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

the latter. Yet another notion was that
wall Of fire would drive the whites
I across the great water to their origin
al ana proper country, but the indians
would not be hurt.
Assumes Hostile Meaning.
Among the powerful and Warlike
SIOUX of the DakOtas, already restless
under both old and recent grievances,
and brought to the edge Of starvation
by reduction Of government ratiOns,
| the doctrine speedily assumed a hostile
I meaning. The first definite news OF
I the faith was brought by delegates
I who crossed the mountains to visit the
Messiah in the fall of 1889. returning
! in the spring of 1890. On their re-
port, the dance was at once inaugur-
ated- James Mclaughlin. indian agent
at Standing Rock, in a letter to the
war department. October II, 1890,
wrote that the Sioux, under the influ-
( ence OF Sitting Bull, were greatly eX-
cited over the near approach of a pre-
dicted millennium, or return of the
ghosts when the white man would
be annihilated and the indian again be
made supreme.
The decimated ranks OF the aborig-
ines were to be REINFORCED by all the
I indians who had ever died. and these
spirits, already on their way to rein
habit the earth, we're driving before
them, as they advanced, enormous
herd Of buffalOes and fine ponies. The
great spirit, who had long deserted his
red children, was now once more with
them. and against the whites, and the
white mans gun powder would no
longer have power to drive a bullet
through the skin OF an indian.
Ghost shirts were worn by all be-
levers They were of buCkskin. with
eagle feathers attached to them, and
sometimes adorned with designs rep
resenting the sun, moon. stars, and
symbolic animals. The fringe of these
garments was painted with sacred red
paint They were supposed TO be in
pCntrable to bullets or VI aapOns Of any
4 nj he FfeTd
fthe massacre at " SUnded Knee
said, referring TO the SHIRT she wore:
y es, take IL off They told me a bull
let would not go through. Now 1 don't
want 1t any more
In the spring of 1890 there was Wild
excitement among the Cheyennes in
Montana and the Sioux OF the Dakotas.
ne dancing or the ghost dance went
on with all the enthusiasm and aban-
don of a revival II began with
fasting and publication. The bodies
OF the participants were painted by
the medicine men with the sacred red
paint There was shooting OF arrows
TO the four points Of the compass. and
the faithful danced about in circles
with Joined hands, chanting songs
Frenzies, frances and recitals OF Wis
climax.
Sioux Were Strong.
II should be understood that the
sioux were then, as they are today
the largest and strongest tribe OF in
dams in the United States numbering
about $4,000. Anciently they held the
headwaters Of the AIississfppf. but
We're driven into the prairie region
Two centuries ago by the Chfppewas
VINO had obtained firearms from the
I5hcE- coming out on the buffalo
plains, they acquired possession OF the
morse ana, being soon enabled to re-
sumo the offensive, made themselves
LUIS PuIeo masters Of an immense ter
Iitorys extending from Minnesota to
the Rocky Mountains. and from the
! Yellowstone to the Platte With mill
lons OF buffalo to furnish an unlimited
tHe sioux up TO 1858 were the richest
the proudest. and, perhaps the widest
or all the tribes Of the plains.
but the Whlte man was fiercer and
more powerful than they A few wears
saw a striking change in their coDdf-
tlon- Robbed of their territory de-
prlFeu Of the buffalo, and reduced to
practlcal subsection, they found them
81, - OOIIsgu 70 depend upon the gov
erunent raIlOns for their maintenance
Wnlle restricted to the narrow limits
OF a reservation All of this ~
course could not come about wIfboU+
i 80 lailSe on tnelr part, and OF the
losing Ight which they fought The
custer massacre was an iDci5e-1-
Failure of their CROPS in an arid conn
Try, disease attacking their cattle ari
uSmICs OF measles and WhOOping cough
Wnlcn destroyed their children whole
sale, reduction Of the rations allowed
Dy the government, and the r1ius+
withholding by1 congress of money a.
III payment for their lands-aII rbase
ana other wrongs had rendered rbaro
fairly desperate Al
The largest of the Sioux agencies
was at Pine Ridge, where 6 0O0 81
the widest and most warliIle Of ~
OF the tribe were gathered 71D,7s- 80
control CT the celebrated CbieF P Big
cloud. This locality and S+an5fr,-
ROCK, where Sitting Bull vos -
ledoes, were the two prfnciDaT go
J ,soo OF excitement in the spring of
Death OF Sitting Bull.
things got worse and worse mt,
N NoFelnDer OF that year, the govern
lnsht sent troops, under Gen. Nelson a
miles, TO prevent an outbreak NJ =
indian agents recommended cerfai, ne
rests, especially that Of Sitting RTi1
VINO was plotting mischief and -
Droken the pipe OF peace Al d.
Dreak on december IS, soldiers sur
rounded Sitting Bulls house -
overs came to his rescue -
In fight which ensred - 81
ting Bull was shot through the besS
ms son, Crow Foot, youth of II he,
ing also killed. 'e-
Thus died Sitting Bull. The go.
medicine man Of the Sioux. aged sbC,,t ]
90. Though priest rather tba1 -
war chief, he gained a repufatio- "a
his early years by organizing 81 =. a.
frnfarr
by his participation in the battia ~ 4
Little Big Horn, in Montana. J151e Ok
1876, by which Clusters comus65- - 80, 4
wiped out He and his band Ief+ fos /
Canada, where they remained until 49, /
when they were pardOned. To his destIl 1
he was a leader OF opposition 10 the
white mar. and fCT seven wears he
fought the treaty by which tbe
Sioux reservation was at last broIra1
up in 1889. As Gen. Miles said. "TTfs
tragic fate was but the ending Of . /
tragic life. Since the days of Pom |
tiac. Tecumseh. and Red Jacket no !
indian has had the power Of !
drawing to him so large a following /
of his race, or of inspiring IL vvft6 !
greater animOsity against the white
race and civilization"
A decision having been reached m /
disarm the Indians, a considerabl bodv
Of them was rounded up and OBLIGED 1
to go into camp at Wounded Knee /
creek 20 miles northeast of the Pine
Ridge agency. The tepees were pitched {
on the open side Of the plain and s11r-
rounded on all sides by soldiers. who
eight troops of cavalry and
Of scouts In the center of the
indian camp flew a white flag as [
sign Of peace ana guarantee Of safety. |
Behind it was a dry rayine, and on |