The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1891-02-14
TALES OF

/ oC0lCIlIlk phItlcS dEO lUUhllk IOI ulS UONlt,
TALES OF RUTCHERY.
The Indians Tell Commissioner Morgan
About the Slaughter ut Wounded
Knee.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 1.-THE Sioux In
dian conference was concluded to-day, and
the Indians will tomorrow or Friday start
for home, going by way of Philadelphia
and Carlisle. The feature of tO-day's meet
ing was the story of the fight at Wounded
Knee, which was told by Turning Hawk
and American Horse.
Turning Hawk Said: when our peo-
pie who had been frightened away were
returning to Pine Ridge, and when they
had almost reached the agency they were
met by the soldiers and surrounded, and
finally taken to Wounded Knee creek, and
there at a given time their guns were de-
manded, and when they had delivered
them up, the men were separated from
their families, from their tepees and taken
to a certain spot, their guns having been
given up. When the guns were thus taken
and the men thus separated, there was a
crazy man, a young man Ofivery bad in
duence, and, in fact a nobody, among a
bunch of Indians, fired his gun, and of
course the firing of the gun must have
been the breaking of a military rule of some
sort, because Immediately the soldiers re-
turned the fire and an indiscretiOnary kill
ing followed.
The commissioner of Indian affairs here
interrupted to ask: Did the man fire at
| the soldiers, or did he simply shoot in the
air?
Spotted Horse said he shot an officer In
the army; the first shot killed the officer"
Commissioner: did the soldiers return
the fire Immediately, or did the Indians
keep up their firingw
Spotted Horse: GAS soon as the first shot
was fired the Indians Immediately began
drawing their knives, and they were ex-
h0rted from all sides to desist, but this
was not obeyed, consequently firing began
Immediately on the part of the soldiers"
Turning Hawk: "All the men who were
in the bunch were killed right there, and
those who escaped that first fire got into
the ravine, and as they went along up the
ravine for a long distance, they were pur-
sued on all sides by the soldiers and shot
down, as the dead bodies showed after
wards"
Commissioner: ain this fight did the
women take any partw
Turning Hawk: "They had no firearms
to fight with. The women We're standing
off at a different place from that where the
men were stationed, and when the firing
began, those of the men who escaped the
first onslaught went in one direction up a
ravine, and then the women. who were
punched together at another place, went
entirely in = different direction through an
open field, and the shared the
same fate rs the men who went up the
deep ravine."
American Horse said: "The men were
separated, as has already been said, from
the women, and they were surrounded by
Indians and that was entirely surrounded
by soldiers also. When the firing began,
of course the people who were standing
Immediately around the young man who
fired tine first shot were killed right to-
gether and then they turned their gums,
IIOtchkiss guns, ETC., upOnthe women who
were in the lodges. standing there under
they were fired upon they fled, the
men fleeing in one direction and
the women running in two
different directions, SO that there
were three general directions in which
they took flight There was a woman with
ucE lutdut Ill IlcI dIulS WIN was hllICu az
she almost touched the flag of truce, and
women and children of course were
strewn all along the circular village until
they were dispatched. Right near the
flag of truce another was shot down with
her infant; the child not knowing that its
mother was dead was still nursing
and that was especially a very sad sight.
The women, as they were fleeing with
their babes on their backs, were killed to-
gether-shot right through. All the Indi-
ans fled in these three directions. After
most of them had been killed, a cry was
made that those who were not killed or
wounded should come forth and they
would be safe, and the little boys who
were not wounded came out OF their places
of refuge, and as soon as they came in
sight a number of soldiers surrounded
them and butchered them there"
Commissioner to the interpreter: II
wish you would say to him that these are
very serious charges to make against the
United States army. ] do not want any
statements made that are not absolutely
true, and l want anyone here that feels
that the statements are too strong to cor
rect them"
American Horse: "Of course it would
have been all right if only men were
killed: we would feel almost grateful for
1t. But the fact of the killing of the
women, and more especially the killing of
the young boys and girls who are to 20 to
make up the future strength of the Indian
people, is the saddest part of the whole
thing, and we feel it very sorely."
After several others had spoken, the
commissioner declared the conference at
an end.