The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1913-12-19
INDIAN CHIEFS
TO WASHINGTON
Complain Movie Battle Of Wound.
ed Knee Untrue to History

The Sioux Indians at Pine Ridge
arcncv. :. D., are mad They fee, they
nave been injured and insulted by the
moving picture concerns and are pre-
parng TO frame "A protest at a meeting
,t which thousands of Sioux win be in
attendance. Ana II committee of red
men is 10 be sent To Washington 10
protest to the government against the
,cceptancc as authentic of movie"
dlm Of the battle of Wounded Knee.
ne last battle between the whites and
the reds.
The Indians say the movie" people
distorted the facts of the battle ia
such a degree that the prowess Of the
,ra man Is belitued, and that, while
the him which had just been made ON
the reservation may be splendid
hing in itself, If does not represent
the battle which IL purporta To show
and since a copy OF this tm IS 10 be-
placed ia the department az Wash
uPton thus making it really an OIL
cial record of the last big battle, the
Indians are Kicking.
AS an example Of the inaccuracies
win which the Indians say the film
abounds. they call attention Ia the fact
that Gen. Nelson \ Miles. who lakes
"a prominent part IN the film was
probably 50 miles away aud 80 far as
known was never on the actual field 81
battle untn he posed tor tie movies.
LIKEWISE Buffalo Bill. who plays the
par, of hero in the film battle. Was
st the agency, ~ miles away when the
engagement was fought
say They Were Not Rggressors.
Ea the most serious point 10 which
The sioux make objection is that in
me nlm hattie they are about equa
in mmher To the soldiers; that they
are wen mounted armed with army
rifles and are ready for battle-in fact
that the Indians themselves began the
fight. on the other hand, say the In
dams, the reds numbered less than
900. majority of whom were women
and children that they were all on
foot during the fight that most OF
Them had already given up their guns
and we're therefore denlescless, that
what guns they had were old-fashion-
I'd mu22le- leaders in a dccrepit condi-
ton, and that the Indians were not the
agrrcssors.
The soldiers engaPed-thc seventh
cavalry--was the old General Custer
regiment. m&ssacTed on the Little Bil
Horn IN 1876, and the Pine Ridge Siou>
We're the Indians who did the mas
sacring. Every trooper of the Seventh
was spelling for fight with these
Sioux
As for the claim that many sur
yivors Of the Wounded Knee baltI'
took part in the movie battle, th'
Indians SAY there were no Indian sur
NiNurS. The Indians were WITHIN
hollow square with soldiers on al
sides of thsm. only one Indian,
lamc one. came through without
scratch or got past the line OF sol
djrrs An the others, about 400 wer
either Killed or wounded, mostly killed
At least, in the big grave into Whi'I
AN the dead Indians were thrown ther
are more than $50. "A majority OF whot
were women and children. After III
'h0utinr began. the little band oI III
dams was raicd by q deadly IRE IRON
all directions
White Man Suggests Indian Version
VI. r. Gilmore, curator Of the Ne
hlaaka state Historical society, VII
wa present when the INNS wei
made, agrees with the Indian version
lie is indignant over what he eaIls III
Misrepresentation which Will aPPea
in the films, especially as the govern
ment is q third party in the Proc''"
.ncs and expects to lille the MINIS
historical data.
The Indians say they did not Nlo'
hey were reproducing the N"ul'''
Knee" battle, nut understood "