the ghost dance religion was not limited to the cheyennes. it spread throughout the plains tribes. settlers living close to reservations became concerned that it would lead to a new indian uprising and called on the army to intervene. indian dances had been made illegal by the indian religious crimes code, 1883, and remained so until 1934. white fear of the movement resulted in confrontation between the army and the sioux and led to the killing of the hunkpapa sioux chief sitting bull and the wounded knee massacre in december 1890. at porcupine's location on the northern cheyenne reservation, reinforcements were sent from fort keogh to the lame deer agency. the army sent sgt. willis rowland, a mixed-blood cheyenne-white scout, to gather intelligence on porcupine's preaching. rowland joined porcupine's church and was baptised into it. rowland disliked the deceitfulness of his mission; "i hated to do this, but it seemed like it was the best way." after three days, he reported back to his superiors that porcupine's preaching was entirely peaceful and that nobody was talking about fighting whites. nevertheless, the ghost dance was stopped by the government. the northern cheyenne sometimes succeeded in holding an illegal ghost dance by convincing soldiers trying to break it up that it was some different dance.