The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1910-03-31
DEED WHICH PROVOKED
AN INDIAN MASSACRE

wonder why the Indians don't bury
their dead in the ground.
Along the edges OF the buffalo robe1
enveloping the form Of h dead war.gI
rior the fine brown fur is exposed To-
view. This was noticed by one Of the
boys. that looks like a good robe round
from the wagon; wen chop this
robe we'll take 1t along with
u.s." So the ak was brought, the posts
Of unconscious clay fell to h ground.
The leather %festenings are cut and tive
of these civilized (D white men take
hold of the edge of the robe. unwindl
it from around the dead Indian, shake
it out in the fresh air and sunshine
Never saw a better robe" they say.
'it would cost more n $50 back In
the states n we amt agoin' to be FOOT
enough to cave it here to rot along
with that dead Injun." The removal
of the robe discloses the blanket. Say.
f~ellers! it's a bran new blanket and al
good one too. Wen use that for ell
horse blankets" and it follows the robe
into the wagon. And o the deer
skins are In view. Just what wst
want and into the wagon they go to-
keep with the robe and
blanket.
And now the dead warrior in all
his savage finery lies before them on
the ground. The bow and arrows are
seized by one who would keep them.
and sometime, after he 4 a fortune
out Of the hills he would take them
home for his little boy that he parted
with only a month ago back In the
states.
Divide Burial Tokens.
Another took the war bonnet. Ho
would carry it ONE some day to the,
wife who was looking forward with
high hopes to the time when he would,
come back to her with the rich REV
ward of daring adventure. Others
helped themselves to they could
get, the bear-claw necklace, the silver
armlets, the belt, knife and ~scabbard, Il
garters with little bells attached, she'll
ear-bobs and beaded m%occasins.
All remembered the dear ones at
home. but they were strangely forget
full of the fact that the dead warrior.
whose body they had stripped, might
have friends and relatives somewhere
who had loved him with a love as true
and tender as the white mans love.
and whose righteous anger would be
deed done that day by men who
were born and brought up in the Shin
ing light of Christian civilization.
It was a great day for the gold
hunters. They had not only enriched
rare Indian %curiosities. but they had
added to their stock of knowledge.
They could now tell their friends all:
about how the Indians prepare their
dead for the last resting place. Leav.
ing the naked body where 1t lay on the
ground, they went on their way toward
the setting sun, little dreaming that In
a few short days their own ~lifelessl
bodies would be left in like n to
feed the hungry wolves OF h western
plains. 4,
A sorrowins Relative. y
They went on their way In while
sorrowing brave was rapidly nearing
the spot which to him was sanctihed
by the awful presence of the dead. The
sun has gone down when he comes at
last within view of the little mound.
But he sees no scaffold there. Surely;
he has not lost his way, for he has
been here many times and knows the
country Well. Increasing mis- speed he
rides swiftly to the top OF the mound.
One quick glance and he knows tho
whole story. The wreck Of the scat
fold with the marks Of an ak on tho.
severed posts. Footprints give unmis-
taxable evidence that white men WELD
ed the ak, while the wagon track and
the plain tracks of the mules pointing
westward show in which direction they
have gone.
But where is the dead brother? There
lies a bone stripped of its flesh and
yonder another and another, and down
there by the river is the spinal column
not quite denuded OF its fleshy cover
ing. and half a score Of wolves are
fighting over 1t and will soon finish the
work begun by the ghoulish gold hunt
ers.
An Avengins Woman.
It was a horrible revelation. The louo
warrior came there to weep, but tho
scene before him set his heart on fire
and dried up the fountains of grief.
untamed nature. took full possession
Of his whole being and giving utter
ance to that savage growl which no
white man describes or initiates. he
turned his horses head toward home
and flew away with the speed of .
frightened deer.
The rest is quickly told. Before
avengers were on the gold hunters
trail. They never used the robe, deer
skins nor the blanket. The bow and
arrows never reached the little boy
back in the states. The fond young
wife has long since ceased to hope for
the happy return that she had pic
tured in her mind when she kissed
Every n of the IA were killed. and
when returning miners found their
bodies, torn and mangled by wolves
and coyotes and told the story in Fort
Pierre, it was wired to all parts Of the
country and the press published the
story under glazing headlines: "An-
other Indian outrage! Sitting Bun
L A roi, on Tho