The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-03-10
Gro@b5es OF
Our Doom.
American Wars, Rebeliions, Insur-
rectiOBs, Riots, Strikes.
THE GHOST DANCE WAR.

In 1880 a religious craze made it's ap-
pearance among the Western Indians.
For several years previous a prophecy
concerning a Messiah, or savior, whose
mission it would be to restore the In
dams to their old hunting grounds and
! drive the white man forever from their
country had gained currency among the
! Sioux in particular.
| In the summer Of 1890 certain chiefs
claimed to have seen this Messiah in
visions, and to have received from him
| the message that the day of his APP
! pearance was at hand. A Sioux woman
! added to the excitement by declaring
| herself as the mother of the Messiah
She was soon after arrested by the
| whites and locked up, but her imprison-
ment made no stir among the Indians.
Indians in October, however acting I'M
der the advice of their medicine men,
/ began to gather at various points for
what they call ghost dances" These
performanCes-Whic are reSorted to at
| every era of religious excitement-consist
of wild dance, in which both braves
and squaWs join, with shouting and
beating of tom-toms. This dance is kept
up continuously, day and night and as
one after another Of the dancers drops
senseless from exhaustion, another en-
thusiast takes his place The Indians be-
1eved that in their fainting fits they
were permitted to see and speak with the
Messiah, and their fancy was that after
having kept up the dance a certain time
the Messiah would appear to them in the
flesh
Though the chiefs of the Indian tribes
asserted when the ghost dances began
that they meant no harm through them,
and that they would go back quickly to
their homes if their ceremonies were
not followed by an appearance of the
expected Messiah, these performances
created widespread alarm among the
white people of the Northwest, and
troops were Immediately called for and
sent to the various agencies in the Sioux
country. 1t was known that the belief in
the Messiah had been stimulated by
general discomfort among the Indians
and that this discomfort had had cause
enough to give it a serious character.
The lands Of the Sioux reservation had
teen ostensively purchased 5y the gov
eminent in 1899. but though the country
had been largely taken up by white SCI
tiers, the necessary money to pay the
Indians for it had not yet been appro-
Fr1ated by congress. In the spring of
1890 their rations had to be cut down.
and as the protracted session of congress
caused much delay in passing the ap-
preparation bills the additional supplies
required came very late. Some of the
Indians had, it is true tried to raise
grain for themselves, but a general fail
ure of crops had brought these also to
need, and therefore quite a number of
the red men were actually on the verge
OF starvation. and consequently in 49, 4
mood to lend themselves to a hostile
outbreak
II is true that a report made by a spe-
ciaI agent of the interior department,
who was sent to Pine Ridge Agency, 8.
D., in January, to investigate the causes
CT the trouble, asserts that had the army
not been called out against them the
Indians would have separated quietly
after their religious demonstrations and
returnsd to their lodges But this view
Of the situation is probably less correct
than that of Gen. Miles who says that
the religious excitement was used by a
number of idle and troublesome chiefs to
foment i'll feeling against the whites, AMI
that a plan was formed to spread this
agitation from tribe to tribe in prepara-
ton for general uprising and massacre
OF the white settlers in the spring.
The actual events seem to show that
Gen. Miles view Of the case was correct.
Nov. 80 q number Of the Sioux transfer
red their camp to the Bad Lands. This
movement was meant to show hostile in
tentions. The Bad Lands, a locality fill
ed with bleak hills and precipitous can
ons, would give the best possible op-
portunity to the red men to keep the
army at bay. Gen. Brooke, the COM
mandant of the United States forces then
in the department of Dakota, called a
conference OF the disaffected chiefs,
which met Dec g. but no settlement of
the difficulty was reached. Dec. 0 Gen.
Miles passed through Chicago on his way
to the Northwest. His first order was
for the arrest OF the chiefs among the
fostiles. Dec, Is a company of United
States troops enc a squad of Indian po-
lice surrounded the camp Of Sitting Bull
near Standing Rock.
The Indians resisted the capture of
their leader and in the fight which fol-
lowed Sitting Bull was killed. His fol-
lowers, comprising about $50 warriors,
were then taken prisoners. Dec. 81 the
band of Big Foot was taken on Porcu-
pine creek This was a very troublesome
band. being made up Of outlaws from
the different tribes. After being taken
this band escaped, but was again cap
tured and marched to Wounded Knee.
Here, Dec. Is, an attempt was made to
to the demand for the surrender of their
guns by firing on the soldiers The
troops returned the fire and general
fight followed, in which not only the In
dams, but the squaws and children with
them, were slaughtered without mercy.
News of this fight caused an increase
Of hostility on the part of the Indians,
and large numbers left the agencies and
joined the hostiles. The troops followed
them and fights occurred on Dec. 81 and
Jan. l. and subsequently a number of
inforced and were gradually closing in
around the Indians, cutting of their
lines Of retreat and forcing them back to
the agencies. Gen. Miles took personal
command of the forces at Pine Ridge
Jan. 1, and on the 9Th held talk with
the hostile chiefs. On the 18th the chiefs
came In and surrendered, and were
gradually disarmed. The report of the
special agent above referred to sums up
the results of the outbreak thus: ''The
trouble cost the lives of 200 Indians,
10 soldiers. officers, 1 civilian and
the $2,000000 for transportation and SUBJ
sistence of troops, 500, 600 for property de-
stroyed on the reservation possibly 5000
for property DESTROYED off the reservation,
1000 for transportation and incidental
expenses of two delegates to Washing
ton the time Of 10000 Indians for three
months, the total demora1ization of the
schools Of three Of the agencies and the
official head Of one Indian agent"