Amador ledger., 1902-08-08
GREWSoME INDIAN CHARM.
Its Loss Led the Cheyenne Braves
to Leave the Warpath.


to Leave the Warpath.
OF all the grewsome things in the
National museum the necklace present
cd several years ago by Captain John
g. Burke of the United States army
stands unequaled as a monument to
Indian cruelty and superstition. This
necklace consists first of all of long
buckskin cord made by rolling up a
large strip of skin and sewing it along
the border so that throughout its en-
tire length 1t will measure something
over an inch in circumference, or about
a third of an inch in diameter. This
cylinder of buckskin is covered with
beadwork so that no part of the skin is
exposed. The beads are sewed on in
rather tasteful patterns, the colors of
which are white and blue. A thin buck
skin string is attached to either end of
this thick, bead incrusted cord by
means of which the cylinder is tied
about the neck of the wearer.
Hanging from the underside of this
necklace and running throughout its
entire length are twelve human fingers
and several small flint arrovheads of
peculiar shape and workmanship at
tached by buckskin strings. In the
middle of the necklace depend three
small medicine bags made of the
tanned hide or skin of human beings.
These bags contain charm stones and
other paraphernalia of the medicine
man.
The human fingers, forming the most
conspicuous feature of the necklace,
are complete, having been cut off be-
tween the middle joint and the knuc-
kle. They have been dried In such
manner as to preserve their natural
color, finger nails, ETC., and look as
fresh as though they had been re-
moved only few hours.
During General Crooks campaign
against the Sioux and Cheyennes in
1876 the Fourth cavalry and detach-
ment of Indian scouts under Colonel R.
G. Mackenzie surprised and stormed
the chief town and principal strong
hold Of the Cheyennes. During or,
rather. after this engagement one Of
the Indian scouts, Baptiste Pouvier,
better known as Big Bat, entered the
lodge Of the chief medicine man Of the
deserted village. and among other
things that the medicine man had over
looked in his hurried fight from the
town the scout found this curious neck
lace. Big Bat gave the necklace to
Colonel Burke, who later turned it over
to student Of Indian religions and su-
perstitions, and he In turn presented it
to the National museum.
Subsequently something of the his
tory Of this necklace was learned The
fingers were those of famous enemies
noted for their superior courage and
bravery whom the Cheyennes had
killed In battle during their various
wars, while the human skin of which
the medicine bags were made was also
taken from the bodies of enemies slain
in battle. The necklace is very old and
was looked upon by the Cheyennes as
a thing endowed with miraculous pow
ers. Prior to its capture by Big Bat it
had belonged to a famous medicine
man of that tribe, who had never al
lowed any white man to lay eyes on it,
and its loss put very sudden and
abrupt end to the Cheyenne war. The
Cheyennes tried hard to get it back,
offering a large sum of money and a
great many horses for its return, but
this was refused, and since then the
Cheyennes have remained at peace
with the whites.-Washington Post.