Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1891-02-13
TALES OF RUTCHERY.

TALES OF RUTCHERY
The Indians Tell Commissioner Morgan
About the Slaughter at 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 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 certain spot, their guns having been
| given up. When the guns were thus taken
| and the men thus separated, there was Il
| crazy man, young man of very bad in
fuence, and, in fact 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
keep up their fringe
! Spotted Horse: LAS soon as the first shot
! was fired the Indians Immediately began
| drawing their knives, and they were ex-
| horted 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 long distance. they were pur-
sued on all sides by the soldiers and shot
down, as the dead bodies showed after
wards
Commissioner: in this fight did the
women take any part"
Turning Hawk: "They had no firearms
to fight with. The women were standing
Oft at 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
ravine, and then the women. who were
punched together at another place, went
entirely in different direction through all
open field, and the women 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 We're surrounded BY
soldiers, and then came the next village Of
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 the first Shot were killed right to-
'gether and then they turned their guns,
lIOtchkiSs guns, etc, upon the women who
were in the lodges, standing there under
they We're 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 woman with
her infant in her arms who was Killed as
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
nag OF truce dnOlnef was SlOC down With
her infant; the child not knowing that it's
mother was dead was still nursing
and that was especially very sad sight
The women, As they were fleeing with
their babes on their backs, were killed to-
gether-~hot right through. All the Ind-
ans fled in these three directions. After
most OF them had been killed, cry was
made that those who were not killed or
wounded should come forth and thev
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 tn the interpreter: ~
wish you would say to him that these are
very serious charges tn 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 it only men were
killed; we would feel almost grateful for
It. But the fact of the killing of the
women. and more especially the killing of
the young boys and girls who are to 60 to
make up the future strength of the Indian
people, is the saddest part of the whole
| thing, and we feel it very S0rely."
/ After several others had spoken. the
4 commissioner declared the conference at
an end. s9
{ Barnun,'s $ Gle othing house. New York,
a was q hnrsday, after q basinesa