Omaha Daily Bee Newspaper, February 12, 1893, Page 10

AMERICAN SUN WORSHIPERS Curious Pagan Thanksgiving Day Among the Pueblo Indians, WITH A SUN DANCE AND A SACRED RACE Priests of the Sun as Comedisns —An Isolated Corner of New Mexico Where Sixteenth Centary Life Still Prevails, Ifany globe trotter with a hostile con- tempt for the new and the commonplace in America is pining for curious antiquities and a brand new sansation, hs can be accommo- dated without sailing angry seas or running the gauntlet of hunzey hordes of foreigners. Allho need do is to board a palace car for Now Mexico and take a whirl among the sun worshipers who may be found in the land of sun, d and solitude, When Mark Twain wrofe the storyof a modern Yankee at the court of King Arthur the ingenuity and fancifulness of the idea were thought quite worthy the inventive yowers of u genius, but Mark's romance is not in it, to use a street phrase, with the realities of life in the southwestern territory. A man may take up his residence in a Pucblo village remote from white scttlements, and ho will actually do that which Twain con- ceived ina facetious freak of his erratic imagination. Time will have been turned backward for his especial benefit about one millenium, He will find himself among a gentle, hospitable people, who live the same peaceful, uneventful life their forefathers are known to have lived when civillzation and history strayed across their path 850 years ago, and it is probable that practically the same mode of life has been followed for 1,000 yoars. This is not fancy, but fact. And one of the most curious things about these strange and wonderful peoplo is their religion. Nominally Christians, Really Pagans. ‘When those Spanish conquistadores were lured by fabulous tales of the golden wealth of the seven cities of Cibola they came with asword ip one hand and the cross in the other. They gave the peaceful natives their choice of these, It was the age of the inquisi- tion, and zealous padres, piously bent on spreading the true faith among the heathen, accompanied explorer and marauder to tell ‘‘the glad tidings of great joy.” But these holy fathers were non persona grata to the simple pagans. And why not? The red men already had gods enough of theirown. There was the un Father, who each day drove away the demon of darkness, who ever; and defeated the evil spirit th and did he not bless his children when good with bountiful harvests? And was there not the gentle Moon Mother to intercede with tho Father when he became angry and rmitted the wicked spirit of the north to reeze his people or the scorching fiend with the hot breath of the south to burn their cropst But those old fighting dons were quite as pious as the friars, if we are to believe their own statements, and so they religiously slaughtered the weak aborigines until the remnants were induced through these kind ministrations and the grace of a loving God through the forms of being christian- Nominally the Pueblos are Catholics, but their Christianity is scarcely skin deep, and man, riest, if you can catoch him in the mood, will frankly admit it. These Indians are sun worshipers and retain their ancient rites and ceremonies. Many cf these are performed secretly in the chambers known as estufas, which are sacredly guarded from iutrusion at such times. Pagan priests, interceders with sun, moon and lesser spirits, there are in plenty, but the priests of the rhite man’s religion are not welcome in the ri, wysterious estufas, many: of which are under ground. Golng to the Sun Fostival, One of the best places for studying the in- teresting customs of this ancient and won- derful ple is at Taos. This pueblo is located in a.little, out-of-the-way valley, hid- den among the Rocky mountains in northern New Mexico. A short time ago it was sev- enty-filve miles from a_ railroad, and only mccessiblo by tedious trails through winding canons and over rugged mountains. Nom one may come down from Denver by tho Denver & Rio Grande, see much of the grand scenery of Colorado, and in the last seven miles drop down into the canon of the Rio Grande at the rate of 1200 feet in seven miles, during which he is likely to slip out to the rear platform, where he may drop off when the train goes over the procipice; or he mnY come up from the south by the Santa Fo railroad, in which case he may get a_ sur- feiv of antiquity in Santa Fe and view the ,black and rufi;{od majesty of the canon Diablo. In either event he will be landed at Embudo in the afternoon, still thirty-five miles from Taos. mbudo is down in the railroad time tables, and that is about us nearas it comes to being on earth. Adiminutive red station house is to keep the lonol,r water tank com- pany. A boyish operatoris lord of all he sur- ut a lord reduced to the menial reali- ties of “baching*” Heis enclosed on both sides by the towering cliffs