The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-07-23


Miss Hattie Red Bird, quarterbreed
Cherokee Indian girl, has been arrested
and placed in Jail at TahleQuah, 1. T.,
charged with crime ncst brutal and
singular. She fastened her sweetheart.
a white man named Joseph Ryan, in
small closet just large enough to hold
him, then through a hole in the ceiling
above she poured ice water On his bare
head until he died.
1t was with delight, she confessed. that
she poured the ice water through the
aperture and saw and heard her lover
dying inch by inch. The officers who
have her in charge say she has the most
1iendisA nature of any che they ever ar
rested. Her brutality is even greater
than any of the outlaws who have roam
ed in her vi Unity.
She seems to love crime When her
pale-face lover displeased her she
planned for his death most deliberately
and cooly. Now that she is behind iron
bars, and will undoubtedly be shot to
death for her crime, she shows not the
slightest trace OF regret for her action.
Hattie Red-Bird is a pretty girl with
just enough Indian blood in her veins to
make her tr9acherous. She has black
eyes and hair, a. fair complexion and
pretty form. Having attended the Car
Isle Indian school for a number of years
she was well educated when she returned
to the Cherokee country last summer.
Joseph Ryan was a young merchant Of
Tahlequah, one of the few white traders
of that place. He met Hattie Red-Bird
at reception one night and became her
slave. The two seemed to love each
other desperately, SO the neighbors say,
who watched the progress of events
All went we'll until Joseph Ryan met
another Indian maiden, whose beauty at
tracted him more. Then ne began to for
get Miss Red. Elrd.
The Red-Birds are quite prominent In
dams around Tahlequah. They have a
beautiful home near the outskirts of
town. Last week all the family went
away on a visit except Hattie. She re-
manned behind TO enjoy a needed rest, she
said.
mat night, however, she sent note to
Joseph Ryan asking him to call on her.
1t is the last time 7 will ever ask a
FAVOR of you, she wrote, so please coma
early. / have so many important things
to say to you"
Jcseph's heart was not so hardened as
10 resist the appeal OF his old love 60
ne went out to his death: but he did not
Know What followed is told bv the Girl
neFseh In a signed confession to Jailer
Duncan. ~
Joseph came and We talked of every
Jay events for awhile; then [ asked hin,
why he, had commenced goinq viii
6efue Sanders. He gave me a short
answer and said 1t was none of NV h1lsie
ness That made me mad. and VS.
tempted to shoot him dead then and
pnere, BUT did not forget MY first
putPose-to torture him to death. So 7
IiilIieo s"ectly and passed it off. [ told
MN that had another fellow and v,e,d
Just let things pass He seemed nIaase6 u
and said that would be best. ~
Ihen l brought out the wine which r
Illu uIugged and asked him to drink
win me and forget. 1 was s,1rnrieed ba
uIu not suspect something then. as he
80 f'1"dys so quick TO catch on, but he
ula not and drank the wine right down
~ rev minutes the drugs had done
thelr work and he fell asleep. 7 fed hi
h&nos and showed him into the closet =, =
ne closet which the murderess man
80 - d smau one in one corner of the
uin!hg room 1t is just large enough to
NiN ZIG Houy OF d person Of average size
slandlnS up straight. There are shelves
running back some six inches on ali
Sides except where the door opens, and
on these shelves were kept the wine and
China dishes.
When Ryan was pushed into the closet
ana the door locked he was wedeed in
tight and had no room to move, not even
TO turn around. He tried to do this when
being tortured, and his broken ribs show
Tor it. Miss Red-Bird continues her mar
ratiVe.
After I had locked him In I went I'm
stairs and took off the trap door I had
sawed myself.
This trap door opened into her bedroom
from the closet and was the Same size as
the interior of the closet. Underneath
her then appeared the head of her white
lover. The light hair on Ryan's head was
very thin, which served doubly her pur-
pose.
Then I carried up a tub of ice water.
and, bringing a high stepladder COM
menced my work. I dropped the water
out of a pitcher for fourteen hours near
ly, and all the while he begged me to
stop. Whenever he would move his head
to one side I would change the position