St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1872-07-19
A White Woman's Experience as an
Indian Bride

A White Woman's Experience as an
Indian Bride
The telegraph Il day OF two ago re
ported the escape from the Indians OF II
woman named Amanda Barber, for
merly of Milford. Mass, who in tit of
romance married Il Sioux Indian chief
at Washington a few Years ago, and
accompanied him to his home in Dako-
tab, with the idea that she could per
form the role of Il missionary among the
>avages of that region. Miss Barber
arrived at Kansas City, Mo-. in steam
cr, on the 2eth ult., and the Times of
that place gives the following narra-
tive of her not very pleasing expert
enctS:
Miss Barber created quite ii sensa-
tiOn i'll the Eastern States bv her mar
rlage with Young Indian named Squat
ting Bear. who accompanied party of
Sioux to Washington in 1867. Miss
Barber WAS at that time clerk in one
of the departments at Washington. in Il
position secured for her by General
Butler. According to her own state
ment. made yesterday to our reporter.
she WAS firmly impressed with the real
ity and perfection of the red men OF the
plains. She had read everything rela-
ting 10 the Indian tribes, from the re-
ports of the Commissioner of Indian
Affairs down to the latest dime novel.
In a tit of enthusiasm or temporary in
sanity. she offered herself and became
the wife of Squatting Bear. iuniol
chief i'll the Lone Horn band of Bruel
Sioux, and with him and his party re-
turned to the lanktOn agency, where.
she was duly initiated into her new life.
as a white squaW. Her romantic idea
of Indian life seemed to have received
IA terrible shock since her introduction
to her new home and relations, and
though she endeavOred to fulfill her
mission as Il 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.
She says that her first great surprise
was being required to mount upon a
wild. vicious pony, and travel without
saddle or attention over the couptry
from the Missouri to the White Earth
river. Il distance of several hundred
miles. Her inability to make the jour
ney provoked mirth among her hus-
ated Squatting Bear. until he hOupd
her with rope 10 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 9th
er wives, one vicious, dirty squaw of
forty years of age, the other a girl of
scarcely fourteen Years. Her life in his
wlgwam. or teepee. was not as bright
and happy as she expected it would lie.
Her husbands absence was taken ad-
vantage of by her rivals to compel her
To perform the vilest drudgery, such as
gathering wood, cooking meat and
scraplng robes for the tanning process
hut during Squatting Bears presence
at home Miss Barber appears TO have
been better treated. Her husband. in
violent tit of passion, killed his Oldest
squaw during the first year she was
with the tribe, when, without warning
or notice. she was hurried off to the
main camp of the Brules. three days'
journey toward the mountain, and from
thence she accompanied the tribe on its
annual buffalo hunt. where she became
sick from exposure and fatigue She
was left al il temporary driving camp at
Raw whide river. where she ATTEMPTED TO
ESCAPE hI walking To Fort FetteIman.
Il distance of sixty miles. For this at
tempt she was beaten until nearly
dead. and then sold 10y her husband for
three ponies, To Il Cheyenne chief who
sportcd the expressive soubriuuet of
Coo Goose. or BacOnsides.
She was taken North in l-7O. and
has remained with the Cheyennes ever
since, until her escape this spring. when
she made her appearance at and claim
ed the protection of the authorities at
Fort Benton.
Miss Barber Is Il woman rather plain
in appearance, skin tawny and black,
ewes small. dark and impressive, and
voice rather masculine. She says that
50 far us 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 in
difference and contempt. She learned
the Sioux language easily. but the
Chryrmnc dialect was harder To- acquire
she has Il much higher opinion of the
ChrvenneS than of the SiOuX. The lat
ter tribe. she SAYS, are to blame for
nearly all the thirving and numbering
done in the white settlements. She
found il necessary to paint and color
like the rest OF the tribe while she was
with them. and twice witnessed the
murder or execution of white men, one
Il soldier of the Thirty second United
States lufantry, who had been taken
while out hunting, who was burned and
scalped the others were two teamsters
brought from Fort Mcpherson. All
three were burned at a place called
.Saddler's Hill, i'll the Nebraska bad
lands
Miss Barber left the steamer tonte-
nelle at this port, and after II few hours
rest started on her way To her friends
at Milford, Mass
The New York Times hits the Demo
cratic nail square on the head when it
saws: Mr.. Greeley's nomination is sim
ply the victory of the baser elements
of the Democratic party over its better
elements. He is not selected to repre-
sent any Democratic principle, but to
give places to Democratic politicians,
Impelled to support him through greed
Of public plunder,"