White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1931-09-03

near the site of the historic Fort Dearborn
massacre.
The group is representation Of one OF the
most stirring incidents in that tragic affair. It
shows Alack Partridge Pottawatomie chief
tain, saying Mrs. Helm, wife of one of the Of
fcers OF the Fort Dearborn garrison, from the
tomahawk of blood-mad young brave. And
there's interesting story connected with the
Indians who were used by the sculptor as his
models In making this piece of statuary. For
they were none other than Chief Short Bull of
the Brule Sioux, high priest Of the Ghost Dance
religion, which came so near to resulting in a
great uprising Of the Sioux in 189O-91, and
Chief Kicking Bear Of the Mniconjou Sioux,
a fierce warrior who was irreconcilable to DOM
ination by the white man and in the Ghost
Dance excitement chance to rouse his people
against their enemies.
How it happens that these two Indians from
the plains of the Dakotas came to be the models
for memorial to tragedy on the shores Of
Lake Michigan, is told in a book published in
1898 1.-The Chicago Massacre Of 1872" by Joseph
Kirkland as follows:
Carl Rohl-Smith, Danish sculptor who had
already won distinction in Europe and America
and, who came to Chicago under the strong at
traction which preparations for the Worlds
Columbian exposition offered for all artists, won
notice and praise by his statue of Franklin cast
was invited to prepare model for group
concentrating the Fort Dearborn massacre
of 1872
MIR. Rohl-Smith set himself to work with ut
most diligence Fortune favored him; for there
happened to be just then some Indians of the
most untamed sort at Fort Sheridan (only a
few miles away in charge of the garrison as
prisoners of war, they having been captured
in the Pine Ridge district whereof the affair
of lod Lpao oh{ oF ~.
General Miles permission Mr. Rohl-Smith was
allowed to select two Of these red men to stand
as models for the principal savage figures in
the group. The two best adapted were Kicking
Bear and Short Bull
Concerning them Mr.. Rohl-Smith says Kick
ing Bear is the best specimen of physical man
hood 1 have ever critically examined. He is a
wonderful man and seems to enjoy the novelty
of posing besides evidently having a clear I'm
derstanding of the use to which his figure will
be put. The assailant Of Mrs. Helm, the one
with the uplifted tomahawk (Short Bully fills
the historical idea that the assailant was a
young Indian, naturally one who would not be
as fully developed as the vigorous, manly Black
Partridge. The presence of these Indians has
been of great value to me in producing the fig.
ures have been enabled to bring out some
of their characteristics not otherwise possible
1.-THE savages were accompanied by an inter-
prefer ana Lne newspaper Oh the Gay gave some
amusing accounts of their demeanor in the stu
dio-their mixture of docility and selfassertive
ness, etc. 1t CHANGED that the real disposition,
of the two principal models were the reverse
Of their assumed characteristics and Kicking
Bear (who when wearing his native dress and
war paint, carried a string of six scalps) was
much amused at the fact that he was assigned
the more humane part. me. good Injun!" HI,
cried "Him. bad Injun." And he laughed loudly
at the Jest"
SO the paradox connected with the mode
for the Indian on the buffalo nickel-that of 8
press agent story with some basis of fact not
being believed and a press agent story with nc
basis of fact becoming American myth-has
its counterpart in the paradox connected with
the model for the Indians in the Fort Dearborn
Massacre monument statue. So long as its
bronze endures Short Bull, who was a vision
airy, dreamer man of peace who did not
desire war with the whites will continue tt
threaten the life oS a woman of the white race
And the figure of Kicking Bear, warrior, 8
hater of the white man and leader who sought
to use religious frenzy to stir up his people
against the whites will continue to hold out q
restraining hand to save white woman's lisa
"a by Western Newspaper UDion)