Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1874-03-07
Burned at the Stake.
How the Indians Disposed OF One of
Their Unfortunate Women,

How the Indians Disposed OF One ot
Their Unfortunate Women.
1t is matter of history, as every one
is aware, that the penal laws of some oi
the Indian tribes surpass in rigor and
severity those of civilized nations, and
the penalties inflicted by the breaking
of these edicts, which have been hand
ed down for centuries, are of singu.
larly cruel and fearful nature. One OF
the most stringent of these DEGREES is in
reference to the chastity of their fe-
males, death being the punishment if
at any time oneis known to have broken
taineer and trapper, gives Nevada pa
per the following particulars of one of
these fendish acts of cruelty lately
perpetrated by band of Indians near
Fish Spring Valley:
For two weeks prior to the occurrence
of the events about to be narrated, the
Indians had been building signal fires
on the elevated portions of the noun
tains for miles around the surrounding
country. As it was their regular hunt
ing season, much surprise was mani
tested ss the lights appeared night after
night, calling the absent portions of
the tribe to the general rendezvous. On
questioning some of their number, they
were, contrary to their usual manner,
reticent on the subject, and only re-
piled to questions put to them concern
ing the unusual occurrence that "white
man no sabe."
Natures, however, who speaks the
language like native, heard enough to
satisfy himself that rite was about to
be performed which was of rare occur
renee, and on questioning half-breed
who frequently accompanied him on his
hunting excursions, he learned that q
young woman, member of one of the
tribes in that country, who had aban-
doned her people year or so since to
live with white man, had returned,
bringing with her a babe about three
months old. Here was the same old,
old story, so common with us now-a-
days. After short spell of happiness
and pleasure, he who had brought her
to her ruin became tired of his victim
and abandoned her to her fate. She,
like thousands of others placed in the
same circumstances, sought refuge at
her home and among her people, hoping
to find a shelter for herself and child;
but with the terrible penalty of the law
she had broken before her, and with the
indisputable evidence of her guilt in
her arms, we wonder at her hardihood
in placing herself in the power of those
whom she must have known would show
her no mercy.
Nothing that she could offer in palli-
alton of her offense would be received
by those who only knew that their sa-
cred law had been broken. Having
heard that the terrible decree would be
carried out on certain night, the trap
per secreted himself in a position where
he could obtain an unobstructed view
of all they would do, and he arrived
none too soon, for already the prelimi-
naries had been arranged, and around
stake driven in the ground the war
rior braves were marching in circle to
the solemn, mournful music being
played upon the native instruments of
the band. Prominent among them was
the chief, who had not as yet taken an
active part in the proceedings; and as
the solemn circle passed him, each of
the braves would let fly an arrow from
his bow at some imaginary enemy.
After the dance of death was finished,
the chief, by gesture, gave some order
to brave in waiting, and from cir
cular tent emerged the women of the
tribe, surrounding the victim who was
to be sacrificed to offended justice.
With the exception of light covering
around her waist, she was utterly de-
void of clothing, and seemed uncon-
cious as to the terrible death awaiting
her. Her babe, which was carried by
one of the women, uttered the most pit
eous cries, trying to attract the atten-
tion of its mother; but she was not al
lowed to touch her infant, and with
look such as only fond mother can be-
stow she gave one earnest, passionate
glance at her offspring, and walked
bravely on to meet her death.
No time was lost; the "medicine
man quickly bould her to the stake;
brush and faggots were placed around
her so thick as to render her invisible
to the fends, who were now rending the
air with their shouts and cries. The
pyre was lighted, and the flames seemed
possessed of hellish Joy as they enwrapt
the form of the woman. Thickly the
smoke curled spitefully around her, yet
not murmur, not q groan escaped her
lips. She appeared a statue, meeting
her fate with that wonderful stoicism
and bravery which characterize her
race.
The fire, which at first thrust out its
| fiery darts at intervals, was now sheet
of flame, soon burned down, leaving
nothing but the charred bones of her
who, but few moments since, was
living human being; and her execu--
tioners, who had, in their untutored
minds, satisfied the wrath of the Great
Spirit, and removed the stigma on the
tribe, silently departed from the scene
of their horrible act, and separated to
again seek their homes, leaving our
watcher alone with the dead victim,
who, as soon as he was assured of his
safety, departed from the place; but
such was the impression left on his
mind that he bid farewell to that por-
tion of the country forever.
THE END.-The great end of prudence
is to give cheerfulness to those hours
which splendor cannot gild, and ac-
clamation cannot exhilarate those soft
intervals of unbended amusement, in
which a man shrinks to his natural
dimensions, and throws aside the orna-
ments and DISCUSSES which he feels in
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