The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-11-01
FEARFUL INDIAN
TRAGEDY RECALLED
Application of Nebraska Man
for Pardon REEVES Memory
of a Strange Crime.

Special to The Globe.
SIOUX FALLS, S. D., Oct. 31.-Adam
Forester, formerly of Niobrara, Neb.,
who was lodged in the Sioux rams
penitentiary last February, has maze
application to President Roosevelt for
pardon and restoration to citizenship
He was sent to the penitentiary for
selling two or three kegs of liquor 10
a party of Ponca Indians, as the re-
suit of which the rednen got into a
fight and one of them was killed. This
was followed by an incident which has
no counterpart in frontier history
The party of Ponca Indians had been
in Niobrara, and while there consumed
a keg of beer. When they departed
they took several other kegs with
them, and upon arriving at the home
of Peter Birdhead, one of their breth-
rem who resided a short distance from
Ponca agency, two members or the
party whose homes were in Oklahoma
engaged in a drunken quarrel over the
trivial question as to. which was the
best brave"
Birdhead interfered, telling the com
batants he would have no quarrel1rg
on his place. Perry Larivie, a half
breed Ponca, then took hand. He
produced revolver, and this caused
Birdhead to order him from the place.
When he undertook to enforce the or
der Larivie fired at him, the bah en-
tering his face just below the eye ana
coming out Of the back of his head.
He died instantly.
Then came the most tragic feature
of the occurrence, illustrating as II
did the crude idea of justice enter
tanned by the Indians. Larivie, ex-
hibiting the signs that invariably dis
tinguish the person who has committed
a crime, was Immediately filled with
remorse, and going to the house where
BirdheadS aged parents resided, hand-
ed the feeble mother Of his victim the
still smoking revolver and requested
her as favor to kill him as a punish
ment for his having killed her son.
The murderer even showed the moth
er how to fire the weapon. The old
woman grasped the revolver handed to
her by the slayer of her boy, and fired
twice, the first shot missing and the
second taking effect in Larivie'S head.
When the coroner and other officers OF
the county arrived at the scene of the
double tragedy they discovered that
Larivie's face and head were frightfuily
cut with some weapon, probably an ak
or Ratchet.
Birdhead's parents, in giving testi-
mony at the inquest, stated that they
did not remember using any such in
strument, and that Immediately upon
shooting Larivie they went in search
of two other Oklahoma Indians. In
the opinion of the physician who ex-
amined the body of Larivie the wounds
on the face and head caused his death,
the revolver shot not having neces-
sarily been fatal, ,.s,s.
Two inquests We're held. AT both of
them Birdhead's parents gave their
testimony in straightforward manner,
as though the shooting of LariVie was
| done more as an accommodation to
him than out of any desire for revenge
on their part. AS they sat in the wit
ness chair one could readily believe
that Larivie had made no resistance,
as the old mother of Birdhead was
sickly and very feeble, while the father
was almost totally blind. They waived
examination in the county court and
were held in default of bonds for trial.
The United States government finally
stepped in and the two Birdheads were
tried for the murder of Larivie and
pleaded guilty. They were kept in jail
about year, but owing to their adj
vanced ages-each being about eighty
years old-they were ultimately re-
| leased, as the circumstances leading UP
to the killing of Larivie offered some
| extenuation.