Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-04-04
A TALK ABOUT THE INDIAN.
Experiences With the Red Man On and on
the warpath.

A LECTURE BY ME-. HARnIEs-rHE GHOST DANCE
AND WHAT IT LED To-ExPERIEScEs AMONG THE
SIOUX DuRIyo THE RECENT rRouBLEs-rHE IN
DIAN WARRIORS AND THE INDIAN WOMEN AND
CHILDREN.
Mr.. George n. Harries Of TIE Evening STAR
lectured to an interested audience at Hamline
Church last night on 1.-The Indian On and OF
the Warpath." Mr.. Harries' lecture, besides
containing many bright descriptive passages
derived from his experiences while serving as
THE STARS correspondent at Pine Ridge, gave
his hearers view of the Indians present stu
alton and the defects of the Indian system.
The ghost Dance" Mr.. Harries said. twas
undoubtedly religious. the ghost song prayer.
In all of that song there was not an improper
expression. The singers, clad in ghost shirts
and ieggings circled around the medicine man.
each one chanting the rude melody to which
hunger had set words that appealed 70 every
feeling heart "Give US to eat was their cry.
'Let us have health" they sang. ALLOW not
our wives and children to starve, but, o Great
Spirit, fill the land with the buffalo and the
bear and the fieetfooted deer" they prayed in
unison. And why should they not prny? Has
il come to pass in these United States that the
right OF any man to petition the Almighty in q
harmless manner Is TO be abridged by force of
cnly through the medium of a ready-made
prayer book and bow before the throne Of
grace after q fashion that accords with the re-
quirements of hne-spun civilization? When the
red man S soul writhes and chafes in the fet-
tiers a benetcent government has provided
must the Indian agent alone be the receptacle
into which the story of grief can legally be
poured? Could these questions be cried aloud
80 that the whole world might hear, millions on
millions of voices would answer, No! And yet
fta fERxvn a
because an Indian agent inexperienced and
terrorized by fears that his feeble nature could
not subdue. insisted that the presence OF troops
at Pine Ridge was absolutely necessary. There
is where individual responsibility is apparent.
Better that every Ogallala and Brule and Min
neeongue had danced themselves into eternal
exhaustion than that two score Of gallant
wearers of the blue should causelessly lay down
their lives.
ACCEPTED As CHALLENGE.
The assembling of soldiers at Pine Ridge was
regarded by powerful minority of the Indians
as a challenge and this idea was nurtured by
men who have for years been eager to meet the
army in the field; men who resemble the
anarchist element in that they take advantage
of the slightest commotion and labor inces-
sanity in the interest of continuous trouble.
These were the wretches who perverted the
religion of the new Messiah and who spread the
theory of the unassailable ghost Shirt who
behaved riotously at the ghost dances and
then without disclosing their part in the pro-
ceedings, carried fearful tales to the agents.
They spread abroad the rumors that the ghost
dancers wore cartridge belts beneath their
shirts and were continuously under arms.
These disturbers were bound to have a fight of
some sort and they should have been promptly
accommodated. The Indian police could have
attended to the whole matter and the soldiers
need never have been called from their posts.
The power of the Indian police was never
tested; troops were injudiciously summoned
and open rebellion followed.
The Sioux is very tenacious Of his rights
long and painful experience has Taught him
that laxity in dealing with the white race re-
suits disastrouSly for himseif-so he felt as
though his reservation had been invaded
when the soldiers came and camped thereon.
And yet he did not so on the warpath. He
insisted that the great father was without
jurisdiction as to the ghost dance and had sent
soldiers on the reservation without cause. He
protested. >ainly and then, with great una
niniity, left Pine Ridge for the comparative Sc
clusion of the Bad Lands. That was rank re-
bellion. The Ogallala simply said: IF you
want my reservation you can have 1t, and re-
tired leaving the troops and the agency en-
ployes i'll possession. Diplomacy, threats and
the prospect of a hard winter brought the rebels
back to Pine Ridge. Then Big Foots band oil
Minnecongues from Cheyenne river made its
appearance on the Porcupine and their arrival
completed the situation somewhat. for they
were known to be vile characters. The seventh
cavalry Immediately moved out to intercept
this aggregation of imported deviltry and when
the troops and the Indians collided the battle
of Wounded Knee was the result
AT LAST on THE wARPArH.
In less than two hours from the time Of that
ight the Ogallalas and Brules at Pine Ridge
knew what had happened. Tepees were hur-
riedly struck, ponies caught and either saddled
20 %aEa -
their hiding places, stores of ammunition
opened up. There was the rattle Of wheels, the
dust-proyoking but almost noiselcss movement
OF unshod hoofs. the DISAPPEARANCE of the wo-
men and children. the appearance of mounted
warriors on the hills just north Of the agency
the wells of enraged men, the whistling of
many bullets and the Sioux were at last on the
warpath.
1he ills Of thirteen years-some imaginary,
many very real-had borne fruit and for q
while it seemed as though The deeds which
crimsoned the frontier thirty or forty years
ago were about TO be more than Guplica tel.
Wise counsel from friendly Indians proved
however. to be more powerful than the thirst
for blood. aid b. nighfall the five OF six thou
sand Ishrnaelites were well on their way to the
month. Only for a brief time was the
Indian ON the warpath. Theoretically
he was hostile until he made
an alleged surrender OF himself to Gen. Miles
on January 10, but as q matter OF fact he was
| not on the warpath but for a few hours on
December 90. So far as the troops were con-
cerned the Sioux would have fought a. any
moment. that was apparent at all times. but
| had he gone on the warpath his luminosity
| would have been directed at every white settler
within reach. Hundreds of frontiersmen would
| nave gone down III the strife and thousand
| blazing cabins and a score of desolated settle
ments would have marked the hostile course in
| South Dakota and Nebraska. Three thousand
nve hundred soldiers of the regular army and
| a thousand Nebraska militiamen must neces-
sarily have failed TO surround even an equal
number o! Indians ha1 those Indians been in
tent on a general war. There was no general
wa Not a single settler was killed not a
white mans home disturbed during the whole
of the trouble. A few people lost cattle and
| horses-picked up by small bands of wandering
Brules-and that was the greatest damage done
the frontiersman by the Sioux in the winter of
lS90'9l. The Sioux had no immediate griey-
ance save against the government He was
! fighting for food.
HOW HE - HELPED TO THE HAPPY HUNTING
GROUND.
"No specimen Of the sadly -degenerated image
Of God" said MIR. Harries, lis more careless in
matters Of hygiene than the Indian and none
of the peoples among whom civilized endeayor
has been active have received less scientific
and healthful care than the great Sioux nation
Thousands Of missionaries have given up the
comforts Of home and broken the closest ties
Of relationship in order that through their eff
forts the sayaCa nj. chr he happv in he f,t,,r.