The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-09-28
INDIAN CRUELl'IES.
ToRTuREs INFLICTED UPON ALL WHO,
REFUSE TO DANCE.


When Anything Is Wanted by tho Tribe,
These Orgies Are Carried On-A Serious
Question That Must BE Settled Sooner
or Later.
Captain Charles Il. Nordstrom of tho
Tenth United States cavalry, acting In
dian agent mt the Pueblo and Jicarilln
Agency in Now Mexico, has written an in
tercsting letter to the commissioner of In
dian affairs with regard to the Indian
dances. Tho letter treats of tho subject in
manner novel in official communications
and throws new light OH matter that
has long given great concern to everybody
interested In the Indian question. Cap
tain Nordstrom says:
During my recent inspection of tho
day schools attached to and lying south of
this agency many of tho teachers COM
planned that on the occasion of n dance
in the pueblo they wero either locked in
their rooms and compelled to remain there
until tho festivities were over or were
driven out of tho village entirely and or
dered not to some back undor a given
time, tho teacher ut San Felipe being
elected and driven across tho Rio Grantc.
"The Indians pretend that it would no
saorilcgc to admit mn outsider to u partic-
patton in them or even to be present as a
spectator, but this is only u preteXt, an ex-
Cuse to allow them to assert THOR prerOga-
tive, tho traders at Jemez and Zuni in
forming mo that neither of them is mo-
Tested when tho dances are going on and
that they have both been invited to and
havo witnessed oven tho most secret of
them. If these dances, like tho camp meet
ing revivals of the southern negro, result
n IL,
ligious fervor, no exception could be taken
to them, but they are often the origin of
great outragcs. Tho trader of Zuni related
the circumstances Of one case which took
place In that village not long ago which
does not speak very we'll for tho advance
mcnt of those engaged in it,
IA young man just from Carlisle was
ordered TO dance. and declined, represent
ing that he had graduated mt school, had
learned q trade and was now an American
and Americans did not dance that way.
Thereupon the governor arrested him, tied
him up to u tree and ordered him beaten,
and beaten he was-nearly to death. He
danced after that
"Zuni, it will DO recalled, was the soeno
of the hanging Of n poor old creature rs
witch. While was there Miss Dissette,
tho estimable principal Of the school, sent
for tho victim of this revival of the days
when our New England forefathers pious-
ly devoted their ncighbors to tho stake and
barred her poor old arms to my inspection.
There was no difficulty in discerning the
scars made by the cruel cords which hnd
cut the flesh through to tho bono. This
poor old woman is Mt least rs or so years
old. AT the imminent risk of her life and
the forfeiture of her popularity with the
medicine mon Miss Dissetto went to the
old woman's house, and, by nursing her
night and day, revived the Pickering flamo
of life which had SO nearly been extin-
guished AS this woman, her voice trem-
bling with indignant emotion, described
the circumstances of this unspcakablo hor-
TOT, my own cheek blushed that 80 years
of my life had been spent in the service of
government under which such things
could be done.
"The traders cook, an Indian youth
nbout 90, unfortunately mourning the dis
pleasure of tho medicine men, was arrested
as a wizard, and, but for tho 1rmness Of
his employer, would have been put to
death, and even now he dares not venture
outside the premises after dark for fear of
being kidnapped by tho emissaries of these
fcnds in human shape, who will never
rest satisfied until he Is inundated upon
the altar Of their beastly superstition.
&c 1t may DO asked, What has all this got
to do with dancesP' Everything, because
all the outrages committed originate in
dance. Is rain wantedp Thoy dance. Is
there flood? They dance. Should the
doctors have made mistake in their esti-
mnto of tho amount of humidity the clouds