be White Calf’s squaw; but that was his last shot in this “Battle of Flatwillow,” for before he could reload his weapon, another Indian’s bullet found a mark in his body.
“Joe, I’m gone!” he said, as he grabbed the counter for support. His companions then assisted him to a bunk. Just after this had been accomplished, Pike flew into another of his fits of rage over his condition. Clutching his mouth with his fingers, he gave a yank and threw something hard upon the floor. From his jaw, a piece of shattered bone, to which were attached flour teeth. This he had thrown away. (Cont. next week) Print this post