The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1891-02-18
MASSACRED By MILES.
TIE lNClA NARRATIVE OF THE
SLAUGHTER AT WOUNDED KNEE.

TIE lNClAN NARRATIVE OF THE
SLAUGHTER AT WOUNDED KNEE.
Turning Iavk aud American Horse Tells
Touching, Terrible Story OF the Saw
age Butchery of Women, Girls, Boys
and Babies by the Soldiers.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 1.-THE Sioux
Indian conference was concluded to-
day and the Indians will start for home
tomorrow or on Friday, going by way
of Philadelphia and Carlisle.
The feature of to-day's meeting was
the story Of the fight at Wounded
Knee, which was told by Turning
Hawk and American Horse. In be-
ginning his story Turning Hawk de-
Scrlhed in picturesque language how
- certain falsehood," the Messiah
erase and ghost dance, came to his
agency from the west, and how, after a
time, hearing of the approach of SOL
diers and frightened because of it, the
Indians fed into the Bad Land, and
how thes were induced to return b.!
their friends
Turning Hawk then continued:
when our people, who had been
frightened away, were returning to
Pine Ridge. and when they had almost
reached the agency, they were met by
soldiers and surrounded and finally
taken to Wounded Knee Creek, and
there at a given time their guns were
demanded, and when they had deilv-
cred them up the men were separated
from their families, from their tepees
and taken to a certain spot, their guns
having been given up.
Wv hen the guns were thus taken,
and the men thus separated there was
a crazy man, young man OF very bad
influence, and in tact 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 returned the fire, and an indis-
criminate killing followed"
The commissioner here interrupted
to ask: did the man fire at the SOL
6iers, or did he simply shoot IN the
air?"
Spotted Horse: "He shot an officer in
the army. The first shot killed this
officer. Twas voluntary scout at that
encounter, and I had just asserted that
I saw exactly what was done, and that
was what noticed, that the first shot
killed an officer"
Commissioner: "Did the soldiers re-
turn the fire Immediately, or did the
Indians keep up their fripg?"
Spotted Horse: "As soon as the tlrst
shot was fred the Indians immediate
y began drawing their knives, and
they were exhorted from all side 20 Ge-
sist. but this was not obeyed. Cense-
oUently the 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 ravine, and as they went
along up the ravine fof long distance
they were pursued on all sides by SOL
diers and shot down, as the dead bocles
showed afterwards
Commissioner: In this fight did the
women take any part?"
Turning Hawk: They had no ire
arms to fight with
Commissioner: The statement has
been made in the public press that tae
women fought with butcher knives,
and taiS has been given as reason
Why women were shot
Turning Hawk: When the men
were separated and were punched to-
gether at a given place of course only
men were there. The women were at a
different place entirely, some distance
off"
Commissioner: ''Was it Impossible
IRA soldier to tell the difference be-
tween an Indian man and al Indian
woman? The statement has been made
IN the public press that the soldiers
shot the women because they were
dressed in such way that they coulo
not tell they were women"
Turning Hawk: Il think a man
would be very blind if he could not
: tell the difference between a man and
a woman. l have told you that the
women were standing off at different
place from that where the men were
stationed, and when the hrlng began
those Of the men who escaped the nrst
onslaugh ht went in one direction up the
ravine, and then the women, who were
punched together at another place,
went an entirely different direction
through al open field, and the women
Jared the same fate as the men VINO
went up the deep raVine.'
Commissioner, to Interpreter: "Iell
those that are present I would like II
he Turning Hawk makes any state
ment which they do not accept that
they will correct it. want to get at
the truth"
American Horse: ''The men were
separated, IS has already been SAID,
from the women. and they were sur
rounded by soldiers. Then came the
next village OF Indians, and that vas
entirely surrounded by soldiers also.
When the firing began, Of course .6e
people who were standing Immediately
around the young man who fred the
first shot were killed right together,
and then they turned their guns, tho
Hotchkiss guns, etc, upon the women,
who were In the lodges, standing there
under the flag Of truce, and, OF course,
as socn as they were fired upon they
fed. the men fleeing in one direction
and the women running in two direc-
~ lbGO I!ICAO "SiS SStS> - >>-
directions in which they took flight.
Commissioner: DO you mean to say
there was white flag in sight over the
women when they were fred upon:
American Horse: ~ es, SIT. they were
fred right upon, and there was wo-
man with her infant in her arms VINO
was killed as she almost touched the
flag OF truce, and the women and chill
dren, 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 = very sad
sight. The women rs they were fec
ing with their babes on their backs
were killed together. shot right
through. and women who were very
heavy with child 1ere also killed. All
the Indians fed in the;:e thrse GiEec-
ti0nS."
After most of them had all been
killed the cry was made that al these
who ware rot killed or wounded come
Il no orI NJ.