The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1901-04-05
THE UACONQUERED AAO
UNCOMFORTABLE SIOUX
Senator Pettigrew Talks Interest
ingIy Of the WarIike Aborig-
ines Of the Dakotas.
BRAyEs1 TRIBE OF THE REDmEn
Instances of Indian Courage and Cunning
How the South Dakota Senator Gain
ID 3 Reputation as NIarksman-
"Bully" Jones' Undoing.

ID 3 Reputation as q Marksman-
"Bully" Jones' Undoing.
When you talk of personal courage,
Individual or racial" says Senator Pet
tigrew, of South Dakota, in an inter-
view in the Washington Star, "let me
say, do not overlook the Sioux Indians.
They are the only people on the face
Of the earth who have never been con-
quered. They We're never defeated by
their aboriginal enemies, and they
have never yet been coerced into sub
mission by the army of this republic.
When they We're ghost dancing few
years ago, they danced till they We're
done dancing, and never surrendered
their arms; Gen. Miles knows this, too.
There were fifteen hundred Sioux. and
Gen. Miles had five thousand soldiers;
but the Sioux did not surrender Miles
was diplomat enough to know that a
battle would have been battle for ex-
termination on both sides. The Sioux
nation has never been conquered, and
they consider themselves unconquer-
able today. They are proud. brave.
courteous and arrogant. They always
have been and always will be. Not
only as people, but individually they
are as brave as the typical Romans.
: Talk about the Roman holding
his hand in the fire until it burned off
why, there are lots of Sioux who
would do the same thing today, for an
object"
Story of DR.. Eastman's Father.
Can you mention any particular in
stance of personal courage?"
We'll, there is DR.. Eastman, a full
blooded Sioux, who is DOING a great
good work for civilization today.
knew his father. He was an unedu-
Gated but very intelligent Indian.
About thirty years ago 7 saw him
sharpening two lcng butcher knives on
a grindstone. Then he whetted them
on a milestone. They were sharp as
as he put the finishing edge on them
and said: Eastman, what are you
going to do with those knives?"
Jim Jones, he kill Injun. He say
he kill Eastman. give Jim Jones this
knife, l take odder We fight Mebbe
Jim Jones he kill Eastman. Mebbe
not
"Just then Jones, who was great
big bully, came along and got out Of
his wagon. He left his rifle in the wa
gon and came toward US. Old man
Eastman approached him, handed him
one knife with the handle towards his
hand, and said: Jim Jones, we fight.
You say you kill Ole Eastman. Now
we see. Ole Eastman give you same
chance like me. Take knife. We
fight
Bully Jones Weakened.
Jones turned pale as death. He
begged like whipped cur. He swore
he never said it. and promised never
to say another word against Eastman
before the old Indian let him go. There
was an example Of personal courage,
chivalry, honor, such as few men Of
any race have ever given. The old
man wanted to give Jones a fair
chance. He thought that sooner or
later he and Jones would come to-
gether IN mortal combat. He wanted
fair show himself, and he wanted to
give Jones a fair show, too. There are
plenty Of such instances of personal
courage among the Sioux"
Il never knew you were such a
friend of the Indians before"
well, I'm not their advocate. 1
know Of their faults, their weaknesses
and their bloodthirstiness. I.know of
the shocking and horrible crimes they
have committed. am not making ex-
cuses for them nor setting them on a
pinnacle of fame, but merely stating
a fact which know. They are ignor-
ant. illiterate savages, and are not an
ornament to our civilization. But they
are brave, courageous, and have con-
fdence in themselves, individually and
as a race. AS said before. they are
the only race of people who have never
been conquered. They are dying off
and will soon exist only In history
Pettigrew as a Marksman.
Dropping the Indians, senator, tell
me about the antelope on which you
made your reputation as a marksman.''
That is a very funny incident" re-
sponded the senator. II had driven
across the Great Sioux reservation
from Bismarck to Deadwood in a coach
4 similar to the one Buffalo Bill uses in
his business, in company with two 9TH
er Dakotans, and we were near Dead
wood when an antelope appeared on
a hillock nearby. 1t was about 300
yards from US, and stood surveying
our party with interest and wondering
eyes, We were armed with carbines
which would shoot as accurately
around a tree as at mark. and our
driver and outrider each had a rifle OF
the latest pattern. When the antelope
appeared the coach stopped, the driver
and the outrider each got down to take
a rest and shoot at the an.nlel. 81
jumped out Of the coach, and, raisine
my carbine, aimed about ten or fifteen
feet above the antelope's heart, expect
ing the ball to drop at least within
fifty feet of the mark. / fired and by
. lucky chance my carbine bullet