The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-08-17
discover their trail they would be cut

Der, ana proceed, WIFI CIelr war TlS
and horse, to the village, at night, and
get under cover, behind knoll, or in
the woods. They are very ca".,,,ons
and prefer waiting to E., ,,d dome indian
LOOKING ior ..s ponies, or sqnaw going
lor "ood. that they may have a sure
thing Of getting a scalp, and little dan
ger of losing one; on finding their vic
tim in safe position they charge on
him like pack of wolves, and the first
warrior striking the enemy with
hand instrument. counts the coup, and
so ne of the others scalp him.
The firing is heard in the village, and
all is excitement and confusion, the
men and squaws rushing for their
ponies, children crying, and dogs bark
ing. The attacking parties have got
the scalp, and are off like the wind,
and the others are after them, taking
different routes to try and head them
off; but it generally proves useless, as
the Sioux have the start, and the har-
dy war horse will carry them 200 miles
in twenty-four hours if necessary to
escape.
On their return to camp the war
horse, being now reduced to a mere
skeleton after his long race, is turned
IN the herd, and on the nutritious
buffalo grass soon recuperates, and is
able for his masters next service. The
warriors are Toasted by nearly every
lodge in the camp, and repeat over and
over every little incident and detail of
the Whole trip. They are listened to
With the most marked attention, and
approving words and gestures by the
men, women and children. The little
youngsters eyes glisten and almost
pop out with joy and admiration at the
account of about twenty or thirty
warriors charging an old man or
squaw, counting the coup, and scalping
them, and wind up by saying if it had
not been so cold they would have kill
ed them all, when they ran like scared
coyotes the moment they were pur-
sued.
War parties usually number from
ten to thirty, but annually, in the
month of June, after the sun dance, a
large party of 500 start for the Yellow
stone to fight the Crows, who are on
their summer buffalo hunt, and many
fierce engagements have taken place on
the disputed territory. In these fights,
when they are equally matched, after
lighting all day, the loss on each side
seldom exceeds ten men killed, twenty
wounded and thirty ponies captured
In the summer of 1873 large party of
Sioux surprised party of thirty
Crows on the open prairie. Having
no chance to escape to the timber, they
got in a buffalo wallow and threw up
breastworks. All persisted in their
post, and thirty-two Sioux bit the dust,
and lost large number of ponies. As
horse-thieves the Crows excel, and can
stand off the Sioux numbering three to
their two.
The Indians wear one large eagle
feather of each coup the brave count
ed, and for each wound received in
battle split feather. The number of
horses stolen is indicated by horseshoe
marks on their blankets, so that a
warrior in the Indian camp without
coup marks is looked upon as squaw,
and bullied by the others like timid
school-boy.
At the age of sixteen the youth is
rugged out with fancy, beaded blank
ct, lcgglns, mOccasins and breech-clout !:
his charm-bag has piece of his first
bird feather, horn, buffalo tail, and
claws of large birds; has an Iroquois
necklace, paint-bag and looking-glass,
fixed up Enthusiastically, and is ready for
courtship. He covers his head with
the blanket and takes position in the
brush on the trail the squaws take
going for water; waiting patiently, he
spies his daisy coming, bounces out,
grabs her in his arms and covers her
with his blanket, makes his proposal,
telling her his possession of ponies,
fine lodge, what a good hunter he is,
will always have lots of meat, count
many coups, and become big chief.
She tells him to go to her brother and
buy her, and marry her honorably for
his wife. If she would consent to run
off with him, he would soon get tired
of her, steal a new sQuaw and leave
her. He don't want to buy her; wants
to marry for love, and continues his
suit for month or more, until she
agrees to run off with him. They go
to another camp and remain for three
days. If his mother-in-law finds her
daughter in that time, she takes her
home and lodge-poles her for a change.
If not, she is like bear at the loss of
the sale of her daughter. Many squaws
run off to escape being sold to parties
they do not like.
The young Indian steals several
maidens before he settles down. They
generally buy one of the discarded
squaws, which constitutes legal mar
riage among the tribe, and if they wish
divorce they must give a pony to
some poor woman for charity, and dis
card their wife publicly at one of the
dances. The mother-in-law is not al
lowed to look at her son-in-law if he
enters a lodge she is in; she covers her
head and goes out.
Another Skeleton of a MastOdon.
SOME three or four weeks ago
farmer by the name of Charles Dennis,
whose farm is quarter of a mile east
by north of the village of Pike, Wyo-
ming County, while digging ditch,
found two great ribs of an unknown
animal. subsequently committee
from the village went to work, and al
most the first thing discovered were
two mammoth tusks, which, being re-
moved, measured over nine feet, the
bases of which were as large as sew
en-inch stovepipe, gradually tapering
to the point of the ivory, about two
inches in diameter. The animal was
found nearly ON its hack In dinninn