Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1903-07-18

under whom they
= fought In that last
THE MONUMENT. and most disastrous
effort Of the Indians to resist the
march Of civilization. Many Of those
warriors who rode In the whirlwind OF
death which engulfed Clusters men ut
the Little Big Horn went to their
death at Wounded Knee, and this mon
ument Is to their memory. The cele.
bration was the first Of Its kind oh.
served by the Indians Of this country
and marks the progress which civlliza.
ton IL making among them.
The Wounded Knee fight was the
last great stand of the red race against
the white and was caused through the
agency Of sitting Bull. who was to the
northern Indians what Geronimo was
TO the southwestern tribes. He aroused
their patriotism to the fighting spirit.
and In addition he anointed each brave
with medicine" which he claimed
made them invulnerable to bullets
from the white mans pistol. And ev.
cry Indian thoroughly believed this.
To accomplish his purpose. Sitting
Bull originated the ghost. or Messiah.
dance" which soon spread through the
Sioux nation like fire over the western
prairie. This dance was only pre-
liminary to being anolnted with the
medicine" and was a mixture Of the
war and sQuaw dance. except that the
dancers clrcled around a tall pole on
vhiC1, UNA huutv N sl Il, cout n II, II, 20 th.,
medicine. The eyes Of the dancers were
continually fixed on this spot, their
eyes thrown upward. II Is said the
dancers, In time. became actually hyp.
noticed and fell OH the ground In a
catnleptic ut. While In this state they
had visions Of what was TO happen to
the white men who opposed the lndIan
when anolpted with the medicine"
These visions were all alike. Bufraloes
would return; white men be all killed,
the Great sprlit had informed them
that the white mans bullet could not
injure them any more: and, above all.
that Sitting Bull must be 0beyed i'm
plicitly.
Preparing for War.
After the Indians had danced all dur.
Ing the fall Of 1900, about 80 per cent
Of the entire Sioux tribe became firm
followers Of Sitting Bull; had inter.
viewed the Great Spirit. ana had been
anointed with medicine" by their higl,
priest or medicine man.
When the Indians got into the con.
dition that Sitting Bull could be sure
his every order would be Obeyed, the
ghost" dancing ceased and prepare.
ti0ns for war began. Then Il was that
the commanding officer Of the United
States troops at Fort Yates was order.
ed to arrest old Sitting Bull and con.
dns him In prison ut the agency Of
Standing Rock for the time being.
Sitting Bull was camped forty miles
away from the agency, hut a squad Of
nifty cavalrymcn started after the old
Indian early OH Dec. 10.
The Indian police. commanded BY
Bull Head and Shave Head, were
within striking distance Of Sitting
Bulls camp several days before the
cavalry took leave Of the fort.
Sitting Bulls cabin was almost sur,
rounded by the fanatical ghost dane
srs." but the Indian police manag ed ia
reach the house and arrest the old fel
low. Sitting Bulls young son slipped
from the house and aroused the "gl0s,
dancers" who soon swarmed around
the little party Of police
After the police mounted their horses
to return with Sitting Bull. that old
warrior called upon his followers tc
rescue him, and Strike.the. X ettle and
Catch.the.Bear dashed up at full speed
to the two police who guarded the
prisoner, and shot them. Both guards
were killed. but In falling Bull Head
Q guard, wheeled, and instead Of shoot
ing his assailant, shot Sitting Bull
dead.
The police then took refuge in Sit
ting Bulls cabin, which was immedi
ately surrounded by hundreds Of yell
ing. frantic Indians. The soldiers cam,
up at that moment. and the ghos
dancers ned to the timber. half q mil,
away.
An hour later an incident happened
which showed the sublime faith hi
followers had In Sitting Bull. ant
which had great bearing upon thu
future Of the Indians and led directly
to the battle fought two weeks late,
by the ghost dancers at WOundet
Knee-the battle which the monumen
commentaries.
While the troopers were preparing Il
return to the fort, carrying the deaf
body Of Sitting Bull with them, an In
dian riding at full speed emerged from
the woods into which they had gon'
when the soldiers appeared. straigh
towards the assembled soldiers rod
the red man, until he halted ON a small