of lava which form the canon, and it doesn't require much imagi- mation to think of him as living in the pit of an expived hell, where the meeting of the two trains each day is an event with which @ circus is not to be compared. . Just beyond is a creck disguised under the name of the Rio Grande. Farther down country it so far forgets itself as to get lost in the sands, but up here it brawls noisily over a bottom paved with blocks of black basalt, and it flows on as everlastingly as the eternal hills whose rains and snows feed it. Across the river is a long, low adobe, the dominion of Uncle Sam’s mail pouch and the home of the Mexican postmaster. This is Embudo. New Mexico Improssions. At the door of the postoftice stands a light glull’orm wagon attached to two of those iminutive broncho ponies, whose endurance has so many surprises. That is the stage of Ramon Griego & Co. Curiously enough, the firm with the imposing nawe is composéd of Mexican boys, brothers, who carry a long star route into the mountains, gathering and delivering mail pouches at a number of little settlements 'on the way. Ramon isa bright,well dressed young man, who speaks lish fluently, three facts worthy of no- tice in this land of ayer (yesterday), where the inhabitants of these isolated hamlets are 800 years behind the age. He dispiayed o gentle courtesy, too, and the writer en- countered this sweet quality among most of the Spanish descended inhabitants of the southwest with whom ho came in contact. ‘These people, by the way, are always spoken of in that country as :\I.-xicuns, in order to distinguish them' from the inhabitants of northern blood who are known as Americans. ‘When the invader of the past mouats that stage ho bids farewell to the nineteenth century. The first turn of the road around ljuuln%mck hides the railroad from view, and ho has plunged 100 years into antiquity. At two or three points the canyon widens out enough to permit a fow acres of river bottom, and here soveral Mexican families manage to keep body and soul togother in some mysterious manner that defles a north- ern understanding. One of these placitas is watered by & community irrigating ditch which wanders along the base of the cliff in r'd-ulmry sort of way for three miles, It a crudo” affair, but twenty weary years were needed for its construction, and the dozen little rlk'l\u which draw their life from it would make an insignificant farm in one of the prairie states. One of®its bene- ficiaries was exempted from laboring on its construction because he contributed an iron shovel for the work. Fortunate man!but ‘what miserably lnudemm implements the other tools must have N Ploturesque Moxican Stage Drivor, ‘The only connecting link with the age of the locomotive and the telegraph is the driver of the stage, 3 Mexican lad, and the elothing in evidence on him is a pair of rusty overalls, & muslin shirt that might have been white once and a sombreroon fati- r-‘fi'ml with the vailing antiquity. is alender walst s girt with & pondoruis carrying & young rifie known as a Colt's 44, a gun calculated to throw two or three shades of solewaity over the spirits THE OMAHA DAIL BEE: SUNDAY, FEBRUARY of a tenderfoot aceustomed only to the pop guns carried in the east. Evor and anon the swarthy young fellow turns his bright, black eyes on the passenger in the roar soab and hltohes up the belt to bring the revolver within ready reach of his right hand, and if the traveler hus taken much stock n the conventional greaser of the stage this little pantomime is_altogether 109 frequent and suggestive for the comfort of his thinking apparatus. As a matter of fact the boy is only concerned for the .y and he doubtless has his sus. picions of some of the innocent actions of his Ppassengers Cigars and store cigarettes he will accept with a soft gracias (thanks),and when these give out ho will fold bits of brown paper or corn husks for cigarettes of his own manu- facture, but he cannot be tempted into a talkative mood, The solitude of the hills and the mesas has fallen on him. By all the traditions of tho north a Mex- ican driving a team should swear as volubly and as picturesquely as a troopsr or a pirate (assuming that that overworked simile has some meaning left in it), but this perverse descendant of Castile does nothing of the sort. He whistles to his steeds with a little chirp that would make a catbird think its mate was in the neighborhood, and every whistle is timed with a swish of the whip, which flirts a fleck of dust from one of the horses. Not a blasphemous word is heard in all that thirty-five miles, but a oareful cal- culation indicates that the horses were itched 1,500 times without gaining a foot on their normal speed. Time Turns Back Three Centurios. After monotonous leagues up the narrow canyon of the Rio Grande and w miles L 1 the Rockies th 'n0s at 9 o'clock at n he wakes