THE INDIAN RISING.

Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 7756, 9 January 1891, Page 5

THE INDIAN RISING.

THE GHOST DANCE DESCRIBED.

[PKB PRRSa ASSOCIATION, i Received January Btb. IMS __.

Washington, January 7

The report of the battle with the Indians only referred to an attack on a provision train

Short Bull, the Indian leader, threatens to capture Pine Ridge regardless of cost. It is defended by only 600 regulars.

We have already explained that tho rising is largely due to an outbreak of religious fanaticism among the Red men, and that ft prominent feature In their proceedings is what is what is known as tho ghost dance. This has seldom been witnessed by a white man ; but au American paper describes one of them as seen from a distance by an enterprising contributor who persuaded a friendly half-breed to take him to the spot. The camp la question was situated in a hollow between a narrow belt of hills. Many of the Sioux are larmers and freighters, and their wagons were corralled in tho middle of the valley. Some of the older braves and squaws, who have never reconciled themselves to modern ways, had tents apart. The oxen, pigs, and poultry were cooped or tethered on the outskirts of tho camp. The dance began at dark; and though the old squaws had carefully raked out the fires, a blaze arising from them now and then revealed the fact that the braves were in full war-paint. The warriors formed in rows at tho eastern cud of the camp, those iv front kneeling, with the young bucks and squaws standing behind them. At this point there was a pause of about ten minutes, during wbich perfect silence and absolute immobility prevailed. Then the old squaws joined hands und knelt down in the centre of the valley. They began chanting what sounded like a dirge, varied by savagely triumphant yells. The warriors advanced, and, joining hands in a larger circle behind tho old squaws, they began the ghost dance. They, too, chanted a dirge, but less shrilly than the squaws; aud then came the luvocatlon to the dead braves to arise and exterminate the white man. The old women, meanwhile, had each procured a burning stick that had apparently been dipped In some kind of pitch. Returning with these, they stole like shadows under the linked arms of tho warriors and passed through the circle like a procession of sphinxes. This was repeated again and again, aud it ia said that the dance lasts till daylight, when everyone concerned ia it is more or exhausted. That the war paint of the braves means a deadly intention to. the whites is unfortunately but too clear.