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262

were stripped of their clothes and pinned to the ground. this is done by tieing the hands and feet each to a rope or cord. and stretching out the limbs the cord pulled tight was fastened to a stake so that the prisoner not only could not help himself but was motionless when each was staked the indians built a fire upon the heart of each and while the captive was writhing in agony the indians danced and chanted a song about him. The squaws in amelioration no doubt for their hard life are at times permitted a little pleasure and sport by the "braves".. The captives were usually if [?] turned over to them for their derision. and it would seem that for inventing more subtle and excruciating methods of torture the squaws excell the men. "A drummer boy was made a captive and turned over to the squaws by a band of Dakota.. He was tied to a tree. after being stripped and was tortured in every way the ingenuity of the indians could devise. and not actually destroy life.. they then [?] pitch pine splinters and stuck these into the flesh of the back and set fire to them. and while he burned danced and howled about him. after the fire had burned and scorched his flesh he was left tied to the tree all night and the next day tied to a pony. he was moved with the camp. as the indians did not think it safe to remain in the neighborhood. his dead body without the scalp was found by the U. S. Troops.

  Roasting by a slow fire is the favorite method of the indian to torture his captive when circumstances will permit an other method will enable him to enjoy the agony of his captive to so full an extent as over the slow fire.  Take for instance a captive stretched out on the plains and which could be more refined in torture than to sit by and watch him squirm and writhe and cry out in agony as the blistering [?] hisses and cracks.. imagine the grim pleasure the indian feels as he [?moves?] the burning brands from one spot to another that his captive shall not be to much done in one place..  If such horrors make the heart sick, when enacted by the savages. what are we to think when by the order of the "Most Holy See of Reims" delicate women and gray haired tottering old men were burned to the same degree. because they differed in opinion from their persecuters. and  because they sought  for truth and protested against error.  The indian does it because it is his pleasure.  the Roman hierarchy did it because they were "Christian."
 When a woman is taken prisoner she is the common property of all her captors..and if she be a white woman she is more valuable. she will sell for as many ponies as four or five