up in the m: i he is in o vorld and beholds the ab inal life of /. He finds the natives Indians, though somewhat smaller than those of the north. The strongest. and strangest impression is made by their houses, two great community buildings. At adistance they look like pyramids, and nearer by they are seen to be terra There ave no door nd the entrances are through the tops of the terraces, which are reached by ladders. These strange buildings are built of mud, one of them six and the other four stories high, and in their mysterious depths live 300 people, Fortunate is the stranger who is on San Geronimo an- night resent int Jerome) day, for then he may witness the sun festival, the great event of all the year at the Pueblo de Taos. He will see some of the public cere- monies in the sun worship of these people, and he will be forcibly impressed with the fact that they practice a paganism with so mugh of refinement in its simple faith and rites as to challenge the tolerant respect of the Christian. San Geronimo day is unaccompanied the hideous and cruel ceremonies w mark the sun worship of other savage tribes. It is given up to praise, prayer and mer making. It is, in fact, a thanksgiving day, and the Pueblo, being a farmer and a herder, naturally celebrates it after the cr been gathered. He is moved by same impulses which stirred the fathers, but the Pueblo the advantage of having his thanksgiv ing day ages before the Puritan thought of it. The Christian says thanks and sings i to an unseen Father. The pagan nd dances and offers thanks to the Sun (who smiles benignly unon his children from his seat in the heavens), because the Sun is the Father of all spirits and gives light and warmth, and becaus vi s favor vecetation would die and his people suffer. . The Christian relieyes the solemnity of his festival by eating a big dinne pagan engages in sports for the amusement of the entire communi When you come to compare them, the heathen and the civilized thanksgiving days are not so very far apart after all. Christian Preliminarios. As already explained, Catholicism has o nominal hold on the Pucblos. We see one evidence of this in the naming of the annual festival after a Catholic saint. The shrewd padres have aimed to graft christianity on the pagan stock. On the morning. of San Geronimo day mass is said in the little whitewashed adobe chapel, but_it is notice- able th; almost all of the attendants are Mexican women, who have come iu from the surrounding country. Outside the door stands a_poor idiot, an object of reverential respect among Indidns, and suspended from his neck is a_battered boy's drum, a proud possession. When th priest arrives the simple one gives him the Pueblo salute, bending low over the father's hand and gently breathing upon it. At fre- quent intervals during the service he pounds away lustily at his old drum and he awakes an echo from the roof of the building, where another Indian hammers out a discord by striking the bell with a rock. Meanwhile the Pueblos for whose beneflt this mass is said are busy elsewhere with preparations for the religious ceremony which engrosses their honest belief. The menave in thesubterrancan estufas dressing their bodies and performing those secret rites and incan- tations which white men are not permitted to benold. The worien are in the labyrinths of the great pyramids decking themselve out in their finest apparel for the celebra- tion, for these Pueblos haye Sund and many of these are rich and ha The mass is concluded by 9: occurs the procession of the saint, another Christian_interpolation. In the chapel are images of San_Geronimo, the Virgin Mary and Christ on the cross. These are taken up in mysterious awe by the women present. , and then Outside the door a piece of sheeting is raised aloft on poles by four Incians to form n- opy that will protect the images from the heat of the sun.* The procession then moves off towards a little bower of green limbs near the bigger pyramid. several hundred feot distant. At the head of the comp: marches the simple drummer, pounding away for dear life on his snareless drum. Then follow two Pueblos firing guns as rap- idly as they can be loaded, which has some unknown religious significance, and finally come the women with the images. The figures are installed in the bower. where they can overlook the dance and the rac und then the real celebration of the day begins, On a pole perhaps_forty feet high are su: pended a sheep, pieces of bread known as tortillas and little sacks filled with various kinds of grain. These are the fruits of the field and are thus hung up as a thank offe ing to the Sun Father, by whose grace it was possible to raise enough to supply the com- munity. Dressing for Sun Worship, By 10 o'clock the male Pucblos are seen emerging from holes in the ground, the (l;pl‘niuus of their subterranean council cham- out