The Washington times., 1936-01-04

Dig cOOLS war IL1c1 VI Tie
band, and prominent leader in
the ghost dance craze that swept
the plains in the eos, was slain
in front Of his tent where he had
lain i'll with pneumonia.
Official reports place the losses
Of the soldiers at 81 killed in
action, q similar number wounded,
and of the latter several died OF
wounds in the agency hospital.
Cut down by rifle fire delivered
ct arms length, raked by the fire
of four Calling guns, the In
dams who survived the first vol
ley of the troops fled into the
ravines. There they were hunted
down.
First responsibility for the fight
rests with the Indians.
The soldiers replied to q shot
fired by Black Fox, a young brave
who was swept into hysterical
fervor by the incantations Of
Yellow Bird, medicine man who
preached the invulnerability Of
the white cotton ghost shirts.
Yellow Bird urged the excitable
redmen to strike down the sol
dierS.
His medicine, Yellow Bird told
the Indians, would render the
white men helpless. The ghost
shirts would turn the bullets Of
the soldiers.
Act Of War
Returning a volley for q shot
that took the life Of a soldier was
an act Of war, made in reprisal
for an act Of war.
Long after all resistance had
ceased, after the last Of the war
riors were stretched dead or
wounded in the drifted snow Of q
Dakota blizzard, the soldiers
hunted and slaughtered the flee
ing Indians.
The frozen, shell-torn bodies Of
women and children marked the
flight from the flag of truce near
Big Foot's tent where the action
centered.
Without blankets or other pro-
lection against the frightful cold,
the women fled the storm Of shells
that searched the ravine where
they sought shelter. Frightened,
crying children who knew only
that their fathers had been
slaughtered before their eyes,
sought safety in futile flight.
There is no record of any
trooper of the Seventh shouting
Remember Little Big Horn" nor
does anyone know that a rallying
cry arose: "Avenge Custer" But
the Seventh Cavalry was Clusters
own. and the Seventh Cavalry
slaughtered women and children.
The regrettable part Of the
whole unhappy day at Wounded
Knee was that until the charlatan
Yellow Bird began his exhortations
to fight, there was no evidence
that either side intended to en-
gage in battle.
Big Foot, the leader, was i'll with
pneumonia, and Colonel Forsyth,
ahsolved Of all blame for what
followed the actual fighting, had
sent a camp stove to the stricken
chieftain's tent. In front of Big
Foot's tepee flew a flag Of truce.
Destiny Knocked the plans of
man, and by the banks Of the
frozen Wounded Knee Greek the
power Of the once mighty Dakotas
was forever broken. Never again
did these bronZe-faced warriors
mass their forces against the on
ward sweep Of treaty breaking,
ruthless white men. They could
not check the inevitable, but they
had the courage to die in action.
The fight at Wounded Knee
Greek finished a tragedy that
rushed to swift conclusion after
the death Of Tatanka Iyotanke-
Sitting Bull-the great medicine
chief Of the Sioux. Sitting Bull
and his son, Grow Foot, were
shot while resisting arrest by
Indian police, a brave and faith
full band Of men recruited from
the ranks Of the Sioux, who
served with distinguished valor
against their kinsmen.
Big Foot, or Sitanka, was con.
Sidered by the military the last
Of the dangerous chiefs outside
Of the Bad Lands. The duty Of
watching him was assigned to
Lieut.. Col. e. v. Sumner, Of the
Eighth Cavalry.
Refuse to Move
Big Foot and Colonel Sumner
held several conferences in which
the Sioux leader assured Colonel
Sumner Of his friendliness and
his willingness to move where
ordered. But the warriors in Big
Foot's force refused to move fur
ther.
This precipitated a situation,
and a white man named Dunn
was dispatched to confer with
Big Foot and impress upon him
the necessity Of moving as d.
rected. The Indians agreed. but
In the night started for Pine
Ridge and the Band Lands, TAX
ing with them only their ponies