Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-02-06
SITTING BULL A POLITICIAN
Had Another Claim To Fame Besides
..... Being a Gaeat Warrior .....

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History has shed false light around
Sitting Bull, the Sioux Indian chief
tain. 1t has made Of him warrior;
| red Mars who led his naked savages
| with the dash of Murat and evaded
disastrous battles with all the ingenu-
ity Of Fabius. But that is not the real
Sitting Bull. It is red and yellow and
vivid impressionism; it should be a
drab in monochrome Sitting Bull was
politician.
Sitting Bull began his career as a
fighter. 1t is recorded that while
boy of 10 he killed bison. When only
IA, he and five or six grown compan-
| ions murdered three Crow Indians For
this heroic exploit, the young Indian,
then known as Jumping Badger, was
renamed Sitting Bull, after his father.
And henceforth he remained true to
the change; from a jumper he became
sitter.
When about legal age, as the white
man reckons it, Sitting Bull retired
from war-like arts and began making
medicine" He entered politics. He was
astute enough to see that the medicine
men had all the power in his tribe,
while the warriors took all The risks,
seeming we'll paid by few brief days
Of glory. He was now, one might say,
a wardman in the Sioux invisible gov
ernment."
Sitting Bull soon rose to be the most
powerful Of the medicine men. He was
a tall, stern -vizaged man, .ha Ideal In
dian in physiognomy. The tribal pa
tronage became his. He tasted, pray
ed and performed mysterious rites to
increase his hold on the nation. In
stead Of a sewer contract he gave his
favorites the privilege Of stealing
horses. Supporters were brought into
line through superstition, thus keeping
all the money, and its equivalent, In
the organization treasury.
But it must not be concluded that
Sitting Bull was without ability. He
represented the tribe in its dealings
with the government and showed quail
tiles approaching real craftsmanship.
He obtained a treaty that gave the
Sioux Indians more liberty than any
others in America.
He discarded the titles Of chief and
medicine man. He was man." he said.
The ceremonies preceding battles were
conducted by him. He even made rude
plans to govern the warriors in their
fights. But he did not unsheath his
tomahawk. Instead, he retired to the
medicine house and there, while his
followers were at war, he prayed and
forecasted victory. If victory came
his medicine" was the cause; II de-
feat, the warriors had listened to the
bad spirits instead Of the medicine.
Nothing could be simpler than a. sys-
tenn like that. And Sitting Bull work
ed it.
Soon Sitting Bull gathered around
him a formidable array Of heutenants
to perform his various tasks. There
was Gall, really magnificent warrior
man who fought with all the BRAY
cry and GOODNESS Of the Norsemen'
Running Antelope, an orator OF silver
tongued persuasiveness; Crazy Horse,
a satellite who made small medicine"
around the campfires, all about Sitting
Bulls greatness, and Rain-in- the Face
a fighter and implacable enemy OF the
white man. The organization became
despotic in it's power, but Sitting Bull,
far-sighted politician, was careful
not to check the reins too much, nor
was he chary with such favors and
privileges as Indians enjoy.
Until gold was discovered in the
Black Hills Sitting Bull was on friend
ly terms with the whites. Under the
treaty made in 1868 no white man
could enter the Sioux territory with
out consent of the Indians. So they
had plenty Of hunting and fishing
ground and no occasion to raid and
slay any except members of other In
dian tribes. But with the discovery of
gold white men poured into the Sioux
territory. They protested. The white
miners asked the government to re-
move them. That was tried, but Sit
ting Bull refused to go.
This is what we say to you," he re-
piled to the spokesman Of commits
sion. 1--WE will kill any white man who
is found in our country without hav-
ing asked our permission-as 1t Is said
in the treaty you are trying to break.
The Indians made good their threat.
Small parties of whites disappeared
| Two army officers were killed. A small
! detachment of soldiers was attacked.
Sitting Bull, meanwhile, had retired
to the hills and was making medicine
that would wipe the whites from the
earth. Gall and Rain the Face were
the generals in the field. This inter-
mittent and guerrilla warfare went on
| until 1876, when the government de-
cided to campaign against Sitting
Bull and his followers. Three columns
of soldiers marched. Gall, Lone Bull,
| RAIN TIE ace \idHy AAoioSt
the four fighting chiefs, met the three
columns one at a time and defeated
them. The last battle was with Gus
ter's command, which resulted in the
massacre Of Little Big Horn. General
| Crook and General Terry escaped with
heavy losses.
| Sitting Bull now returned from his
fasting and assumed all credit for the
victories. Only Gall was inclined to
dispute him. Sitting Bull replied
haughtily that medicine was more i'm
portant than shooting in fighting the
whites and cited as proof the fact that
never before had the Indians been so
successful Rain-in-the Face, speak
| ing of the battle afterward, said, then
Sitting Bull went away to make more
medicine and didn't come back till the
| fight was over
| Sitting Bull, his power now immeas-
urably increased, became naughty and
domineering. He addressed insulting
notes to the commandants Of various
forts. He caused Indians who were