St. Paul daily globe., 1889-02-17
JEWELLERS IN TENTS.
Remnants of the Sioux Ma
ton and How They Exist
in Winter.
MuSkratS and Mink Provide
Their Only Means Of
Subsistence.
General SibIey's Tribute to a
Tried and Trusted Indian
Scout.
Scenes in a Tepee Which
Would Not Tempt Soci-
ety's Darlings.

& a ASSENGERS on
ns<T the motor line have
MM @E& probably noticed a
W& WHnA number of Indian
mS2SANA tepees in tn e
MnATEG& to the east
.ZGM mESX>~ of the track, be-
~ M$afSSSIM tween the Annap-
IVY oils street and
South Park stations. A small band of
Sioux, who came here year or two ago
from Mendoza, have taken up their
quarters there, and are living in almost
primitive simplicity. Five tepees stand
among the trees, arranged Ill almost
straight line from north to south.
Around them are piles of wood. old
clothes hanging on lines, skins OF
muskrats drying. while the ground is
covered with rubbish and refuse OF all
sorts. Mongrel dogs stroll mournfully
around, looking cadaverous, forlorn,
and with scarcely vitality, enough
stranger. One of them is dis
less, and even have a tendency to be af-
fectionate. Thin clouds of blue smoke
rise slowly straight up into the cold,
still winter air from the holes in the
tops OF the tepees, and form the only
sign of life around the encampment, as
the dogs lie perfectly still until
closely approached. The tepees
are constructed on the primitive
method of poles stuck in the
ground and crossing near the top. Over
these is spread covering composed OF
pieces of canvas, old shirt-tails and rags
of every description, held together by
strings and the sinews of small animals.
Numerous holes and rents supply VEN
tilation, and the door is formed of a
piece of the covering, which lifts up,
making kind of flap. On raising this
doorway cloud of smoke rushes forth
in the face of the visitor. Inside the
tepee a GLOBE reporter found big
fire of wood, with an iron cauldrOn
hanging by cord from the point where
the
SUPPORTING STICKS CROSSED
forming the apex of the cone. The
smoke from the fire and the steam from
the cauldron filed the limited space
within until perforce it had to escape
above. When the reporters eyes had
grown accustomed to the smoke, he be-
held two old women crouching one on
either side of the fire, and an
inteligent-looking man seated be-
yond whiting a stick. The
man turned a bucket upside down and
invited the visitor to sit down. Grow
ing accustomed to the darkness, he had
an opportunity to examine the forms
before him, The whole scene was weird
in the extreme; the smoking cauldron
hanging over the fire. the dim forms OF
the women crouching Oh either side,
fnraihln Il nf tho yyitat,
scene in Faust" To the left was an
aged hag, whose brown face, lit
up by the red glow from the fire,
looked diabolical in its ferceneSs.
Through the blue smoke could be dimly
seen the form of another woman. with
bandage tied over her left eye. Both
were wrapped in nondescript garments,
which completely covered their bodies,
leaving nothing but the face exposed.
What color or shape they were could
not be ascertained, and the forms
inside might have been as shapeless
as that of DemOgOrgOn for anything
that was visible-nothing but a dusky
heap with a dark fire-illumined face
above. The man was dressed in civil
lied costume, but his face had the
features and color of the aborigine,
while pair of bright eyes flashed back
the freight. 1t was difficult to induce
them to talk, but when asked how they
lived the buck said:
''In summer we catch mink and in
winter muskrats, when the weather is
not too cold"
"How do you live when it is too
cold?" was question which elected no
reply but laugh and some subdued
chatter in dialect, in which both
women joined with some vehemence.
At this juncture very miSerable-lOOk-
ing
OR'NARY YALLER DOG
came up, and, feebly Wagging its tail,
made friends with the reporter. The
male Indian rose, and taking an en-
VelOpe from his coat pocket. handed his
visiter the following letter from Gen.
Sibley:
''Sr. PAUL. June, 1883.
"To Whom 1t May Concern: The
bearer represents himself to be the son
of "Chaskey,' my trusted Indian scout,
who served under me during my cam
paign against the hostile Indians, being
of great use TO me from his reliability
and general good character. He was
killed in the service. His son deserves
the kndest consideration from the
whites on account of the valuable serv-
ices rendered by his father. [Signed]
Respectfully, ii. II. SIBLEY."
MY name is Chaskey," said the In
dian.
He then said that they had come there
from Mendoza, why, he did not exactly
know, or would not tell. They said they
were fullblooded Sioux, notwithstand-
ing the name of one of them is Walker,
which is not usually supposed to be an
Indian name. Their general appear
ance was the very reverse of prosper
Gus, though they said they were getting
along all right. In fact their appear
ance would strike most people as one
of abject misery. One of the women
was doubled up with rheumatism, and
the bare ground, which was her only
couch. is scarcely the most salutary
place oil which to sit, especially with
the temperature about zero. The
woman with her eye bandaged up has
eczema or cancer, or some horrible dis
ease which has batf1ed the combined
skill of all the
NATIVE MEDICINE MEN.
The only thing they say they are
really in need of is blankets, and it
would seem that good many blankets
would be requisite ito keep them warm
in this weather. Round the floor on the
inside of the tepees are piles of quilts,
which are about their only covering at
night. There is abundance of wood
for fires all around. and it
should not be difficult to keep
a fire alight all night with a
little judicious management, but man.
agement is not the strong point of the
red man. These Indians have all the
characteristics of their race; they seem
shiftless and lazy, perfectly content if
they can pick up subsistence by fish
ing andl hutning, and grumbling very
little when compelled to starve by rea-
A diet of muskrat cannot be very
sustaining, and that is about the
sum and substance of their bill of fare.
Stewed muskrat for breakfast, roast