New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-06-08
A DLSTUgBANCE IN CAMP.

them and began IlttnE the HAN vi so"io
of the oldest and most bald-headed OF them,
with scarcely the warning of PREDATORY
war-whoop. they seemed camp of lnohensiVe
friendly Indians. They were making no nos
tile demonstrations the scaips were diy on
their lodge poles they had washed off Their
war paint; they were discussing grasshoppefs
and other agricultural topics, and seemed
satisfied with the Government. Months
had passed since they last whettcd their KNIVES,
organized their war dance, put on Their pant,
and went out on the War-path for the scaips
of statesmen. They made a wild time OF 1t then
and stirred up all the border. Having struck
terror TO the hearts of a great many women
and children and ambuscaded statesman or
two. they ceased hostlities and came into
camp with the highly original remark, Let
"us have peace So long time had
passed since that war-whoop ceased, and
a patient people seemed so well content
to leave them their trophies while they eyinced
a peaceful disposition and devoted themselves
to agriculture, that these noble red men began
TO think the raid of 1876 was forgotten. they
smoked the pipe of peace and saw statesmen
come and go with impunity; they talked mid
notifies without embellishing their discourse
with knife or tomahawl<; they tished and
hunted and were dull 1t was period OF
safety for women and children which prom
iscd to continue till-the next campaign. The
camp was as beautiful and calm as g0rged boa.
Ii was in this state of things that Gail Ham
lIton pranced in of a Saturday morning with a
Gle Of The Nation and set everything hummlng
with "reminiscences. III il not too much to say
that the friendly Indians were surprised.
There was unusual excitement about the circle
of chiefs, and the Big Indians began to inquire
if this was not contrary to the methods OF
civilized warfare, and 10 protest that the
statute of limitations prohibited such perform
ances 1t was frequently remarked during
the ensuing week that such behavior was I'M
seemly and ridiculous, and was very likely TO
make trouble for Gail Iiamilton's cousins and
uncies and aunts upon the next outbreak OF
actual hostilites. Their knives and hatchets-
they all carry the G. Washington, never-te!l-
allie hatchet-beiug rusty ard duh, sew
eIal of the more cautious began to as
semble decayed vegetables of one KIND
ard another in anticipation OF the next
attack. The following Saturday morning
there was wbirring sound on the edge
of the camp, and as the chiefs woke up and
ribbed their eyes they caught flying glimpse
of Il female figure on horseback with friendly
Indian under her arm. There was no struggle,
but as the two disappeared in the depths OF
the forest there came back the echo of an
earnest voice, 81 nominate Charles Francis
"Adams," and the camp knew of whom it was
bereaved. And the camp said with great
manimity, 1T looks as though this was
"going to be chronic Let us intrench" And
they began to throw dirt.
But the very next Saturday morning while
the camp was all expectancy there was OF "a
sudden the flash of a'knife. and Mr.. Joseph
Medill, one of the most active of the chiefs,
lnvoluntarily putting his hand to his head, dis
covered that he was as bald as a baby, and as
sore as though he had been beaten with a
club. The scalp at Gail HamiltOn'S belt as
she dashed out of camp that morning was
recognized by the American people as
having the color of Mr.. Medi's hair
Thereupon that aged chief said, This
"is carrying it altogether too far. Scatm and
discharged in the direction in which his assail
ant disappeared an assortment of early yege-
tables in all stages of decomposition. The
camp was in tremendous uproar; the whole
atmosphere was blue with remarks and often
siye with vegetable odors. And they said
hufIiedly, "Who is she 2" 70 which the replies
were various. She was Blauc's mothcr-in-
"law;r she was can old maid y she was
"Blaine's cousin," "Blainc's grandmother"
"Blaine's sster-in-aw on his wife's side"
"Blaine's aunt Blaine'sr all sorts of rela-
lions, bat "Blaine's" relation every time
Blaine" it may be explained, was supposed
to have been scalped and drawn and quartered
in the last massacre, and Gail Hamilton was
| thought to be the only relative of his family
who survived. There seems no reason to
doubt that she survived.
For time the aged Chicago chief was
frantic. He begged the attention of the camp
and the public to his sore head he made un-
pleasant remarks concerning the late Blaine :"
he devoted a great many paragraphs to Gail
Hamilton; he was for time quite spectacle
But a little later the female ficnd dashed in
and carried off a Big Indian of the COngrega-
ti0nalst tribe; then she skcwered two or
three little fellows from Boston Bay and
took them of with scarcely an eff
fort; and there's no knowing or guessing
who is her next victim. Two or three of the
friendly chiefs seem nervous and uneasy and
the whole camp appears anxious. "Whose
turn neXti is The prevailing cOnundrum.
1t has been two or three times remarked by
the bleeding Medill, as he Represented his
depilated head with new hair rcstorer labeled
cit is not a dye" that "a celebrated war
rior Of the Miamis-who was on the war-path
last year, and contributed to the massacre not
so much by scalpDg women and children
himself as by the circus-riding performances
and othor dnviltrios with which no cnufuro1 fln
settlers while the scliping went On-has been
IL z ! l. A.-.-- IL I