Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1895-01-05
HANGING OF TWO STICKS
The Old Chief Nearly Succeeds in
Cheating the GaIlows.
Gets Eagle Louise to Choke Him with u
strap-was Nearly Dead When
Discoycrcd-Thc Indians Made
No Trouble.

AlOlh III
Two Sticks last night on earth wasa
very restless and nervous one. All
night long he kept up a rambling com
munication with two death watches,
interspersed with the low wailings or
his death song. Toward morning he
grew excited and paced tho narrow
confines of his cell with nasty
strides and soon worked nm
self into u state OF her-
vousness. Father Dingman OF Pine
Ridge agency, who was here in attend
ance on him as his spiritual adviser, ar
rived at an early honr and with sooti-
ing words soon had him in n state OF
tranquility. Two Sticks mad beer pap
tied i'm the Catholic faith last Thur
day aud after Father bingham had
PRAYED with him and administered the
last rites of the church the death war
rant was read.
Then the condemned man made n
long, rambling statement, denying his
guilt
TWO sticks Last Speech
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 il n man tells u
lie he drops dead that minute. | can
hold up both hands and say | was not
ut the cabin that night the four boys
did the killing. | 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 arc built the descendants of my
people will say Two Sticks is not here.
he was hanged
When Deputy Marshals Bray and
Beiglemeier went TO strap Two Stlcts
preparatory for the march TO the gal
lows, they found that his hands conld
not be strapped together behind his
back on account of a dislocated shout
der. They went for a piece of rope
with which to tic his hands, leaving
the strap on a chair.
Attempt to Cheat the Gallows.
'ust here an exciting scene took
place. One of the straps could not be
used and the deputies. placing it on "A
chair, went TO look for Il cord TO take
it's place, Two Sticks, noticing the
strap, carelcssly o it mp on the pre-
tense of examining it and before any
one could divine his intentions had it
in IA slip moose over his head and had
handed the loose end through the bar
of n cell in which another Indian, Ia
gle Louise, was confined. In a second
both were cXerting their strength to
the utmost, one pulling upon tho end
Of tho strap and the other pushing
against the bars of the cell With his
hands in an endeavor TO cheat the gal
- H. ill a.-Aa l.A,aa - - 49,
trudc, his tongue TO roll out and his
limbs tremblcd. In another minute his
effort TO kill himself would have been
successful, and Marshal Peemiller
would have been relieved Of an un-
pleasant duty.
When the death watch and specta-
tors realized what was going on a rush
was made for the desperate Indian.
The strap was pulled from the grasp OF
Eagle Louise and the marshal and his
deputies were soon struggling about
the narrow corridor in an cndcavor TO
loosen the band, which was slowly
I struggling the old Indian to death. 1t
a was q desperate struggc, but numbers
prevailed, and Two Sticks was forced
TO postpone his departure until a few
minutes later.
When reprimanded by Father Dig
wan, who has been his spiritual al
wiser for the last week, the old chief
said no was sorry for his action, but
he wanted to die by an Indians hand
instead of a white mans.
Not Afraid to Die.
Cords were secured. the Indians
arm were pinioned to his sile and the
march to the sclffold taken up. With
an .nYr ~ AaEapna nf tla ,Nn,ya,S nj
death upon his lips, Two Sticks fol-
lowed the marsha! to the scaffold. If
he was frightened he did not show it,
and the smilc upon his face was
natural, his laugh hearty and his
voice. when raised in the song of death,
was without a culver. lie greeted all
he met on his last journey with a laugh
and a How"
The trip TO the scaffold was a short
one, but it was a high structure and
the platform could only be reached by
means Of a long flight of stairs. Up
these steps without assistance the old
brave finally walked and DOL his stand
upon the step without q tremor. When
his ego caught the dangling moose,
which hung but a few inches above his
head, lie gazed at it for IL moment and
grunted, "Washta," good and laughed
aloud.
The straps which bound his legs we're
soon adjusted and tho warrior began 4
short speech to the people who had as.
sembled to watch the execution.
This was soon finished, and then the
! wild. weird notes of the death song
, rose upon the air, but not a tremor
was In the voice that uttered them.
, Even after the black cap had been adj
justcd and the knot frightened, their
cadence rose and fell within the seat
fold yard.
At 1887 tho trap vas sprung, and
! Two Sticks body, his neck fractured.
hung dangling at tho end of q rope.
Justice had been satisfied and the
, blood of four men, foully murdered,
: had been avenged.
, There was no excitement. The ru-
mored invasion Of a band OF Indians 70
rescue him from the laws vengeance
proved to DO II myth. There was nc
need Of an armed force to attend the
, execution. The officials did their duty
. and die 1t well. Two Sticks neck wa:
! broken by the jerk which stopped his
fall. He will be buried here.