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Transcript—Omaha Daily Bee, September 23, 1875 |
Omaha Daily Bee, Thursday evening, September 23, 1875
[also in Omaha Weekly Bee, September 29, 1875]
Life Among the Indians
Arrival of General Terry, One of the Sioux Commissioners
Characteristic Talks with Commissioners by Indian Chiefs
A Growing Discontent Amongst the Indians at Continued Delays Liable to Thwart the
Making of a Treaty
Jealousies of Leading Chiefs as to the Location of Grand Council Ground
Opinion of Spotted Tail as to the Value of the Black Hills and the Conditions and
Price the Government is Expected to Pay for Them.
What a Live Correspondent Thinks of the Indian Policy
(Special Correspondence of the Bee)
Red Cloud Agency, W. T.
[Friday] Sept. 17, 1875
Editor Bee:
. . .
In the afternoon about one hundred Indians, painted up in all the hues and in all the costumes imaginable, arrayed in all kinds of fantastic dresses (many of them having only a coat of paint) commended what is known among them as the "Omaha" dance, which, in most essentials, differed but little from that of the squaw dance. After dancing for an hour or more, each of the two leaders of the band, mounted on ponies and adorned with a bonnet of eagle feathers extending all around the head and reaching to the knees, were led into the middle of the ring formed by the dancers, and for half and [sic] hour each recounted his deeds of prowess, how many scalps he had taken, the manner of killing his enemies, and why he had killed them.
The most exaggerated idea [sic] picture of a lot of savages fitting out for the war path, such as may sometimes be seen on illustrated covers of dime novels are tame compared with the actual appearance of these wards of the government. One of the most sickening sights we ever witnessed was on the occasion of issuing beef to the Indians of this agency on Saturday last. One the occasion referred to 550 beeves on the hoof were issued; the head man of each little band was issued from one to twenty beeves, according to the number of lodges he represented. About 3,000 mounted Indians surrounded the corral where the cattle were confined; as the names of the Indians were called out the gate of the corral was swung open and the requisite number of beef were let loose, and then commenced a most savagely exciting scene that pen or picture could depict.
As soon as the cattle gained an open space on the prairie the owners of squads of from two to twenty mounted on horses and armed with breech-loading rifles commenced a chase and running fire on the cattle. We have seen some of those Texan cattle having as many as a dozen rifle balls emptied into their quivering bodies before they fell. Sometimes a steer before falling would run, at the top of its speed, a distance of two or three, and even five miles, all the time receiving a steady fire from the savages that were following them up. Your readers can imagine, if they can, from one to two thousand wild Indians mounted and scattered over a high rolling prairie within an area of two miles, divided into parties of from one to ten persons, keeping up a steady fire into from one to two hundred infuriated Texan steers, divided into bunches of from one to ten cattle. To us it seemed like reviving all the excitement of the buffalo chase. It is universally considered that the method of issuing meat to the Indians has the very opposite from a civilizing influence on those whom it is claimed we are trying [to bring] within the pale of civilization, but the ways of Indians and Indian agents are, in this as in other cases, are beyond the comprehension of us "innocents abroad."
Charles Collins