Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1895-01-03

Dsadwoo1, s. D., Dec. 3.-The In
dian Two Sticks, was hanged, protest
Ing his ~innocense 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 al 4 O'Clock. After the ar
rival Of the priest he became quieter.
At 1906 the death warrant was read
to him by United States Marshal Pee
miller, after which he made a speech
I'm which he said: II am innocent.
My heart is o 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 a man tell a lie he drops dead
that minute. I can hold up both hands
and say / was not at the cabin that
night. The four boys did the killing.
I 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 II, the descendants of my peo-
pie will say, Two Sticks Is not here,
he vas banged"
He made an effort while being PIN
Toned to hang himself. but was pre-
vented. At 1927 he sang q song If
praise and when he mounted the seat
fold looked around At the people and
said: LEILA wa3hta, you bet. All
things are good" On the scaffold he
sang the death song. At 1923 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 (Two Sticks suffered the death
penalty was committed Feb. 2, 1858.
On the evening of that day r. Royce
and 10. M. Bennett were entertaining
In their dug-out on Trail creek two
other cowboys named ]. Bacon and
William Kelley, who had arrived dur
Ing the afternoon in search OF a stray
bunch of cattle that had escaped from
a herd further down the river. 1t be-
Ing too late to return that day the
visitors were invited to spend the day
In the dug out. Royce and Bennett,
after rounding up their cattle and at
tending to their chores about the
ranch, prepared the evening meal Of
hardtack and coffee. Supper over the
boys lit up their pipes, snapped stories
and took life easy around the log fire.
b 9:30 Two Sticks and two sons,
kil-the-Two and Fight With. accom-.
panied by White-Faced- Horse and
First Eagle, came to the dug-out,
raped on the door and were admitted.
Ihey grunted out the usual How"
II arrayed themselves around the
stove. The cowboys furnished them
with tobacco, with which they made
cigarettes, and treated them hospita-
bly,. When the Indians got through
smoking they turned to leave the
place. Suddenly they wheeled about
and began firing at the COWBOYS with
their Winchester rifles. killing all four
or them Instantly. T.ey then went to
the stable. took the horses, wagons,
harness and other portable property
which they found lying about the
ranch. They then returned to their
camp, which vas located two miles
down the river. The next morning
they took down their tepees and moved
fifteen miles up the Great Sioux reser.
walton. The bodies OF the murdered
young men were not discovered until
the next afternoon, when an Indian
policeman happened along, noticed the
deserted appearance Of things about
the place, looked into the dugout and
discovered the corpses strewn shout
the floor.
He Immediately started for Pine
Ridge agency and notified the agent
who sent out a squad Of Indian po-
dee to look for the guilty parties.
They 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, KilLthe-Two and
Fight With were sentenced to five
years in the p~enitentiary.
Two Sticks is the second Indian tu-
dicially executed I'm the Dakotas, the
other n being Brave Bear, who was
hanged at Yankton twelve years ago.
Desperate Captured.