Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1879-07-16
INDIAN THEATRICALS.
Description Of Gorgeous Indian Show
in the Milk River Country.

Description Of Gorgeous Indian Show
in the Milk River Country.
The Pioneer Press of Sunday contained
the substance of a remarkable inter-
view between Sitting Bull and Stanley
Huntley, Il correspondent OF the Chi
cago Tribune. Preliminary to the ac-
count of the interview, Mr.. Huntley
gives the following account of an In
dian circus gotten up for his especial
benefit which wildly recalls a scene at
Redwood, in this state, at the grand In
dian council the year before the Sioux
massacre. MIR. Huntley says:
At the suggestion of Mai. Walsh l
had accepted the kindly-proffered SER
vice of Mr. Allen, the Indian trader at
Wood Mountain, who was we'll &C
ouainted with the chief Of the Sioux
tribe, and an excellent guide. When
the intimation came that the whole
outfit was coming in. Allen approached
me and laid the situation before me.
All we could do, he said was to keep
perfectly quiet and pretend not to no.
tice anything around me. | was care
fully watched he told me, both by the
Indians and half-breeds, the former to
detect anything out of the way, and
the latter TO protect themselves ii neces-
sary. The Indians had sent word to
the halt-breeds that SIS they came down
the hill they would discharge guns, but
there need be no occasion for alarm, as
the whole thing would be merely for
display. To this the half-breeds had
responded that If they did such thing
there would be battle, and to this
Sitting Bull had responded that he
would stop the display of his men.
It was about noon when the Sioux
appeared on the ridge north of the
camp. AS they stood there outlined
against the sky, they looked more than
dangerous. The very air trembled with
their yells, responded to by the bucks
who had massed in the lower camp.
The halfbreeds began driving their
horses into the corral, for the Indians
were rapidly getting excited, and things
looked ominously. Mothers counted
up their children and hurried through
to the lodges, and the young girls were
carefully stored out of harms reach.
For a few moments the yell
from the hilltop ceased. Suddenly
there came a wild, unearthly shrek,
and down the side of the hin the horses
of the Little Big Horn poured in a
resistless stream. The halt-breeds were
paralyzed, not with fear, but with adj
mlration. A more magnificent and
grander sight never startled human
eyes. As the column rushed down,
changing here and there, as their
horses were quick or slow, they turned
the valley into kaleidoscope, the colors
shifting swiftly into thousand uncOuth
forms, barbarous but beautiful. The
horses were covered with foam, and
urged to their utmost. Without warn
ing the whole column turned into
fame, and the mountain shook with
the crash and roar of their arms. The
brilliant colors flashed through the
smoke, and the cloud of dust to and
from the ground. caused by the hurry
ing hoofs, was broken and scattered by
the fire that poured from the rit1e-bar-
rels.
The head of the column rested on the
border of the camp, and, turning
absolutely swept around it until it was
completely environed, and then shrek
arose which froze more than that
which had crowned the hill Rifle balls
whistled and screamed through the
camp. The Indians were firing just
high enough to escape hitting those
within. and just low enough to startle
those whom they had passed. The
horses in the corral had become thor
oughIy filled with fright. A little girl
had been trampled down and killed.
The curses of the halfbreeds. who
were valnly endeavoring to stop the
firing, mingled with the means Of the
frightened women and believing of the
horses. Tearing down hill came two
warriors. They expostulated with the
young men, but in vain. Wrought up
to a pitch of frenzy, the bucks circled
around the camp IN a sort of devils
dance, and faster and faster fly the
bullets. No mans life is safe. Nothing
can be DONE The hali-breeds are COM
pletely surrounded. The chiefs have
lost all influence oyer the soldiers.
Where it VIII end no one can tell. I
felt hand on my shoulder, and | am
pressed to the ground. As I turn I see
that my captor is an Indian in the mid
NlC vi l1tO, = ol1OdiA SI1lN iJG bOOh d
seat beside me on the grass. Not a
word is spoken. There IS an anxious
look in his face, as be chances around
on the fierce band that surrounds us
and listens to the yell of the missiles.
He motions to some OF his young men.
who were standing near, and they take
their position, completely enveloping
the Indian and myself. What all this
may portend is not explained to
me, but I remember that [ am not to
notice anything that is going on around
me, and look straight up into the sky,
and I wonder what makes such a funny
running in my ear, and such swelling in
my throat. There is a peculiar ringing,
too. all over my skin, and I seem to
shrink up. One ball flashes past a lit
tie closer than the rest, darts over my
head, and buries itself i'll the cart be-
hind. The Indian peers through the
smoke as if to see who fred it, and then
rising, he places himself between me
and the quarter from which the bullet
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