El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-04-20


HOtchkiss machine guns was trained
directly upon the Indian camp.
directly upon the indian camp.
were ordered to come out of the te-
PEGS and deliver up their arms. They
came forward with only about 20 old
and rather worthless rifles. Accord
ingly, detachment of soldiers was
sent 10 search the tepees. They over
turned the beds, drove out the women
and children, and caused much eN-
element.
Yellow Bird PrOvOkes Slaughter.
Meanwhile, Yellow Bird, a medicine
man, was walking about, blowing an
eagle-bOne whistle, urging the war
riOrs TO resist, ana telling them that
bullets would be unavaillng against
the sacred ghost shirts" which all Of
them wore. Suddenly he stopped and
threw a handful of dust into the air,
when. as if this were a signal,
young Indian, Black Fox, drew a RI
fle from under his blanket and fired
al the soldiers, who instantly re-
piled with a vOlley into the crowd. So
close were they that the YOuey must
have killed nearly half the warriors
The surviving Indians sprang to
their feet throwing off their blankets,
from beneath which many of them pro-
duced rifles, and for a few minutes
there was Il terrible hand-tO-hand
struggle, where every man. thought
was to kill. Those indians who had NJ
guns had revOlvers and knives in their
belts, and some were armed with the
murderOus war clubs used by the
Sioux
At the first volley the machine guns
opened and sent a storm OF shells and
bullets among the women and children
who had gathered in front Of the tee
PEGS to watch the spectacle of military
display The guns poured in twO-pound
explosive shells at the rate OF 50 min-
ute, moving down everything alive in
the camp. The terrific effect of the
fire may be judged from the fact that
one woman survivor, Blue Whirlwinds
received IA wounds
In a few minutes 200 indian men,
women. and children, with 40 soldiers,
were lying dead and wounded. The
tepees were torn down by shells. and
some were burning over the helpless
inmates. The surviving handful of in
dams, flying in wild panic to shelter in
the ravine, was pursued by hundreds of
maddened soldiers and followed up by
a raking fire from the Hotchkiss guns,
which had been moved into position to
sweep the ravine.
becomes a Massacre
The pursuit was simply a massacre.
Fleeing women, infants in their arms,
were shot down long after resistance
had ceased, and when almost every
warrior was stretched dead or dying on
the ground Blind rage and bloOdthirst
possessed the soldiers Some women
were shot and killed two miles from
the scene Of the encounter. AS already
stated, about $50 indian men and over
30 women and children were after
ward found dead Including those who
died later from wounds or exposure,
the number Of victims was probably
close 10 500.
And yet there was certainly no in
tentiOn on the part Of the indians TO
precipitate a conflict They meant TO
yield, though they did so with reluc-
lance. Circums tances and the act Of
one hOt-headed warrior. provoked TO
sudden rage, started the whole mis-
chief. But what imaginable excuse
could there be for firing upon groups
Of women and children with machine
guns?
The firing was plainly heard at the
Pine Ridge agency. where several
thousand indians had encamped for the
purpose Of surrendering. When the
fugitives, mostly women and children,
began to- come in, telling the story OF
the slaughter and showing their
wounds as evidence, the indians be-
lieved that 1T was the purpose Of the
whites first to disarm and then to mas
saCre them all The result was panic
and desperation. and a series of fights
followed before about a fortnight
later. peace was finally made.
On New Years Day, 1891 three
days after the massacre, a detachment
was sent to Wounded Knee TO gather