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About The Red Cloud chief. (Red Cloud, Webster Co., Neb.) 1873-1923 | View Entire Issue (June 10, 1904)
ij, j .:i. i -wmii, Susas. - "a:T""Vl&"i:w!V ''.": 5 'PWfBro -t. " WM''ffWf(qiSlwMWHF' jf in t hi I ' , sdFfcs. mss 'www IftMfAi mJmJW , mmmmmWf,. wm. je Milium m wjl i armv bbHHK"! 8WA Tho Ponca Indians aro about to elect their tribal chief In the tradi tional manner with a buffalo hunt, nnd for that purpose havo purchased three bison. For the sentimentalist there Is In this statement tho pathetic reminder thai both the buffalo and the Indlnn aro almost extinct, and thnt tho coming hunt will probably be tho last to be witnessed on tho western plains. There arc a little more than a hand ful of tho Poncas left; If tho white man ever found a good Inllan, which some claim to bo an Impossibility, the Ponca was a near approach to that Ideal. The tribe was pnrt of tho Sioux nation, and the original homo was near a branch of tho Red river and Lake Winnipeg. Tho Poncas havo always enjoyed a reputation for being very peaceable. They wero driven from their Red river homo by their old enemy, tho Chlppewns, who forced them beyond tho Missouri river. Following them up closely, tho Chlppewas drove them away once more, when they joined tho Omahas, which alliance has hnd tho effect of preventing their annihilation. Although a part of the Sioux nation, tho other tribes kept up a relentless war upon tho Poncas, as (lid tho Paw nees, Osages and the Kansas Indians. What theso wars left, smallpox and tho whlto man's vices nearly finished, and from a total of about C.000 thero aro only about 000 now. Tho romnnnt was placed on a reservation, near tho mouth of Niobrara river, In Nebraska, and hero their Ill-luck followed them. This time It wns not their Indian en emy, but tho federal government which failed them. Undo Sam neg lected tho terms of tho treaty mndo with them, and once moro they be camo nomads, forced to tho hunt for subsistence. They nearly starved to death, and, as if destiny had some thing worso in store for tl.em, they wero forcibly removed to Indian Ter ritory, whero tho unwholesomo water killed off their amlmals nnd depopu lated their ranks. Subsequently they returned to their friends, the Omahas, and then to their homo in Nebraska. Forty years ago, when Chief White Eaglo was chosen, thero wero about G.000 in tho tribe. Only eight survlvo of thoso who hunted tho buffalo at his inauguration. Tho Council of Ad visers consists of ten, and since ho can no longer draw the necessary quo rum he has retired, and his son, Horse Chief, takes his plnco at tho head of tho tribe. In nccordanco with tho traditlonnl laws of tho tribe, tho chief nnd his ndvisors arc selected in a buffalo hunt. Tho coming hunt will bear llttlo ro somblanco to that of forty yenrs ngo, Then tho arena wns the boundless plains; now it is to bo an inclosuro 3,000 feet long and 1,500 lcct wide. Then it took placo with herds Innu merable; now threo bison from tho Goodnight ranch, in Texas, will fur ulsh tho uport It is Intended to mnko n show of ',tho hunt, and Indians from tho trlboB In Indian and Oklahoma Territories ha'" been Invited. Some havo al ready arrived and erected their topees. One of tho western railroads ,oxpecta to run excursion trains down IBM to Hllss, O. T., so that the sightseers may bo able to witness tho event. While tho Poncas aro keeping tho the details of their plans secret, there can be no doubt thnt the hunt will not compare with those of tho days when there were millions of buffaloes on tho plains. In those dnys a buffalo hunt was, In a measure, one of the most dangerous sports man or horse could enter Into. Those who havo taken part In these limits havo described them as being unsurpnssed In the ex citement they produced. Tho Indians on their fleet pcnles pursued their prey with swiftness, nnd the spectncl6 of an Immense herd, sometimes a mile long, pursued, and It might be snld, with equal justice, pursuing the hunters; dust enveloping tho hunters, horses running closo without bolng guided, and apparently entering Into tho spirit of tho hunt as much as tho riders was nn expe rience never to bo forgotten. So fas cinating did tho chase become that tho more It wns indulged In tho keener grew tho enjoyment, until, as some hunters will confess, It finally became a passion. In the engerness of tho chaso every musclo quivered, every nerve was at its fullest tension, every faculty was keenly on tho alert, and tho excitement brought with It tho glow of heulth nnd tho vigor of youth. When tho firing began tho reins wero dropped over tho horse's neck nnd not touched again by tho rider until he was through firing. Tho horse had to avoid obstacles in his path without suggestion from his rider, if thero was a nolo In tho ground, ho must