Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1903-12-03

gathered around the mangled corpse
and made il a target to shoot at, to
which show Abbie was brought out
and compelled to look at. Again
quoting Abbie's words, faint and
sick at heart i turned away and
without orders started off on the
days march expecting they would
riddle me with their bullets, for why
should | escape more than the
others. After going a short distance
/ looked back and they were still
around her using their knives, cut
ting off her hair and mutilating her
body. AT last the bloody camp was
deserted and the mangled body left
unberied. Her hair--in two heavy
braids just as she had arranged it-
was tied to a stick and during the
day, as / YEARLY and sadly toiled on,
one of the young Indians walked by
my side and repeatedly slashed me in
the face with it, such was the SYM
pathy a lonely broken hearted girl
got at the hands of the mobile red
men,"
Spring had now come in all its
beauty and they had now reached
the place where game of all kinds
was in abundance, buffalo in herds
of Thousands still roamed the prairies.
LIN a few days they reached tie Jim
river near where now is situated the
town of Ashton where they found an
encampment of nearly two hun dred
lodges of Yankton Sioux containing
nearly two thousand Indians, among
them was not to be seen a single
article Of white mans manufacture,
their teepes were made Of buffalo
skins as Yves also their clothing
when they wore any. On the norm
ing of May 30th while the Yankton's
were crowding into the tent to see
the white squaw" there came into
the tent three Indians dressed in
coats, and white shirts with starched
bosoms, not a word was said by
them to Abbie but she at once dis
covered there was some unusual
commotion among them and she was
not long in doubts that it concerned
her. First they gathered in and
around the teepe where she was,
then they adjourned to the open
prairie where for three days, at
intervals they talked and smoked
and smoked and talked. During all
this time Abbie vas kept in ignor-
ance Of what was going onand ,Inka-
puta's band amused themselves by
telling herthe most outrageous false
hoods. One would say she was to
be taken to the river and drowned,
another that she was to be tied to o
stake and burned, another declared
that she was to be cut to pieces by
inches. One day after they had
been telling her these fearful things
and had gone out leaving her alone
with a squaw who seemed to have
some sympathy for Abbie she told
her all the stories were false, that
she was to be taken where there
were many whites and was to be free
again.
The squaw seemed to be sincere
but Abbie could hardly believe her.
The length of the parley among
the Indians was caused by n head
man among them who wanted to
take Abbie to some military post on
the Missouri, claiming they could
get more for here there than these
Yellow Medicine men were able to
pay, but at last by giving him a
Ipresent, his consent was ostained
and the bargain for her ransom soon
made. The price paid was two
horses, two kegs of powder, twelve
blankets, twenty pounds of tobacco,
thirty two yards Of blue squaw rib
bon, thirty seven yards of calico
and ribbon and other small articles
| with which these indiana had haan