The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1906-10-05
oCALPING THE ENEMY
HOW THE INDIANS GLoRiED IN THIS
FlENDiSH PRACTICE.

AHe Oreater the bravery of the Vic
tim the More His Scalp Was Priced.
Men Who Survived This Terrible
Of the origin of scalp taking but lit
tie is known, and that vague and in
definite. Nearly every tribe has some
wild, weird legend to account for the
custom, but these traditions vary wide
~ as to the cause. That raising the
hair of an enemy is of great antiquity
there is no doubt, for in the Bible it is
related how, the soldiers tore the skin
from the heads of their vanquished
foes.
With the North American savage
there appears to be some close attili-
alton between the departed and his
hair. l have often asked many q blood
begrimed warrior why he should care
for dead mans hair and invariably a
number of reasons have been assigned.
1t is an evidence to his people that he
has triumphed over his enemy. The
scalpS are very prominent factors in
the incantationS of the medicine
lodge, feature of religious rites. The
savage believes there is a wonderfully
inherent power in the scalp of an en-
envy. All the excellent qualities of the
victim go with his hair the moment it
is wrenched from his head If the vic
tim is renowned warrior so much
greater is the anxiety to procure his
scalp, for the fortunate pOSSeSsOr then
inherits all the bravery and prowess of
its original owner.
l never knew of but one instance in
all my experience among the Indians
covering a period of more than a third
Of century where a white man taken
prisoner in battle escaped death. 1t
was a great many years ago; the party,
dear friend, is still living grand old
mOuntaineer, but the hOmelieSt man on
earth probably. He was red faced,
wrinkled and pOckmarked. with a
mouth as large and full of teeth as a
gorilla, and there was no more hair on
his lead than there is on billiard ball
He was captured in prolonged
tribe, where the principal chief resided.
That dignitary gave one disgusted
look at the prisoner and said that
he was dad medicine" and, if not
the evil spirit himself, closely re-
lated to it. The chief ordered his
SubOrdinates to furnish the prisoner
with pony, loaded with provisions,
"a oJ a. 4ol1 l.;
to go back to his people.
For the reasons stated the Indian of
the great plains and Rocky mountains
would rather take one scalp of Il ia
nous scout or army officer who had
successfully chastised them-fOr eX-
ample, Custer, Sully, Miles or Crook
than dozen scalps of ordinary white
men.
There are many instances on record
where men have been Scalped and yet
survived the terrible ordeal, butin every
case the scalper supposed his victim
dead, the latter taking good care that
his foeman should not be disabused
of the supposed fact.
In 1867 party of Indians took up
a rail on the Union Pacific railroad and
laid Instructions on the track. After
dark a freight train ran into the trap
and was wrecked. The engine driver
and firemen were instantly killed. The
conductor and brakeman jumped off,
to find themselves beset by band
of yelling savageS. The engineer eS
capped in the darkness, but the luck
less brakeman was shot and fell. The
Indian who had fired dismOunted from
his pony, scalped him, stripped him
of his clothing and rode away.
Early in the morning another freight
train was tagged by a 'hideouS looking
object, which turned out to be the
brakeman, who had been shot through
the body and scalped. He had re-
covered his senses, and, knowing that
the train was due, walked some dis
lance down the track to save it from
being wrecked. He was taken on
board, and the train moved up to the
wreck, which, after plundering it, the
Indians left just as it was thrown over
through their devilish act.
l saw the unfortunate man some
months afterward. He was perfectly
recovered, but with horrible looking
head. He stated that the bullet, al
though knocking him down, had not
made him unconscious, and the
greatest trial during the awful night
was the necessity of shamming dead,
he not daring to even groan while the
Indian was saving at his scalp with
very dull knife.
The other instance which has come
under my own observation is that of.
Robert McGee. In 1864 MCGEE, a
slender STRIPPING of a lad, came to
Leavenworth, Kan, seeking employ
ment That town was the base of gov
eminent supplies for all the frontier
military posts, even as far away as
Arizona. Il freight caravan was at
that time loading for Fort Union, n.
NJ The wagons and whole outfit were
owned by a contractor named II. G.
R1rrot hut he would not take the