The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1874-07-31


cineman of the band, been subjected 10
the thieving raids of the mighty Sioux,
who are, in the vernacular of their .
weaker red brothers, cheap bad Injun-"
Only six weeks before the visit TO the
Poncas, for that is the name of the 4
band called upon, the Sioux had attack 4
ed the lodges at night, and stolen every .
pony and valuable they could get hold
OF, besides taking particular pains that
no papoose Indian baby was left to
tell the tale TO future generations.
What then was my surprise, on the /.
occasion of my trip to the scene of such .
diabolicat marauding, to hear the old
white trader who accompanied me say,
one morning.
1 "Bless my hide. if there amt one of
them Sioux dogs standin' over on that
hill, motionln' as tho he'd like to make
/ peace with the Poncas."
And sure enough, on bluff overlook
/ ing the lodges, there did stand & genuine
Sioux chief, with his hands held mp,
and motioning outward-to Indians, a
sign of truce.
The encampment had seen the lone
/ representative of old Red Clouds cohorts
quite as soon as any one, and soon form
ed a large circle, into which the strange
Indian entered, still making the signs of
peace.
had heard of the tall-straig ght-as-an-
arrow and noble Red Man; had read Of
him in poetry; bnt here was the first re-
alization of physical beauty in the Indi-
an I had ever met in my life. He was
fully np to the description of ''tall and
straight" and though not more than
twenty-eight years old he carried him
self with dignity born of nothing else
than an innate atoIcism, grand in one so
young.
A black Government blanket with
white border, leggings of buckskin,
moccasins, feathers, bracelets, earrings
: and paint furnished dress for the heroic
brave, as he stood undaunted, with his
enemies seated in circle about him.
Before he would speak, the pipe of
peace was brought ont, and passing
around the circle he took Il puff with
each dingy entertainer.
Then he told them (as interpreted by
" the trade,) that his people would have
y peace with the braves of the POncas;
that his people had wronged them IN
: the past, when the sun had gone to sleep
u ! 4 a. I,oI CIR no
: sky hills; that the Sioux had stolen their
{ ponies, and done many things which
called for revenge: would the Poncas
= forgive? would they receive back their
Il PONIES and permit "My SOUP (the
e speaker) TO return to his people happier
During this speech, to which the cir
u Gle of warriors granted assent, there was
sight outside the circle that would fur
nish a picture for painting of another
Dante's "Inferno," or something worse
=" The sqnaws Of the tribe had seen th'
It young Sioux, and remembering thei
= dead papooses, killed by the last Siou1
II attack, they gathered in squads ahou
- the Indian peace circle, and, giving is
: sue to a never-ceasing undulation 0
l. wells and bewailings that would outvie
>e legion of wildcats, they tore their hair
y wrung their hands, pointing the Will
toward their naked and childless bosoms
No Indian chided the squaws, or eve
y seemed to hear the noise which made
a. pandemonium of the background.
, The speech of the Sioux chief wa
:, heard, and at his own suggestion he re
- turned to the hill where he first appear
= ed, and brought mp from the other sid
a half-dozen dirty natives, leading til
fifteen OF twenty ponies, stolen six week
- before. and hauled them over to thei
rejoicing owners. Another smoke an
"My Soul" and assistants bade adieu
the spot of their apparent magnanimit.
What wonderful representation W;
this little episode in the everyday lii
ou on the frontier of the loftiness of IL
- Indian character, to be sure! But whe
nv we take into consideration the fact tha
:, that self-same night, a band of Siou
~ entered the camp and stole the who
b OF InOSe PohIto oNoA "S"ii' "S'i
- twelve or fifteen full-grown horse
which the Government had feeling
supplied in compensation for the lo
Inc of ponies by the Sioux, what a repr
me- sentation if was of the unfathomat
ere cunning of the sons of Japhetl "N
lu- Soul" was spy sent to find out whe
nat the new horses were corraled.-Reni1l
lest cences of a Western Editor.