Omaha daily bee., 1891-02-12
INDIAN CONFEEENtE CLOSED.
American Horse Tells of the Battle of
Wounded Knee.

'AShlNtIVNs Ftbt ll-luc lnul1n confer
ence closed today and the Indians will start
nome Friday The feature OF to-day's talk
was the story of the fight at Wounded Knee.
Turning Hawk said that NJ given time
when the men had delivered up their guns
they were separated from their families
and taken to certain SPOT. A crazy man, a
young man OF very bad influence, fred hls
gun, killing an officer The other Indians
began drawing their knives, although they
were eXhortcd from all sides to desist and
the firing began Immediately on the part OF
the soldiers. All the men who were in O
bunch were killed right there aud those
who escaped that first fire got into
raNine, and as they went along
the ravine for long distance were
pursued on all sides by the soldiers and shot
down The women had no arms to fight
with. They were standing of Mt different
place and when the firing began those of the
men who escaped the first volley went in one
direction up the ravine aud the women went
III dlherent direction through an open field.
Dut met the same fate as the men
American Horse said that when the firing
began the people who were standing immedl-
ately around the young man who fired the
f1rst shot We're killed and then the soldiers
turned their guns on the women who were in
the lodges standing there under flag of
truce. OF course as soon as they were fired
upon they fed. There was woman with an
infant in her arms killed as she almos t
touched the flag of truce. Right near the
nag another was shot down, her child, not
knowing the mother was dead, was still
nursing, aud that WIS very sad sight The
women as they were fleeing with babes on
their back were killed together and women
heavy with child were also killed After
most of the Indians had been killed tho cry
that on
wounded should come forth and they would
5e safe. Little boys who were not wounded
came out of places of refuge, and as soon as
they came in sight a number Of soldiers sur.
rounded and butchered them.
Commissioner Morgan said to the lntorpre-
ter 81 wish you would say to him that
these are very serious charges to make
against the army, do not want any state
ments that are not absolutely true, and |
want anyone here that feels the statements
are too strong to correct them.n
American Horse replied "Of course it
would have been all right If only the men
were killed, but the fact of the killing of the
women and more especially young boys aud
girls who are to make up the future strength
of the Indian people we feel Aery sorely"
commissioner Morgan-Does American
Horse know these things of his own personal
knowledge or has>ho been told theml
American Horse-l was not there at the
time before the burial of the bodies, but |
did 20 there with some Indian police and
many people from the ageny, and we went
through the battlefield and saw where the
bodies were from the track of blood
Rev. MIR. Cook, Sioux half breed, pastor
of the Episcopal church of Pine Ridge,
among other things said: much has been
said about the good spirit with which the
members of the Seventh cavalry
went into that action. 1t has been
said that desire to avenge
Custer's death was entirely absent from her
minds In coming towards Chicago in
company with General Miles 1 talked with
one of his own scouts, who was almost killed
because he was compelled to fly with the
Indians, being fred "
he tried to save and
he recovered from
in getting amongst A., ..;s,.t. rfiu .I
got in from killing lthe soldiers aftan-,L----.
hi0h ronlx ha Indians, that officer OF
r. him arE' 'dld not know came
have avenged Custer's DEATH And
this scout said to him: Yes, but you had
every cause 20 fight for your lives that day
These poor Indian people did not have that
opportunity to protect and fight for them
Selves If this is an indication of the spirit
Of number of men in that company am
sure the Seventh cavalry did not go there
with the kindest of motives simply to bring
these poor people back.n
After several others had spoken the COM
missioner declared the conference at an end