The Mystery of Blue Bird
The following is a true crime story from Montana in 1902. It has all the elements of a modern cold case crime scene investigation. Maybe someone should send it to Forensic Files.
DATELINE: Havre, Montana 1902:
What was to be his tomb with a SKELETON OF BLUE BIRD
Remains Found in a Canyon in the Bad Lands Proves to be That of Blue Bird, a Half Breed. HE STOLE BELKNAP HORSES Was Followed by a Band of Revengeful Reds and Died Fiercely Fighting for His Life.
With a bullet through his head, a gaping wound in his chest, Blue Bird, the renegade breed and ex-government scout, breathed his last as the chilling wind of a December morning sifted the frozen snow over his chilled form. Pursued by men of his own blood over bench and coulee, weak and dying, he took refuge behind a huge rock, and at each bark of his trusty rifle a redskin bit the dust. The life spark snuffed out as the radiant sun cut a glorious vision through the crisp winter air.
This is not the exordium of a dime novel, but the record of the death of Blue Bird, a half-breed killed by the Belknap Indians during the winter of 1887, and over whose body a coroner's jury held an inquest last Saturday, says the Havre Eagle.
Suspected of duplicity by the government officials and officers at Fort Assiniboine, he was discharged as a government scout. A month later found him working by night and resting by day until he had gathered up a band of "I.D." horses belonging to the Belknaps*. These he drove west until he reached Chinook, where the Indians overtook him and recovered the horses.
A band of braves, seeking his blood, took after him, kept the trail so hot that he was many times exposed to their unerring aim. Reaching a point on the river where Toledo Is now located, he started up the big coulee for the bad lands. When exhausted from loss of blood and exposure and unable to travel further, Blue Bird crawled behind a huge rock and the wall of the ledge and intrenched himself. At either opening he piled up rocks and brush, covering the top of what was to be his tomb with a tent, securely pinning the canvas down with heavy rocks. Through an opening in the rock he thrust his gun and for two days kept a band of seven indians at bay, killing four of them. The remaining three retreated, and Blue Bird later died from wounds which he had previously received.
The coroner's Jury found the body entrenched behind the rock, his saddle standing leatherless and the skeleton of his faithful pinto pony a few hundred yards away. All were whitened by the passing of time, the maggots of dissolution doing well their work. Twenty-seven empty 50 caliber cartridges, of the pattern used in the army carbine of a decade ago were found on a little knoll five yards from the body. Bits of strap and leather belonging to the saddle and chewed into pieces by the coyotes, lay about the open grave.
The coroner's Jury assembled about the open hole, one of their number handed up the bones and laid them in the coffin. The skull was intact except for the bullet hole through the side. Two of the ribs were splattered, and upon portions of the blue army coat worn by the dead man were found blotches of blood. These blotches were also found upon pieces of the canvas tent. They could only be identified after polishing off a coating of green. A part of one moccason, two rawhide strings, as well as a bone charm which hung around the arm, were found. The clothes, blanket and cotton batting quilt were found in fragments, all of them so rotten saddle colored that It was difficult to say what their original color was. The dead man, as close as could be judged wore a brown pair of trousers, an army coat, good underwear, heavy Scotch socks and moccasins. The army coat was the only article of apparel that retained Its color. His cap was not found. With the bones were found what was once a hair brush, a large Bowie knife, a tin cup and a tin pan. The teeth in the skull were all in an excellent state of preservation: the collar bone and right arm gave evidence of being fractured at one time. From the size of the bones It was apparent that the dead man was about five feet nine Inches in height, and of heavy build. The body was interred and the Jury took the evidence of several persons who had any knowledge that could relate to the dead man. Albert Davie testified that a year ago last fall a man came to his ranch late at night in a half froze condition. Mr. Davie provided him a night's lodging and breakfast. He believed him to be the man who robbed the Harlem stage. Soon after the stranger left the house a snow storm set in. developing into a blizzard. He was never heard of again. John Lynch, who guided the jury to the body, testified that he first discovered the remains more than a year ago while hunting coyotes. Thinking the body that of an Indian, he said nothing about it, but later when he heard that the body had been found but could not be located again, he was sure he could find it. He knew nothing of the identity of the body. An employee of the Auld ranch testified that he had often ridden through the coulee but had never seen the body before. He had tried to drive a pinto horse out of the coulee several times but the horse always returned to the spot. The Jury found that the dead man came to his death by some means unknown to them. There was no evidence given at the inquest that would throw the least light upon the identity of the dead man. The Plalndealer has secured authentic Information, however, since the inquest was held that the body is none other than that of the outlaw breed.
Louis Shambo**, one of the pioneers of northern Montana, knew Blue Bird well and remembers the incidents connected with his taking off distinctly, and has passed the place where he fell many times. Shambo and Blue Bird were government scouts at the same time.
*The “Belknaps would be the Gros Ventre and Assiniboine tribes of the Fort Belknap Agency.
**Louis Shambo (or Shambow) was the Scout who guided Colonel Nelson Miles to the Nez Perce camp on Snake Creek’ in 1877. This resulted in the Battle of the Bears Paw where Chief Joseph and his band were defeated. Shambo later settled in Havre, Montana.
Fergus County Argus. (Lewistown, Mont.), 20 Aug. 1902.
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