The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1895-01-03
TWO STICKS HANGS
ClIA-MAPA-UEIAH rs IN THE HAPPY
HUNTING GROUND.
The Lender OF the Gang Of Indians
Who KILLED Four Cowboys Goes to
His Death Singing and Occurring
His Innocence.

peadwood, 8. D., Dec. Bottle In
dian Two Sticks, was hanged, protest
| Ing his innocensc until the last.
Thursday afternoon he was convert
ed and baptized by Father Digman,
the priest from Pine Ridge He was
restless all night, not sleeping at all,
and arose at o'clock. After the ar
rival OF the priest he became quieter.
At 1905 the death warrant was read
to him by United States Marshal Pee
miller, after which he made speech
| IN which he said: II am innocent
My heart is not bad and never has
been. There are lots of good white
men around here and there is nothing
the matter with me. God is good,
and If a man tell lie he drops dead
that minute. I can hold up both hands
and say l was not at the cabin that
night. The four boys did the killing.
l am not afraid to die and am ready
to die. God made all people and put
the same heart and the same blood in
all of them. When the reservation Is
thickly settled and big towns are scat
tered on it, the descendants of my peo-
pie will say, Two Sticks is not here.
he was hanged"
He made an effort while being pin
1oned to hang himself, but was pre-
vented. At 1927 he sang a song of
praise and when he mounted the scat
fold looked around at the people and
| said: "Lela washta, you bet. All
Things are good" On the scaffold he
sang the death song. At 1928 the
drop fell and at 1888 he was pro-
nounced dead and was cut down.
Two Sticks Crime.
The crime for which Cha-Nopa-
| Uhah 1.-TWO Stclzs) suffered the death
penalty was committed Feb. 2, 1888.
On the evening Of that day R. Royce
and e. M. Bennett were entertaining
| IN their dug-out on Trail creek two
other cowboys named J. Bacon and
! William Kelley. who had arrived d1r-
Ing the afternoon in search of a stray
Dtncn OF cattle that had escaped from
a nerd further down the river. It he
| Ing TOO late to return that day the
visitors were invited to spend the day
~ the dug-out Royce and Bennett.
aFter rounding up their cattle and at
| tenalng to their chores about the
ranch, prepared the evening meal of
nafotack and coffee. Supper over the
Doys III up their pipes, snapped stories
ana TOOK life easy around the log fire,
| ABOUT 9:'O Two Sticks and two sons.
Alii-the-TWo and Fight With, accom-
panied by NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. and
FIRST Eagle, came to the d1g-out
raped on the door and were admitted
'1ney grunted out the usual ssHow."
ana arrayed themselves around the
| stove The cowboys furnished them
| with tobacco, with which they made
| Cigarettes, and treated them hospita-
| ply. When the Indians got tbrourh
| smoking they turned to leave Tho
| place: Suddenly they wheeled about
ana began firing at the cowboys with
tnelr winchester rifles, killing all four
| o. them instantly. They then went to
me stable, took the horses, wagons.
| harness and other portable pronertv
winch they found lying about the
rAAcn-: Ihey then returned TO their
camp which was located two miles
uoWn the river. The next morning
Iney TOOK down their tepees and moved
AIteen miles up the Great Sioux reser-
vatlon: The bodies Of the murdered
young men We're not discovered until
.uo next AFTERNOON, when an Indian
gellceman happened along, noticed the
deserted appearance of things about
the place, looked into the dugout and
| discovered the corpses streWn abort
the floor. t'0ou'
ne Immediately started for Pine
hlcge agency and notified the agent
Whe sent out a squad of Indian DO
nee lie; to look for the guilty parties.
Ihey came across Two Sticks and his
party, and finding the dead mems
property in their possession proceed
ed to arrest them, when the Indians
resisted and a pitched battle ensued
| which resulted in the killing of First
! Eagle. White Face, Kill-the-Two and
| right With were sentenced to five
| years in the penitentiary.
Two Sticks is the second Indian tu-
dlclally executed in the Dakotas. the
| other one being Brave Bear, who was
hanged at Yankton twelve years ago,
Desperate Captured.
Muskogee, Ind. T., Dec. 30.-Mose