Los Angeles herald., 1891-01-18

nance and several of them seeing me
make sketches beckoned me to look at
their faces, while l watched all through
this horrid operation without being able to
detect anything but the pleasantest smiles
as they looked me in the eye, while could
hear the knife rip through the flesh, and
feel enough of it myself to start involun-
tary tears over my cheeks"
To show that the frenzy dances of the
Sioux, in which they think they can see
the Messiah, are mild amusements COM
pared to the practices of the Sioux-Man-
dams only little more than half cent
ury ago, the quotation is continued:
One of the attendants approaches sufferer
and begins turning him around with pole
which he brings in his hand for that purpose.
This is done in gentle manner at first, but grad.
ually increased, when the brave fellow whose
proud spirit can contain its agony no longer,
bursts out in the most lamentable and heartrend-
ing cries that the human voice is capable of pro-
ducing, crying to the Great Spirit to support and
protect him.
In this condition he is turned faster and faster
till he faints his cries cease he stops struggling,
and he hangs apparently o lifeless corpse.
Scrutinizing him carefully, in order to make sure
he is ''entirely dead" the attendants let him
down to the ground, his tongue distended from
his mouth. The splints by which he had been
suspended are then removed but the others,
which support the weights, are left hanging to
his flesh. As soon as he gets strength he rises
and moves himself; but no one is permitted to
assist him, as he is hero enjoying the most valu
able privilege which Mandan can boast of, that
Of trusting his life to the keeping of the Great
Spirit in this hour Of peril
Mr.. Catlin goes on to say that as soon as
one of the devotees gets sufficient strength
he crawls to place where asolemn Indian
i sits beside dried buffalo skull with a
thatchet in his hand. The fanatic places
We little finger of his left hand on the
&lll, and the other promptly chops it of
nfr the hand. Many give up the fore
mn of the left hand as well, and occa-
sioAsly one sacrifices the little finger Of
tne fAht hand. No bandages were applied
70 tneAngers which had been amputated
so 1ar Catlin could learn. No arteries
were Nm up, nor no attention whatever
paid 70 se or the other wounds, all being
ieiG H. Ior nGreat Spirit to cure.
Inc mex Ming ON the programme was q
dance wnio these latter day braves have
not tne coAge to initiate. Catlin de-
AS soon as siA Might had passed the ordeal in
appalling sufferin the nrsssnce - - the hole .i
round big canoe WI ali possible speed carrv-
ing cnan OF wnlow lghs and yelling at the
.0p Ocs Oi inesr hpwesn men take one of
by means of leather tief s round III, his . wr;sf
run him around the outsi G the other circle as
fast as they can till he agdS Mans IN faint
The struggle among the q Ia-ecs il as ~ which
can run longest without dyih( . thav coil n and
the last to go down finds d(Ncoveriny that nv, he
has won great honor. After Amino thev ara
dragged on the ground till all\Ke weights havs
been torn from their bodies, it al ,as beino na.-
essary for the bystanders to throw 4 air bodies on
the skulls and other weights iI{ Siar ~ tea
asunder the flesh which held Tho 4 fts- ~;
last race )" which finally closed th(Artmrs tn
victims were left alone till they re trsd srf,,.
cieutly to rise and then they crawl or STAG.
gered away to their lodges M n
Catlin describes the sufferinga& an.
young brave with great particular t b,,t
lack Of space forbids its reproductio{ "a
ROBERT GRAyso