detect It and jump over It; a rock, ho must overcomo it in tho samo mnnner. He was tho pilot, and his only duty wns to carry his rider safely and surely without being told whnt to do. Time wns, within the memory of many living men, who aro t.ot so very old, cither, when tho American bison, or ns ho will perhaps always bo called here, tho buffalo, existed In tho west ern country in numbers Incalculable. Hetween tho eastern rango of tho Hocky mountains and tho Mississippi river they roved In herds so largo an to seem impossible to ono who never saw them. Thero is a wcll-authentl- A Ponca. -yxmo Qrra in qomnciij cated story thnt tho garrison at Fort Kearney actunlly fired tholr canon at an lmmenso herd once to prevent them taking tho fort In a rush. Many officers nnd cavalrymen who wero stationed on the frontier years ago tell of traveling for month nt a time and never being out of sight of their countless numbers. Tho bison wi particularly numerous In Kansas at ono time, owing to the fnct that tho buffalo grass was thero most plenti ful. At times tho plains were a solid, moving mass of monsters; as far as tho eye could seo they wero vislblo in enormous numbers. Trains wero of ten dclnyed whllo a herd crossed the tracks of tho Union Pacllle railroad. At ono time they roamed all over tho country. Naturally migratory, the Indians know their wondering habits, nnd followed them. They wero In those dnys of tho greatest value to tho Indians. They supplied nearly nil of their food, nnd millions were slaughtered each year for tho suste nance of tho red man. Not only did tho buffalo supply food, but furnished tho robes nnd hides for clothing nnd dwellings. Tho practical extinction of tho buf falo was not due to tho Indian, but to tho white man. Whllo the Indlnn never killed more thnn wns needed, tho whlto man slaughtered relent lessly. Then, too, tho whlto hunter, when ho wnB a hunter and not merely a tenderfoot out on a sporting excur sion, would simply tnko tho fur hide and loavo tho carcass to tho wolves. Ho was very wasteful, nnd tho "sportsman" who spent a day killing off perhaps hundreds, would not touch tho meat, although tho knowing ones found the buffalo steak superior to thnt of tho beef of commerce. Buffalo hunting was a science, and was only to bo engaged In safely by those who thoroughly understood tho methods of their prey. In tho hunt- W2S3!B&2Zs ing, as has been stated, the horso was a quantity of no insignificance. In killing these animnls tho hunter rodo boldly into tlio fleeing herd, his horso running only as fast as tho buf faloes. Then, selecting tho animal deMred, ho fired directly behind the foro shoulder, as this wns tho tender est place, and a shot entering at this point was most likely to strike a vital part. This threw tho buffalo down, and after tho hunter had exhnusted his nnftounltlon, or hnd selected a suf ficient number, ho returned nnd killed thoso ho hnd already wounded thnt wero left lying on tho prairie. With tho Indians tho hunt was much moro simply conducted. They did not always penetrate a herd, but ofton fol lowed It and picked off tho animals In tho rear. Tho hunt for which tho Poncas havo mado such elnborato preparations will, of courso, bo n tamo affair compared with tho hunts in tho days gono by, and, or course, the sixty braves let looso upon them will not at first attempt a killing, or the sport wbuld bo of short duration. In any event, tho Inst buffalo hunt is ono of great interest, and as tho beasts aro now scarce nnd costly, it may without fenr bo called tho last. Thon, alf-o, tho breaklng-up process of tho Indian relations Is nenrly complotcd. In a few yenrs tho hostllo red man will bo a legend, ho Is fast succumb ing to civilizing Influences, his hunt ing grounds nro blossoming with pop ulous, thriving towns. Tho Poncas nro most likely nbout to inaugurate their last chief, as well ns to hunt for tho Inst tlmo tho monarch of tho plains. Philadelphia Ledger. Proctor's Sense of Honor. United States Sonntor Rcdflold Proctor's strict regard for tho laws, even thoso of minor imitortance, is well known. An illustration of this happened recently. Tho Senntor and his son, Itedfleld Proctor, Jr., wero hunting rabbits in tho mountains east of Rutland n few months ago. Tho younger man, who had becomo separ ated from his father, shot a largo rac coon, nnd when ho noxt met tho Sena tor ho proudly exhibited his prize "My son," said tho Senator, sternly "tho opon season for coon hunting hns not yet begun. Como with mo." Tho Senator theroupon marched the young man off to tho residence of n justlco of tho pence, whero ho op pcarcd against him, and tho boy was fined for tho offenso, tho monoy being advanced by the senator himself. Do It Nowl Whin o,i c rut a Juli In do. Pi! It III1U ! II it our ycu wish wns tluiiiiKlt, ,, Do It now! Ii uoro mrc