Arizona republican., 1895-04-23
A FLAT FAILURE.
The Matrimonial Mishap of a Sioux
Warrior.
He Weds Modern Maiden and Then Pines
for Oblivion-His Fin de Steele Bride
Would Not Chop Wood Nor
Draw Water.

A tragedy occurred near the mouth
of Willow creek, S. D., recently which
for humor and touching pathos has yet
to be equaled in the history of this sec
ton of country. Paul Medicine Body,
Sioux warrior, becoming tired of life
and disguised with the perfidy of the
weaker sex, attempted suicide at the
end of a rope, and his aged father
brought the instrument of destruction
to Fort Pierre, appealing to the eoro-
ner to go out and sit upon the body
of his son, who, he averred, was much
heap dead-gulp a heap" As there was
not sufficient evidence that the man
was dead, however, the coroner declined
to go.
On October 20 last, says recent dis
patch, Paul Medicine Body and Martha
Head wendell their way happily over
the hills and down through the can
yons of Bad river to Fort Pierre. They
were to be married, and all the pent-up
joy of sizzling love could be seen spread
ing itself over their swarthy features as
they realized that the fruition of their
hopes and desires was soon to be
contaminated. No more of the aimless
life of bachelor for Medicine Body.
No more rude awakenings from long
and blissful dreams OF hunting grounds,
of fabulous wealth, to the dull, prosaic
necessity of building fire and cooking
breakfast. The cobwebs which had
accumulated in the apex of his tepee
would no longer impede the blue smoke
from his wigwam fire as it curled
heavenward to be lost in the clear at
mosphere of his beloved Dakota land
He believed that las the cord unto the
bow is, so is woman unto man" Thus
sang the joyous Medicine Body and as
he fondly conjured up scenes of his
dutiful wife patiently cutting the pile
of wood he thought what noble being
was woman! In adversely how comfort
ing, and in prosperity how lovable!
Medicine Body was given much to day
dreaming on that eventful October
morning, and the more he dreamed the
faster grew his pace toward the clerk
OF the courts Office. Johnston jeff
ries, who was then clerk of the
courts, happened to be in a barber shop
getting his whiskers trimmed, and it
was there that Medicine Body found
him. He applied for license to wed
the coy maiden, and Mr.. Jeffries, who
always carried one or more of those
necessary documents about him, forth
with produced one. Medicine Body,
being of a thrifty and economical turn,
then made overtures to the clerk of the
courts, who was also a justice of the
peace, to marry them on the spot in
consideration of cord of dry ash wood.
The bargain was struck, and there,
while the barber occasionally nicked
his customers as he told funny story
the solemn rites of holy matrimony
were performed from the standpoint of
frontier justice Of the peace.
Medicine Body and his wife, with
humping hearts and minds full of an
ticipationS of joys to come, bestrode
their ponies and set their faces toward
the setting sun. Back over the hills
and through the canyons they went to
the ancestral tepee, where they ex-
pected to live long life of unalloyed
happiness together But Medicine Body
was doomed to be diSilluSioned Martha
would not cut the wood nor yet brush
the cobwebs from his tepee, nor do many
other things, small in themselves, but
which in the aggregate go to make up
the qualities of dutiful, loving help
meet, while her iege lord, the descend
ant of long line of noted warriors, sat
and smoked his pipe in peace. So
he became morose, sullen, and would
no longer masticate the more or less
savory dishes which Martha prepared
for him, until at last life became an in
tolerable burden to him and he took
his trusty lariat and went hunting for
a'tree. No tree being in sight, he took
the next best thing, rafter in barn,
and sought happy hunting ground
where &omen's rights had not entered
its enlightening wedge and he coult
follow the traditions of his race without
molestation. His friends, however
discovered him in time to save his life
One more argument on the side of those
who claim that marriage is failure.