The Beaufort tribune and Port Royal commercial. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1877-1879, 1877-10-04
THE DEATH OF CRAZY HORSE.

THE DEATH OF CRAZY HORSE.
How an Indian Chief Died---Breaking
Through Bayonets and then NIortaiIy
Wounded with His Own Knife-Scenes
After Death.
A correspondent at the Red Cloud
Agency in Nebraska describes the cap
ture and subsequent death of Crazy
Horse, a redoubtable Sioux chief, at
Camp Robinson. The correspondent
says:
At Camp Robinson, Col. Bradley,
commanding the District of the Black
Hills, ordered the prisoners confined in
the post guard house, and Capt. Ken
nington, the officer of the day, was
charged with its execution. The inter
prefers seemed to anticipate trouble,
and noticeably absented themselves.
Taking Crazy Horse by the hand, Capt.
Remington led him INCREASINGLY from
the adjutant's Office into the guard house,
followed by Little Big Man, now become
his chiefs worst enemy. The door of
the prison room was reached in safety,
when, discovering his fate in the barred
grating of the high windows, the liberty
loving savage suddenly planted his hands
against the upright casing, and with
great force thrust himself back among
the guards, whose cleaning bayonets In
stantly turned against him. With great
dexterity he drew concealed knife from
the folds of his blanket, and snatched
another from the belt of Little Big Man,
turning with them upon Capt. Kenning-
ton, who drew his sword and would have
run him through but for another In
dian, who interposed. Many of them
were dismounted and were crowding
around the guard house door, some
protesting vehemently against his
confinement, while others coolly insisted
upon non-interference.
Crazy Horse had advanced recklessly
through the presented steel, the soldiers
fearing to fire, and gaining the entrance,
he made leap to gain the open air.
But he was grappled by Little Big Man.
This Indian, as his name implies, Is re-
markable both for his small stature and
great strength; his double joints would
secure him distinction, as well as Q COM
petence, in the arena. Crazy Horse,
though powerful, was held in a wise,
until, freeing his right hand, he was OBJ
served to thrust long, keen blade into
the musclar arm of his antagonist, who,
avoiding the full force of the blow by q
backward movement, reversed the hands
which contained the dangerous weapon,
and once more grasping Crazy Horse
as he made second leap for his freedom,
the point accidentally pierced the quiv-
ering groin of the chief, who sank In q
doubled-up posture upon the ground
outside the door.
Instantly every Indian present and
about fifty had gathered near-was OBJ
served to load and cock his carbine; and
the silence that ensued was broken only
by the dark figure writhing in agony on
the gravelled earth, until an old Indian,
Crazy Horses father, suddenly leaped
from his pony, and with bow and arrow
in one hand, and a cooked revolver In
the other, advanced upon Capt. Ken
nington. He vas instantly hurled upon
his back and disarmed by the friendly
Sioux, Reassured by this, the officers
and guard approached Crazy Horse to
convey him to the guard room, this time
for medical attendance; but again their
movement was arrested by the click OF
cooking carbines. What could they do ?
No interpreter was present, and they did
not know friend from foe. In this emer-
pency the Indians themselves motioned
to the open adjutant's Office they had
lust quit as compromise between their
contending parties, and into this room
they we're permitted to carry the pros
trate chief. Some of them subsequently
desired to convey him to an adjoining
village. but this request Col. Bradley re-
fused to grant; and with the exception OF
o guard Of enlisted Indians, Touch-the-
Cloud, and Crazy Horse, Sra the crowd
:,
Until now it had been feared that the
willy chief was only "possuming, but
when his wound had been examined and
dressed, DR.. Macgillycuddy, the assistant
post surgeon, pronounced 1t tatal.
the old father of the
diving chief, and several officers remained
until the end, which approached slowly
and painlessly under hypodermic injec-
tions of opium or morphine. He never
rallied, and only once spoke, indistinctly
about bayonets.
At about three in the morning, Crazy
Horses mother, withered old bag, who
was not yet aware of his death, was
by the outposts and admitted
to the room. Her outbursts of grief, in
which she was joined by her husband,
seemed uncomfortable. They tore their
gray hair, and shrieked so as to alarm
the garrison. Finally they became
uuieter, and settled in grooming manner
on their knees, bending over and caress-
ing the PROSTATE and lifeless form. both
in an indescribably weird man
ner, the now famous Sioux death song.
The deep cultural Of the one blended
wildly with the shrill treble of the other,
and both were cracked by age. No one
who witnessed or heard the old couple
in their savage devotion can forget the
sad scene. or their strangely impressive
and mournful dirge. Touch-the- Cloud
several times grunted: Washte i!
"Good!" And once, pointing to the
CORPSE, he said: "That is only the ttpi
Qodge); the rest has gone to the Great
Spirit in the happy hunting grounds !"
A Chapter Of Horrors.
The following incidents OF one days
life in Baltimore, were telegraphed to
the New York Herald one Sunday: