The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1891-03-28
FASHION IN sCALPING.
SOME OF THE VARIETIES OF
HAIR RAISING.
White Men and Indians Have Different Methods
OF Cutting on Their Enemies Lceks--
towards Never Muiilsfed by the
Sasages, Who Hate Them.

small bands and are breaking for
their old homes In the north. Two
companies OF United States cavalry are
In pursuit. but the Indians outnumber
the soldiers. and when the troops get
too close they turn and fight like cor
nered wildcats. Every day the
soldiers find fresh evidences OF the
ferocity OF the savages they are pur-
suing. Every villege along their path
has been devastated. The mutilated
bodies OF men lie in the streets-four
or five In every town. Finally the
troops reached the village OF tho
memories. There they find twenty
seven dead men and boys. almost the
entire male population OF the town.
The Indians were less merciful to the
women. A fate worse than death was
theirs. Several OF them are found
naked and stark wandering the prai-
rie. There are other mar auding bands
OF Idnians in the country. but the
work OF the Cheyenne is unmistakable.
The bodies are not scalped. This
Is the Cheyenne's way OF expressing
contempt for those he kills There is
no glory in carrying the scalp OF a
man who Will not fight One OF the
articles OF the faith of the sect that
constitutes the population OF the viii
lage is abhorance Of war and all man-
ner OF bloodshed. There was not u
firearm In the village when the two
hundred Indians swept through 1t.
Further on the soldiers find wounded
horse lying on the prairie. Near him
Is cowboys hat, by II lie two or
three empty rifle cartridges. There
WAS "A fight here. A hundred yards
further on are more shells and the
grass is spotted with blood. Fifty
yards further they find the body OF u
cowboy. About him are more shells
pistol cartridges this time. The cow
boys long hair is gone. Hero was an
adversary whom there was some glory
In killing. 10 the soldiers familiar
with life and death on the plains there
is no mystery about what they see on
the prairie there.
The cowboy met tho Indians and
rode for his life away from them But
among all those who pursued some
must have had horses swifter than tho
COW boys pony. He tried to keep them
back with his rifle. but the Cheycnnes
are not towards So the unequal race
was run, the Indians firing as they
pursued They shot his horse and he
tried TO make "A fort OF the animals
body. Maybe he kept them of for n
time the empty shells would indicate
rs much. Then they began TO circle
out around him 20 take him from the
rear. His fort was no longer tenable,
and he ran again. Where the second
shells and the blood-stained grass were
found bullet reached him, and he
went down, still fighting. He must
have recovered enough TO make an
other effort Another shot reached
him as he dropped from exhaustion and
he fought on to the end with his six
shooter. That is why they took his
scalp. just the hair on the
top OF the dead cowboys head was
gone. The scalplng-knife cut around
just below the line OF the hair on the
forehead. Then the knife circled his
head. taking in that portion OF the
scalp where the hair divides behind.
That Is the way they scalp white
man.
Had their victim been Sioux or n
Kiowa they would not have taken SO
much. But white man does not dis
tinguish his scalplock.
The scalplock consists OF the axis
OF the scalp just that spot where
tho hair that you brush TO the front
and TO the sides joins that which you
brush back toward tho neck. Nearly
all the Indians take great trouble
with tho scalplock. They let the hair
grow longer there than anywhere else
and braid 10 as carefully as China
man does his queue. Frequently thoy
braid strings OF buckskin or rabbit
skin In with IL and ornament IL with
bits OF glass or bright metal Death
10 ono OF these Indians. provided he
does not lose his scalploch. means:lit-
tie Ho Is never dIshonored while
this wisp OF hair is still attached TO
his skull
Ia the earlier days OF Indian fight
ing whole tribe would hold dance
OF rejoicing II they found their dead
after battle unscalped. Some OF
the western tribes have belief that
accounts for the consideration with
which the scalplock Is regarded. IL
Is that the spirit OF the dead Indian Is
lifted up TO the happy hunting grounds