in their brightest Sunday-go-to-meeting robes and displaying sheepskin leggings white as paper, flock to the terraces of thei pyramid home to witness the pagan ¢ nies. The men went through g incantations in their underground estufas, took off th ordinary clothing and arrayed themselyes to honor the Sun Father and to please the esthetic taste of their race. Ordivarily clothed well enough to pass muster ina_civilized community, they come forth for the dance stripped to a bree clout, one of these a lace curtain, anothe a piece of print with the picture of and many m bits of gay Some have worked red ribbons or skeins of yellow yarn into their long black hair. All are painted, but, unlike the Indian of the north, the Pueblos evidently try to present a pleasing rather than a~ hideous app 10 Some are f white and some are half blue, others are marked with geometric figures and some are one solid color, except at the front and rear bel)w the throat, where a V-shaped piece of flesh was untouched, irve- sistibly recalling the cut of many fashionable women's gowns. A striking feature of the decoration of these men is the white, downy eagle feathers which are stuck to all parts of the bod, Many have their heads nearly hidden b, this snowy covering, while others outlir the painted figures with bands of the soft down. Therein lies a curious and interesting act. The feather is a symbol of prayer among the Pueblos. The eagle soars toward the Sun at will, and his soft white plumes float upward on the breeze like thoughts. The Pueblo goes into the mountaius wiien the eagle Is breeding to take its young and keep them in ecaptivi ty for this gveat occasion, and when he decks himself with these flut- tering feathers they are equivalent to so many prayers constantly ascending to the Sun Father. Notan unpoetical idea. The Pueblo Sun Dance. The men from the two big community uuu‘m‘ljs form in separate groups, shoulder to shoulder, and on an open space overlooked by the imuges, n their dance. Two men carry a black rawhide drum as big as o bar rol, and a third thumps the time with a cus rious and ponderous drumstick. The dauce is a jerky lifting of the feet. At the same time the dancers move along side- ways. one group to tho right and the other to the left, which in time bring the two lines face to face. As they dance they sing Pueblo anthem. To the unitiated it sounds like a meaning- leas repetition of such simple sylables as hi- yo-ta-hu, but it is in fact n song of praise and thanksgiving to the & h und n supplication for the continua . It is not the hoarse and di nt_yelping of the northern Indian, but rises and falls in rythmical cadences and with an exactness as 0 time that is surprising. There are no eruel tortures or wild orgies in the sun_wor ship of these enlightened ‘‘savages,” ana when one understands the significance of their actions he will observe much of natural beauty in the sentiments which inspire them. After the dance comes the race, ‘T'his has some relig! may be said of almost eve blo does, and at the same nded to furnish to make the one of happy The track is a smooth strip of retching about 400 yards away from It is a common notion that this contest is to determine the gov- ernorship of the community. This is not tly true, but at Taos the winners are supposed to have been favored by the Sun and that sentiment usually results g the office to the building whose 's appear to have a “pull” (to use a bit i political language) with the powers r time it is int atio; Jollifi ground . ch of the big buildings at Taos is repre- sented by an equal number of runners, usually about sixteen. After short s by the governor and licutenant g theso parties are so divided stationed that exch building will have one- half of its runne the upper end of the track and the rest at the opposite end The Roliglous Race. s a bit peculiar. Two men, one building, start from the saint's the signal, run to the other end g the Tine, which ng on the ground, two runners in the lower group, who have been swaying and straining in impotent nervous- ness, take up the race and are relieved in turn when they reach the upper end of the course. When one side g a considerable lead on the other the latter calls on its fast- est runners, and it metimes occurs that one man is put in repeatedly to regain lost ground. The contestants at each end stand in a row watching the track. In the middle are the two runners who are to take up the race next, and behind each stands one of the old men of the tribe with a long eagle feather. The ancient one touches the calves of the young man repeatedly with this pinion and mutters a charm praying the Father to give the runner the speed of the imperial bird, At the ankles and wrists of the young men are bound feathers from the wing of the eagle to give the wearer some of the powe: of flight possessed by the bird. that the pagans of