The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-11-16
ROBBED A DEAD RED MAN
REAL CAUSE or INDIAN OUTRAGES
IN THE BLACK NILES.

Braye-Eailed to Use lt-Scout Aiilson
Adds Interest to What Was Reported as
a Mere Uprising.
Official reports are apt to be dry ana
uninteresting, but the extract given Pc
low from the forthcoming report OF the
Bureau of Ethnology is of universal
interest. and throws new light on the
matter of Indian outrages. The story
is thus told in the words Of Scout ALL
son. and it's publication Is allowed by
Major Powell:
Gold was discovered in the Black
Hills In 1874, and, regardless of Indian
ownership, white men from all parts
of the United States rushed into the
hills in eager search of the precious
metal. The Indians entered strong
protest and appealed to the United
States authorities to expel the miners
from their reservation. Many were
driven out by troops, but in spite of all
opposition the spring of 1876 found the
new gold fields literally alive with white
men and mines giving up gold at the
rate of thousands of dollars per day,
while every trail leading to the Black
Hills across the reservation became a
public highway over which supplies
were hauled into the mines. One OF the
principal routes to the Black Hills was
over the Bad River trail, through the
very heart of the great Sioux reserva-
tion in South Dakota. Fort Pierre at
the mouth of Bad River was the start
ing point and base of supplies. Thirty
five miles above Fort Pierre was stu
ated the Cheyenne River Indian agen-
cy, on the west bank Of the Missouri
river. around which were clustered
about 5000 friendly Indians. Sixty-five
miles below Fort Pierre the Lower
Brule agency was located, also on the
west bank of the Missouri, where about
$500 friendly Sioux received their ra-
tions. Indians passing from one agen-
cy to the other frequently came In con-
tact with miners and wagon trains on
the Bad river trail, but the Indians,
being inclined to peaceful methods and
hoping that the government would
eventually protect them in their rights,
avoided contact as much as possible,
waiting their opportunity and crossing
the trail where no white man was Wis
ible.
About the middle of April, 1875, seven
lodges of Minnikaneju Sioux, who had
been visiting at the Lower Brule agen-
CIV, were on their way home to the
Cheyenne River reservation, when one
Of their number, a young warrior, was
taken violently i'll and died while they
were encamped on the bank of the Bad
river.
Following the usual Indian custom in
such cases. the body of the dead war
rior was washed and painted as If for
a festival. dressed In his finest savage
attire and then wrapped in a new wool
en- blanket, his old mother having first
brought his bow and arrows and placed
them tenderly by his side. Then the
blanket dressed deer skins were care
fully wrapped around the body and fas-
tened with leather thongs. Lastly, the
finest and biggest buffalo robe in camp
is wrapped with the fur inside around
the dead warrior and securely fastened
with a long, stout lariat. Four forked
posts were then set upright In the
ground on little mound few rods
north Of the Black Hill trail, on which
a scaffold was erected about eight feet
from the ground. On this scaffold the
body was placed secure from burrow-
ing animals, and after the usual funeral
rites the grief-stricken friends went
sorrowing to their homes at the Chey-
enne River agency.
The mourning red men had been gone
perhaps not more than six hours when
a party Of gold hunters, fourteen In
number, with a span of mules and
wagon to haul their supplies, came to
the place where the dead warrior was
laid to rest.
hnI ind wa no
first one they had ever seen, and the
last and only one they ever saw. They
turned the mules out of the beaten
track and drove to the little mound and
halted by the side Of the scaffold. They
walked round and round the strange
object, looking up and examining it
from every side At length one of them
said: "Say, boys, that looks like good
robe around that redskin; somebody
bring an axe from the wagon and Wen
see how they fix up a dead injen, any,
way The axe is brought, and in a
moment the posts are cut through and
the scaffold, with it's gruesome tenant,
falls to the ground. The lariat is loos-
ened, and two men 60 seize the edge
Of the robe and unwind it from the
body. 1t is, indeed, a good robe. They
shake it in the wind and then throw it
into their wagons. "Well have use for
that robe" they say.
The removal OF the robe brought to
view the dressed deerskins. Just what
we want" they said, "to make whip
.lashes," and the deerskin followed the
buffalo robe into the wagon. And then
the blanket, which was a brand new
one, 1t wouldn't do to leave that So
into the wagon it went to keep COM
pany with the rest of the funeral fur
aliture.
Next their attention is given to the
almost naked body of the dead warrior.
One of them seizes the bow and arrows.
tsI'll keep them for my little boy" said
he. Another takes the bear claw neck
lace. He will take that home for his
wife And thus the body is entirely
denuded. The mocassins are taken by
one, the silver armlets by another, the
carriers, with little bells attached to
them, are taken by another, and spurn-
ing the naked body with their feet, they
go on their way rejoicing at their rich
Incl +ho,y