Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-06-27
A WEEK AMONG TIE SIOUX,
A STORY OF THEIR WO0ING AND
WEDDING.
Their History and Martial Deeds-A
Feast-Rorse-Ra Fune-
raj, Mourning, Etc.
Written by DR.. II. Latham for the RECORD
Union.

UNIoN.I
a quarter of century ago the vast coun-
try between the Missouri river and the crest
of the continental divide was a savage
wilderness. Countless buffalo, elk and
antelope roamed where now great herds of
cattle, bands Of horses and fioclls of sheep
Craze in pastoral peace and plenty. The
powerful plains tribes of Indians hunted
and camped where now there are golden
fields of grain, wide stretches Of silk
ened tasseled corn, and many smiling
homes. The transeontinental lines of rail
way stretch their giant iron arms where
then were only the game trail and over
land wagon road. The most powerful of
these aboriginal nations was the Sioux. or,
as they called themselves, the DakOtas.
They were the finest physical speci-
mems Of the human race, many
of them being six feet tall in their mecca
sins; straight as an arrow, and 1.-THE, sup
pie and active as panthers, They We're
graceful daring horSemen, Tivaling in
equestrian feats the Cussacks of the Ukraine,
or the BedouiHs of the Arabian deserts.
They dominated 4 country larger than the
Middle OF New England States. They were
true nomads, never cultiyating the soil, but
living solely by the chase, and wandering
from valley TO valley at will. Their wealth
was in their bands Of horses. Their labor
was hunting and their pastime war. They
were the terror Of their ncighDOrS, whether
white or red Some of their chiefs once
boosted that toward the rising sun our
war parties water their horses in the Mis-
sissippi river toward the setting sun they
drink from the clear streams that take their
rise in the eternal SHOWS of the
great mountains; to the south the
valley Of the Arkansas echoes to our
battle cries; TO the north the prints
of our horses hoofs are to be seen in the
sands OF the British possessions"
Not long before the time Of which / write
q signal fire on their high council hill
would have sent twenty thousand mounted
warriors into the field. The surveys and
prospective construction of the Pacific rail
ways alarmed these jealous and watchiul
people, and they waged war against all pale
faces. The war was fierce. bloody and I'M
reenting. Sully, Dodge Wheaton and
Conner led armies against them, but with
out decisive results. In 1865 peace was puT-
chased with them by liberal presents and
promises of annuities. When the treaty
was concluded the Brule and Ogillalla
bands started south to hunt and winter in
the Republican valley They had 1000 tepces
They moved slowly down the east side
OF the North Platte. | saw them from the
top of Scotts bluff, and they looked like
an army corps of cavalry. During the tour
wears Of war few white men had ventured
into that valley, and ii was consequently
swarning with game. Every morning
numerous hunting parties went out on
either flank and drove the game before
them toward the main body, when grand
slaughter took place. The military post of
Fort Sedgwick was near the overland sta
ton of Julesburg. 1t was there that the
notorious Slade had his headquarters, and
there that he held Jules Bernard a prisoner
and cut of his ears as trophies before
shooting him. We had a small force OF
troops at the fort for the protection Of over
land travel We watched the progress Of
this body Of Indians with a good deal Of
anxiety. The peace had been bought, not
conquered, ana therefore all the frontiers
men prOphesied that the chiefs would be
unable to restrain the young braves when
they once reached the overland route and
saw the rich wagon trains of goods that
lined that road 1t was in August when
they arrived at the bloody ground OF Ash
Hollow, where the gallant Harvey, some
years before. on foggy morning at the
gray Of dawn, had surprised = large war
parry and anuihilated them. That place
was so near the overland route that VIC
momentarily expected TO hear Of an out
break, and we were not disappointed.
At / O'Clock Of August morning was
aroused by an orderly, who said, The
COlonel's compliments, and wants to see
YOU at headquarters That needed no in
depreciation. 1t had only one meaning. and
that was Indians With no marked Chris
tan feeling, Obeyed. A the post head
quarters l found civilian with fOaming,
painting horse. This man said, The Sioux
are at their work again The Colonel
ordered me 10 get whatever ] needed and go
to the relief of some wounded men at the
California crossing, and said that he would
send corporal and four men with me. ]
suggested that there were at least three
thousand well-armed warriors in that
neighborhood, and that six men would not
make much Of q fight against them. Here
piled that all the force at the post could not
tight them, and that six men were enough
TO be killed. With this cOnsOling eXplana-
ton / made my preparations, and we
started out. ! had horse, captured in the
South, that was nearly thoroughbred, and
determined, III case we met any force Of
Indians, to let them have the contents Of
my Henry rifle magazine, and then give
the horse his head and let him show his
heels 10 the indian ponies.
1, was beautiful ClOu1less night with
a full moon Our route was down
the broad, well-beaten overland road
There were no habitatiOns there, except the
stage stations, built with thick walls OF sod
and pierced with portfolios. They were
covered with mud roofs, and were bullet,
arrow and iireproJf. Il Is wonderful what
strange and fantastic shapes the punches of
grass and bushes and even the bluffs with
Their shadows, Will take on in the moon
light under such circumstances. At that
particular time each and ali of these OBJ
jects at a little distance assumed the exact
appearance Of Sioux warriors. We saw
the object. and our hands went inyolun-
tarly TO our trusty Henry rifles, and our
hearts went mp into our tbr0ats can say
this cooiy now after the lapse of twenty
long years II al! the objects that looked
like Indians that night had been really So
the Sioux tribe would have figured in
the census up in the millions. and did not
see any more than my brave escort did
The night seemed intermiuabe but at last
the morning star paled, the silver gray of
the coming dawn crept over the east
ern horizon, tAe sun rose out of the
dead level OF tho wide, illimitable plains
and swept away ali the strange, threaten
ing forms OF the night, and sent our
courage up and our hearts back to their
proper places We were near the California
crossing and If we had 10 fight we could At
least see what ii was we were fighting.
At the crossing was an old French trad
ing post built by BeGuvaiS. Il was a LOG
and adobe fort, with immense ware
houses for storing Indian goods and filrs.
Beauyais was one of the adventurous
French traders who had penetrated the
trans-Missouri country long before civiliza-
ton did, and made fortunes buying furs
from the Indians. He was companion
of Choteau, st. Erain, Robideau, Sublette
and Colonel Bent.
The roof Of his fort that morning was rs
glad a sight as ever met mortal eve Ar
rived there, we were met by Billy Beauvais.
who gave us full information of the Indian
attack. II seems that party of
young braves left Ash Hollow on hunt
and wandered over to the Platte, where