the new world d inspirations from nature just as the pagans of the old world did_when their mythology evolved Mercury and his wings. The simpleness of this people has a strik- ing example in the race. Runners often take up the race when their colleagues lack twenty or thirty feet of having finished. This would not bo tlerated among the whites, but there is not even a protest among the Pueblos and one party is as likely to do it as ¢ 0 there seems to be 1o o P The ti kept clear by the old men, who are stationed at short distances up and down both sides armed with green branches intruders out of the way. The spectators show much excitement and cheer the favorites with o of “Um-o-pah” (hurry up), but there is no turbulence, and the con- test continues for ¢ and a half or more, until the governor gives the signal to stop. L3 n Pricsts as Mirth Makers. This ends the morning exercises, and the afternoon is given up to the chiffonetes, who offer a pantomimic performance that affords the natives great amusement, The chif- fonetes fill the dual role of merry makers and priests of th un, At the beginning of the growing season it is their duty to pro- pitiate the Father with supplications and in- cantations, and at the great harvest festival thoy entertain the peopie with clownish antics, for the Pueblos think it their duty to make merry, to give theiz God visible evi- dence of their joyous appreciation of his goodness. These pagan priests are also naked except Tor a bresen clout, Their bodies are circlod in blaclk and white streaks like a zebra, while their faces are marked in similar cir- cles, which have the nose for their common center. Braided in the hair above the ears are bunches of straws from the harvest field. They carry on a jabbering conversa- tion like the minstrel men of the stage and get off rude jokes that tickle the spectators immensely. If the oniookers crowd too closely they got down on all fours and scratch in the sand, sending a cloud of dust flying into the eyes of the bystanders. They squirm through the dust on their bellies like reptiles. T offer each other weeds to eat, w sniffed at and refu with a grimace of dain. Articles in the hands of spectato: are snatched away, wandering dogs a stealthily stalked and swung in the air by the legs, and when the.cowboys on their ponies become too obtrusive they are scat- tered by a can or a broken bottle thrown into the air, All this is very rude comedy, but the man who said the Indian never laughed ought to see him at this pantomime, which is as intel- ligible in its way as that of the white “artist.” When the merry-makers get off particularly good hits the women on the terraces shower them with cakes. In the course of their wanderings the chif- fouetes finally reach the pole which still bears the offerings to the Sun Father. Here, after another confab about how they shall get the prize at the top of the pole, they go through an_exceedingly well acted piece of mimicry. First they piclk up flat stones and pound away at the pole like men choppin; down a tree. They give this up in wel feigned disgust, and after another confer- ence go back to their estufa. They return in a few minutes with bows made of twigs and with a bundle of straws for arrows, A vigorous attempt is made to shoot down the offering, and their failure rs marked with well simulated surprise, much to the amuse- ment of the native spectators. Then they make a pretense of climbing the pole, s ng down repeatedly after pro- gressing ten or fifteen or twenty feet, Finally one of them succeeds and lowers the thank offerings by & rope. The priests carry off their booty, and the sun festival is atan ead Gre nt for All Classos. Geronimo day is & great events for ans and Mexicans of northern New the Pueblos. It Is like a popular the north, and the cowboys and miners and ranchers for seventy-five miles around ride pitch their tents a the visitors, sellis shin shirts money for liquor. And more orderly than it would 2 community with such an occasion and crowd. At the last celebration Senator Ed Wolcott of Colorado and'a party of eastern friends were spectators. The thoughtful reader must be impressed with the absence in the Pueblo ce the cruel and disgusting practices common o other aborigimes in their re b and that is typical of this race in other re connection it may be as well ct o mistaken notion about the Pu- He is not an Aztec and has no part in the Montezuma myth. He is not looking for the coming of that god and does not keep a sacred eternal fire burning. All that sort of rubbish makes relishuble reading for the credulous. But the romantic nonsense about Montezuma was borrowed from Mexico and fixed on the Pueblo years ago, probably to malke an interesting story, and it sticks there in the popular mind, but the truth might as well be vindicated. - *‘When pain and anguish wr *‘Susie,” he answered, ‘‘do you