Bismarck tribune., 1884-02-15
SIOUX COUNCIL.


Bull Eagle, from the committee ou Moral
Rectitade, reported bill for the suppression
of polygamy. It provides that any warrior OF the
Sioux Nation who shall take second wife when
he is already married to first, shall, upon con-
viotion thereof, be condemned to wear the dress
of a souaw during bis natural life. In support
of the bill Bull Eagle said:
"MR. CHAIRMAN: The committee over which
have the honor to preside have prepared this
bill only after the NEST searching investigation
into the evils which srise from our presnt some
what promiscuous matrimonial habits. Under
the existing state of affairs the warrior who has
but one suuaw on his roll of membership is
looked upon ~ . pauper, while he whose slum-
bers are disturbed by the soprano snoring OF
whole herd of pigeon-toed companions looms up
in the eyes of society - ten time winner. In
the committee lodge the Great Spirit whispered
to M, and His words were words of wisdom. He
told us that We were all wrong in our ideas OF
marital bliss. He told Us that if We did not
mend our ways We would find more fire than
game in the happy hunting grounds.
I'm my youth gave my love to Laughing
Eyes, of the Yanktonaise. She was. beauteous
maiden with raven hair and an appetite like an
English tourist. Juno would envy her form
and her feet were ever regarded as wonderful
and sublime freaks of nature. loved her as
man never before loved and when her aged sire
hinted that clear bill of sale might be secured
for a bottle of the riotous rum of the pale
face, closed the bargain at once and took her
unto my heart and lodge. With the exception
of frigid feet ard disposition to warble glad
songs with her nose while she reveled in the de-
lights of dreamland, found her all my fancy
had painted her.
Had I been satisfied then, my happiness
would have been complete. But I was ambi-
tious. Oh! this mad ambition, how many lives
has it wrecked? How like demon it fastens
its reptifan claws on a man and yanks the holy
deliRhts out of his erstwhile sixteen color
chrome life! In an evil moment met Knock
kneed Betty of the Brules. She was brunette
of winsome grace, and she was clad in the garb
of the paleface maiden. She had done day g
washing for job lot of female fnery, and was
logged out in gorgeous style. True, her native
ignorance of the uses of many of the articles
led her into numerous errors in her make up,
vet sle loomed up like six bits. In her lack of
knowledge of the mode of dress among the pale
skinned dudesses of the cities beyond the Mis-
souri,, she was wearing the hustle in front. but
Betty was beautiful. The Guns made
to fit over the knee caps to protect
than when the pale face maiden kneels in prayer
looked odd when worn as earrings, yet Betty was
an untutored child of nature and could think of
no place else to wear them. The custom of
leaving off the skirts to exhibit the rich en-
broidery in the leggings is not a custom of the
whites, yet Betty was all her life debarred from
the circles Of refined society and knew no bet
ter. The DEGREES of fashion never intended
that damaged set of false teeth should be
worn as charm on the necklace, but Betty took
not the papers of fashion and wore her orna-
ments where she wot best. When met Betty
my heart began to act in drunk and disorderly
manner, and felt that I loved her. traded
an old shotgun for her and took her to my lodge
and introduced her to Laughing Eyes as one
unto whom I had given quit-claim deed for an
undivided alf-interest in my affections.
"When regained consciousness Laughing
Eyes was sitting on me rejecting Ger the ever
changing vicissitudes of life and pausing at
times to give me another peeler under the ear.
She would sit and look down into my wondering
face in an abstracted manner and then con-
tribute another bump to the psychological COL
lection which she had been erecting on my head
while lay unconscious. She would speak my
name coupled in with some language manufac-
tured especially for the occasion, and then fetch
me kick in the ribs which cauaed my breath
to flee from its native haunts in sore alarm. She
would refer in a casual way to my second wife
and then help herself to some choice samples Of
my raven hair in the frank and social m amer
for which her sex is noted. As soon as che arose
from my PROSTATE form I kindly consented to
get up and listen to an explanation, and then
what sight met my terrified gaze!
"Knock, Kneed Betty was dead! The sum-
mons came unto her, and Laughing Eyes hit her
over the head with frying pan and let her 60.
The welcome she had met in the home to which
brought her was demonstrative one. After
transaoting what little business she had with me
Laughing Eyes had turned her attention to
Betty, and had done her up neatly. The nose
which once 80 proudly pointed up at the blue
dome of heaven was suffering from fit of NOR.
bid depression and was jammed away around
under her left ear, and her under jaw was
slowed around to the back of her neck. Her
eyes we're holding business meeting down on
her cheek. and her hair was strewn around the
lodge in picturesque confusion. traded
Laughing Eyes next day for q mule and q full
dress breech cloth, and forever foreswore polyg-
amy.
'.Mr. Chairman, this bill should receive the
thoughtful consideration OF the council. It
should be passed, and the curse of polyg amy
forever wiped out If there sh ,uld be any who
would feel that thela was oppressive and tyran-
nical they should renounce their tribal relations
and emigrate beyond the mountains, where, I
am told, there dwells . tribe of semi savsges
whose religion will permit a man to marry =
whole female seminary if he assumes all risks of
per onal harm and premature falling out of the
hair" q =ras
The bill was read a second time and laid over
for future consideration.
'.Now, watch me slide off on my carp cried a
maid,
A i. ol,o rraa NTH tho skafaa m hor foot