The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-11-20

full Of food, we saddled horses and
gall0ped away toward Wounded Knee.
As we rode along We met other fpsi-
tlves, some OF them wounded all OF then
greatly frightened and eager 70 escape
from the dreaded soldiers. They all tdld
substantially the same story, but none
OF them could tell us what had been Min
MES fate.
AT last, as we were riding along a NIGH
grassy ridge, an old Indian came out OF
the ash thicket In the valley below and
beekoned Is 10 approach, As we drew
near I recognized him as White Elk, the
leading character OF the Pass Creek
ghost dance. l had thought him a very
old Indian before, but he seemed to have
aged ten years In the last few weeks, AZ
! ter signalling us he stood with his head
bowed upon his breast until we were
within a few yards OF him, when he be-
gan speaking Ia q weak, g~iaverln{
voice:
MY heart IS broken. The Great Spirit
IL angry with my people. My
Never mind the Great Spirit" inter
rrpted Dick huskily. Where's Minnie
| Plenty Horses?"
There" replied White Elk, with a
wave OF his hand toward che thlckek
Throwing ourselves out " the saddles,
we pushed hastily through the tangle of
bushes for a few steps and stopped short
beside a smolderlng campfire, by the
dim light that percolated through the
branches we saw the form OF a girl,
swathed in blankets, stretched upon the
frozen ground, her head resting In the
lap Of an aged squaw, who was weeptnS
bitterly, Dick dropped upon his knees
| beside hiAsweetheart and took her cold
little hand In his. minnie! Minnie!
Don't you know me?"
She opened her eyes and smiled bright
ly, "Ysa, Dick, J know you, but ! am
| going away. OIL Dick, " you could only
come, too, but" Then her mind wan
| dered and she began talking IN the San
tee diatect-her mother was Of that tribe
e Jesus, wastedalpl mItawa, mizt leu.
| nitawa isto ekta Ooh Jesus, my beloved,
take me to thy arms)."
A %convulsive shiver ran through her
frame, and MlnHie's spirit had gone in
| search of the red Messiah.
The old squaw tore the blanket from
the poor girls chest, and showed us the
| Gaping bullet wound, through which
her young life-blood had ebbed away;
lllell sic bGbdl tuNhlHb W dlAN ~ '' NAS
walled out the mournful death song OF
the Sioux.
Dick stlll lSnelt beside the corpse, his
sInewy frame shaking with sobs, and his
| tears, the first l ever saw him shed, fall
ing like rain upon the still, cold face of
his lost love. Az last he rose to his feet
and turned sadly toward me. 'Blll, II 1
thought for a moment that ] could follow
| heF, I'd send n bullet through my brain,
but she's away too good to mix with the
likes Of us In the next world. If she is an
~Intun."
We buried her body In a ~nelghboring
canyon, at the foot Of q big pine tree, and
covered the grave with slabs Of sand
stone, lest It be desecrated by some
providing coyote, then rode s~orrowfully
away.
Dick has V been the same man
since then. He works harder and rides
more recklessly than before, but he never
| drinks or carouses, and, while the other
boys are swapping lies or bucktng monte,
he will steal off by himself and spend
! hours porting over a little b~lod-stalnel
Testament that we took from Minle'G
bosom, when we performed those last
| rude funeral rites, And every spring,
Just before the roundup begins, when
the grass is getting green and the flow
| ers are beginning to bloom in the Bad
lands, he will disappear for a few days.
The boys always wonder where he has
gone, hut / never tell them, though 1
know full well that he Is visiting Min
MES grave.