The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1912-02-22

Ram IN TIE FACE.

ID
solemn conference to grant tribal HON
ors to the young chleftain, Rain IN the
Face. III /.
The young man--he was less than
thirty-had already won fame in the
barbarous Sun Dance. This DANCE"
was ceremony for testing the cour-
age of young men. Rain in the Face
was hung from q high pole by means
Of skewers thrust through his shoul:
der muscles. He was supposed to hang
there until muscles or skewers gave
away Meantime all the older men
scanned him closely for signs Of pain
In his stolId face. Should he show In
any way how terribly he was suffering
he would henceforth be branded a
coward. The skewers broke and Rain
In the Face dropped to the ground.
One dlsgruntled chief limited that the
skewers had not been strong enough
for such "a test. So, despite the re-
monstrances Of the others. the half
dead Rain in the Face insisted on I'M
dergosug the fearful ordeal a second
time. This bit Of pluck stamped him
henceforth as man who scorned
pain.
A Boast that Brought Trouble.
Now came the final ceremony TO
determine his worth as chief. A
government scout who was trusted
BY the Indians had secured leave from
the Sioux to be present at the con-
ference. He happened to mention this
fact to Col. Tom Custer, younger
brother Of the famous General Custer.
Tom was wild TO go along and to wit.
ness SO strange ceremony. The
scout, according to his own. story,
agreed to take him on condition that
young Custer would give his word not
to reveal anything he might see and
hear Tom promised,
During the ceremony Rain in the
Face was called upon to tell Of any
brave deeds he had performed. He
rose in the circle and related a story
of having met two white. men in the
mountains and Of having made the
peace sign 10 them. They had dlsre-
garded the sign and had fred upon
him. Rain in the Face had escaped
unhurt. had followed the men for two
days and had then killed and scslped
them while they slept.
When Tom Custer heard this tale
he declared that he would not let
SO dastardly a crime go unpublished.
In spite of the scouts frenzied pleas
Tom galloped to the nearest fort, told
the story to his brother, General Gus
ter, and came rushing back with a
company Of cavalry. Rain, in the Face
was, seized by the soldiers, dragged
to the fort and brought before General
Custer. For whole day he would
make no reply to the generals 1ues-
lions. Then. all at once, he. not only
confessed the double killing. hpt
.bousted loudly of it and defed the
whole government to punish him,
Rain in the Face was locked into q
leaky, cold hut that was half full OF
snow, and was left there to the mercy
Of the bitter wintry weather until his
case should come up for trial. He
managed to get hold OF a rifle. He
cut loose his heavy iron letters and
broke out of the hut, Stealing o horse,
he gallsped to the mountains. But
he sent back this message to the fort
by the first man he met:
"Tell Tom Custer will one day cut
out his heart!"
The Fulfilling Of Strange Vow.
This was in 1874. Rain in the Face
at once Joined Sitting Bulls band OF
horse thieves and murderers, and pro-
ceeded to make his name a terror
throughout the border. When Clusters
little army rode to destruction in the
ambush at the Little Big Horn on
June 26, 1876, Rain in the Face was
one of the foremost Indian chiefs in
that battle to the DEATH, According to
his own story. he ever kept on the
lookout for Col. Tom Custer. At
length. amid the thinning ranks Of
he saw him Dashing
madly through the soldiers Rain in
the Face reached Tom. shouted his
own name and struck the colonel
dead. Then, with slash Of his knife.
he fulfilled the rest Of his gruesome
VOW. ~ ...
Two pistol bullets-ope in the right
thigh, the. other in the left knee--eut
short Rain in the Faces further share
in the hand.to-hand carnage, though 1t
has been rumored that he shot Gem
eral Custer, at long range, after being
thus crippled. The night over, some
of the Indians made for Canada Rain
In the Face with them. He remained
safely ON British soil GHtil 1SSl.and
was the last Of the Sioux chiefs to
surrender to General Miles.
For the next "a years he lived In.
outward peace, though always secret
" plotting new uprisings. His domes-
tic life was as stormy as his military
career. He had seven wives in quick
succession, and is more than suspect
ed Of having murdered at least one Of
them.
Rain in the Face died at Standing
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