Rapides gazette. (Alexandria, La.) 1869-187?, 1872-07-13
A White Squaw.

The Kansas City Times of the 10Th
contains the following history of the
married life of Mrs. "squatting
Bear"
Tho steamer FOntenelle arrived at
this city yesterday morning after
three months trip to Fort Benton and
the mountains. Amoung her mis-
cellancous cargo of robes, furs, pei
tries and Nebraska corn, was a
female named Miss Amanda Barber,
Mrs. Squa.ting Bear, who IN a ht OF
fanac,ical romance offered herself in
1867 a. a voluntary missionary to the
Rro,e Sioux, then occupying the ter
ritory between the Cheyenne River
.nd the Big Horn Mountains, Dakota
Territory.
Miss Barber created quito a sen
sstion in the Eastern States by her
marriage with a young Indian named
Squatting Bear, who accompanied
party OF Sioux to Washington i'll 1867.
Miss Barber was at time a clerk In
one OF the Departments at Washing
ton, in a position secured .or her by
General Butler, before the impeach-
ment fiasco. According to her own
statement, made yesterday to our re-
porter, she was firmly impressed with
the ideality and perfection of the red
men of the Plains. She had read
everything relating to the Indian
tribes, from the reports OF the Com
missioner of Indian Affairs down to
the latest dime novel. In fit OF
enthusiasm or Temporary insanity, she
offered herself to, and became the
wife of Squatting Bear, a junior chief
in the Lone Horn Band of Brule Sioux,
and with him and his party returned
to tho Yanton Agency, where she was
duly initiated into her new life as a
white squaw. Her romantic ideas
seem to have received a terrible shock
since her introduction to her new
home and relations, and though she
endeavored to fulfil her mission as a
teacher and missionary TO the best of
her abilities, her progress appears to
have been as slow as the progress OF
civilization on the plains. Shc states
that her first great surprise was being
required 70 mount upon wild, vicious
pony, and travel without saddle or at
tenticn over the country from the
Missouri 10 the White Earth river, a
distance Of several hundred miles.
Her Inability to mako the journey
provoked sirth among her husbands
oompaaiens. aud finally exasperated
Sguatfing Bear until he bound hel
With rope TO fhe pony's back and
led the animal himself on the west
ward trail. She was still moro sur
,yised to fna her huband possessed
of two other wives, one a vicious,
dirty sQuaw Of forty years OF age, the
other a girl scarcely fourteen years
Her Helm this wigwam, or teepee,
was not as bright and happy as she
expected il would he. Her husbands
absence was taken advantage of by
her rivals to compel her TO perform
tho vilest drudgery, fuch as gathering
wood, cooking meat, and serapine
robes for the;tanhing process, but dur
ing Squatins Bears presence at homo
Miss Barber appears 10 have been bet
ter treated. Her huspand, in violent
fit OF passion, killed his oldest sqnav
during the first year she was with the
tribe, when without warning or notice
Miss Barber was hurried off to the
main camp Of the Brules, three days
Journey toward the mountain, ant
from thence she accompanied til,
tribe on.its annual buffalo hunt, whert
she became sick from exposure ant
fatigue. She was left at temporary
drying camp at Rawhide river, where
she attempted to escape by walking
to Fort Fetterman, distance of sixty
miles. For this attempt she wal
beaten until nearly dead and ther
sold by her husband for three ponie:
to Cheyenne Chef, who sported thu
expressive so.briquet of Coo Goose, o.
Baconsides. She was taken North il
1870, and has remained with the
Cheyennes ever since, until her escape
this spring, when she made her ap
pearance at and claimed the protec
tion OF the authorities at Fort Benton