The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-02-11
HORRORS OF THE FRONTIER.
A souAw AND HER CHILDREN KILLED.
4 Deed Committed by Men Who Wear the
Uniform of an HOnOrsd Country
Unarmed Victims OF the Rifle
ADisgracefal Affair.


most disgraceful scenes ever witnessed in
a civilized country. He says:
War, barbaric at the best is legitimate. but
there can be no possible excuse for assassina-
ton. Today witnessed the last scene in the
earthly history of four of Gods creatures.
They were Indians and they lacked much.
Education had done nothing for them and the
softening touch of religion bad not smoothed
their way TO eternity, but they had souls, and
those who killed them as the assassin kills are
murderers OF the most villsinOus description.
No one who looked upon that scene can ever
forget 1t, and not a man or woman acquainted
with the facts but regards the bloody circum-
stances with anything save horror. An Indian
woman, comedy in life, with her three children
were brutaly murdered at about the time OF
the Wounded Knee fight and within three
miles of the battlefield. Yesterday the bodies
were discovered by an Indian policeman; to-
day the remains of the unfortunate quartet
were placed in the bosom of mother earth.
After describing how a squad of soldiers.
accompanied by the correspondent and
other citizens was sent out to bury the
victims, the correspondent continues:
Twelve miles from the agency was the spot to
which our guides led US, the place where Red
Hawk. an Indian policeman, had yesterday
found the bodies of his sister and her children.
Red Hawk, the scou s, Interpreter Frank w bite,
and myself rode ahead OF the column and ar
the main trail and our destination over q bride
path that narrowed at times 20 q dangerously
insufficient footing even for careful horse.
Red Hawk went alone 10 the little patch Of
brush in which lay those he loved, the re-
mainder of the advance guard cOnsiderstely
hating on the bank above the bloody scene
until it might be regarded as proper for them
10 approach and for themselves what a
cowardly deed had been done.
Oh, it was q pitiful sight. Mother and chill
H. hoI- kaav. I'D rrrf Il a,A
in death they were not divided. Prone and
with the right side Of her face frozen 10 the
solid earth was the squaw Understanding
the-Red." Snow almost covered an extended
arm and filed the crosses in the little clothing
she wore. Piled up alongside of her were her
little ones, the youngest with nothing to cover
its CHASTITY nakedness but a calf buffalo robe.
which is before me as l write. The positions
OF the children were changed somewhat from
those in which they were found, the discovereF
putting them together that he might cover
them with blanket.
The first body 20 be examined was that of O
girl about nine years OF age. In the horrible
moment preceding dissolution she had drawn
her arms up and placed them across her face
q pretty face say those who knew her-and as
the features nodded themselves on the bony
arms and froze her visage become frightfully
distorted The black bead reckless was em-
bedded in the flesh OF her throat This victim
was killed by being shot through the right
lung the ball entering high in her breast and
making its exit at the right Of her back near
the waist.
Her sister-less than seven years old-was
almost naked. She two, was facing the MUIR
derers when they took such deadly aim and,
like the other girl, she had tried with her arms
TO shut out the sight of the unwaveriDg rifle
muzzles. The ball entered her right breast,
went through the right lung downward and
came out near the spine and just above the left
kidney.
Seventy grains OF powder drove 500 grains
of lead through the brain of the boy-a sturdy
built twelve-year-old. OF all the horrible
wounds ever made by bullets. none could be
more frightfully effective than that which for
ever extnguished the light of life in this boy.
The wound of entrance was on the upper part
of the right side of the head; the wound Of
exit was beneath the right eye, tearing open
the cheek and leaving a bloody hole as large
as 9 dollar. There must have been at least a
few seconds of agony before death came. for
the right arm was thrown up 20 and across the
forhead and the fingers of the left hand
stiffened in death while clutching the long,
iet-black hair near the powder-burned oriice
in his skull.
And the mother. Gentle hands loosened the
frosty bands which bound her to the soil and
fingers which tingled with the hot flow OF blood
from indignant hearts tenderly removed from
her fattened and distorted face the tWlRs and
leaves and dirt which in the death agony had
been unlaid in the yielding features. Her
strong arms were bare and her feet were drawn
up as the natural consequences OF a wound
which commenced at the right shoulder and
ended in the lower abdominal region. From
the wounded shoulder a sanguinary flood had
poured until her worn and dirty garments were
crimson dyed; the breasts from which her little
ones had drawn their.eRrliest sustenance were
dscolOred with the CORY stream. Ii was an
awful sight; promotive of sickening thought
and heartrending memories.
Who were these murderers? There is where
the shame comes in. They were and still are
soldiers in the army OF the United States;
"things" who wear the honorable blue and
claim the protection of flag under which
women and children enjoy more rights and are
accorded greater privileges than man gives to
the weaker and the younger in any other part
OF the world. The chain OF evidence is COM
plete, even to the identity of the individuals
who committed the deed. Indian eyes found
most of the testimony; military precision sup
piled the rest. The first link was the finding OF
an empty Springfield cartridge shell near the
dead bodies. Had the killing been done by
Indians and had the Indians thrown out the
useless shells they would have been OF the
Winchester variety. Upon the trail near
the little patch OF bushes were the
tracks Of sharp shOd horses No
Indians horse wears shoes. The
tracks were made on the day following
the battle, for they were in the direction Of
Wounded Knee, and snow had covered them
| up in places. On the day of the battle no
troops moved in that direction; on the day
after some did. Then came the snow. In the
banks con which the villains lay down to pour
q plunging volley into the bodies of the refu-
gees, who were about two or three feet below
| them, are the marks of boot toes. Out in the
| road and partially covered by snow was little
| doll. String the testimong together and you
will find that on the 30th day Of December.
| 1890 this woman and her three children were
on their way to the agency. They had escaped
| the slaughter which the previous day had
| included the husband and father In whom
| they were most interested. When near
this place in which their bodies we're
| found they saw the coming soldiers,
| and il was most natural that they should seek
the shelter Of this half acre or SO Of thick brush.
| But the soldiers saw them and neither sex nor
helplessness could save the footsore wanderers.
| Unarmed and without protection of any de-
| scrption they were wantonly and knowingly
| slain Not one of the men who fred those
! shots can say that be was unaware Of the char
| acter OF his victim, Tor each wound shows that
! the rifle muzzes were within few feet OF the
| person at whom they were aimed. Hair and
| clothing are not burned by the explosion OF q
! cartridge which is in gun hundred yards
away. from the object that is hit Burnt powder
! only flies a short distance and its fame travels
| but a couple of feet at most.
Gen. Miles knows what soldiers passed that
way that morning. They were few in number.
| and he csn easily ascertain who the wretches
were. What 10 he going to do about itg
Gen. Miles and also the Seventh regi-
ment of baby butchers have left the Pine
n n. a~-wr -