The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-10-29
TWO STRIKE THE SIOUX.

O@A-SeNe5O
Two Strike, the Sioux chieftain, the
uneonstructed savage. lying ON his bed
of skins, hears the laundering hoof-falls
OF the buffalo on the plains that skirt
the eternal hills. Two Strike, the willy,
the bitter enemy of the whites, is dying
in his Dakota wigwam firm in the faith
Of his fathers that he will but close his
eyes on earth to open them in the. happy
hunting ground About none other of
the elders of the tribe Of the Dacotahs
does there center SO much of interest as
about this old brave, whose heart holds
"a nobility of hatred" for the enemies
of his people. The chieftain took part
in the last uprising of the Sioux against
the whites ten years ago, and when
forced with the others to give up the
unequal combat he said: THE body is
given up, but the spirit never surren-
ders." There is only one being on earth
whom Two Strike holds In greater hat
red than the white man, and that is the
hereditary foe Of his tribe-the Pawnee
warrior.
Old Two Strike bears the distinction of
having been the leader in the last bat
tie which took place on the American
continent between two hostile tribes oof
Indians. For years without number the
Pawnees and the Sioux have hated each
other. The wars that were waged be-
tween them We're wars of extermina-
pappoose was taken in battle or in the
raids upon sleeping villages. All were
put to the knife or the tomahawk In
one Of CooperS novels Hard Heart the
Pawnee chieftain, haunting the Sioux
says: Since waters ran and trees grew
the Sioux has found the Pawnee on his
war path" The battle in which Two
Strike led the hosts of the Sioux against
the Pawnees was fought near a little
stream known as THE Frenchman" a
branch of the Republican river, about
200 miles south of Lexington, Neb. For
generations the PaWnees had held the
valley of the Platte. 1t was the most
famous buffalo hunting ground on the
continent. The Sioux from the north
constantly invaded the buffalo plains Of
the Pawnees, This in itself was enough
to bring about constant battles, but
back Of everything else there was set a
hereditary hatred between the two ma
tons, the beginning of which not even
the old men of the tribes pretended to
know. The masterful Sioux had thrash
ed all the Indian tribes with which they
had come in contact, but they met a foe
worthy of their tomahawks every time
that they came in contact with the Paw
nee. About the middle of the nine
teenth century disease ravaged the Paw
nee nation. 1t carried off little children
and stalwart warriors with equal i'm
Par he OIL urlD0 was
sapped, but its spirit was unbroken.
The Sioux won frequent victories over
their weakened enemies and forced them
to a course which they had ever before
spurned, an alliance with the whites.
The Sioux had killed scores of whites
who had the courage to pierce the will
derness and establish homes. Soldiers
were sent against them to punish them
and the Pawnees, burning for revenge,
went with the white soldiers as scouts.
The Sioux warriors were punished. Two
Strike bided his time With the other
chiefs he finally urged his people to
make peace with the whites. 1t was
the only time that words if peace had
eyed been known to come from the chief
tain's lips. 1t was not case Of hating
the white man less but the PaWnee
more. With the end of the active cam
paign the white soldiers withdrew from
their Pawnee allies, who returned to
their hunting ground and their villages.
Adabel Ellis, who knew better perhaps,
than others the fullness of the Sioux
plot and the circumstances of the Paw
nee annihilation, has told the story.
Two Strike and his Sioux watched for
an opportunity. They would not be con-
tent with a mere battle in which so
many warriors should be killed off. but
they were after a chance for extermina-
out from it's place in the land
Early in August, 1874, the Pawnees
started from their homes on a great
hunting expedition. They were led by
Sky Chief. once noted for his prowess
in the Pawnee tribe. Sioux runners
carried the information of the hunt to
Two Strike. They the Sioux took the
var path. They cut down into the heart
Of the Buffalo country, and finally found
the PaWnees encamped in a COMPARE
lively narrow canyon. The Sioux start
ed a small herd of buffalo, and, driving
them into the upper end of the canyon,
started them down toward the camp of
the Pawnees. The Sioux goaded the an
imals from the rear, but took them
selves out of sight just before coming
within vision of the Pawnees. The buff
falo went headlong through the canyon
and the Pawnee warriors, hastily mount
ing, followed them out on to the broad
plain, leaving the women and children
behind. Then the Sioux swept forward
and began the work of determination
They spared neither youth nor age, and
had almost completed the slaughter
which the Pawnee braves returned.
then followed a conflict in which the
twang of the bowstring was heard often
er than the crack of the rifle. The Paw
nees fought as they had always fought
to the death, but the Sioux, armed for
war and not for hunt and with over
poWering numbers. won the day, and of
the great nation of the Pawnees only
a vestige remained. Two Strike, with
his own hand, slew Sky Chief. The con-
fiict served to whet the Sioux appetite
for that other conflict less than two
years later, when the same warriors at
tackled Custer and his band and left not
one living.
Two Strikes conscience is not troub-
ling him as he lies in his wigwam With
him the Staying of the enemies of his
people is a virtue, and about this feel
ing there is something that is not solely
characteristic Of the savage.