The Donaldsonville chief., 1886-08-21
THE BEEF ISSUE
a SPECTACLE AS BRuTALlzihe AS
SPANISH BULL FIGHTING.
Scenes at an Indian Agency on the
Crest Sioux Reservation-Catt1o Await
ine slaurhter-Ladies witnessing the
shootine Of tho Animals.

Shooting OF en0 An1M8IDs
aOh. it's going to be lovely day for the
beef issue. I'm so glad, says young iady
at the breakfast table. Every one is ami
mated and expectant. For several days
visitors at the agency, besides the usual hos
pitable welcome, have been greeted with tne
exclamation: "You are in just in tlme{ you
must stay to the beef issue" All through
the dav before and far into the moonlight
night long professions Of Indian wagons have
-heen coming across the hills, and their occu-
al nlAaye gone into camp on the high slopes
| ing the who.At an, early hour of the morn
movement. The4scape is full OF life and
their gayest attire. ana arc deckea ou' III
TUNES are pictorial enough OF tne,r cos
still wear the native dress, but some y el'olll
q combination Of Indian and civilized Pau 2aoal
which is uglier than either alone. Nearly all
are bareheaded, and their long black hair,
| parted in the middle, falls back over their
| shoulders. Their faces are painted in vari-
| Gus bright colors and in all kinds of grotesque
| figures The Indian men are very fond of
wearing tails, and when on foot like to have a
| strip Of bright colored cloth dangling at their
heels or dragging along on the ground behind
them. They nearly all wear blankets, which
at this time OF the year are, most Of them,
sheets Of dirty, gray looking muslin or sheet
ing. These they wrap closely around them,
often covering the head and face, all but the
eyes.
As we look about us after breakfast we see
the Indian women and girls Harvesting their
horses. Carriages are brought to the door
for guests, and we are soon all on our way to
the government corral Everybody Is going;
residents about the agency, young ladies who
are teaching schools in the distant camps and
theirs who are visitors from eastern cities.
All are in high spirits. Acquaintance ex-
change greetings. Indian wagons filled with
women and children are moving over the
plain from all directions. There are hundreds
Of young Indian men and women on horse
back. They go curveting and racing about
the plain. The Indians never look well Oh
horseback, but they manage to stay on
Their ponies are slight and ugly looking, but
tough and enduring. They are the most use
full and respectable denizens of the Indian
country, and are about the only creatures
here who earn their rations. The girls sit
astride, the same as the men. Some Of the
bellies are in costly apparel. count more
than fifty elk teeth on large cape worn by
radiant brown maiden. As each elk has just
two teeth a whole herd must have been
slaughtered to furpish the bravery of her at
tire She reminds me Of New York Fifth
avenue bellies with dead birds on their heads,
but the elks were really killed for food
CATTLE AWAITING SLAUGHTER.
The corral is alarge stockade in the mid
dls Of a plain, which slopes upward to low
hills all around. Here are many hundreds of
cattle awaiting slanghte, to furnish rations
for the noble red men, their squaws ana
papooses, "the wards Of the nation" There
are about 2, 600 Indians present. A large por-
ton Of the men are armed with carbines or
improved rifles. There Is an army officer
here from the nearest fort, to represent the
government on the occasion. A brass band
has come out from some railroad town to
compliment the ladies and frighten the already
distracted cattle with tho blape of their music
The entertainment opens with a popular air.
The ladies applaud delicately, and the musi-
clans bow their Acknowledgements Mounted
cowboys enter the corral, spur their horses
among the cattle, and drive groups of them,
with shouts, yells and blows, toward the
chute leading to the scales, where they are
weighed, a dozen ut a time. After leaving
the scales, in a narrower part of the chute,
each animal Is branded with hot iron. and
passes ON into another division or apartment
Of the corral This first brand shows that tho
animal has been received from the contractor. |
After all have passed through this experience |
they are again driven into the chute with the /
same accompaniment of yells and blows, and t
receive another brand This is to identify the |
hide after it has been taken off.
All this is but overture and prelude, butth
curtain will soon rise and the play begin
Ladies and visitors are assigned the best
points OF view for the coming spectacle. The
Indian wagons with the women and children, j,
and the dussy equestriennes, press close to-
gether around the walls of the corral Tho
Indian horsenen are drawn up in two long
ines, forming lane from the gate of egress,
ar out on the plains Their cnrbines CLEAN
IL the sunlight. turn and note the sweet
less Of the June morning, the beauty of tho
:ircling hills, the flag Of our country floating
Ibove the government buildings, and, in the
nonentary hush, the gushing song of a
meadow lark, far off across the grass Hun
lreds of Indian dogs troop about, hungry,
vatchful and expectant. A tall Indian, with
voice like that Of an exhorter at an Arkan-
as camp meeting, climbs up to the top Of tho
ate and shouts the names of the men who
re to receive the cattle, as, one after another,
hey are released to their DOOM The gate
pens and gigantic steer leaps out, fright
ned and wild eyed. He trots uncertainty
own the lane of horsemen. The dogs fly at
i'm, and he sets of in gallop. Two Indians
allop after him, and everybody looks that
ray. But by this time another is out, and
Don half dozen are racing away in different
irections, each closely followed by two or
hree mounted Indians
SHOOTING THE ANIMALS
Soon shot is heard, and then another, and
IA ladies strain their exas To GOO hut. tho