The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1906-06-13
INDIAN SCALPING STORIES,
Plainsmen who were scalped and Still Lived

IN Dattie. vi the origin OF scalp tax
ing but little is known. and that vague
and indefinite. Nearly every tribe
has some wild, weird legend to ac-
count for the custom, but these tradi-
tions vary widely as to the cause.
That "raising Of the hair Of an enc
my is Of great antiquity there il no
doubt, for in the Bible it is relate !
how the soldiers tore the skin from
the heads Of their vanquiShcd foes.
With the North American savage
there appears to be some close alllli
alton between the departed and his
hair. | have often asked many a
blood bcgrimed warrior why he should
care for the dead man 8 hair, says
Capt. Henry Inman in tho Kansas
City Star, and invariably q number Of
reasons has been assigned. 1t is an
evidence to his people that he has
triumphed over his enemy. The
scalps are very prominent factors in
the nominations Of the medicine
LODGE" a feature Of religious rites.
The savage believes there is q won
derfully inherent power in the sealps
of an enemy; all the excellent quail
ties of the victim 60 with his hair the
moment it is wrenched from his head.
If the victim is a renowned warrior,
80 much greater is the anxiety to pro-
cure his scalp for the fortunate pos
sessot then inherits all the bravery
and prowess of its original owner.
I never knew of but one iustanor in
all my experience with the indians,
covering period of more than IT,
third of century, where white
man, taken prisoner in battles, CO.
capped death. 1t was q great many
years ago; the party, q dear friend,
still living, a grand old mountaiueer
but the homliest man on earth, proba-
bly,. He was red faocd, wrinkled and
pock-marked, with mouth as large
and full of teeth as gorilla, and there
was no more hair on his head than
there is on billiard ball.
Ho was captured in a prolonged
fight and taken to the village of the
tribe where the principal chief reaid-
ed. That dignitary gave one disgust
cd look at the prisoner and said that
he was "Bad Medicine" if not the
evil Spirit" himself, closely related
to it. The chief ordered his subordi-
as.s .e furnish the prisoner wi.h q
pony, loading him with provisions,
provided him rifle and told him to
go back to his people.
For the reasons stated the Indien of
the great plains and the Rocky noun
tains would rather take one scalp Of a
famous scout or army officer who has
successfully ohastised thsm-for ex.
ample, Custer, Sully, Miles or Crook
than dozen soalps of ordinary white
men.
There are many instances on record
where men have been soalped and yet
survived the terrible ordeal, hnt in
every case the soalper supposed his
victim dead, the latter taking good
care that his foeman should not be
disabnsed Of the supposed fact.
!. In 1867 parry Of Indians took up
. rail on The Union Pacific railway and
laid obssruotions on the track After
dark freight train rap into the trap
and wss wrecked. The engineer aud
fireman were instantly killed. The
coudueSer and brakemen jumped of
to find themselves beset by band of
yelling ssyages. They ran into the
.darkness and all escaped except one
who Was pursued, shot and fell. The
Indian who had fred dismounted
esom his pong, and straddling that
uuluoky mans body scalped him,
stripped him Of all clothing but shirt
and shoes and rode away.
Early in che morning another
freight train was tagged by q hideous
looking object, which turned out to
be the brakeman who had been shot
through the body and soalpedl He
had recovered his senses, and know
ing. that the train was due, walked
some distance down the track TO save
it from being wrecked. He was taken
on board and the train moved up 20
the wreck, which, after plundering It,
tho Indians left, just sit was thrown
over through their devilish aet. =: = !
I saw the unfortunate man scns
= ronths afterward. He was perfeesIs
covered. but with q horrible lees ine
head. He stated that tho bull Il.
though knocking him down, h: ot]
made him unpsntd toIsT aud tbs IL
q i d .sms