St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-12-28
SIOUX WERE SURPRISED.
Santa Claus Pays Visit to Bucks and
SquaWs.
CLOTHING AND SWEETMEATS.
A Novel and Interesting Entertainment
by the Congregation of the First
Bap list Church.

To the reader of to-day peculiar
fascination attaches to the strange le-
gends handed down from the DakOtahs,
the common name of the confederated
tribes great Sioux nation, who half
century ago roamed at will over the
Northwestern territory, Subsisting upon
beasts of the forest. fowls of the air and
fish of the rivers and lakes. And to the
rising generation these heroes of start
ling adventure, devOteeS to peculiar
SuperstitionS and wOrShiperS of strange
spirits are regarded as an extinct peO-
pie.
Dacotahs are still living, although
changed people, and the observer last
evening, at the Church of the Good
Shepherd, saw large contingent of
this fast-decaying nation in new
aspect. People who once received their
| spiritual inspiration from the leaves OF
the trees, revered animals and the
changes of the elements, worShiped the
God of the pale-face, and gave attention
to the white child'S patron saint, st.
Nicholas.
The occasion was the Christmas tree
and Christmas exercises arranged by the
church for
THE FIFTY INDIAN MEMBERS.
| of that congregation. The church was
neatly decorated with boughs of fir and
| balSam In the first ten pewS on the
| north side of the building sat the In
dians. while the rest of the church was
occupied by white spectators. After
prayer by Rev. Mr.. Cope, a hymn was
sung by the Indians in their native
tongue. A hitch occurred in the pro-
gramme of exercises which caused con-
siderable embarrassment, both to the
pastor and the Indians. The minister
desired to deliver a short address
through an interpreter to the Indians,
many of them not being able to under
stand English. but none of the English
| speaking Daeotahs who had previously
assisted him would consent to appear
| before the large numUer of curious
white people. An intelligent-lOoking
young buck was induced, however,
after much persuasion, to step up before
the audience and deliver in the Sioux
| tongue the short sentences repeated to
| him in English by the preacher. He
started in greatly abaShed, but as Mr..
| Cope proceeded in his discourse on the
goodness of Christ and his death for all
sinners, the young Sioux repeated the
|
| done
| CREDIT TO YALE GRADUATE.
AT the c.oSe of the sermon the Indians
rendered another hymn, which, like the
| preceding one. was in the quaint, mo-
notonous tones peculiar TO the race.
| Following the exercises in the main
auditorium, Pastor Cope led the way to
| the Sunday school room, where reg
| ular white mans Christmas tree-wax
taperS, pop corn, baubleS aud candy
| awaited them. Some of the abOrigineS
| gaZed mutely at the beautiful tree, their
features maintaining the stolid ex-
| preston habitual with them while
| the swarthy lgamentS of others re-
Taxed into broad grin, and low, gut
teral CALCULATIONS of surprise were ut
tered. The features of the most sedate
relaxed, however, when the distribution
| of presents began. The articles given
were principally clothing, most OF it
| new, and some secondhand, bat each
| Indian received also small bag OF
candy and nuts, which, in some cases.
seemed to be more highly priced than
| substantial gifts.
The squaws wore heavy, coarse
| shawls drawn closely about their square
| shoulders and clutched in front with
both hands. When present was re-
| ceived an arm would be raised, the
| article secreted under the garment and
excluded from view. The bucks main
tanned the customs of their ancestors by
confding their presents to the care of
the sQuaws, and when the goods were
| distributed out and the party left the
church, the males wandered out i'll
| groups to discuss the matter, while the
! women carried the presents and other
| things picked up during their visit to
| the city.
Most of the Indians present live
within radius of twenty miles of st.
| Paul, but some had come from more
distant localities. The names responded
| to were rather peculiar, some of the
| families retaining the old Sioux names,
while others had adopted English cog.
! nomenS, among them being even John
| Smith. and the Wells, Smith, Graham
! and Walker families. There were also
! Joe Some-other-day. John Wabasha,
! Frank Red Wing. Eva and Mary Eagle,
| Philip Chaska, William and Moses Co
| lumbus, and many other names familiar
| in Minnesota.
Before the Judge of the prob te court
! last September the petition of Anna X.
hintZer praying that certain portion
| of the original homestead of her huS-
band. William l.. Mintzer, deceased. be
set aside from the property of the tes-
tator, as homestead Tor the petitioner.
| The original property, whereon William
| l.. MintZer lived, is a thirty-acre tract
| living on the fat in West st. Paul and
adjoining AmbS' addition on the west.
The house, which is situated near the
eastern extremity of the tract, is, with
| a siXty-foot lot. what Mrs. MintZer
asked the court to decree to be
her own, exempt from the administra-
| ton of the estate for the heirs of the de-
| ceased. As conclusion of law, Judge
German finds that she is vested with
the title to that portion of the property
| which, in size, is % feet by l20, and the
| house, and so adjudges her claim. Now
| comes the st. Paul Trust company. adj
miniStratOr of the estate of the deceased,
| and who was made tile respondent TO
the petition and who set up against the
| ALLEGATIONS of the complaint that the
| property which deeedent bought of the
ST. Paul Brick company in 1879 was not
| situated within the plated portion OF
the city as alleged in the petition, and
claimed and averred that the probate
/ court of Ramsey county had no juris-
diction to order the relief asked for by
the petitioner. and appeal from the de-
cision of the probate judge and carry
the case to the district court of this
county.
AN EVENING WELL SPENT.
Dancing to Replenish a Fund for