nd arousing jealousy and ill-feeling among the
Ogallalas. In order to avoid trouble, he prudently separated himself
from the other bands, and moved to the new agency on Beaver Creek (Fort
Sheridan, Nebraska), which was called "Spotted Tail Agency."

Just before the daring war leader, Crazy Horse, surrendered to the
military, he went down to the agency and roundly rebuked Spotted Tail
for signing away the freedom of his people. From the point of view of
the irreconcilables, the diplomatic chief was a "trimmer" and a traitor;
and many of the Sioux have tried to implicate him in the conspiracy
against Crazy Horse which led to his assassination, but I hold that the
facts do not bear out this charge.

The name of Spotted Tail was prominently before the people during the
rest of his life. An obscure orphan, he had achieved distinction by his
bravery and sagacity; but he copied the white politician too closely
after he entered the reservation. He became a good manipulator, and was
made conceited and overbearing by the attentions of the military and of
the general public. Furthermore, there was an old feud in his immediate
band which affected him closely. Against him for many years were the
followers of Big Mouth, whom he had killed in a duel; and also a party
led by a son and a nephew of the old chief, Conquering Bear, whom
Spotted Tail had succeeded at his death. These two men had hoped that
one or the other of them might obtain the succession.

Crow Dog, the nephew of Conquering Bear, more than once taunted Spotted
Tail with the fact that he was chief not by the will of the tribe, but
by the help of the white soldiers, and told him that he would "keep
a bullet for him" in case he ever disgraced his high position. Thus
retribution lay in wait for him while at the height of his fame. Several
high-handed actions of his at this time, including his elopement with
another man's wife, increased his unpopularity with a large element of
his own tribe. On the eve of the chief's departure for Washington, to
negotiate (or so they suspected) for the sale of more of their land,
Crow Dog took up his gun and fulfilled his threat, regarding
himself, and regarded by his supporters, not as a murderer, but as an
executioner.

Such was the end of the man who may justly be called the Pontiac of the
west. He possessed a remarkable mind and extraordinary foresight for
an untutored savage; and yet he is the only one of our great men to be
rememb