The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1892-01-02
OLD SUMS WIFE.
An indian Maiden who Won tho Thrss
trophies OF n Warrior.

An indian Maiden who Won the Three
trophies OF "A Warrior.
Old Suns wife sits in the council Of
her nation-the only woman, white,
red. or black, of whom | have ever
heard who enjoys such a prerogative on
this continent She earned her peculiar
privileges, If any one ever earned any
thing. Forty or more years ago she
was Piegan maiden known only in
her tribe, and therefore nothing more
than her good origin, her comeliness,
and her consequent value in horses.
She met with outrageous for ,une, but
she turned it TO such good account that
she was speedily ennobled. She was at
home in "A little camp on the plains one
day, and had wandered away from the
tents when she was kidnapped. 1t was
in this wise: Other camps were scat
tered near there. On the night before
the day of her adventure n band of
Crows stole number of horses from a
camp of the Gros Ventres, and very art
fully trailed their plumber toward and
close to the Piegan camp before they
turned and made their way to their
own lodges When the Gros Ventres
discovered their loss, and followed the
trail that seemed to lead to the Piegan
camp, the girl and her father, an aged
chief, were at distance from their te-
pees, unarmed and unsuspecting. Down
s,wooped the Gros 'Ventres They killed
Snd scalped the old man, and then their
hief swung the young girl upon his
horse behind him, and binding her to
t.s.. 4
triumphantly for his own village. That
has happened to many another Indian
maiden, most of whom have behaved as
would a plaster image, saving few
days of weeping. Not such was Old SUMS
wife When she and her captor were in
sight of the Gros Ventre village, she
'eached forward and stole the chiefs
scalping-knife out of its sheath at his
tide With it still wet with her ftther's
blood, she cut him in the back through
20 the heart. Then she freed his body
from hers, and tossed him from the
horses back. Leaping to the ground
beside his body, she not only scalped
him, but cut off his right arm and picked
up his gun, and rode 'madly back to her
people, chased most of the way, but
bringing safely with her the three
greatest trophies warrior can wrest
from vanquished enemy. Two OF
them would have distinguished any
brave, but this mere village maiden
came with all three. From that day
she has boasted the right to wear three
eagle feathers.
Old Sun was Il young man then, and
when he heard Of this fact he came and
hitched the requisite number of horses
to her mothers travois poles beside her
tent. l do not recall how many steeds
she was valued at, but have heard of
very high-priced Indian girls who had
nothing except their feminine qualities
to recommend them. In one case l
knew that young man, who had been
casting what are called ''sheep's eyes"
at maiden, went one day and tied four
horses to her fathers tent Then he
stood around and waited, but there was
no sign from the tent. Next day he
took four more, and so he went on until
he had tied sixteen horses to the tepee.
At the least they were worth twenty
dollars, perhaps thirty dollars, apiece
At that the maiden and her people came
out, and received the young man so
graciously that he knew he was ''the
young woman's choice" as we say in
civilized circles sometimes under very
similar circumstances.
At all events, Old Sun was rich and
powerful, and easily got the savage
heroine for his wife. She was admitted
to the Blaclfoot council without pro-
test, and has since proven that her
valor was not sporadic, for she has
taken the war-path upon occasion, and
other scalps have gone to her credit -
Julian Ralph, in Harper's Magazine.