Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-08-06
Superintendent White Confirms
Report Scientists Encour-
aged Indian Brutality
SKIN TORN FORM INDIANS BACK
Barbarous Practices of the Old Time
Sun Dance Revived at the Request
of Certain Scientists Who Paid for
Grewsome and Bloody Mementoes of
the Occasion.

Washington, August 6.-Byron q
White. superintendent of the Canton
ment Indian school in Indian territory
reached Washington and has confirmed
the reports against Professor Dorsey
of the Field Columbian Museum and
Professor Mooney of the government
bureau of ethnology in connection with
the recent Cheyenne and Arapahoe sun
| dance.
Mr.. White says there is absolutely no
question in his mind that the two
scientists contributed at least SIS to the
Indians in connection with their dance.
He makes the assertion on the authority
of the assistant clerk in his office, who
says he saw the money passed. He ex-
plains, however. that the money was
ostensibly given for the lariat to which
slaughtered beef, and for the stick
which was thrust under the flesh of a
tortured Indian.
More startling than this is his state
ment that after the dance and after the
torture the scientists paid one of the
tortured Indians money for the piece of
skin that was torn from his back in
the course of the ordeal.
He also says that two Indians and
not one were subjected to the torture,
and when asked to explain the nature
of their part in the program he said
The camp of the Indians was ar
ranged in the shape of a horse shoe.
The Indian selected for the torture
barred his back, and two parallel Sits
We're made just back of and below
about three inches long A knife blade
was then thrust into the back from slit
to slit, and through the hole thus made
a stick was thrust. The lariat led out
from the back for a few feet and then
the ends We're knotted together.
AT the knot one end of a single
strand of the lariat was tied, and at the
other end of it the grewsome head of
freshly slaughtered beef was attached.
In the published reports which l have
seen on the incident reference is made
to buffalo head. There were no buff
faloes in the southwest procurable for
this or any other purpose.
The Indian. with the dangling head
dragging behind him. started from in
front OF the camp of Dorsey and
Mooney, running swiftly around the arc
of the horseshoe. Superintendent Sc
ger, who had spent the night before
with me. was there, and saw the In
dian. Mr.. Seger started in pursuit,
and, altho he came very close to the
running man, he was unable to identify
him positively. He was undoubtedly
an Indian from Seger's colony but he
was so decked out in feathers and had
his face painted so grotesquely that Mr..
Seger is not sure of his identity. He
is convinced. however, that the tortured
Indian was either Yellow Leggins or
VOLTS Belly.
TT is expected that in the race
around the camp the stick will pull |
thru the Indians flesh. but on this oc-
casion the dangling beefs head was not |
heavy enough for this, or else the stick |
was too deeply set in.o the Indians |
back. After he had made a single cir
cult Of the camp he stopped, and the
trips of skin and flesh between the
sits in the back We're cut out. These
we're what was purchased by the scien-
lists. and unless they have disposed of
them since that time, they are now in
he possession of either Mr.. Dorsey or
Mr.. Mooney,
I'm the old-time sun dance 1T was the
custom to make similar Sits in the
,reasts of the tortured Indians. and
lfter a rope or lariat had been thrust
hru them the Indians were pulled off
# their feet by the lariat being thrown
'ver a pole, and the Indians allowed
o hang by the flesh of the breast. AS
he sun dance / am describing the sci
ntistS wanted similar exhibition, but
did not prove a success. An Indian
vas induced to have his breast cut and
he rope inserted, but when the effort
vas made to suspend him in this man
er the skin and flesh gave way, re-
easing the rope and leaving bloody,
aping wounds"
The statement made by Mr.. Seger in
is report TO the Indian office that the
rogram for the sun dance was pre-
AIRED by Richard Davis an Indian who
ad been educated at one of the gov
schools. is confirmed by Mr.
White. He SAYS that while he has no
ersonal knowledge of the fact he heard
nat Davis received $40 for devising the
rogram. He adds that the young In
ian not only provided N the program
Or the revival of the tortures OF many
ears ago. but that he interpctated fea-
lres that none of the old-time sun
ance Indians ever thought of.
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