Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1903-10-23
ONE OR OTHER HAD TO DIE
| AN INDIAN DUEL IN THE SEVENTIES
| ~ CROOKED NECKS LAST SHOT
$* THE WIFE-STEALER WON.


| ~ s~ - after the Cuslel
MXxs9EXx Long Point, on the easter
bank of the Missouri, Opposite VI
Yates, is black and blue, yellow AM
red. green and dirty white, with ka
leidoscopic crowd of Sioux to whom tn'
butchery of six score huge steers
strongly appeals.
In the centre of the throng rises th'
! fence of the killing corral, "ten-los
high" Animals maddened by fin'
shooting, blood, yelIs and waving plan
kets need strong enclosure II they ar
to be done to death without lnnlctihs
reprisals.
At that day and date the Indians
were allowed to shoot a fortnight
supply of cattle themselves. Later
soldiers were detailed for the work II
order to abate cruelty to the animals
and danger to all residents within the
radius of a mile. After the steers were
down Indians by the score would lear
| into the sanguinary arena, cut the
tongues from the quiyering carcasses
and sometimes regale themselves On
mass Of coagulated blood. After such
q meal q Sioux brave was unpretty.
On the morning in question it was ev
ident to the agent and his employees
whose presence at the killing was
necessary to secure a proper allotment
of the beef as between tribes and fam
lilies, that something more than usually
exciting was affecting the Indians
There were four tribes Of Sioux al
Standing Rock - Lower Yanktonnais
Upper. Yanktonnais, Uncapapa, Black
feet-and generally these mixed togeth'
err without thought of tribal relations
or jealousies, as do nationalities on
Broadway. This day, however, the
Uncapapas and the Blackfeet were di,
vided. and even to the inexperienced
eye were hostile.
Having finished the distribution OF
the divided carcasses, and sick with
sights, sounds and smells that told OF
nothing but brutality and savagery, the
agent was about to take boat across
the Missouri when sundry fierce wal
whoops babe him pause OIL top of the
corral fence and look interestediy
whence they came, and where. 1OU
yards away, fully 400 Indians, men,
women and children, were rapidly sep
Rrating into two groups with u lane
fifty feet wide between them.
THE DANCE OF DEATH.
Into the head of this lane danced a
bronzed figure, thrusting aloft double
barrelled shotgun and yelling at the
top of his voice. At the foot appeared
q quieter but no less ferociOus warrior
armed with a Winchester rife Of the
old magazine type, calibre 40.
How were they dressed?
Not at all, unless you call q coup
feather each, some dabs Of yellow,
green and blue paint on hair parting,
cheekbone and breast, and very much
abbreviated and visibly soiled breech
cloth a toilet. Their wonted garb had
been hastily dotted.
BY this time the farmer of the agen-
cy, Waldorf by name, and an old stager
on the plains, had climbed to q seat be-
side the agent, and in rather uninter-
ested tone said:
"Guess them fellers intends to do
some shOotin' to kill There's bad
blood tween 'em for morn q year.
Now they're going to try to let some OF
it out"
'Do you mean that it is duel:'
asked the astonished agent, a distinct
tenderfoot, by the way.
"Zactly what do mean," responded
the farmer. "And eff you'll wait about
two minues you'll see some passin in
of checks"
II conceive it to be my duty to put
stop to this outrage" was the agents
comment. "Why, bless my soul, it's
murder"
81 conceive it to be my duty" retort-
ed the farmer, ito purvent any SIGH
blame fool proceedin' 'ceptin' you're
plum anxious to furnish the corpse
yourself. Man, mani it would be death
for q white man to git between them
two now"
AS the farmer, to emphasize his pro-
test, seized the agents arm i'll an I'M
shakable grasp, the only thing remain
ing was to watch the proceedings with
such composure as could be vOuchsafed
to one who had left the Atlaltic sea-
board but a few short weeks before.
While the conversation between the
farmer and the agent was proceeding
the Indian opponents had been dancing
forward and back along the lane and
across it in zigzag fashion for all the
world as if they were setting to part
ners" in an old-fashiOned contra dance.
THE WOMAN IN II.
The man with the shotgun was named
Crooked Neck, and he was Blackfoot,
while his opponent, an Uncapapa. usu-
ally called Shaven-Head, was a noted
scout in the employ Of the Government,
and appeared on the rolls as Ususuppl
c'Good-Toned Metal.') Their hostility
grew out of the fact that Shaven-Head
had stolen Crooked-Neck's favorite
wife. and the immediate outbreak
arose out of what some OF Shaveh-
Heads people claimed was an unfair
allotment of beef.
OF the two Shaven-Head looked far
the more dangerous, while Crooked
Neck did the most yelling. POSSIBLY
the latter felt his disadvantage. His
ten-gauge was loaded with buckshot'
rammed hard enough to scatter ut the
end of the hundred yards more OF less
+bot conorotod tbn fiphtnrS but he had