The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1891-02-19
MASSACRED BY MILES.
THE lNClAN NARRATIVE OF THE
SLAUGHTER AT WOUNDED KNEE.

SLNoSil - NOONDEO KNEE +.
Turning Hawk and American Horse Tails
Touching, Terrible Story Of tho Saw
ago Butch"ry Of Women, Girls, Bows
and Babies bv tho Soldiers.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 11.-The Sioux
Indian conference was concluded to-
day and The Indians will start for home
tomorrow CT OH Friday, going by vay
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
"a certain falsehood," the Messiah
erase and ghost dance, came to his
agency from the west, and how, after a
tlme, hearing OF the approach of SOL
diers and frightened because Of it, the
Indians fed into tho Bad Land, and
how they were induced to return by
their friends.
turning llawk then continued:
when our people, who had been
frightened away, were returning to
line 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 given time their guns were
demanded, and when they had deliv-
cred them up the men were separated
from their families, from their tepecs
and taken to a certain spot, their guns
having been given up.
Wnen the guns were thus taken,
ana the men thus separated there was
crazy man, a young man Of very bad
influence, and in fact 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 iudis-
crimlnate killing followed"
The commissioner here iuterruptCd
to ask: "DiG tho man fire ut the SOL
dlers, or did he simply shoot in the
air?"
Spotted Horse: "IIe shot an officer in
the army. The first shot killed this
officer. was voluntary scout at that
encounter, and l had just asserted that
l 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 liriDgp"
Spotted Horse: "As soon as the first
shot was fired the Indians Immediate
ly began drawing their knives, and
they were eXhorted from all side to de-
sist, but this was not obeycd. Conse-
quently 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
lire got into raVine, anG as they went
along a ictn
they were pursued on all sides by SOL
diers and shot down, as the dead bodies
showed afterwards"
Commissioner: "In this fight did the
women take any part?"
Turning Hawk: "Thcy had no fire
arms to tight with"
Commissioner: THE statement has
been made in the public press that the
women fought with butcher knives,
and this has been given as Il reason
why women We're shot"
Turning Hawk: when the men
were separated and were punched to-
gether at given place of course only
men were there. The women were at a
off,"
Comm issjoner: ''Was it impossible
for a soldier TO tell the difference be-
tween an Indian man and an Indian
woman? The statement has been made
IN the public press that the soldiers
shot the women because they were
dressed in such Il way that they could
not tell they were women"
Turning Hawk: II think man
would be very blind if he could not
tell the difference between a man and
a woman. ! have told you that the
women were standing off at different
place from that where the men were
stationed. and when the firing began
those Of the men who escaped the first
onslaught went in one direction up the
raVlne, and 'hcn the women, who were
punched together at another place,
went an entirely different direction
through an open field, and the women
Jared tho same fate as the men who
went up tho deep rayine."
commissioner, to Interpreter: "Tell
those that are present | would like if
he CIurnlng Hawk makes any state.
ment which they do not accept that
they will correct it. | want to get at
the truth"
American Horse: "The mon were
separated, as has already been said
from tho women. and they were sur
rounded by soldiers. Then came the
next village of Indians, and that Was
enClrely surrounded 10y soldiers also
when the firing began, Of course the
people who were standing Immediately
around tho young man who fired the
first shot were killed right together
and then they turned their guns, the
Hotchklss guns, etc, upon the women,
VINO were In the lodges, standing there
under the flag of truce, and, Of course
as soon as they were fired upon they
ned. the men fleeing in one direction
ana the women running in two dircc.
lions, SO that there were three general
directions in which they took night."
!, Commissioner: "Do you mean TO say
there was q white flag in sight over the
women when they were fired upon ?"
American Horse: ayes, sir, they wcre
Tired right upon, and there was a wo-
man with her infant in her arms who
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 tho flag OF
truce another was shot down with hQI
infant. The child, not knowing that
its mother was dead, was still nursing
and th,t was especially a. very SAD