The Savannah morning news., 1903-05-17

but according to their own standards.
AT the times of distribution, when in
eVitably a great many of the Indians
were gathered together the occasion
was signalized by feasting and ghost
dances. The latter are uncouth exhi-
billions enough, consisting decorative
ly of much cheap body paint, many
eagle feathers and trashy jewelry;
unsteady of most unmusical pounding
and screaming; and physically of a
crouching posture and a solemnly
bounding progression from one foot to
the other around a circle. They are ac-
companied by recital of valorous
deeds.
Such dance was organized at the
Standing Rock Agency, below Fort
Lincoln, in the winter of 1875 AS
usual, besides the gathering of old
warriors and SquawS, assembled to
watch the dance, the audience included
number of white men, present on
business or pleasure. Among them was
Charley Reynolds, one of Clusters
scouts. This man stood exchanging idle
comment and chaff with another scout,
and throwing an occasional glance in
the direction of the vortex of dancers,
swirling about in gaudy confusion, like
whirlWind of autumn leaves. Sud-
denly he closed his mouth with a snap
and leaned forward at keen attention
He had caught few words that in
terested him.
The dancers had reached the point
of frenzy. They leaped forward with
solemnity still, but it was quiverlng
solemnity held in leash. Their bodies
were tense, and the trailing knives and
hatchets trembled with nervous force.
Each warrior nostrils distended and
eyes flashing, was declaiming his deeds
with an esctasy that bordered on mad
ness, rolling out tale after tale of muir
der, theft of horses-the only sort of
theft countenanced by the Indian code
and fortitude under suffering. No
ticeable among these dancers was a
young warrior painted in the manner
of the Uncpapa Sioux. He was of mag
nificent physique and striking counte-
nance, but the most remarkable feature
of his appearance was a huge, ragged
scar across the muscles of his back
When the scout looked toward him, he
was shaking in the air the chain of a
watch, and declaiming at the top of
his voice in the Sioux language.
And he was great in body" he
chanted, land he fell, and I killed him
with stone, and the other fed, and
shot him, and so they died! 1 killed
them! 1 am a great warrior, for
killed two white men, and these things
He ratified the chain, and went
through vivid pantomime of the STAY
ing of the two white men. Charley
Reynolds recognized the trinket as be-
longing to DIR. Honzinger.
The young warrior was called Rain
in-the-Face, and he was at that time
esteemed as the bravest of the North
ern Sioux. Others, such as Crazy Horse
or Sitting Bull, might have been great
er in generalship, but neither had the
Uncpapa youths reputation for sheer
personal bravery. In the sun dance he
had hung for four hours. The incs-
ions behind the great muscles of the
back, through which the rope was
threaded, had been cut too deep. and
the fish failed to give way when Rain
in-the-Face was suspended. For some
time he hung in midair his whole
weight depending from the loops of
torn muscles, the blood streaming over
his limbs, and the hot sun beating
down upon him. Then the chiefs at
tempted to cut him down, but Rain-in-
the-Face refused to permit it. Four
hours later the flesh rent away from
his bones, and he fell. That day made
him the idol Of the Sioux nation.
Charley Reynolds lost no time in in
forming Custer of his discovery, for
the policy of the period was to punish
as many culprits as possible in order
that the whites might establish, as
soon as might be, a moral as we'll as
military supremacy over the turbulent
savages. The commander resolved to
arrest Rain-in-the-Face To that end
he detailed a hundred men under Capt.
Yates.
Contrary to what one unused to the
Indian character might expect, no diff
ficulty was anticipated in finding the
culprit To be sure, the plains were
hrnaH nd he al,
Observation-Disclosures was at once an
agency Indian and a reckless man. He
drew his rations and he drew them
boldly. With his blanket wrapped about
him and his rife peeping from its folds
across his left arm, he stalked here
and there among the agency's few
buildings. Any distribution day at the
reservation would discover him there
But, on the other hand, the captain
was not at all sure of being able to
arrest him when found. A hundred
men would stand but small chance in
fight with 800 well-armed saVages;
whereas the appearance of a larger ex-
petition would serve merely to brighten
every agency Indian out into the wilds.
The situation was not encouraging
How not to alarm the quarry, and how
still to possess strength enough to
seize it, was the problem that confront
ed Capt. Yates.
His first move may seem, when cur
sorily examined, most unwise. He de-
tailed a lieutenant and forty of his
little command, whose orders were to
proceed farther down the river osten-
sibly for the purpose of making in
quiries concerning Usage Indians want
ed for murder Thus his available
force was reduced to sixty and with
that handful he intended to capture
and take away, in the face of ten
times the number, one of the most
popular fighting men of the Sioux ma
ton.
But, as a mater of fact, in SO d.
viding his forces the captain was cor
rect i'm his tactics. He realized that
surprise was his only effective weapon.
and his ruse made surprise certain
BY lulling any suspicion as to the OBJ
ject Of the expedition.
Arrived al the agency. a cursory ex-
animation disclosed the fact that Rain
in-the-Faee was not among the groups
OF Indians camped on the prairie. lie
must, therefore, be inside the agency
building itself Capt. Yates distributed
his men near the lfffle afrffofttra