The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-01-04
MICH s|NNEO AGAINST.
A Correspondent at Pine Ridge
Details Los Righteous Cause
for Complaint.
Scenes That May be Witnessed on
Ration Day at the
Agency.
How Different tho Kedskin of Romance
and tho One of Realism Gen.
Brooke's Policy.
Especial Correspondence of The IsDEpENpENf.

tSpecisl Correspondence of The ISDEPENpEsf.
PINE RIDGE AGENCY, $. D., Dec. a.
Christmas Eve was II busy day for every
body, white. red, black and mixed. 1t was
beef issue day for the faithful rs well M
the repentant sinners of Two Strikes band.
In the forenoon the regular issue WAS made
by the agency people to the friendlies. The
beef corral is q couple OF miles from the
agency and up to one p. IN. the road to
it was alive with brightly dressed squaws
with wagons, carrying bloody chunk OF
,ewly slaughtered beef. Now and then
mounted bucks appeared carrying at theii
saddlebows q couple of beef tongues or q
bloody shred Of liver, or trailing along by
their lariats Mt full gallop a reeking hide,
Apropos Of beef hides, n little bi: of the
hidden African ia discoverable The Indian
insists on having the steer turned over tc
him alive, not altogether to crafty his
crnel instincts by killing and cutting it up.
or by its recalling the more exciting pleas
ure of the buffalo hunt The white man is
not so much opposed to letting the Indian
kill the steer himself merely because
it might serve to p%erpetuate his
bloody instincts. When the beef is
issued to the nations ward OF the block,
somebody else gets the hide. When the In
dian kills the steer himself he gets the hide,
tongue. etc. The Indian gets from 81 to
S. from the traders for the hide, which
money goes into someone elss's pocket
when ii is killed on the block. So, You see,
business enters a little into the Indians in
stinct as we'll as into the white mans hu-
mainly. What does not business" enter
into nowadays? The 81 or So. of course, is
paid in goods at some traders ~store-goods
on which the trader probably makes some
thousand per cent-bu5 the indian gets
something for i. by the old system and
nothing by the new, humanitarian one.
The tongues are often sold by the Indians
in the same way. Mr.. 1njun is no such
fool as he looks.
The traders stores were crowded on
Christmas eve by squaws getting Indian
cloth, muslin, WOODEN conforters. ETC., for
themselves and their papooses in exchange
for the hides of the steers issued to them
during the day. At one p. IN. the military
commissary was to issue beeves to tho
surrendered of Two Strikes band. They
are fed by the military, not by the agent.
l rode out to see this issue and
a description of tue performance may
not be unintefestipe. Twenty steers were
the quota of this band. About a hundred
mounted Indians, several armed with guns.
were on hand. Eut the agenc people had
taken away the key of the scales, and a mes
senper had to be sent after it. Ibis took
some time. But the Indian has no idea of
time. 1t is not none to him. SO there
was not u murmur. How a white crowd
would have growled and cursed Mt such q
delay. | examined the steers bought and
issued.b ~ the military and compared them
with those belonging to the agency. which
were in another portion of the corral. The
former were rather small, or. more exactly.
Medium sized, but they were plump. fat
nd sound. IN fine beef condition, and av-
eraged ], $50 pounds. The latter were big,
raw-5oned Texans, more bone and sineW
than meat, end their haunch bones stood
shoulders on the Redfern dress of a fash
ionable woman. The animals are first
driven on the scales and weighed. four or
five at a time. Then they are driven INTO a
chute, or boarded narrow passage, admit
ting only one at u time, and branded by en-
pIoyes, who stand on an elevated platform
and brand them over the fence
as they pass. This seemed to me
the most cruel part of the whole
operation. The poor animals crowded up
on each other and squeezed and crushed
each other III a sad way, The branding
ended. a narrow door is opened and they
get out one at a time. crogding and inn
ming each other g~rieyousiy. Then they are
driven into another chute. the name of the
head man Of each small band is called in
turn aid the lumber ne is entitled to let
out through another narrow gate on to the
plain. At each SIDE of this gate is a long
line of mounted and armed Indians ready
n tho liz. Az the A1-.
q band is turned over the bucks belonging
to it chase the animals toward their camp
and as near it as possible. so that there will
be less hauling to DO. Frequently the ami
mails, becoming frightened. try to dash off
in other directions, and then the fun begins.
The bucks separate and 90 after them, bang
G0efsa rifle here, bang goes another there.
and steer after steer bites the dust. | had
loineI the line Of mounted reds aud rode off
6fter Il group III the chas". But | found the
fun altogether too rromiscuous for pleasure
or profitable and serene observation. hap
pened to get right In line of one buck when
ne downed his steer. and if the steer had 10
stopped the bali | might have done so. /
thought 1t more conducive to longevity 70
postpone close observation until ali the
cattle were killed. and acted on the thought.
When safety permitted. ] rode up to Il
group who were engaged III cutting up 4
steer and watched the whole operation.
1850 - wv Fii'Ai = s#ttii
the carcass of the hide. Hind and fore
quarters were cut III the proper place. the
!imb wrenched backwards. the Joint broken.
,he ilgaments severed In no time. One In
dian emptied the stomach OF the half
dlgested food, tooa a saddle blanket off his
pony and wrapped the stomach in it. He
took another saddle blanket of the pony
and placeG the ntestines in it. These we're
afterwards divided into three or four shares.
The aboriginal anatomists refreshed them
selves occasionally with a InouthfuI of reek-
ing hot liver.
In eating they used knives bat no forks.
IEey eat thus: They put one end of a liver
IN the mouth and holding in the teeth as
much AS they could conveniently chew.
graspIng the other end in the left hand. cut
IT on close to the lips with the knife held In
the right hand. MOI much romance about
this procedure Tho hand .reg Efst5 a#lff
open with a short straight handle *
Three hungry dogs raid their respects to II.
And by the way. the few logs .Ith TIM,
band Is the best possible indication of taeIr
i.aif- starved condition. In an In9Iau caran
when meat Is plenty dogs arc numerous.
Four companies OF the Ninth cavalry
with two gnns. left III the afternoon to tead
of Sitting Bulls people. supposed to be
making for the Bad lands. The cavalry
was headed for the northeast. Four compa-
nfes OF the Seventh cavalry and two gurs
left on the 10Th 10 head of the same In.
dIans. sup; osed To be coming toward this
agency. This force moved due east. fin.
latest Is tnat the peace making Indians
who LETT here by Gen. Brooke's permission.
have At length S. cceeded and the mat-can-
TENS are all coming in.
I. -