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Sioux headman

Leader of a band of Sioux warriors[1] on the Great Sioux Reservation in 1875. (October 27, 1835 – July 8, 1910)[2]

A proud and determined man, who believed the Black Hills to be sacred to his people.[1]

In July of 1875,[2] the headman and his band of Sioux warriors discovered Bret Maverick riding out of the Black Hills. Since white men were considered trespassers on the land ceded to the Sioux by the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie, they gave chase.[1]

Bret made a run[1] for the Nebraska border,[2] where he intended to meet Linda Harris on the Tomah stage arriving at the Packsaddle Station a few days hence. But the Sioux were relentless and chased him for two days across the Dakota plains.[1]

As he rode, Bret began dropping gold nuggets from the Harris Mine in an attempt to distract the Sioux and slow them down. They continued their pursuit and Bret killed two of them in self defense.[1]

Bret managed to elude the Sioux and arrive at the Packsaddle Station in safety, but the Sioux were on his track. They believed "Tall One with Yellow Coat," as they called Bret, may have been on the Tomah stage west-bound for Twin Bluffs. They gave chase to the stage, attacked and burned it, killing the driver and all its passengers.[1]

Not finding Yellow Coat, the headman ordered his Sioux to turn back to the Packsaddle Station. Finding Bret's horse in the corral, the headman ordered an attack on the station. He demanded the station turn Yellow Coat over to them and they would leave in peace.[1]

To appease the the headman, Mart and Rip Fallon dressed the dead body of Matson in Bret's hat, shirt and yellow buckskin coat and threw it to the Sioux. The headman was satisfied that, even though he was dead, they had found their quarry. They tied the corpse by the feet and the Sioux rode off, dragging Matson's body away.[1]

See: Stage West