The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1873-02-06
TIE YUKA DEVIL.
The story of a Very Bad Indian,
From the Overland Mou,b1,A

From the Overland Monthly
On the reservation there once lived an
Indian who was SO thoroughly bad In
every respect that he was generally knowu
by the soubriquet of the "Yuka Devil .
| He committed all the seven deadly sins
and good many more. if not every day
OF his life, at least as often as he could.
One day be wandered of considerable
way from the reserve, accom- panied by
two of his tribal brethren, and they fell
upon and wantonly murdered three
squaws, without any known provocation
whatever They were pursued by de-
tachmeDt of the garrison, overtakeu, cap.
tured. carried back manacled hand and
foot, and consigned to the guard house
In some inexplicable manner the devil
coHtrived to break his letters assunder,
and then he tied them on again with
tvine. in such manner that when the
turnkey come along on tour of inspoc-
ton, be perceived nothing amiss.
being taken Gut for some purpose or
other soon afterward, ne seized the op.
portunity to wrench off his manacles and
escape. But he was speedily overtaken
again and brought down with bullet,
which wounded him slightly. taken back
to the guard house, heavily ironed, and
cast into dung con. Here he feigned
death. For four days he never swallow
ed a crumb of nourishment, tasted no
water, breathed no breath, that could be
discovered, and lay with every muscle
relaxed like corpse To all human
perception he was dead, except that his
body did not become rigid or cold
At last vessel of water was placed on
a table hard by information Of that fact
was casually impaired to him in his ma
tive speech; all the atten6anants with
drew, the dungeon relapsed into silence.
and he was secretly watched.
After a long time, when profound
stiffness prevailed, and when the watch
man had begun to believe he was w.
trance at least, he cautiously lifted up
his head, gazed stealthily all round him
scrutinizing every Granny and crevice of
light, then softly crawle2 on all tours to
the table, taking care not TO cla,k his
chains the while, took down the pitcher
and drank deep and long.
They rushed in upon him, but upon
the instsnt-so fatuous was the obstinacy
Of the savage-he dropped as if he had
been shot. and again simulated death.
But he was now Informed that his play
was quite too shallow for any further
purposes, and as soon as the gallows could
be prepared, the executioners entered
and plainly told him that the prepare.
tons were fully completed for his taking
off.
He made no sign. Then, half drag
ing, half carrying the miserable wretch,
they conducted him forth to the scaffold.
All limp and flaccid and nerveless, as he
is, they lift him on the platform; but
still he makes not the least motion, and
exhibits no consciousness of all these
stern and grim preparations.
He is supported in an upright position
between two soldiers, hanging lifelcs.
burden on their shoulders; his head IL
lifted up from his breast, where it droops
in heavy helplessness; the new bought
rope, cold and hard, ard prickly, is coiled |
about his neck, and the huge knot prop
erly adjusted at the side; the merciful |
cap, which shuts off these heart-sicken-
ing pre- parations from the eyes of the
faint and shuddering criminal. is dis
pensed with, and everything is in perfect
rea diness.
The solemn stiffness BETTING the awful
spectacle about to be enacted falls upon
the few spectators; the fatal signal is
given, the drop swiftly descends; the
supporting soldiers sink with it as if
about to vanish into the earth and hide
their eyes from the tragedy with dead
dull thud the tightening rope wrenches
the poor savage from their upbearing
shoulders into pitiless mid air and the
Yuka Devil, hanging there without a
witch or shiver. quickly passes from
simulated to unequivocal death.