remem- ber the time we went sleighriding and had to walk seven miles back home through a ghaw?" “Yeos," she replied. “‘Well, Susie, this isn't any watch. It's @ thermometer,” s There can be nothing more tempting or delicious to serve JoUr guests with than Cook’s Extra Dry Champague, BLACK HILES INDIAN SCARE How a Tondarfoot Farmor Stampadad Whits Batthera in Terror, MISUNDERSTOOD INDIAN SIGN LANGUAGE L] ety Thought It & Waralng of Imponding Mas- sacro—An Untold Story T Dakota Lifo—Hum)rpus and Pathotic lln_ dents. ‘When the cowboys attached to the Hum- phrey & Stenger outfit, which has the beef contract for the Pins Ridge Indian agency, celobrated Ground Hog day by going over to one of the towns bordering on the reserva- tion, and, after accumulating jags of the typical cowboy kind, returning home, and in the excess of their bibuious exuberanc undertaking to induce the dignitied Sticks to do a ghost dance while ths cheor- ful crack of the revol of an orchestra, thoy were making history, but they didn't know it. So far as their im- madiate existence was conzerned, they wera having a good time, and that was their main object. But Two Sticks, cross as his names indicates, came back with his sons and friends, and, worse than the frontier ‘whisky which once in- duced Colonel Coly (“BufMalo Bill") to steal his own saddle, thoy opened fire on the fes- tive cowboys with such deadly offect that they were all killed. Then Two Sticks was making history. On the next day, when Captain Brown, in charge of the Pine Ridge agency, sent cant Joe Bush and a squad of twenty Ind and his little band of avengers, some more history was made. T'wo of the sons were killed, as were also two others of the party, and Two Sticks was badly wounded. The official announcement from the agency that no further trouble was expected, closea the interesting chapter of border annals. Others of like import will be added in time. But the affair brought up memories of onp of the most humorous of all the. various In- dian stampedes that are chronicled in the unwritten history of the Black Hills coun- try. It not without its tragic side, though it was so ludicrous that the sorrow of the one sad incident connected with it is all but overshadowed in the general fun that has been poked at the Hat Creek stampede of 1838, The story has been handed around among the old timers of the Black Hills for ast five years, but has never been told int. One morning in Juue, 1838, a new settler, or tenderfoot farmer, Hempstead by name, was cheerfully plowing the little patch of corn he had put in for his proving-up crop on his pre-emption claim in the lower end of Hat Creek valley. As he came to the end of the row nearest the trail he was hailed by a strapping big Sioux Indian, who sat astride a little pony. Now, Hempstead could talk 1o Sioux, and the Indian could talk no KEng- lish; s0 the ensuing conversation, while not very wordy, was_décidedly animated. Mr, Indian, ‘who ‘was one of the big men in the Wounded Knee lodge of the Farmers Alliance, and therefore something farmer himself, felt a kindly interest in 2 welfare of the white man, and undertook to talk crops to him in good farmer fashion. But_the white man was not well up in the work of the ord exemplified on_ the res- ervation, and when the Indian gave the grand hailing sign, the pale face interpreted it to mean some sort of threat and governed himself accordingly. The more the Indisn undertook in_the sign language of the plains to tell his white brother about thé progress of crops on the tion, and what sort of corn did the :st, with an ocesional side remark about the prevailing low, prices and the inordinate appetite of the edrporations that were grinding the life @utof the farming classes, the more the white Waii concluded that his last day had arrived.” And the fact that the Indian'had no arms only tended to confirm him in his notion of ~coming treachery. Finally, when Mr Sioux told Mr. Hompstea in the expressive language of thé aborigine pantomime, how high his corn was and how many acres he had in, with just a trifle of exultation in his tone, a great light shone in on the befogged brain of the white man and his heart gave a bound. The In- dian was friendly after all, aud his errand was one of mercy. He had come to warn the white settlers of the approach of the blood- iest massacre that ever stained Dakota soil with human gore. When the Indian pointed out with a sweep of Iis arms the extent of his acres, that meant that the whole coun- try was to be ridded of the hated pale face; and when he designated the number of weoks his corn had been above ground v plainer than words that but two days would elapse ere the fearful work be 5§ lastly, when the red man undertook to con’ vey anidea of the number of bushels he hoped to harvest, he simply told how n of the howlhng demons, all eager to drink ruddy gore, were