The Portland daily press., 1892-04-19
Waiting While the Last Ghost
Dance Is In Progress.
ANNETTA DAVIS AND HER FEMALE
HOME SEEKERS.

and Her Capture She Is at the Head
of a Band of Women who Have Stolen
Into the Reservation.
Ell RENO, Oklahoma, April 1S.-The
last ghost dance that will ever be held in
this section is now on, Is miles from
Darlington, at the camp of Left Hand, a
Cheyenne chief. There are over 200 of
the dancers, and 20 men and over so
squaws are lying around in frances, from
which they will come and relate their
visions.
There is large attendance of Indians,
as they realize that this will be their last
general gathering. The agent endeav-
ored to prevent this assembly, but was
unable to check it. There is no danger
of its leading to violence, as in all the
visions it is promised by the Messiah
that he will destroy the whites and re-
store all the land to the Indians. A
number of whites were invited to wit
ness the last dance prior to their des-
truction by the Messiah, whose anger
they may avert by joining the tribes and
becoming good Indians. Two newspa-
per men accepted the invitation and were
formally adopted into the Cheyennes.
One is from Kansas City, the other from
Chic 20. +.
A singular incident Of the wild life of
the West is the establishment of a band
of 'sooners,'' all of whom are women.
They are now in hiding somewhere in
the lands which will be opened tomorrow
but their leader, Annetta Davis, has been
captured. She is well known on the bor-
der, having figured in similar scenes be-
fore. When she established her COLONY
of
Young Women "Sooners''
in 'sF'' county and declared her ability to
protect herself from the patrol, she
counted her chickens too early. She was
dauntless enough to attempt anything,
but the ,fates this time seemed to be
against her personally, though she and
her colony are safe SO far. She left this
point Friday evening with a led horse
loaded with provisions prepared for
night ride of fifty miles over uninhabited
country. This morning she was escorted
back across the eastern line at Okarche,
having been captured when within five
miles of her destination.
MissDavis came down to ElReno few
hours ago. When interviewed she ex-
pressed her determination to start again
this evening, taking a more circuitous
route, and necessitatng ride of about
IS miles. She gave a vivid description
of her ride and capture, and expressed
her exultation over the escape so far of
her little colony of women. Leaving
here Friday night, she rode rapidly along
in the darkness, keeping her bearings by
occasionally striking match and look
ing at her compass. Over a trackless
waste on into the darkness the fearless
woman rode, her revolvers being within
easy reach of hands accustomed to their
use. About midnight, when crossing a
little stream, she came upon camp of
''sooners'' gathered about smoldering
fire. She stopped moment to converse
with them, when challenged, the
Ominous Click of a Rifle
accompanying the cry of "halt." Ex-
planning as fully as safety would permit,
and proving her words by showing these
men the load carried by the led horse,
she was permitted to proceed.
She did not fear the men, of whom
there were Is or 20, as nearly as she
could ascertain, but she did fear the dam
gers arising from delay, and her fears
proved to be well founded. On she went
on her lonely journey, hoping to reach
tile wooded gulch in which was situated
her camp, before daybreak, when she
knew that she would be safe. When she
had entered the rough country and was
within mile of the canon, just as day
was breaking, while fording a small
creek whose hanks rosa hirn IN aithor
side, she was startled by the sudden ap-
pearance of two cavalrymen who had
been making a night patrol along the
creek looking for sooners.
They called upon her to surrender,
which she did, unable to make run or
defend herself. She was at once started
back east, one of the men accompanying
her, and the long journey was completed
only after day had fairly broken.