The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-06-04

FROM the earnest days or recorded his
tory, man has regarded his prowess In
war as the most valuable of his exploits;
and success in war has generally been
measured by the number of slain on the
battlefield. 1 don't know how the facts
were arrived at in ancient times; and
whether or not they had war correspon-
dents, who followed the armies and re-
ported their doings, I can't say, but as
the arts Of writing and printing were
unknown. and the means of communica-
ton were very limited, it seems doubt
full If the results were arrived at in this
way. From what 1 know of human ma
ture and character, I am convinced that
If the reports were made through the
commanders in the field, the lists of the
enemy slain may fairly be discounted
about rs per cent. Have we not had re-
ports OF the most exaggerated character,
as to the number of prisoners captured
and enemies killed, so recently as our
a battle with the Indians or other un-
civilized people. where, after giving our
own losses. we have not met with the
old stereotyped report. that the loss Of
the enemy was far greater. but as they
always remove their dead and wounded,
1t Is impossible to ascertain the exact
NUMBER" The wars now raging in the
Philippines and Samoa form no excep-
ton to this familiar report. So far as
our fights with the American Indians are
concerned. 1 feel quite confident that
where we have killed one Indian, we
have lost fifteen whites, take 1t through
from the Atlantic to the Pacific, but you
can't figure out any such results from
the reports which have made up his
tory. The temptation to exaggerate for
the purpose of hero-making, and future
political preferment, Is too great to be
resisted, and the consequence Is that
truth suffers amazingly. Perhaps it is
better for mankind that the slaughter
should be on paper, rather than in fact.
Modern warfare has introduced the
new element of the war correspondent.
He is generally either a creature of
the commander, or DESTROYS of fiattering
him for personal advantage or some
other consideration. and he piles on the
praises of the side he represents, di-
minishes the credit due the enemy, and
resolves every doubt against him.
Now the Indian has a way OF arriving.
at the truth of such matters which Is
infinitely more satisfactory than that of
his white brother. He knows just as
we'll as any one what noasters all men
are on matters relating to their own
exploits, and especially those relating
to war, and in order that there shall
be no humbug about such matters, he
will give no credence to any statement
that is not accompanied by the most ir
refragible proof. When a warrior comes
home and says, 81 killed six enemies on
my last raid he is confronted with the
demand to produce his evidence, and the
only evidence admissible is the ScalpS
OF the dead enemies. Should he make
such an assertion without the proof, he
would be laughed out of the camp as
a silly boaster.
Most people think the practice of
scalping an enemy, generally INDUCED in
by the Sioux, is a wanton desire to
cruelty mutilate the foe Such Is not the
case at all; he Is prompted solely by the
desire Of procuring proof OF his success,
and he will take more chances to take
a scalp than he would for any ether OBJ
ject in life. Among the Sioux, and I
believe most Of the tribes Of North
America, for every enemy killed war
rior is entitled to wear a head-dress with
an eagle feather in 1t, which to him
fills the same place in his character and
reputation as the Victoria Cross or the
medal of the Legion of Honor, or any
other Of the numerous decora tons be-
slowed upon white men for deeds Of
bravery and honor; and to gain this dis
tfnction he Is moved by the same i'm
pulse that actuated Hobson In sinking
the Merrimac in the harbor of Santiago,
or the actors in the thousand and one
daring deeds In which men in all ages
have freely risked their lives.
Scalping Is an art, and the manner in
which it is done depends wholly upon
the circumstances Of the occasion. A
complete and perfect scalp embraces the
whole hair of the head, with a margin
of skin all round it about two and a
half inches in width, including both ears
with all their ornaments. This can only
be obtained when the victor has abundant
time to operate leisurely. When he Is
beset by the enemy all that he can do,
as general thing. is to seize the hair
with the left hand and hold up the scalp
with it and then give a quick cut with
his knife, and get as big a piece as he
can; by this hurried process he rarely
gets piece larger than small saucer,
and generally not bigger than a silver
dollar, bat no matter how small 1t may
be, it entities him to his feather I have
seen number of scalps TAX
en- from Indians by white men,
but the operations were bungling
and inarticificial. Among the Sioux the
killing of a full grown grizzly bear is
equivalent to the killing of an enemy
and entities the victor to the same dec
grafton. 1 have known Indians who
wore many sixteen feathers
1t is not alone the Importance as a
brave that these decorations give the
Wearer which enter into their value
When he returns from the warpath bear
ing scalps, he is received by all his band
with demonstrations of the greatest
pride and honor. If you can imagine
Dewey landing at New York from the
Philippines, you can form some idea of
the honors that would be heaped upon
him. If the weather is pleasant he
strips to the waist and paints his body
jet black. He places on the top Of his
head a round ball of pure white swan
down about the size of a large orange.
and takes in his hand a staff about five
feet long. with buckslkin fringe tackled
end of each shred of the fringe is a
piece of a deer's hoof forming a rattle
by striking together when shaken IN
and down. When arrayed in this man
ner he marches up and down the village
recounting In sort of a chant the en-,
tire history of the events of the raid on
the enemy, going into the minute de-
tails, and 1ndulg1ng in much imagination
and superstition. He tells what he
dreamed, what animals he saw, and how
all these things influenced his conduct.
He continues this ceremony for DAYS and
days., and is the admiration of all his
people, L have seen four or five of them
together promenading in this way, and
nave taken an interpreter and marched
with them by the hour listening to their
stories.
When this na rt 0P fhn