Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1903-06-20
a.tisee1tamtnns &eaaiug.
IN MEMORY OF WOUNDED KNEE.
Sioux Indians Erect Monument
o., Whore Wallace Fell. q,

IN MEMORY OF WOUNDED KNEE.
Sioux Indians Erect Monument
Whore Wallace Fell.
The Sioux Indians have erected q
monument to their fathers, mothers,
brothers and sisters killed at Wounded
Knee, South Dakota, and following the
idea adopted by the whites on the
plain Of the Little Big Horn where Gus
ter and his command were wiped out,
they called this place the Big Foot
Massacre. Big Foot was the chief In
command at the time, and about 500
of his followers were killed. The
monument which Is a handsome marble
shaft was dedicated during the last OF
May, and fully 5000 Sioux Indians
took in the ceremonies. The inscrip-
ton on the monument Is as follows:
"This monument is erected by sur
viving relatives and other Ogallala and
Cheyenne river Sioux Indians in men,
ory' of the Chief Big Foot massacre,
December 20, 1890, Col. Forsythe in
command of United States troops. Big
Foot was a great chief Of the Sioux
Indians. He often said: I will stand
in peace till my last day comes He
did good and brave deeds for the white
man and for the red man. Many inno-
cent women and children who knew
no wrong died here"
Tho Story Of Wounded Knee.
It was the last stand of the red
race against the white, the fight of a
dying race against young and more
vigorous; a people fighting for their
homes and their territory, as they sup
posed, this battle in which fell those
braves to whom the monument was
raised.
Their patriotism had been reused to
the highest pitch by the willy old chief,
Ta-Tan-Ka I-Yo-Ton-Ka {Sitting
BulD, who was to the northern Indians
what Geronimo was to the southwest
ern tribes. But Sitting Bull was more
to be feared than Geronimo, because
Of his long familiarity with the white
men and their ways.
In addition to rousing their patriot
ism, Sitting Bull had anointed each
brave" with medicine" making them
ihvulnerabIe to the bullets from the
white mans pistol. And every Indian
of that band thoroughly believed this.
To accomplish this Sitting Bull ORR
ginated the ghost Of Messiad dance"
which soon spread through the Sioux
nation like fire over the western prairie.
This dance was only preliminary to
being anointed with the medicine"
and was a mixture Of the war and
squaw DANCE, except that the dancers
circled around tall pole on which
was hung the skin containing the med
ieine. The eyes Of the dancers were
continually fixed on this spot. their
eyes thrown upward. 1t Is said the
dancers, in time, became actually
hypnotized and fell on the ground In
q cataleptic fit. While In this state
they had visions Of what was to hap
pen to the white men who opposed the
Indian when anointed with the "medi-
cine" These visions were all alike.
Buffalos would return; white men be
all killed; the Great Spirit had In
formed them that the white mans bull
let could not injure them any more,
and above all. that Sitting Bull must
be obeyed implicitly.
Sitting Bulls true object In working
the Indians up to this frenzy was real
ly to force the government into In
creasing the issue of rations to the
Sioux by threatening to leave the res
ervation and go toward the northwest
along the Montana Canada border
where he had gone with his people af-
ter massacreing Gen. Custer on the
Little Big Horn fourteen years before.
Scouts who were familiar with this
king-pin Of bad Indians do not believe
that Sitting Bull intended to fight un-
less absolutely forced to do so.
After the Indians had danced all
during the fall Of 1890, about 80 per
cent. of the entire Sioux tribe became
firm followers Of Sitting Bull; had in
terviewed the Great Spirit and had
been anointed with medicine" by their
high priest or medicine man.
When the Indians had got into the
condition that Sitting Bull could be
sure his every order and wish would
be obeyed the ghost" dancing ceased
and preparations for war begun. Then
It was that the commanding officer OF
the United States troops at Fort Yates
was ordered to arrest old Sitting Bull
and confine him in prison at the
AGENCY of Standing Rock for the time
being. -
Sitting Bull was camped forty miles
away from the agency, but squad Oh
fifty cavalrymen started after the old
Indian early on December Is. The In
dian police, commanded by Bull
Head" and Shave Head" were within
striking distance of Sitting Bulls
camp several days before the cavalry
left the fort. Sitting Bulls cabin was
almost surrounded by the fanatical
ghost dancers" but the Indian po-
lice managed to reach the house and
arrest the old fellow. Sitting Bulls
young son slipped from the house and
aroused the ghost dancers" who soon
swarmed around the little party of po-
lice.
After the police mounted their horses
to return to the soldiers with Sitting
Bull, that old warrior called upon his
followers to rescue him and Strike
the Kettle and Catch-the-Bear dashed
up at full speed to the two police who
guarded the prisoner and shot them.
Both guards were killed, but in falling
Bull Head, a guard, wheeled and In