The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-07-10
INDIANS AT THE DIVORCE MILLS.
The Red Man Finds Difficulties in
Being Civilized.

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Oklahoma, in st. Louis Globe-Democrat.
With most of the plains Indians mar
riage consists simply of picking out the
maiden, leading her to cabin or wigwam
and installing her as mistress of the house
and cornfield, sometimes with the neces-
sary preliminary of paying the father a
pony or two or an installment of blankets,
and occasionally with some slight cere-
mony performed by chief or medicine man.
And when the brave grows tired of his
partner he can get rid of her about as
easily as he won her.
The people who are now focking to the
Dakotas or Oklahoma to get divorces
would be supremely happy if they could
throw off the CALLING bonds of wedlock
as easily as does the reservation Indian.
The fact having been formally announced
by the head man of the clan, the divorce
takes place when the tribe is gathered at
a dance When all are assembled and the
circle formed, the disconnected warrior
strikes a drum used by the jewellers, gives
away a few presents (Oft-timeS making a
present to the squaw he intends to take
nexD and then, in a short, bombasuc
speech, he stigmatizes his wife by giving
her over to the tender mercies of other
braves, while they look upon him envi-
ously and consider that he has performed
an act of bravery in his desertion.
Often as many as half a dozen divorces
are thus obtained at single dance; no
tedious waiting, no courts, no lawyers and
no trouble about alimony or the custody
of the children. And the sQuaWs thus
cast off as a general thing seem to take
it as a matter of course, and before the
close of the dance are using the wiles
known and used by the women of the
world over In an effort to repair as speed
lily as possible the break in their hearts
and matrimonial experience.
With the taking of land in severalty
and putting on of citizenship, however,
the Indian finds that he has cemented the
ties that were so loose before, for the
courts everywhere are deciding that the
tribal marriages are legal and binding
upon the Indian who becomes a citizen.
And If the weight of one legal marriage
wears somewhat heavily upon a white
man, how must it be with the red man
who has contracted two, three four or
even more alliances which the court now
declares legal marriages, and at the same
time takes away his former avenue Of
relief?
The first court divorce ever given any
member Of the southwest reservation
tribes was granted in the District court
at El Reno several weeks ago. The fair
plaintiff in the case was full-blood
KioWa girl whose name was something
like Beahl Koo but, perhaps it had never
before been so reduced to writing until it
appeared upon the records or the court.
She was totally unfamiliar with the Eng
1ish language, and it was necessary to tell
her troubles by the aid of an interpreter,
but the trouble was to find some one that
could interpret the weird dialect of Kio-
wa. Judge Jack Stillwell, the ex-scout,
was present, and, although quite familiar
with the Comanche tongue, he was COM
PEELED to confess that he could not handle
KioWa. A way was soon found whereby
she could tell her tale of woe to Judge
Burford, Caddie Konkie (Black Crane, a
leading member of the Kiowa tribe, and
a very intelligent man, was present, and
while he could not talk English, he could
speak Kiowa, and interpret it into Co
manche, and Judge Stillwell then inter-
preted it into English. She stated that
she was not quite 16 years of age, and
that she had been married to a white
man named King for three years, but that
he had left her over two years ago, and
that she was now living with her parents.
After hearing the facts, the court grant
ed her privilege to assume her maiden
name CT any other name she saw fit.
At the next term of the district court
at Tologa, d county, however will be
presented an application for divorce, and
the judge and attorneys will look in vain
for precedent decisions in all the law re-
ports extant.
Yellow Bonnet. Cheyenne Indian Of
some note, living on his allotment near
this city, has applied for a blanket divorce
from four wives. Yellow Bonnet gives as
his reason for such a sweeping divorce
that he has embraced the Christian re-
hgion, and his wives have refused 10 be
come Christians.