The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1900-11-15
CHIEF BIG ROADS is DYING.
He is the Famous Brule Indian Who
Fought at Wounded Knee and
Defled Entire Army.

Omaha, Neb. Nov. Tex Indian
Agent McGuillicuddy, who was in
charge of the great reservation OF
the Ogallala Sioux at Pine Ridge
during the early sos. was in town
last week and to an army officer he
reported that Big Roads, one of the
most virulent and potent figures in
the ghost dance uprising OF 1890
was dying of consumption in his log
cabin near the Niobrara.
Big Roads is Il Brule-stout. stub
born and an irreconcilable foe to the
American flag When the Brules
made their stand in the bad lands OF
Whit River in December, 1890. and
threatened the lives of settlers for
miles about. lie had in his cabinet OF
Uarharians such warriors as Two
strike. Yellow Bird and Crow Dog.
The latter the slayer OF old Spotted
Tail. Here with their braves, 800
lighting men in all, they intrenched
themselves for a bitter fight They
lid not think they would conquer
But they had made up their minds it
We're better to die in a religious war
with carbines at the shoulder than
perish because oil want OF food and
the effort to crush their creed. The
killing of Sitting Bull. the CORY bat
tie at Wounded Knee Creek and the
rOut OF the reds at the Catholic mis-
sion near Pine Ridge merely drove
the steel still deeper into the heart of
Big Roads. He took his band Of
lighters far deeper into the recesst 5 |
of the volcano. barbados of White |
River, but before he did so he burned |
the hay on the government farm and |
killed all the cattle on the range. |
He burned the hay so that the troops |
would be without provision for their
horses and he killed the steers in or
der to Jerk the meat and cache it |
i'll the most impenetrable CANYONS
of his natural fortress.
For weeks and weeks the power of
the United States War Department
was exercised to lure Big Roads from
his rocky citadel. But the old chief.
rObed i'll canvass trousers, a buck
skin walstcOat trimmed with beads.
porcupine quilts and badger claws.
and an old overcoat frayed at the
hem OF it's skirt and at its sleeves
simply stuffed red willow bark deeper
and deeper into he bowl of his pipe
and smoked.
Upon the peaks OF his fort Big
Roads posted his videttes. They
we're 1.-THE young men III gaudy colors
10Th as to the scant raiment they
wore and the demoniacal, geometri-
al figures traced upon their faces
md bodies From the raven hair of
ach OF these mounted sentinels
here tiuttered a single eagle feather.
The tcnacity with which Big Roads
leld the fortress is Il matter of his {
DRY. He was never driven from his /
position. 1t was only by subtle and
What appeared to be ludricous STRAIT {
gy that he was won over. and this c
vas done without the firing of a gun. 5
Cigarettes, cookies. candy and the t
olemn promise of the great United /
tateS government that no evil |
hould befall the hostiles finally drew l.
hem ont of the crags of the bad a
lnds and within the Gordon of the Q
roops. IA
But Big Roads was the last of the p
reat Sioux chieftains to surrender d
| the war of 1S90-91. Ever since
zen he has been living i'll his shack b
II the Niobrara river, which. in the b
-nguage OF his race. means sweet g
-