The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1881-07-22

Strange 10 say, altnOu9n they naQ the
men, they refused to give them up.
Our Interpreter, cannot recall his name,
stepped out from among our soldiers
and said:
- If you do not yield up these men
peaceably, then as many leaves as are on
these trees, and as many blades Of grass
as you see beneath your feet, So many
white men will come upon you, burn
your villages and destroy your nation.
A few moments consideration, a few
hurried words of consultation, and the
guilty men were handed over to our
troops. The tribe followed as they were
taken into the fort, and, making small
fire within the walls, the condemned
marched round and round it, singing
their death songs, and then were given
up to be put in irons and held in custody
until time should determine how many
lives should pay the forfeit for it is well
known that Indian revenge is literally life
for life, and the colonel had decided to
give them into the hands of the injured
tribe, to do with them as they would.
" Some weeks passed, and it was found
that FIVE lives were to be paid form kind.
A council of Chippewas decided that five
selected from the prisoners should run
the gauntlet, and the decision was APP
proved.
Back over the lapse of these many
years pass and seem to be a child again,
standing by the side of my only brother,
at the back door of my fathers house.
"The day is beautiful, the sun is so
bright, the grass is so green, all nature is
so smiling, it is hard to realize what is
going on over yonder by the graveyard
in that crowd of men and women. For
there are gathered together the Chippe-
was-old men, women and children, who
have come out to witnes or take part in
this act of retributive justice.
"There are the bluecoats, too, and
various badges Of United States uniforms,
for it is necessary to throw some re-
straint around these red men, or there
may be wholesale murder; and, borne on
the shoulders of young men, We see the
form of the wounded dying chief, re-
garding all with calm satisfaction, and
no doubt happy in the thought that his
death, so near, will not go out unavenged.
And there stands the young braves who
have been selected as the executioners;
their rifles are loaded, the locks are care
fully examined, and all is ready when
the word shall be given.
"There, too, under guard, are the five
men who are to pay the forfeit for the
lives taken so wantonly and treacherous-
ly, 81
Away off, | cannot tell how many
rods, but it seems to us children long
run, are stationed the Sioux tribe, and
that is the goal which the wretched men
must run for their lives.
"And now all seems ready, and we
stand on tiptoe, while balls and chains
are knocked off and the captives are sci
free. AT word one of the doomed men
starts, the rifles with unerring aim are
fired, and under cover of the smoke a
man falls dead. They reload the word
| is given another starts with a bound fol
home; but alb the aim of those clear
sighted, blood-thirsty red men is toe
deadly; and so one after another until
four are down.
"And then the last, Little-Six,' whom
at that distance we children readily re-
cognized from his commanding height
and graceful form; heis our friend land we
hope he will get home. He starts; they
| fire, the smoke clears away; and still he
is running. We clap our hands and say
| He will get home;;' but another volley
and our favorite, almost at the goal
springs into the air and comes down.
dead ! / cover my face and shed tears
of real sorrow for our friend. And now
follows scene that beggars description
The bodies, all warm and limp, are
dragged to the brow of the hill. Men
who at the sight of blood become almost
fiends, tear off the reeking scalps and
hand them to the chief, who hangs them
around his neck. Women and children
with tomahawks and knives, cut deep
slashes into the poor bodies, and, scoop
ing up the warm blood with their hands
eagerly drink; then, growing frantic, they
dance and sing their horrid scalp songs
lrecounting deeds of valor ON the part Of
their brave men, and telling of the Sioux
scalps taken at their last horrid feast, they
leave the mutilated bodies fostering i'll
the sun. ,o.al q t5t
cat nightfall they are thrown over the
bluff into the river, and my brother and
myself, awestruck and quiet, trace then
hideous voyage down the Mississippi tC
the Gulf of Mexico. We lie awake that
night talking of the dreadful sight we have
seen, and we try to think what the. PEG
pie of New Orleans will think when they
see those CHASTITY upturned faces; and we
talk with quivering lip and fearful eyes
| of Little Six and Of the many kind
things he has done for us; and we wish
oh, wish he could have run faster, or that
the Chippewa rifles had missed fire. And
we sleep and dream of scalps and rifles
war whoops and frightful yells, and wake
wishing it had been dream.
Next day the daring chief sat up in
bed, painted himself for death, sung his
death-song, and with those five fresh
bloody scalps about his neck, lay down
and died, calmly and peacefully, in the
comfortable hope, no doubt, of welcome
home in those happy hunting grounds
prepared by the Good Spirit for all those
Indians who are faithful to their friends
and avenge themselves upon their foes.
"A few years ago I told this story to
another Little Six Old Shakopoe, as he
lay, with gives upon his legs, in our guard
house at Fort Smelling, awaiting execu-
ton for the most numberless cold-blooded
murders, perpetrated during the recent
massacre in 1862. He remembered it
all, and his wicked old face lighted up
with Joy as he told me that he was the
son of that Little Six who madeso brave
run for his life; and he showed as
much pride and pleasure in listening to
the recital of his fathers treacherous con-
duct as the children of our great generals
will do some day as they read or hear of
daadS c,s L,::a.:n,:,. do r;,,a tLat their