The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1890-11-29
Two Correspondents at Yates. Write
the Tribune Regarding Affairs
Down There.
They Both Emphatically Declare
That There Will be No Outbreak
ut Present.
Agent Mclaughlin Still Controls the
Indians, and is Master of the
Situation.
The ''PurficatiOn Sweat" is Described
A Cold Wave Would Settle the
Fanaticism.
The Situation at Yates.

Will nave the most felldOle news
concerning what is going on here, as your
correspondent has lived among the Sioux
the best part of his life. [ wish you to
publish nothing but tacts. We are over
run with correspondents of eastern papers,
who come. here, and, as they must write
about something, it is Of a very sensation
al character in order to show their EN-
ployers that they are earning their pay.
A correspondent coming here learns very
little-only what is told him by the en-
ployes and many of them tell the newspa-
per men the greatest of lies just for the
fun of it. The TRIBUNE will have by tel
egraph the first account OF any trouble
here-even before the wal department.. 1t
the crazy people of Mandan and other
towns, as we'll as the eastern press, want
to keep posted, let them take the TRIBUNE.
l am glad to see the stand the TRIBUNE is
thing on Grand river is quiet. Sitting Bull
is keeping up the dances. He prOphesied
this fall that there should be no snow and
the weather should be pleasant all winter.
This prophesy is certainly coming true,
n this makes him, in the eyes OF the In.
dians, a still greater medicine man, and
they are worked up to a great pitch over
it. From early morning till loon they
purify themselves by sweating. This is
done by heating a pile of stones in the fire
until they are red hot. They then a away
the fire. bend willows over the stones, upon
which they spread a canvas or an old piece
of tent and make it almost air tight. Un-
der this the Indians sit until they are al
most melted. This is called the "purify-
ing sweat" After this the dance continues
until sunrise next day. Now if a blizzard
would only come, with the thermometer
about 80 OF 40 below zero, it would soon
cure them, for after sweating so much they
could not stand the cold. A number OF
soldiers have just been arrested and a
number of bottles OF whiskey taken from
them. They are now in the guard house.
There never was so much drunkenness
here as at present as they are now getting
it by the bottle. They are bound to get
drunk. If the government would allOW
the soldiers to have beer in their canteens
as they used to have, a great deal of this
drunkenness would be avoided.
ANOTHER ACCOUNT.
Fort YATES, N. D., Nov. 22.-[Special.]
SO many sensational stories have been
sent forth from Mandan and other points
more or less remote from this agency that
the public have unavoidably formed an
entirely impression regarding
the condition of affairs among the In
dians. At the sacrifice of a splendid SEN
sation, which as a newspaper man, l am
10th to spoil, I must say that l find the Sit
, uation far from warlike. Indeed, thus far
there have been no hostile demonstrations
whatever, and there has been absolutely
nothing upon which to found any excuse
for the exodus of settlers from the sur
rounding country except the newspaper
tictions. But it is a lamentable fact that
in addition to the flight of settlers from
Morton county, southern Emmons and
Campbell counties are almost depopulated.
I know of one instance in which a woman,
who had given birth to q child but ten
hours previously, was placed on a mattress
in o wagon and sent on an all. night, Jour-
new of forty miles to escape the redskins,
who were reported to be on the east sid
of the river.
There is no truth whatever in the reports
that the Indian police have thrown off
their uniforms. Indians, like lrishmen,
are Ioval to the flag they are fighting UNI
der, and the entire police force is with the
agent. One or W of the police are 9 1T
tie weak kneed, perhaps, but This IS fully
compensated for by others who openly de-
n0unce the ghost dance and all that goes
with it. This being ration day. much anx-
ietv was felt as to whether the Indians
,Hnm,I come into the agency. 1t was ar
m,.ad that those who did come by that act
g g,oa!d sl' acknowlede themselves loyal to
~ auont Nearly ali came except Sitting
n SnT Hs and his immediate followers. The
aaant met met ali the leading chiefs in council
8 ri axnsa;ned tn them the interest which
tsa eoypernment took in the welfare of the
l Indie ms dad NV w thos = who S1r1o tool m'arei in and
o oelanH AGED he ghos dance in defiance Of
the a1ant and the government. John Grass,
G SLJ MAJ Hear Rear Face. Red Fish and
o 1Ia, u nnhIiciy pledged themselves
~ H,a smnnnrG thes agent throughout, and use
every effort to discourage the fanaticism:
The agent ssd, clearly eaGGa n9ias .ne with Mln KIM / NAVE haye
In my SNORT mort aca9fadLn,"aii Is M Main rMcianeh.
fEn,a ahl RiSst to handle Tie Indians. he IS a
genius both as a diplomat and general, and
ne iss mas mas ,' w,.n SERIOUS ms a co9piic SHRoi among
M many nyoh h1e. red men than the one he is called
% SIS to face today. There is an air Of
impenetrable mystery about IT. po nab agency neX