the JoIi'h miui iiwii. I 'mi t in in ii ml linw mill Rnuti- Dii It linn'. Don't put off a. Mt of wmli, ,. , Wo It now! It iloi-ii't iny to hlito, Do It now! If mmi wmt lo mi n plnco Ami Im- urfiil to tlio moo, Jiict p't up miii tnko a imico, Do It now! i 'on i iiiinr l.y tlio wv, Ynii'll ,ir f j nli ilrlny, Uo It now! Do It now! If tin nllirr ftlliiun unit. Or potmiii until it'n late, Inn lot up ii MhIii- ptii Do II now ! - Frank r.iriltiKton Thought Reading by a Watch. A most pu..llug trick is "thought reading b n watch." Place a watch on n table, ask nunc ono to think of a cor'nln hour, and then to consider that In- has counted up to that num ber. Tell him mi will point nt vari ous hours on the watch, and that ho must add the number of times ou point to the number of the hour of which he thought. Instruct hlin thnt when he i caches No. 'JO he must tell you to stop pointing, and ou will then be pointing nt tho hour he se lected. For example: Say he thinks of 7 o'clock When ou hnvo pointed 13 times he must stop jou. because ho has then counted to 20. Now It docs not matter f what hour he thought; nt the HHth count you will have ar rived at tho correct hour If jnu re member nlways to let your eighth pointing be to 12 o'clock, nnd from there to follow the hours nround backward, I. c, fit in 1- to 11, anil ho on till you are told to stop. Home-Made Switch. Oct a piece of board Ixux1,!- In thick ness, a piece of copper and some screws and wire; now wo are ready to start. The switch 13 la made of a pleco of copper -"m inch wide. It Is piloted at F with a screw. To tho end of 13 Is fastened a cop per wire (No. 25), which leads to the upper binding post. This switch has six contact points. These consist of brass screws and copper or tin washei.s. Having F as n centir. draw the nrc of circle that hns a radius of A inches. Place tho contact screws along this nrc and about L- Inch apart, center to center; the last sciew forms a part of binding post A. This switch can be also used as a speed regulator for small motors or dynamos. Mystifying Card Trick. A simple and mystifying car1 trick Is tho will power trick. You let any ono shuflle tho enrds, then tnko them into your own hand nnd ask another person to cut them. Now.throw them on u table, but us jou 'lo so get a ullmpse of tho bottom card, which Is, wo will sny, tho nlno of hearts. Scat ter tho cards a llttlo, but carefully note tho position of tho nlno of hearts. Now j,ay that you havo tho power to will thnt a person shall, unknown to himself, select tho card you want. You can call for the nlno of hearts. Some ono hands you a card wl'hout looking at Its face. "Thank you," yon say "Quito right nlno of hearts." Really, however, it is tho jack of spades; so you now nsk for tho Jack of spades, and get, lot us sny, seven of diamonds. You then sny that you will ilck a card from tho table yourself- tho seven of diamonds. You Hike tho enrd, however, which you know to bo tho nlno of hearts. You then show tho three cards, which nre, of course, tho threo you named, so thnt It appears thnt you actually havo made your spectators pick out tho cards you wanted. Holland Customo Unchanged. Almost overy fishing village In Hol land has Its special dress and Hb own quaint customs. Ono can seo from old Dutch pictures thnt these havo not vnrled tor tho last 200 years. Ono most Interesting plnco Is tho Island of Marken, a tongue of land on tho margin of tho Zuydor Zee, which cun well bo inspected In n couplo of hours. It Is so little nbovo tho sea level that the clusters of houses, or tiny villages, nro built on mounds connected by bridges, and nearly every llttlo house has its own llttlo moat nnd Its own little boat everything, except tho people, Is on n diminutive scalo In Holland moored near the door, so ns to be handy In enso of flood. Tho hiitiHoh, with tho oxcoptlon of tho church and tho clergyman's houee, nro built of wood on high piles. They nro iiono of them very old, ns the placo has often been flooded and burnt ; In winter Marken Is ofton under water nnd tho Inhabitants use boats to pass from ono vlllago to another. Tho cot tages, which are palntud Who, green or black, with polntod gnbtns. and &&EafljSi roofed with rod t'los. nro nil exactly alike and possess only a gioiind door I illt on titi-.lt pill's. Fudge Recipe. A recipe for fudge, the ever fascin ating candy which girls love to mnko, Is sent in as follows: Two cups of white sugar, threo tn-bit-spoonfuls of cocoa (mix well), about two thirds cup of milk, a piece of butter about the sbo of a small egg. Cook until it gets stringy, or else sugars nround tho edges. Just before taking off tho stovo ndd one half tciiHpoonfiit of flavoring. When tnken off tho stove beat It tor a min ute or two, or until It gels Just linn! enough to turn Into buttered pans without hardening. This is