The Placer herald., 1872-07-20
THE WHITE SOUAW.
The Kansas City Times of June 29

The Kansas City Times of June 29th
says:
"The steamer Fontenelle arrived yesterday
morning, afte, trip to Fort Benton and the
mountains. Among her miscellaneous cargo
of robes, furs ,peltres and Nebraska corn was
Miss Amanda Barber Squatting Bear, who.
in fit of fanatcal romance, offered herself
in 1867 as voluntary missionary to the Brule
Sioux, then occupying the territory between
the Cheyenne river and the Big Horn noun
tains, Dakota Territory,
Miss Barber created quite a sensation in
the Eastern States by her marriage with a
young Indian named Squattins Bear, who
accompanied a party of Sioux to Washington
in 1867. Miss Barber was clerk in one
of the departments at Washington. Accord
ing to her own statement she was firmly i'm
pressed with the reality of the perfection
of the red men of the plains. She had read
everything relating to the Indian tribes, from
the report of the Commissioner Of Indian
Affairs down to the last dime novel.
In fit of enthusiasm or temporary insan-
ity, she offered herself and became the wife
of Squatting Bear, junior chief in the Lone
Horn band of Brule Sioux, and with him and
his party returned to the Yankton agency,
where she was duly initiated into her new
life as a white squaw. Her romantic ideas
of Indian life received terrible shock since
her introduction TO her new home and rela-
lions, and though she endeavored to fill her
mission as a teacher and missionary to the
best Of her ability, her progress appears to
have been slow She states that her first
great surprise was being required to mount a
wild, vicious pony, and travel without saddle
or attention over the country from the Mis-
souri, to the White Earth river, a distance of
several hundred miles. Her inability to
make the journey provoked mirth among her
husbands companions, and finally exasper-
ated Squatting Bear until he bound her with
a rope on the pony's back and led the animal
himself on the westward trail. She was still
more surprised to find her husband possessed
of two other wives; one a vicious, dry squaw
of 40 years of age, the other girl of scarcely
II years.
Her life in his wigwam, or tcepec, was not
as bright and happy as she expected it would
be. Her husbands absence was taken ad-
vantage of by her rivals to compel her to
perform the vilest drudgery, such as gather
ING wood, cooking meat, and scraplns robes
for the tanning process; but during Sq"attns
Bears presence at home Miss Barber appears
TO have been better treated. Her husband,
in violent fit of passion killed his oldest squaw
during the first year she was with the tribe,
when she was hurried of to the main camp OF
Brules, three days journey toward the
mountains, and from thence accompanied the
tribe on its annual buffalo hunt, where she
became sick from exposure and fatigue. She
was left at IA temporary drying camp at Raw
hide river. when she attempted to escape by
walking to Fort Fetterman, IA distance OF 6O
miles. For this attempt she was beaten till
nearly dead, and then sold by her husband
for three ponies to Cheyenne chief who
sported the expressive soubriquet OF Coo
Goose, or Baconsides.
She was taken north in 1870, and has re-
NAMED with the Cheyennes ever since, until
her escape this Spring, when she made her
appearance at and claimed the protection OF
the authorities at Fort Benton. Miss Barber
is woman rather plain in appearance. skin
tawny and black, eyes small, dark and i'm
pressive, voice rather mascullne-and IN fact,
INST such a woman as Mrs Colonel Anthony
or Tennie ClaHin would choose for second
in command. Miss Barber conversed with
ont the least diflidence, and answered any
questions asked of her. She says that so
Gar az the romance of Indian life is concerned
she found none of it. Her efforts to teach
and reform the young Indian children were
treated with Indifference and contempt. She
learned the Sioux language easily, but the
Cbeyenne dialect was harder TO acquire. She
has a much higher opinion of the Cheyennes
than the Sioux. The latter tribe, she says,
are to blame for near all the thieving and
numbering done in the white settlements.
Miss Barber found it necessary TO paint and
color like the rest of the tribe while she was
with them, aud twice Witnessed the murder
or execution Of white men; once a soldier OF
the Thirty second United States Infantry,
who had been taken while out hunting, who
was burned and alped; the others were two
teamsers brought from Fort Mcpherson.
All three were burned at place called
"SaddIer's HlI," in the Nebraska "Bad
Lands"
Miss Barber asserts that there will be no
peace while white men intrude into the buf-
talO range, or tempt the cupld"y vi .hc III
dams by bringing stock and valuables out
into exposed frontier settlements. The In
dams have the greatest contempt for the
white mems judgment, and the efficiency of
the soldiers. Miss Barber left the steamer
Fontenelle at this port. and after few hours
rest started on her way to the home OF her
friends at Milford, Massachusetts,.
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ALADy correspondent asks us if Dolly