The Dillon tribune. [volume] (Dillon, Mont.) 1881-1941, 1883-12-01
@e Andr Itibare.
PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY.
Deer Lodge.
Regular Correspondence.
DEER LODGE, Montana, Nov. 81,


Regular Correspondence.
DEER LODGE, Montana, Nov. 81.
Ore OF the oldest towns in Montana,
Deer Lodge, promises to become one Of the
largest. Her railroad facilities, already
reasonably good, are destined to be better
than those Of any other place within hun.
bred miles, because Of her peculiar loca.
ton. Communicating with the East by
two great railroad routes, with another to
San Francisco. and two others TO Portland,
Oregon, cannot see what will stop the
onward growth to metropolitan dimensions
OF this now humble and unpretentious vii.
lage Of less than 1000 souls. Butte CITY,
Bozeman and Livingston, and almost all
the business towns in this region, are or
pretend to be, far In advance Of Deer
Lodge in all points Of civilization, but nv
word for It, Deer Lodge will turn the laugh
upon them all inside Of decade could
weary the reader with descriptions OF the
scenery round about Deer Lodge were it
not under about two feet of snow, and
more falling; yet cannot forbear to speak
Of the gigantic work that has been done by
human hands in the tunnel,ng and bridg.
ing and triumphant conquering Of these
mountain barriers that few years ago
would have excited the derision Of the
most sanguine Of engineers or other scien.
tito men. Here, few miles beyond Mis-.
soula Is trestle over Marcnt Gulch, a
trestle that is Ss8 feet in length and 81 feet
wide at the base, and when you lookout o.
the window Of your car you look down in.
to yawning abyss 226 feet below YOU!
Upon the rocks over which the waters rip.
pie in this huge gorge, rest the timbers
that sustain you in your helplessness and
dependence upon engineering skill, for the
bridge 10 the representation Of the brain
and Drawn Of thousand men, any one Of
whom, failing in his allotted duty, might
send you to kingdom Come on those Jagged
rocks.
It was near this point that witnessed
one Of the genuine war dances Of the Crow
Indians. which is quite unlike the war
dances ofany other tribe that comes under
the civilizing processes of the Indian con.
tractors. These Indians were dressed in
variety; that is, those who were dressed at
all, but the majority wore nothing save The
regulation breech.clcut and what paint thew
could daub on the different portions Of their
bodies. = This paint consisted of yellow
ochre and hanback,, with which they dec.
Grated themselves BY painting bands around
their waists and faces. Their head dresses
were gorgeous beyond description, and
one big chief had a plume four feet in
height. An Indian drum, which is called
drum because 1t has not the slightest re.
Sc alliance to one, stood in the center of
the circle, around which were squat,ed six
or seven Of the dirtiest, filthiest looking In.
dams that eye hath seen or nose s,nelled.
each Of which were armed with six .ft,o
pole with which they struck the drum.
The leader Of this orchestra was greasy
old fellow, all covered with feathers Of ev.
cry hue, whose voice Brignoli could have
envied, though believe he wouldn't. The
effect Of his chanting upon his audience,
however, was more marked than anything
the great Italian ever scored, for it fired
the crowd with such excitement that I for
one, aud several others for themselves con.
cluded we could see as we'll little further
OIL. 1t seems that the old fellow had been
chanting, In his mournfully chanting style,
the deeds of hair.lifting that had been per.
formed by the Crow fathers, and these re.
collections, suddenly arising in the savage
breasts, can only find vent in the widest
and most narrowing excitement II the
fiends Of Tophet could make more horri.
BILE noise than that which followed the old
mans final cadences, they must have taken
lessons from the Grow war dance. AS the
old fellow ceased his wailings the orchestra
struck up on their own hook, BY first Civ.
Ing low, rumbling roll on the drum,
which quickened as the excitement increas.
ed and eliminated in one Of the most dia.
bolical crescendoes that any body but Wag
ner could ever Imagine. The unwashed
Indians composing the orchestra sprang to
their feet, and Aourishing their drumsticks,
to the great danger Of intervening heads,
began the dance, keeping accurate time 10
the beating Of the drum, now performed by
single Indian, who seemed to have mas.
tered the science The scale OF the Grow
Indian music Is composed OF four notes
and yell, the latter being omitted only on
occasions Of funeral import.
Round and round the drum and the red
fire light did these savages dance, or rather
jump for two mortal hours, and never a
ladies change, a balance your partners, or
an allemand left. The lurid glare of the
fire, the lights Of the adjacent tepees, and
the darkness that surrounded all, was a
scene such as must have possessed Dante's
Imagination in the production Of "Inicrno,"
and these particular Indians could we'll
have filled thu, hill IN renres.nt;u.r <l,a m