coming at the end of the fateful two days. That settled it. When the Indian rode along, unconscious of the havoc he had sown, Hempstead unhitched his horses from the corn plow, and started post haste for his little claim shanty. There he told his wife of the impending disaster, and while she hurriedly packed the little belongings of the couple, ready for instant flight, her husband rode along and alarmed his nearest neighbor. In turn the latter passed the word of the dis- covered plot to massacre, and before noon the Indian’s friendly chat had turned into a thousand rumors, éach more dreadful than the other, and the trail along the Hat Creek valley was alive with people, moving toward Qelrichs, S. D., where some sort of a stand would be made against the murderous Sioux. About that time the Packing company - was running an_ abattoir at Oelrichs, and the discarded internal econ- omies of the numerous fat beeves that died there furnished a perpetual banquet for the meek and lowly Indian, who esteems h's tripe all the more delicious in the absence of previous preparation. To i bounteously spread, the del Ridge repaired between issue days never stinted gorge eked out the not too lib- eral rations served out by the government. It was probably toward this goal the cultural Indian was directing his way he stopped to talk crops with the tenderfoot r. So when later in the day the Indian saw an unusual stir among the white set- tlers, he concluded they were seeking some of his race for acts more or less overt in con- nection with the feast at the abattoir. It might be they were after him, and in his wisdom he sought shelter in a draw, where he was later discoyéréd by a white man who was making his wiy''on foot to Oelrichs. The Indian suspdeted capture, the white man ambush, and hoh ran In the meantime the news spread like wild- fire. Some of the titizens of Oelrichs tele- graphed Governor Church at Bismarck to send arms and milifii'to protect the settlers. Governor Church {g then sent a message to Colonel Thornby of, Jiis staff, who lived at Hermosa, to go at-once to Oelrichs and take and to report to the i y notified the gov- ernor of his startiti uud took the train for Oelrichs. Here J&.where the elements played a y imperkant part in the little affair, r ther Arain had crossed the Cheyenne river botween Smithville and Buf- falo” Gap, the water'came up with one of those sudden rushes that river is noted for and took out a portian of the railroad bridge, cutting off communication with the Hills and valleys north)-Then Bordeaux creek did something it wasmever known to do be- fore or since, and washed out enough track above Chadron to prevent the train going in cither direction from Oelrichs and com- pletely wreeking the telegraph line, When Thornby left Hermosa he told his errand, and soon well mounted couriers we speeding down tho thickly settled valle; ween the mountains and the Cheyenne river, spreading the news and warning peo ple to flee the danger. By nightfall hun- dreds of happy homes had been deserted, and thousands of peaceful settlers were wilaly flying with their wives and children toward the towns of the foothills, where there would be numbers enough to check the savages and thus secure safety. Within twenty-four hours of the time the Sloux farmer had bragged about his coming corn crop to his more enlightened, and more apprehensive, white brother, the peace of a prosperous region was destroyed, all occupa- tions were abandoned, and the only thought was safety. Around Rapid City, which was the largest town ia the foothills, there were Anglo-Amerjcan Two | or did service in lieu | 12, 1893—SIXTEEN o PAGES. camped upwards of a thousand farmers,swith their families. Volunteors were ealled for, andresponses wero prompt. All arrangements for Inwlllfvnl dofense were made, and the old-time Indian fighters, whoso experience went back to that fateful June day in ‘70, | prepared to get somo of the vengeance of | which they were then balked Nothing was heard from Oelrichs and the clusion that the town wi Mon came down from the moun- | tains, and after expressing surprise at the sudden congregation of the farmers, sta, to help defend. For four days the susp was continued. Then came the new: Oelrichs that the expected attack h materialized and the fears were quieted | And then camo the pathetic side of the story. When the news was borne down the valley of Spring creek it came to the doors of | one.of the happlest homes in the Black | Hills count, and found the husband and father away. The wife, with the timidity of refinement, gathered her miece, n youni lady of 18. and the school teacher, a girl of | 17, and with her three little children started in the night for Rapid Cit ) along the bank of T and in one part there s a danger- ous ford Down int is the fleeing women drove, unawa the sudden freshet in the mountains had swollen