fine with nuts In. When utmost cool cut In squnres. Circle Puzzle. Theso nro tho three equal squares, each containing flvo of the small cir cles. Simple Experiments. A very Interesting branch of study Is vibration. A vibration you know, Is defined ns nn Impulse, but If a series or num ber of Impulses nro produced singly and nt Irregular Intervnls. very llttlo effect upon anything cun bo produced. If the reverse Is true, however, results often astounding will bo noticed. And that, by the way, tuaches an Im portant lesson. You cannot do any thing of nny account by moans of n slnglo effort. You must "keep nt It," regularly and constantly. Did you over, with n plnymnte, cross a stream walking over a plank, keep ing step the while? Whnt happened? Why, the plnuk be gan to Jump nnd bounce until you both camo near falling Into tho water. Your regular footfalls set up vibra tion, and the plank wns obedient to Its law. Probably you know that as a rule soldiers aro obliged to break ntep when crossing a bridge. If they con tinued inarching such vibration would bo sot up that the bridge would prob ably fall. In going over a great LIVING To mnkc living pictures provldo . yourself with a iheet of stiff' whlto cardboard and n spool, ono end of which you cut off squnrely. Stick the spool on a pleco of strong wire, and bend the wire in such a wny that tho 'ongcr end serves ns a handle, whllo the other end keeps tho spool from sliding off (seo II). Now take your compass and draw a clrclo seven Inches in diameter on the cardboard. Cut tho clrclo out carefully. Draw a second clrclo three-eighths of nn Inch from tho edgo of tho first clrclo nnd divide It with n pen into eight parts, which you connect with tho center of the clrclo by lines. A third clrclo which you draw is sovon eighths of an inch from tho edge, Hetween tho two Insldo circles, nt each of tho divisions, cut out squaro windows, as shown in A. Cut out a square nt tho ccntor of tho clrclo to many railroad bridges tho speed of lo comotives must bo slnckoncd, becauso the regular swing of tho pistons re sults In tho snmu mnnner. A Tangle Party. A tnnglu party Is a jolly Idea fol parents. Lengths of ribbon or colored twlno nro twisted all over tho house, nnd the children nre told that if the enn And tho end of the thread thoy can havo whatever they will' And at tho end of It. The ribbons begin In one room nnd end In another. They nro passed through keyholes, twisted nround balusters, and perhaps ono end Is In tho garret or in tlio kitchen. If presents cannot lie bought for nil tlio children two handsome prizes can bo purchased Instead, ono for a girl ami otio for a hoy, and secured to tho end of a bine ribbon nnd rod rib bon, respectively. Hut a llttlo present each Is more pleaslrg, on tho whole, as children llko to carry homo some llttlo souvenir of a party, If It Is only a tiny toy or a pretty red notebook or n nlco llttlo box of sweets. Floating Triangle A Trick. Hero Is an Interesting experiment, boys and girls: Take a wot lead pencil point anil draw on thick paper a trlauglo (which need not lie lnnthemntlcally perfect). Tnko n basin of wntcr nnd Iny thin pnper on the surface of tho water, with tho drawing up. Very carefully till tho spneo liinldo tho lines with water. (The water will not flow be yond tho lines which you drew with your wet lend pencil point). Noxt tnko a needle or pin, dip tho point of It into the wet trlnuglo near ono of tho angles. Rut don't lot It touch tho paper. Now nn odd thing will happen; tho papor will bo nuro to movo on tho water until tho center of area cornea directly under tho point. You should previously hnvo found whero tho center of nrca Is by draw ing lines from nny two nnglcs to tho centers of tho opposite sides. (Seo tho picture.) The point whero th two lines cross will bo tho center ol area. Try this interesting experiment. Tho Riunll boy's way of saying It Is threo letters? Mam. PICTURES. fit over tho end of tho spool which la cut off squarely. Now to mnko tho living pictures. Wo cut out circles six Inches In dl nmctcr nnd copy C anil D as they ap pear In tho drawing. Fig. 13 showa clrclo with a design of living pictures attached to tho largo clrclo with the llttlo windows. D Is a wheel with soven spokes. Wo attach the clrclo to tho largo clr clo on tho spool with tho help of a llttlo wnx and stnnd bc.foro n larga san mirror, turning tho front of tho cfo do townrd tho glass. Now wo give tlio clrclo a quick turn with tho hand, looking through tho llttlo windows at tho same tlmo. Tho wheeljvlll appear to hnve nil Its eight spokes instoad of seven :uvd will turn in tho opposite) direction from tlio clrclo wo hold fa our hand. Fig. O will show tho pon tlulum of n clock In motion. Fig. B a ball flying through n rlnu. . ! M VW' i . i H Wi-MsfaF,iWfaWV-Wm;0'''Wra nws kTWW I'jMwmiWllB&l -",r M $1