Year: 1871

ISHTA SOPPA, OR BLACK-EYES, THE HUNKPAU-


PAU CHIEF-INDIAN SUBSTITUTE FOR TOBAC-


Co-RESCUING A WHITE MAN FROM THE


sANTEES-sHoOTING AN INDIAN AT LONG


RANGE.


By AN Ex-PosT CHAPLAIN.


FooTEvILLE, Wis, June 5.-Black-Eyes is
friendly Lakota Sioux Of the Hunkpaupau band
and has never been in hostile attitude toward
the Whites. He stands six feet three inches in his
humpas," or mocoasins longlimbed, muscular man.
with oval face and very high forehead. His scalpoc
is longer than is usually wOrn and his eyes, which
dsproportonatey small are Jet black without particle
Of white visible; hence his name Black-Eyes" first
met him in suffers store in 1866. He sitting
with several other Indians, the floor by the
stove in large space behind the counter,
where good Indians were privileged to assemble.
Occasionally you may meet an Indian chief or head
man, wearing soldiers wOolen shirt under his buffalo
robe but generally the robe Is the only covering worn
the upper part of the body This is loosely tied round
the oins with rawhide strap made OF elkskin. Under
shelter they let the buaorobe fall, that they are
naked TO the oins. On this OCCASION the broad, bare
shoulders and great chest of BlaclEyes caught my
attention and as he observing him, he
made place for me by his SIDE and made motion for
me squat down. which did One OF them soon handed
me the pipe, Of which took Whit or two, and then
passed along They smoke what they call "Kinneka-
mic; it is the bark of a red willow scraped fine and
dried 1t neither makes sick nor gives headache.
and 1t is said to be antscOrbuc. Very few of them
like tobacco When il is offered to them they will
say "seche" Gt is bad and pat their hand to the pit Of
the stomach and heave, to signify that it makes them
sick They do not like the white man, fill each one
pipe and smoke it out but all smoke the same pipe pass
ing round with the sum- each taking few pufs OF the
smoke Their greatest enjoyment appears TO be in
peng il through their nOstrils. The redstOne pipe is
inevitable and have known them 10 he two weeks in
perforating with hot wire, long piece of wood to
make ppe-stem Of The pipe and their Knnekanlc
bag Is 0ften most eiaDoratey ornalnenteu ny the Ws
with beads feathers and dyed red Refusing
the pipe when IL is offered is considered expression of
hostility. ANapoeonic Sioux might probably consider


After the pipe had made its circuit few times the
occasion referred TO- amid Indian talk and much panto
mime, BlackEyeS, reaching behind him, produced an
old intlo shotgun and handed it to saw there
one from some nexplicable part of his clothing,
and proceeded TO explain that he had lost the screw
Wooden peg but at every discharge it new of.
his losing the me wSnsd ne eo e TO 70 'e e
piece into the fort and get it repaired for him toii
let me" He at once proceeded with what thought
might he very interesting account or some desperate
he had used that gun with very great effect TO under
stand it clearly had to call the suffers Interpreter
English the little black eyes of the chief twinked and
flashed and with dive into his leggngs he brought up
fiat parcel. After opening six or eight pieces or
skin he came to written document in English which
gave the substance of what be had been giving IN nGt
make note Of and stated that the writer had started
to take stores to trading post the Pains that
he attacked by party OF santees, his property all
TAKEN his wagons burned his teansers either killed or
scattered and he himself taken prisoner. A few days
after while he still captive the chief, Ishta Soppa
(Black Eyes) with hunting party of his band about 40
in number came across his Sanec captors Though less
in number Black Eyes and his men fell upon Them and
after hard fight gained the victory rescued the white
man. gave him of their pOnies and detailed two OF
his band guides and guards 20 conduct him back TO
Minnesota, where he arrived safely: He highly com
mended this chief and his men, and bespoke the friend
ship of all White men, especially that of the military IN


asked the Interpreter if the document genunei
He said so, yes the circumstance was well known to
all the traders in the REGION 1t occurred only lew
months before the breaking out of our civil war; that
BackE would have attacked the santees anyhow as
their tribes were war; and when he got the white man,
he'd be to be good to him. He had never fought
against the whites and would never JOIN In ary RAIDS,
making statement OF these facts To our colonel, ne
me an order on the armorer 10 nave the gun re-
paired. give this circumstance because IL Is 50 seldom
that any good deed pubttShed that is done ny an
Indian, but every depreciation Is trumpeted with thou
sand blasts give IT, too that 1t may stand IN contrast
with the following facts: o. e, -,


to Fort sully d. T., oyertaken by young IRON,
tersman whose parents lived IN thc northern part 0i
the Territory. He had been with Gen Sbley's expedl-


ton. had been recently discharged ana was now on ms
way home with us he could have company ana ratOnS.
He had his horse rife and cavalry aceouterens with
him After we had gone into camp one evening, and
supper the boys gathered III groups as usual
discussion arose respective power and accuracy OF
their pieces This young praised his piece above all
onr men saw What he thought buffalo, or deer,
crossing butte, about mile on ana challenged MN 10





bufto but Indian, and he thought he could hit nm,
OF al any rate could him. He drew "a bead ana


fired. tbe object to spring up In the air. ana
some one exclaimed, " You hit him" He replied. very
coolly: "DOn't know Indian would jump that way
and then fan down if he heard the whz of ball. just 10
prevent your firing again" Some OF our boys caught
his sprif and said cit only an Indian, anyhow, but
most OF them were shocked that man, who had never
done them any harm, should be shot at in so cold
booded a manner AT rOll-call one OF our soldiers was
missing Another OF the company said he fell out at
stream about two miles back to catch "a nsh Tor
SIMMER. another said he down with Com
many X so the inquiry was passed over unanswered.
The sergeant however, who shared the shelter tent
with the Young man who had shot at the Indian was
perhaps il was young P the missing man. that was shot
He watched for peep OF day. then woke the young man
mn proposing up the butte ana see lf ne hau MT
thar Indian. They went and when they drew near
TO the object the ground distinctly, the
frontiersman who ahead, threw up his hands ana
exclaimed, Ny God, IFS a sOdfer| IL was our lOsl
comrade quiet peaceable youth OF about ~ years OI
age The ball had passed light through his head.


The Young man who shot him was put under arrest


81 cent Inv the first down boat under guard, TO Sioux
Ctv Having discharged he was civilian, and we
h1 10 hand him to the civil authority. Had hc


s &, the service, could have dealt with him under


ar,iai law He remained there till the Grand Jury
mot when they decided they had NO juristcti0nno bill
s0,d Had ne shot an Indian, could not have done


ytthin0 will him Indian IL not citizen. trader,
w., ~ n bad been an Indian our regiment would have
iost uanv SCALP as the penalty OF the wckedness OF
tbat one man This would nave ltu 10 reprlsals ana
thcn there would have been NUMEROUS accounts OF
Indian outrages."