Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1886-05-01
THOUGHT HIM A MEDICINE MAN.


"A souTCe VI CpItStanC interest to the
spectators at the st. Paul carnival are
the Indians in their tepees at the palace
grounds, and the canvas doors are con.
stantly raised for a look at the smutty
inmates as they sit about their fires. the
bucks smoking and the squaws making
embroidery or sewing. A rather odd in
cident occurred in one of the tepees. A
visitor entered who CHANGED to wear a
glass eye. When the canvas door was
raised there was the usual cry from the
door-tender, Five cent" and the visitor
responded by giving the dirty-looking
squaw a dime and telling her to keep the
change.
This paved the way for a most hospita-
bic welcome. a young squaw, APP
parently about 20, and rather more
comely than the average, arose and
spread n blanket, to which she motioned
the visitor. Inc a brave who had been
sitting in the corner rose and made some
signs of welcome with his hands. which
lie raised and lowered several times. The
J seat was accepted and one of the, old
squaws, apparently so years old, about
as large one way rs another n with a
face that looked good-natured in spite of
dirt and wrinkles, filled a long red pipe
and handed il to the visitor, who crossed
his legs before the fire and pulled the
smoke like any OF the braves. There
were eight or ten Indians in the tepee,
scattered about in the usual confusion
and in all sorts of postures. One of the
old squaws, had been downtown shop
,inor ,nl CHIC ,n,anEal l,o,. ,Nrp,l,,cne
and submitted them to the visitor,
evidently expecting them to be admired.
They consisted of several pieces Of calico
of bright Colors and a cake of Rabbits
soap ia red paper. After due admiration
on the part of the visitor there was a
general conversation with such as could
talk English, interrupted frequently by
the jabbering in the Indian dialect rs
they interpreted for the benefit of
others. They said they had not been
cold during the severe weather Of last
week, that they were having a good time
and getting some money.
There was one little squaw about 10
or IL years old who was unusually
bright, and she informed the visitor that
she could read in "the Second reader"
After a time the comely squaw came
over and sat down beside the visitor
and held up Il dog, a sleek-looking pup,
that was very playful, for his admira-
ton. She said the dogs name was
Fanny" and was l year Old and be-
longed to her. The dog was duly adj
mired and allowed to poke its cold nose
against the visitors hands. For nearly
half an hour the call was prolonged, and
at length the conversation Jagged. The
old squaws were apparently going to
sleep, and the braves were talking
among themselves. 1t came over the
visitor that perhaps he had not been
furnishing his part Of the entertainment,
and it occurred to him that his hosts
might Ike interested in inspecting his
glass eye. Speaking to the young squaw,
he called her attention to the fact that
he could place his finger upon it with
out apparent pain. She was interested
at once, and with a degree of familiarity
that was unexpected, she insisted on
poking her own cinamon-colored fingers
into it. She called attention to the en-
tire tent full to the strange circumstance,
and they looked with admiration and
some degree of establishment. As they
were looking i~ntently the visitor quickly
grasped the eye with his thumb and
foretinger and, removing it, held it out
to the young squaw for inspection.
Christopher Columbus when he showed
them the eclipse nor Henry Hudson when
he gave them the t!re-water never saw n
more completely paraiyzed set of Indians.
The souaw looked first at the eve as it's
owner held il in his hand and her at the
place from which he had taken il, ut the
same time making a sort of half
frightened cry. Apparently the entire
party thought the visitor some big mcdi-
cine man, or a direct agent of the Great
Spirit. and they fairly tried n sort of
worship. Three of them got on their
knees before the visitor, and. holding up
both hands. the palms outward, they
began passing them up and down and
over the head of the visitor as he sat on
the tent floor, while they made a noise
that can not we'll he described, a sort of
long. low sound in which all Joined.
While this was going on the owner of
the eve quickly replaced it. This seemed
to astonish them even more. and they
ceased their noise. but continued on their
knees and kept up their motions with
their hands. The old fat squaw evil
IDENTIFY thought it must hurt the strange
visitor, for in her wrinkled old face there
was a sort of plying look and she
reached out to take hold of the visitor $
hand. Again the eye was removed and
again they began their noise.
Don't get excited" said he visitor,
ats nothing but a glass eye, that cost
$40 in Chicago. I'm not a medicine
man, and SO far as l know the Great
Spirit has got nothing in particular
against you. I simply thought you
might like TO look at some Of the curious
things the white folks make"
ugh, great" said two or three at once,
and that was all they would say. Az
parently they had never heard of any
such things, and no explanation could
persuade them that there was not m
thing marvellous, and during the visit
they kept up their attentions. As the
visitor arose to go they all arose. One
held the canvas o up as he went. and
rs soon rs he was out an unusual iabber-
ing and the beating of drums could be
heard coming through the cloth walls of