The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-11-17
Abundant ProvOcatiOn Furnished by Whites
in the Far West.
STORY OF A VILE OUTRAGE.

appealed 20 the United States authori-
ties 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 Bnlck 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 reserya-
ton 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 situat-
ed the Cheyenne River Indian agency,
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 p
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 10 peaceful methods, and
hoping that the government would
eventually protect them in their rights,
avoided contact as much rs possible,
waiting their opportunity and crossing
the trail where no white man was
visible.
About the middle of April, 1876,
seven lodges of Minnikanyeju Sioux,
who had been visiting at the Lower
Brule agency, 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
warrior was washed and painted as if
for festival, dressed in his finest saw
age attire and then wrapped in a new
wOOlen blanket, his old mother having
first brought his bow and arrows and
placed them tenderly by his side. Then
the blanket and dressed deer skins
were carefully wrapped around the
body and fastened 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 a little
mound few rods north of the Black
Hills trail, on which a scaff5ld was
erected about eight feet from the
ground. On this scaffold the body was
placed secure from burrowing animals,
and after the usual funeral rites the
grief-stricken friends went sorrowing
to their homes at the Cheyenne agency.
The mourning red men had been
gone perhaps not more than six hours
when party of gold hunters, foEdeen
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.
The whites saw the Indian grave; the
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 seaffold.
They walked round and round the
strange object, looking up and examin-
ing 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 we'll see how they fix up dead
injen, anyway The axe is brought,
and in a moment the posts are cut
through and the scaffold, with its grue-
some tenant, falls to the ground. The
lariat is lOosened, ard two men (?) seize
the end of the robe and unwind it from
the body. 1t is, indeed, good robe.
They shake it in the wind and then
throw it into their wagon. "We'll 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," aud the deerskins followed the
buffalo robe into the wagon. And then
the blanket, which was a brand new
one. 1t wouldn't 90 to leave that. So
into the wagon it went to keep COM
pany with the rest Of the funeral fur
niture.
Next their attention is given to the
almost naked body of the dead warrior.
One Of them seizes the bow and arrows.
"Pll 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 de-
HuQcu. Lie ulVCCtAolnc dAC tdhcn DS
one, the silver armlets by another the
garters, 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 find. 1t portends good luck when
they reach the Hills.
About noon the following day the
little band Of Indians reached their
homes, where they impaired the sad
news of the death Of the young brave
to his friends and relatives. Among
the latter was a brother, who, after
learning the exact locality Of the grave,
mounted his horse, saying that he
would go and look upon the silent form
Of his brother and weep for him. Be
fore sunset he was drawing near the
little mound, but saw no seaffold stand