The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1890-12-18
sTANLEY's CURIOSITY.
His Investigation of a Mummif1ed
Indian.
An Incident of the Great Explorers So-
journ in the Sioux Country Quar-
ter of a Century Ago-IsurIai
Customs OF That Tribe.

In recent interview the incident of
Henry M. Stanley's part in disrobing
the mummified body of an Indian maiden
in 1867, while with the Indian Peace
commissioners, was given so briefly and
hurriedly, says writer in the ST. Louis
Post-Dispatch. as TO put the matter, per-
haps, in disadvantageous light. Civ
ing the facts as they occurred, as fully
as memory serves after lapse of near a
quarter of century, will set the matter
right, besides afford an opportunity of
relating one or two other personal Incl
dents connected with the Indian method
OF burying their dead. 1t is we'll known
that the various bands of tho Sioux tribe
followed the custom of disposing of their
dead byplacing them on scatfo1ds and in
the branches of trees, when available, to
prevent them from being devoured by
dogs and the coyotes or prairie wolves,
the hyenas of the western plains.
The first we saw of this method of
burial was at Fort Laramie, whore in
the soldiers cemetery in the rear of the
town and overlooking the barracks, we're
three coffins, each covered with pail of
bright crimson cloth, elevated on the
top of four stout cedar posts some
twelve feet in height.
One of the coffins contained the body
of "Pink," an Indian woman, we'll
known for her attachment TO the whites.
In another were the remains of young
child, the daughter of an Ogallalah
squaw and wealthy post trader, and
the center one contained the body of
Mon-i-ka. the daughter of the
famous chief, Spotted Tail, the
romantic history of whose life and
death were eloquently described by
the correspondents. Her dying wish
was to be buried among the whites, near
the fort. In compliance with her re-
quest, her father, with three hundred
warriors, came down in the month of
February, 1866, after a journey of fifteen
days, and the commanding officer or
dered that the girl should be buried in
the soldiers cemetery The scaffold
was erected and the dead maiden's two
ponies were slaughtered and nailed to
the posts, the heads and tails of which
were still dangling there when we Wis
tied the cemetery.
Near sunset u procession of three hun
dred Indians and all the officers and
soldiers of the post marched with the
solemn music of the military band to the
place of sepulture The services were
performed by Rev. A. Wright, Chaplain
of the post. Chaplain Wright kindly
furnished Stanley and the writer with a
comfortable room, and one day he piloted
us two or three miles above the fort to
Deer creek, an af1uent of the Laramie
river, whore, in large grove of cotton
woods, he pointed out some ten or
twelve skeletons of Indians, grated, as
it were, on the trees. The bodies were
wrapped in blankets and buffalo robes
and deposited in a sort of trough made
of poles, the ends of which were
fastened to limbs at a height of ,about
twelve feet from the ground. Mr..
Wright pointed out the wrappings of q
chiefs daughter that had veen reposing
for many years undisturbed in large
cottonwood tree, and we began our
archaeological explorations. The Chap
lain returned to the fort after remind
ing US that our scalps would not be safe
should stray Indian happen along, as
they held it as the highest desecration to
disturb their dead.
The Indian maiden was found wrapped
in bundle of cerements composed of
the skin of an antelope, plaid shawl,
several patterns of colored calico prints,
and over all was bound buffalo robe,
tied with thongs of bulls hide. The
face was not unpleasant, though the
skin and flesh was shrunken to the bone,
presenting the appearance of an Egyp-
tian mummy, the dry climate producing
an embalming effect. The wrappings
were restored to the condition in which
they were found, and Stanley brought
away ring from one of the toes, and
myself nicely-worked figure with por-
cupine quilts on the buffalo robe, which
soon after was cast away in disgust. So
that, our curiosity being appeased. it
did not amount to case of body-snatch-