The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-09-13
Strange and Picturesque Cere- mony to Accompaniment of
 Lightning Flashes, Witness
 ed By Hundreds of Soldiers.


 Field Headquarters, American Pun itive Expedition, Mexico, Sept 1S-- The Apache scouts attached to the American Punitive Expedition came all the way from Fl Val1e to field headquarters to give a ghost dance for General J. J. Pershing. just be- fore the commander of the expedition left on his recent inspection trip to the border. The dance, weird and picturesque, was witnessed by a thou sand soldiers and was held only af- ter painstaking preparations by the Indians.
 Prior to his first inspection trip (which took him to Fl Valle) the gen. eral had heard many times of the ghost dances the scouts had been giv- ing at their camp and before leaving for Fl VaIle, had informed Capt James A. Shannon, who has directed the destinies of the Apaches, that he would be pleased to have them per form for him. Com nunicated to the Indians, the generals request caused great excitement and they insisted on leaving at once for field headquarters.
 They passed the general ,enroute and It was only by the exercise of great diplomacy that they were prevented from debouching from their motor trucks and giving their dance on the trail. They were persuaded to con- tinue their trip. however. and busted themselves during their six-day lay over at headquarters by furnishing their costumes and securing a new and complete line of vivid paints
 The dance, held the night after General Pershings return from E1 Valle, was staged on a level piece of ground inside the lines near China town" Behind circle of bales of hay fifty yards in diameter, hundreds of khald-clad soldiers gathered. The general was seated in a big camp chair on a low platform. A huge fire of logs blazed in the center of the circle. sending showers of sparNs and great sheets of flame skyward when ever the jealous Apache fireman dash ed gasoline into its rohring vortex
 Long before the gendFal was seated, the fourteen musicians uniformed ac- cording to regulations and seated short distance from the fire, began their chant. Their so1oist, Ietsuay, would shout a stanza of perhaps twen- ty words and his comrades would chant a sort of chorus in guttefal rythm- It was untamed, untrained and altogether primitive.
 Accompanying his chant, Ietsuay thumped on Tnakes11ift tom tom-a galvanized iron pail with a wet deer skin stretched across its mouth.
 For five minutes the prologue conS tinued. then the ranks of the onlook- CTS parted to admit the dancers. There were five of them-costumed barbari cally in trappings and headdresses faehioned by their own hands John ody lead the band, followed by Chow Big. Nonotolth, Sans and Eskibends. Eskibends was the ghost and his role partook somewhat of the clown-a stiff legged, dignifted clown. Of the five, he wore the least clothes Like the .ottler four he wore a mack, cut from a buriap sack. A small head dress breech ,ciout, moccasins and a stuffed fawn which dangled against the small of his back completed his costume. In his hands he carried two red-tfpped wands. His body was painted a ghostly gray.
 The others were attired most eIa- borateiy Their headgears, carved from wood, painted in brightc o1ors, bespanglsd with small mirrors and tipped with fluffy white hawk feath- CTS were works of art. Brass stud- ded belts, bits of calico, blankets of vivid hues and number of small bells that twink1ed as they moved, made up the remainder of their dancing clothes.
 Entering the arena, they filed around the circle in dignified prom enade, all except the ghost, who am-- blsd in the rear, executing grotesque dance steps to the encouraging shouts of the singers
 Warmed by the applause of the spectators, the dancers soon increased their exertions, Around the fire they moved, shuffiing, swaying, hopping, The fire light was reflected from the mirrors in their headdresses and the brass studs in their belts. Streams of sweat flowed down their naked tor sos. The singers changed the motif of their chant and the five dark fig ures that circied the roaring flames increased their pace. Suddenly the chant ceased, the monotonous thump thump of the tom tom ended with long roll and the dancers came to standstill amid burst of applause. The first act was over.
 Ten times this was repeated. let suay chanting industriously, appar- ently without drawing breath To- ward the last the impressiveness of the spectacle was increased by vivid flashes of lightning from three storms