The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-03-26
WITH THE LACOTAHS.
cautain John Cussons Tells Of Life In the
.wigwam as Companion of the Famous
Chief Sitting Bull.

ture delivered by Captain JONI S"s'
under the ~aurices OF the Christian En-
deavor Society Of the Grace-street fres-
hx,erian church, on the 10th instant.
Captain Cusscns took for his subject MS
own experiences among the Indians. Inc
lecture was rcplete with thrilling adyen-
turos and a defense of the Indian char
meter. throwing new lights on his life
ana nature. and, indeed, showing him TO
he very different from the blood-thirsty.
freacherous and cruel fend that history
paints him..
Captain Cussons' remark were In
tensely interesting, and none more so
than the remarkable manner In which he
became for a time the guest and compan-
ion OF the Lacotah Indians. the tribe
known to US az the famous Sioux.
While crossing THE Great American
Desert" I'm company with a wagon train
under command Of Captain Dawson en-
route to California, in the days OF the
overland route, in 1855. Captain Cussons.
while hunting buffalo some distance from
the wagon train, became separl;cd from
his c~ompanions and, while looking for
the wagon trail, rod Unexpectedly into
an indian camp composed Of a group OF
wigwams, md seeing that he was
already discovered, and being unable to
decide what course was best to pursue,
whether TO advance or retreat, he deter
mined TO put a bold face upon the matter.
Riding I'D TO the most imposing tent he
u~nsaddled his horse and, walking within,
made himself at home. Seated on the
ground were a young man. who after
wards became a warm friend of the
adventurous Firginian, a little girl, who
ran and hid under the buffalo blankets"
and an old woman who gave him a
chunk OF dried meat 10 cat. Not without
many misgivings as to his safety did the
young stranger fall to sleep that night
I'm the Indian tent to awake the next
morning much refreshed.
The speaker continued by telling his
hearers that the next morning he declined
to ride back TO Captain Dawson, having
fully made up his mind to spend some
while with his new acquaintance. who.
while not overburdersome with their hos
pitality. were yet kind, and remained so
during his entire stay with them.
In referring to the Indian character he
said: He was guilty. like ourselves. of
possessing a goodly heritage; like our
selves, he was welded to his own mode
OF life-the life Of his fathers, and, like
us. he asked only TO be let alone; like our
selves. he was first wronged until he re-
sisted, and then crushed because he re-
sisted, and like Ourselves, only in a
greater degree, his story has been told
by his enemy. and by his enemy alone.
The Lacotah was not a savage; not a
barbarian: nor was he destitute of the
higher grnces which embellish an crown
st cultured people-courtesy, chivalric
feeling. honor, courage. kindness and
simple faith.
Now, / want to examine, for a moment,
the three standing accusations which are
brought against the Indians. When | say
Indians l mean always the Lacotah
tribe-for ] lave little knowledge of any
other.
First. Their cruelty-the absence Of a
moral sense or of natural affection.
Second. Their passion for revenge; and,
Third. Their unutterable treachery.
In simple truth. they were neither cruel.
nor r~evengeful, nor treacherous.
On the contrary. / found them kindly,
and forbearing. n faithful to the end.
AS TO the Absence Of natural affection,
or OF a moral sense, there is this to be
noted:
That even during The bitterest wars the
conflicting tribes respected each others
dead.
But he is cruel!
There was an old French trapper-Provo
he called himself-who used to make his
summer camp in the Platte Valley.
He was a rather Indifferent horseman
and a very poor shot, but otherwise a
Ogalallah-one of the divisions of the La
cotah tribe.
Old Provo came across an antelope one
day with a young fawn. He soon rode
down the fawn. slung IL across his cad-
de and "a rfia6 II ~ "A Hftfa corro ~ x.,1
low about half a mile from his lodge. He
picketed he little creature there, and
started after his old hawkins rifle. his
idea being hat the bleating of the fawn
would bring up the mother antelope and
give him a pot shot"
His wife soon found out what was going
On, and she started for that creek on q
dead run. | rode over to see what the
issue would be.
The woman was in a frenzy Of grief.
ard shame. n Indignation. She turned
the little creature loose, and it trotted
back with us. She got calmer as we re-
turned. and begged me not to mention the
matter TO their children or to other In
dams.
But I tell you-if she had been sufficient
iy civilized-and If a Chicago lawyer had
been on the spot-that woman would have
had In a petition for divorce before poor
Old Provo had time to get over his aston
ishment.
And yet that woman had Lever heard
the words: Thou shalt not seethe the
kid In the mothers MILK
Revenge relates TO Il personal wrong;
Justice to a public one. The injury which
the Lacotah chiefly resented was not that
which was lone to himself, but to his
tribe.
But how about their treachery-their
s~ubtlcty-their deceit? That. you say. IS
their c%rowning infamy. !. was that that
makes It our duty TO blot them from the
face of the earth.
Well. take a few familiar examples.
The so-cailed Cluster Massacre" for in
stance.
1t was simply an attempted surprise
met by a counter-surprise. Custer himself
delivered battle. The fight was i'm omen
field. and the numbers nearly equal. The
iacotahs simply out-generaled. out
m~anoeuvered. and out fought their ad-
versaries. That was all.
BEAD the account of the disguised u.
f.. trooper. Note the righteous indigna-
ton with which he reviles the "treach-
erous dogs" because they have armed
themselves with r~iies-just like or own
when everybody knows that bows and
arrows ara he proper weapon for red
skins"
Yonder. at the foot Of the Rocky Noun
tains. is a strors camp. cavalry and
artillery. They ave quietly taken n
sheltered post. IN. and are on the look
out for scalps. From the summit of an
adjacent clff-by the aid Of their field
giasses-they have deserted a little hunt
ing party OF indians way off on the swell
OF the prairie.
TnRra'G D0mmNfinn d.