The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1890-12-13
KILL THEMSELVES DANCING.


Mrs. James A. Finley, wife of ex-
Councilman Finley of Kansas City,
now postmaster and post trader at
Pine Ridge Agency, left the agency a
few days ago by direction OF her hus-
band, who sent her home tor safety.
In an interview she described the
ghost dances. She said these dances
had been In progress for some time.
The first she learned Of them was last
August when crowd Of Indians left
the reservation to hold, as they said, a
council, and when the police found
them they were engaged in the dance.
Since then they have been holding
them regularly. One ghost dance that
she saw was participated in by 4S0
Indians.
"In preparing for the danco,' she
said, "they cut down the tallest tree
they can find and having dragged il
to a level piece of prairie set 1t up in
the ground. Under this tree four of
the head men stand. Others form in
circle and begin to go around and
around the tree. They begin the
dance on Friday afternoon. 1t Is kept
up Saturday and Sunday until sun
down. During all this time they do
not eat or drink. They keep going
round In one direction until they be-
come so dizzy they can scarcely stand,
then turn and go in the other direc-
ton and keep it up till they swoon
from exhaustion. This is what they
strive to do, for while they are in a
swoon they think they see and talk
with the new Christ.
"When they regain consciousness
they tell their experience to the four
wise men under the tree. All their
tales end with the same story about
the two mountains that are to belch
forth mud and bury The white men
and the return of good Indian times.
They lose all of their senses in the
dance. Some get down on all fours
aud bob about like buffalo. When
they cannot lose their senses from ex-
haustion they butt their heads togeth-
er, beat them on the ground and do
anything to become insensible, so that
they may be ushered into the presence
of the new Christ"
"At the end of the dance they have
grand feast, the revel lasting all Sun
day night. They kill several steers
and cat them raw, drink and gorge
themselves TO make up for their fast.
The arrival of the troops there will
make the Indians much worse aud they
will surely fight. They have said all
along that nothing should break up
the ghost dance, even if they were all
killed But then if they had been
allowed to continue it | think they
would have gone crazy, so that they
would have taken TO the war-path any
way. They arc all well armed aud
have plenty of ammunition.
"At last Fridays dance one Of the
braves was to go into trance and re-
main in this condition four days. AT
the close Of this PERIOD he was to come
10 lllc 10 OuhuiO-hc NVhib otiii
have the form of man, but he would
be a buffalo. They were then to kill
the buffalo, and every Indian who did
not eat piece of him would become
a dog. The man who was to turn into
buffalo was perfectly willing, aud |
suppose they have killed and eaten
| him by this time.
.If the Government just lets them
alone there will be no need of troops
they will kill themselves dancing.
Seven or eight of them died as the re-
suit Of ono dance near Wounded Knee.
They are now dancing on creek
about five miles south of Wounded
Knee, and dancing with all their arms.
Every Indian has about four war-clubs
made out Of round stones twisted in
rawhide. They throw these around
during The dance, strew the ground
with them and beat their heads against
them. Tie agent with his Indian po-
lice cannot control them, and II Is nec-
essary to have the troops on the
ground