The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1935-08-01

northern boundary OF ChIcagos famous Loop,
a summer day In the year 1885.
On summer day hundred years ago this
same Lake street, then little more than dusty
trail along the bank of the Chicago river, was
echong to q more hideous dscord than could
be produced by all the modern streets IL
trains street cars and motor vehicles combined.
Over In the council house beyond the river 800
Indian warriors had assembled that morning.
Now they had crossed the river and were adj
vancing eastward In Lake street toward Fort
Dearborn.
"Their only covering was strip OF cloth about
the loIns and a profnsion OF paint OF brilliant
colors with which the face and body were hid
eously decorated Their hair, long, coarse and
black was gathered In scalp lock on top Of
the head and profusely decorated with hawk and
eagle feathers. some strung together so as to
extend down the back nearly to the ground. Led
by a band of musicians the procession moved
slowly, the warriors advancing with a continual
dance In front Of every house along their course
4 stop was made and extra feats were performed.
The musicians produced a dscordant din OF
hideous noises by beating on hollow vessels and
striking sticks together Thus writes Milo M.
Quafe in his ''Chcago and the Old Northwest"
But an even more graphic description is to fol-
low--the words Of a man who witnessed that
scene
On the corner OF Lake and Market streets
stood vile twostorIed barrack"-Mark Beau
biens Sauganash, Chicago's leading hotel"
From Its secondstory "paror' windows, group
OF white people mostly women, looked out upon
a terrifying spectacle. One of the group was
future Justice Of the Supreme court OF Illinois.
John D. Cation, who has left this account Of what
he saw
ut was mld-August, the morning was very
t1n .,SaGf
perspIratlon to pour forth almost In streams. Their
eyes were wild and bood-shot. their counte-
nances had assumed an expression OF all the
worst passions which can find place In the
breast of savage; fierce anger, terrible hate
dire revenge, remorseless cruelty all were ex-
pressed In their terrible features Their muscles
stood out In great hard knots, as II wrought to
a tension which must burst them. Their toma-
hawks and clubs thrown and brandshed
about In every direction with the most terrible
ferocity, and with a force and energy which
could only result from the highest excitement,
and with every step and every gesture they ut
tered the most frightfu yells In every lmagin-
able key and note though generally the highest
and shrillest possible.
1.-THE dance which continued. con-
sisted OF leaps and spasmodic steps, now for
ward and now back sideways with the whole
body distorted into every imaginable unnatural
position, most generally STOPPING forward. with
the head and face thrown up, the back arched
down. first foot thrown forward and then
withdrawn. and the other similarly thrust out,
frequently squatting quite to the ground and
all with movement almost as quick as light
ming. Their weapons were brandished as If they
would STAY thousand enemies at every blow.
while the yells and screams they uttered we're
broken up and multiplied and rendered all the
rJo ~ AIR
with the hand.
when the head Of the column had reached
the front OF the hotel, eaplng dancing, gestcu-
latIng and screaming while they looked up with
hell Itself depleted their faces. at the che
mokoman' (whte man's) squaws In the windows,
and brandlshed their weapons as II they were
about to make real attack In deadly earnest,
the rear was still the other side OF the river.
200 yards off; and all the intervening space.
including the bridge and Its approaches, was
covered with this raging savagery glistening In
the sun, reeking with streamy sweat fairly
frothing at their mouths as with unaffected rage.
1t seemed as II we had picture OF hell Itself
before Us, and carnival OF the damned spirits
there confined whose pastmes we may suppose
should present some such scene this
What the meaning OF this orgy OF saw
agery by these 800 Pottawatome Indians7 To
answer that question 1t Is necessary to go back
two years In the early autumn of 1883 the
greatest Indian council ever held In Chicago
gathered there to consider the proposals OF the
American commissioners, Gov George B. Porter
OF Michigan, Thomas j. v. Owen, Indian agent
at Chicago and william Weatherford. for the
cesson OF the lands OF the Pottawatomles to the
government.
81 At first the Indians refused the terms offered
By the commissioners. But after much per-