The Durham recorder. [volume] (Durham, N.C.) 1879-19??, 1909-03-12
|1splA lEs SIDE
GREAT CHIEFS
DEATH
BY BUFFALO BILL
|PR0M TRUE TALES OF the PLAINS"
BY BUFFALO BILL

stretched arms, but the ''man In the
dark" had taken from them lands
twenty miles III width for hundreds Of
miles.
His arguments. rs / see them now,
covered every one that the unselish
advocate Of communal existence can
advance, practicable when the so call
ed civilized man" has become as con-
tented as We're the primitive children
Of prairie land and forest. but. lacking
which. this survival OF the fittest
seems to decree the fate Of the Indian
and control the relative prosperity Of
the white. The fire horse caused
prairie fires, His attendants increased
until they came with shovel, spade and
carpenter tools. They first erected
tepees. got lonely and brought their
squaws. Their friends soon came to
Join them, and soon wooden tepees
were built and camps became villages
and villages towns until cities were
filled with crowds Of people. such as
Bismarck. Mandan. etc. Then the
IMAM In the dark" sold the land
Later, when the crops failed and the
lessee did not pay, he kicked the tenant
out and resold the land. He took the
money back In the dark toward the
rising sun. II poor man had no
money he could not ride. but there was
plenty Of room; he had to waIk-often
to die by the roadside OF hardships or
starvation. II some Samaritan Indian
did not feed him. The man In the
dark" never came there when be and
his chief made complaints. No one
was responsible. They were told to
send letters. or speak by the lightning
to the .man In the dark but he never
answered. When the government trea
ties were broken a similar discourteols
lack of consideration occurred. "My
chiefs and me. who signed. were al
ways here. The great fathers head
men General Harvey and others were
not They never returned. New white
chiefs took their places. and every four
years new great fathers took power and
their men laughed Mt what their prede
cessors had done"
The breaking Of treaties so frequent
ly and the invasion Of the Black Hills
and other sections by the gold seekers.
prospectors and trappers became the
cause Of constant irritation. leading to
almost continual contests. raids and
massacres This condition had really
brought on the war Of 1855. resulting
In the Custer fight as well as its many
succeeding cleanups.
The forfeiture Of the Black Hills and
injudicious reductions of ratfons kept
discomfort alive. When In 1880 con-
gress passed law dividing the Sioux
reservation into many smaller ones 30
as to isolate the different tribes or
clans Of the Dakota nation treaty
was submitted to their vote whereby
by relnstating the cutoff rations and
paying for ponies captured or destroy
cd In the 'T6 war and other certain
conditions they ceded about one-half
their land-i1. 10000 acres. Fulfill.
ment Of conditions was delayed. post.
poned-forgotten. almost-by congress
At this time. through some mysteri'
Gus mountain phantom or trickster
the medicine men" became easy vic
tins OF a craze. This was based on
the assertion that the Iessiah lths
Manitoul was coming back on eapth e
use his miraculous power In favor Of
the red man to crush out the whites
10 restore everything 10 the ideallstls
condition Of former years. restock the
ranges with big game. buffaloes. elk
deer, etc. This created universal
fanatlcai fervor. and not alone amonf
the Sioux, but affected all Indians
on this continent. Former foes be
came fast friends. and from the Ya
quis IN old Mexico TO the ~,laskar
tribes In the far north the vllgiou.
ghost dance festivities famed tbs
flames Of war. The medicine mems
preaching that the holy medlcIna
ghost shirts would protect the wearer
turn the white mans bullets. was ne
cepfed and made recruits by thou
sands TO the cause. The dancin'
frightened the settlers. shocked the re-
ligious. philanthropic friends Of tn
Indians and was officially orderet
stopped. Easy orders. eh?" Instead
n they had been allowed 20 dance
even II some did so to the death. ex
haustion. like boileS's safety valve
and an afterthought might soon hav'
made II appear TO them IN the ride
ulous light that 20 effectively kills M
surdities.
was at the time IN Alsace-Lorrain
with my exhibition and had with m
seventy.nve Travelled Indians We ha'
all tho facts. and myself and partne
decided TO close, camp the rest Of tb
outfit IN an old castle near strassbur
(Benfeldj with n lnrge domain. and
myself left by fast steamer via Fms
land for New York. while Major Burks
with the Indians as pncihcrs. cam
via Antwerp and Philadelphia an
FASTENED 10 the scene Of strife.
The Indians brought home made
strong peace contingent NJ Pine Ridg'
Y while fastened, with General Nile
appreciation. 10 visit sitting Bull !
person. feeling sure that my old enem
y and later friend yould listen "a my M