the croek to a raging torrent. In the wild rush of waters the wagon was overturned and only the mother and one child gained the bauk again. In their flight from a danger that had no real existence the other four found death in the swirling torrent. When telegragh and railroad had been repaired the scare soon died out aughed at it except when thoy awful struggle of the hapless women ren in the night inst the rushing f Spring creek. Some weeks later Ward, oneof the best known of western plainsmen and scouts, met the Indian who had talked erops to Hempstead, and in good Sioux the Indian told Ward of his conversa- tion and _inguired why the white men had pursued him. All of which confirmed that he so frequently Dick in the view expressos to his inti- mates, that “therc’s no good in & d—d tenderfoot, any way you take him, and least | of all i a tenderfoot farmer.” CREL Pl A Hackensack, N. Y., preacher declares that heaven is a material abode located *‘in . the star Alcyone. SEZ] N o ULCERS S SCROFULA =) RHEUMATISM S 3] BLOOD POISON And every kindred disease arising from fmpure blcod cured by that never-failing and best of all medicines, Book on Blood and Skin Diseases mailed free. THE SWIFT SPECIFIO CO., ATLANTA, GA. Are those ignorant pretenders ‘who, without any qualifications, any ability, any experience, any skill, claim to possess the power to cure all the ills of the human race. But their want of worth soon becomes apparent to their would-be dupes, and these conscience- less quacks are soon consigned to the oblivion they so richly merit. In strange and strong contrastwith these miserable boasters is the gquiet, dignified yet courteous demeanor of those noted leaders of their profession, Drs. Betts & Betts ‘Who, during the past 27 years, have abundantly demonstrated their ability | to effect speedy, perfect and permanent cures in all the worst forms of those del- icate sexual maladies embraced within the general terms of ol ; i NERVOUS, GHRONIC AND PRIVATE DISEASES. I I Send 4 cents for their illustrated new book of 120 pages, ‘‘Know Thyself.” Consultation free. dress, with stamp, Drs. Betts & Betts, 119 S, [4th Strest, Cor. Douglas St', OMAHA, - NEB. The Paragon Ribbon 1s durable, proluces clean work, zives sutisfastion' and millfons are sold. Wyckoff, Seamans & Benedict | TELEPHONE 1578 1712 FARNAM ST Call upon or ad- [RONIZE We're Selling Out, too! Yes, we are, we're selling out. That is, we're sellin o g out our winter goods, including all our winter overcoats and winter suits at prices far be- low the regular winter price, We're selling out these winter goods at these prices because the sea- son is now late and we'd rather sacrifice a bit on them than to carry any over. prices here, We quote no but rest assured you won't find as good bargains in Omaha as at the Columbia Clothing Company, 18th and Farnam Streets. Dollar e Day. Is all it will cost you for a room in the G. N. W. hotel during the World’s Fair, if you engage it before March 1st. G. M. Nattinger, Room 11, Chamber of Commercs, Omaha. EVERY CONVENIENCE, DESIRABLE LOCATION The usual rates are $2 to $5 a day for no better rooms. CompleteManhood AND HOW TO ATTAIN IT. A medical work that theeffo o ot Nervor torliity. 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CO. in OMAHA, NEB., FEBRUARY 20 0 25, and have them tted with u pulr of his, Nonchangeable Spectacles. Max Meyer & Bro. Co., £ole Agents for Omaha, Nob. 5 TIESTED FR DR. K. W. BAILEY, Teoth Fillal Wity oat 2ain b7 tay Latast [avaa. tion. Teeth Extracted Without Pain or o pRANEer. g 8% A Full Sel of Teelr on Rudbar for 35.9), Perfect it guarantood. Tosth extracty! fa thy morning. New ones insorted in the evealag of sam)y ay Allwork warrantod as ropraioato | ©ffice Third FloorPaxton 31 TClophone 1035, 10tk and FArn v Sy G Industries M By purchasing goods made at the following Nebraska Factories. cannot find what you want, communicate with the manufacturers as - to what dealers handle their goods If you : 4 Chas. Shiverick & Co Omaha Tent-Awning COMPANY. d Rubber Clothing. e Rl T [ U it Fred Krug Brewig Omaha Brewing Assn COMPANY, Our Bojtled Cabinet Boer delivered to any art of the oity. 1007 uckson st. "8 Gilman” | Omeha Milling Co, 1013-16-13 N. 16th at. C. E. Black maaager. Guarcnteed to ual outals brands. m Kxport Bottlea Beor. Deliversd to famile: Oftice and Mill, 1513 N.10h o IRON WORKS, Paxton & Vierling |IndustriallronWorks 1HON WORKS. Manufaoturing and re Wrough+ and Cast Iron | bullding work, Englnes, | m st rass work, ete. ‘vlephone 1419, | Novelty Works. Most complete piantia the west for light manu- fe, and ail kinds Chaso COMPANY Ma Eeo Bullding. trade by C Lincola, Neb. s0AP, | “Page Soap Co. Manufscturersof Untoa soap. 116 Hickory st ~ WHNITE LEAD, Carter Whito Lead Co Corroded Burlof = svaub, Farrell & Co. 3113, presorvey miaos most and apple butter, iassos. COF ol a0 ernaam.