New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-07-20

in the early evening Of warm and pleasant sprng time
Awhile .sey 81. dance and sing together. ana tbsr
the circle ia broken into semi-crcles The femse lie
Of which broken into arcs, the dar cling round
in front Of the men, and the girls Tide before the
women In the pauses for rest tb. merry perfo,msrs
would shock all your notions Of indian prsyty by lean
Ing exchanging knowing o".s and apnroying oisncas
and II gances 90 TOR ming the Indian Lover woes
" his dusky mate rdltary fashion, (sce the Night
before me inc oS'.tie of Waterloo") at the scalp
dance: Inc bcidame who bore the scalp at
the inter.udes would gaze at il with pleased
face, and deliver some contemptuous address
One time. as interpreted, she said Where is your
"brotherl Why don't he come to save you from
"tbis indgnityT Another time she said You
have been at many such dances yourself l am very
"old and yet / live to enjoy this" The young
ladies' in their part laughed and ogled, and made
fun at each other about breaks and dis
cords very much like lot Of school girls exhi-
bition day. Only the Indian girl is never boisterOus.
After seeing the dance We went to meeting; the
gregaticn half hundred were assembled in unin-
shed edifce intended to subserve for time the double
purpose Of meeting house and school house. The au
6ience presented that American look which distln-
cuisines occasionally societies in the West recent of
shoots of the East The religion Of Jesus Christ; the
sublime and eleyating doctrine Of forgiveness of eBe-
mics; peace and goodwill never to me with such
force arrayed in such loneliness, as while / sat with
the little band of Christians listening hymns of praise
and love within and to the wild songs OF the religion of
hatred and revenge from without.
In the afternoon the bands had ball play.
There were probably fifty side; pretty much all
OF them in "undress uniform" naked except the
breech-clout and ornaments. Some wore feathers in
their hair some their hair trine curly either by
ture or art hung in profuson about their shoulders
Here is fellow rejoicing in display OF wild ami
mails tails about his IONS and there another with them
ourisbng his ankles while many sport little strings
OF bells at their waists And all, nearly
painted stped barred, botched and daubed about the
face and els with black yellow and red so as to set
description at naught
The Indian ball club is curiosity. very correct
notion of il may be formed in this way. hickory
walking stick with bent top the nearest approxima
ton Suppose the top to be bent round untit touched
the stal so form little hoop three inches in da
ameter perhaps. Pare this hoop quite thin, and, if
the hoop be an inch and half in width; at three
quarters from either edge perlorae with little holes
at short distances al round, aud through these from
side TO side draw strings ntersectng as 10 form
network sufficiently lax to give way to the ball when
the hoop is clapped down over It, Whichever side 1t
hsppens making basket or sling III which the ball IS
caught and you have the Indian ball club 1t is used
not as bat but a sling. Each player carries one.
Now for the mode of using it: The road running from
the river back over the prairie was, IN this instance,
the dividing line At equal distances ON either side
bounds were set And the parties take their places
these TIE north side OF the road those on the SOUTH
The object Of each is carry the ball over the adverse
line: that constitutes the game, and four IN seven WINS
The ball opens; athlete hoops 1t and swinging his
club lightly round and round in the manner OF sling,
the OF through tnc WHICH ithis
is the Qac> an adversary from behind hits his club
rap TO the chagrn Of the protector producing a sud
den abortion Then there ~ rush and scramble Tor me
prize-heads together, and clubs cncking ana scui-
ding in desperate conusoD much Ike boys al inc same
game when "Over fence is ont" Or nsted OF at
temptipe TO throw the ball. he being good on foot sets
of 10 run with it. The issue now hangs on heetness
II all pursucrs dstanced and nterloPers avoided,
the goal may be gained or ut least approached 80 as TO
enable the runner to send the ball the ne butt
CHANCES are against him. He runs, whirling the club
rapidly as he flies and it sometimes happens that, nd-
ing himself toe holly pursued he stops sudSeny' ana
giving the club deXteT0Us turn round MS Hcad scnds
the apple Of dscOrd flying through the SKY to TALL ut
the feet Of another group TO be squabbied over raced
for thrown again TO another group, and only REIN
auisbed when the seven times are fulfilled.
Among these athletic looking young chaps-and Ger
gtainiy there are some fne-ioohne ieo"s among .nG
people might no doubt md
Tpcss and War Eagles plenty; nave MT seen
them Altogether, what with the = Due SKY over
/" head " the green earth on winch we Tread the
noyety of the game, the fantastic array the s,owiS
ic and he constant " naturalization OF the bells az
they ran TO ballpay, was scene to be rehemoered'
Another amusement Of theirs is feeting about over
the prairie their ponies, war cruz III III manu- anu
strings of bells about the ponies nechs. ae Az
s;s r,po some ten hundred Indians at traverse des
Sioux You will ask why are they moi at 'he agency,
nlautnp their corn and potatoes Ine' scou Po'"oc'
have moi gone up yet and part OF 'neI. p"n'S w. I
I,;py Mt Traverse waiting transportation: INC III
sttsns ia 8 m
x;s;ons Tie growth of tie settlement Is retarded ny
t n t;cb tbeir nppcarancc strikes into those un
accustomed 70 suchetlngs, and the shahe,u pusha-
49,. Ia ,y;ckpd neglect Of Major g. X Murphy
Ind;an Agent. is the cause. Where is th,s emciepV
aS.;,;,stor of public affairs Is he still below buy,
nc stock for speculation? Is he SICK Is nc aeau
In either case where is Gov. Gorman NC nv
ra, Sm,.,ipepdent OF Indian Affairs imeh why uon
~. sn,rrutenS Major Murphy's case Inc people up
here besin to want TO know something ABOUT .ns, %
ms 20 nrepare for the upshot and issue oi He mater
H., Ing are the settlements to be harrassed 'he III
a;sns cheated and abused, by men capaoie ON! o cs
of inefsNiency and injustice
Tie nav fort is forty miles west OF Traverse anu
nesr the Agency. The officers, understand sre to
IsLle Efficient men, who know their duty ana no It,
De-, uo could MT have a West Point man, VINO mas
been in the Indian country, for Agent here
Tho supplies for the fort and Agency are ware
h.n,eJ here and transported by teams ABOUT twenty
tsms are all that can be raised ana thcre are al
n,ase,t several hundred turs 10 be hauled. Team
uuo,k is hgh-four and five dollars per day. anu nv
dollars per acre for breaking horse teei"s ~"
Wr"n and four hundred dollars. Ok teams one
.u,'sroS N ore hundred and fifty Sc. Cows from
,;t IN CITY: and provisions of all sorts IN proportion
C,s;ns have sold at from one hundred TO one thou
IA 1,uars One hundred and sixty acres is the claim
mn here Town lots selling at from MY 10 one
hundred dollars. To any man however, VINO VIII ii''
,pcd;ately improve by building lot IS gwen
Tic ere now some fifty buildings here including
49,. nn,, ,ncdious warehouses; another Is beng btuu
TIE nopulation is probably two hundred or more
rbs,s are two towns laid out at this point traverse
- c;ou, and Rock Band" or st. Peters; the la''er
ees ~ n,n.r town and has been recently surveyed
y INC iill;no viii he done there this season-steam
80 mill and grist mill among the improvements
raN ", g for this season. Both towns VIII