Show TI Familiar Indian Faces ILia fInd Some Not mot S Familiar hc p O 0 l 1 i s. s J nd d M tl f ts K 1 tau 7 t p S 'S v Y V v Ci S 7 f t til It b il r il k s r e v ehe ennes pent Iron Tail and the Buffalo O b Vance Dillon 5 f l s A 4 kl use 01 if th By ELMO SCOTT WATSON th favorite American myth mth bea has been exploded The Indian In In- to than dian who whose e face fuce appears ou on the buffalo nickel el is not up tit Chief Chief Two Guns White Calf of or orthe gilt the feet For many years ears i such captions as ns Face You seem Recognize on Buffalo Nickel t Youve His ills Portrait In Your Pocket You Yon Carr Carry Isis Ills Picture Pic Ik It cart ture Perhaps ture Perhaps and Ills Face is Worth a Fortune In Nickie Nickels Nick Nick- ie He els cis 1 have appeared over pictures pictures pic pie Ii J tures Lures of him In the newspapers Innumerable id tourists to Glacier National I park In Montana have exhibited to friends back home a picture retched which they took took took-of of the tile buffalo nickel Indian In Jn the many trips which Two Guns White hite Calf cost has bas taken to all parts of the United States age ef he be has been photographed Interviewed advertised advertised adver adver- y l Used and written up as the Indian whose like like- red tt ness appears on er e every buffalo nickel All of roil which has built up a tn typical ical American m myth th t th And now It turns out that the buffalo nickel has Indian Isn't Chief Two Guns White Calf In Inthe Inthe ucb l the parlance of the day its it's two other fellows or or lr possibly three The Tile authority for that statement Is the man who if an anyone one should know lIe He Is James Earle Frazer a famous sculptor if you visited visited vis vis- the Panama Pacific exposition In San Francisco Fran Fran- i. i cisco in 1915 1015 perhaps you ou remember his striking tart ing piece of ot Indian statuary The End of the Hof Trail whose design for the buffalo nickel was wasL L accepted b by officials of the United States Treasury Treasury Treas Treas- ury department when plans for Issuing that s of fl five cent v ve e c cent piece were made malle some 15 la years ears ago 1 The other da day Mr Ir Frazer wrote a letter to read the office once of Indian affairs In the United States Department of the Interior In which he said hired that he had bad not us used ell Two Guns White Calf as asder der his bIs model but that he lie had used the profiles profiles pro pro- files of or three other Indians for his design One g Ii a was Chief Iron Tall Tail of the Ogallala Sioux u an ng n- n other was Chief Two Moons of the Northern Roo Che ennes and the third was an Indian whose whose In- In name Dame he lie had forgotten Of course if you ou Insist insist in In- list upon cherishing the my myth tl l you can believe belIeve believe be be- lieve that the Glacier Park chief is the third th Indian whom Mr Ir Frazer has forgotten But nut even that's difficult In face of the fact that a is the sculptor was quoted as saying saing he had never Dever seen Two Guns White Calf e a t pie But even though this does demolish our popular popular pop isah ular beliefs it has Its compensations For one m a thing tiling it makes valid a publicity story put out outE E t by a press agent 1 Press agent yarns arns especially espe espe- dall dally those which have to do with the show business the business the theater the circus the movies port et cetera are more often than not of the kind Ir e which require more than a grain of salt for forthe forthe ird the taking A generation ago when the latea late a s Col Cot William l F. F Cody was amazing and deJ delighting delighting de de- de- de J lighting two continents with his famous Wild ou and West show a part of his 1 personnel was a band tie of Ogallala Sioux Indians from the Pine Ridge Hidge reservation In South Dakota Among them was wasa 3 d a chief at least he lie was a chief In the show program program pro pro- iv gram whether the Ogallala looked upon him as re 1 such or not named Iron Tall Later Iron Tall traveled with the i combined Buffalo Bill m a out and Pawnee Bill Wild West Vest shows and s still ll later in the Ranch show w owned ownell by the Miller e a I Brothers of Oklahoma and Edward Arlington Soon after the appearance IH of the buffalo ram nickel some inspired press agent whose name tan Is unknown had a photograph such as Is shown above e taken of or Iron Tail and one of the buffaloes buffaloes aloes carried carrIell by the show and gave ave out the Information that this was the original Indian 1 and buffalo on the new buffalo nickel Whether er he real really knew that Frazer had bad used Iron IronTail's way Tall's Tails profile profit In making his design Is also un un- S. S known Anyway It was a good story and the press stuck to It But Hut for some reason the d story didn't catch on with the public Perhaps Perhaps Per Per- ted haps gaps It was dismissed as Just another press the agent yarn even though there was some sone element element ele ele- eli ment of truth In It f fIn In the next nest few years eurs the tile Wild West show business languished The automobile and Improved Improved finIn Im Im- In proved roads began to make mal Americans a race of motor g gypsies Instead of waiting for the yE Wild West to be brought to them In tented arenas they cranked ed up their cars and went IDe to see the Wild West such as there was of ot It left for themselves Glacier park became one ich of ot the favorite of the tourist and in ad ad- a addition ip to Its marvelous scenery there were also for Indians real Indians real Indians in feathers and blankets ise and paint to greet th them m with guttural lows Hows 1 ri d One of or these who became best hest known was Two t Guns GUllS White Calf And then some other unknown unknown unknown un un- un- un known press agent for agent for whom or what the present chronicler does not know started know started that yarn arn about Two Guns being the original buffalo but but- nd tale falo nickel Indian Indan And this press a agent gent who h e had no real foundation for his story was he- he where the other press agent who had la tried to tack that fame on Iron Tall Tail and who he had hall real Justification for his story wasn't So o the m myth th grew and grew until this year when James Earle Frazer e exploded It fY r o 4 1 y N Tort Fort Two Guns tn White Calf Note Note Note-In In many states the third Friday in September is is il observed as al American Indian Day an occasion for recognizing the contribution of the American Indian to our national tradition The observance observance ance this year comes on September 28 and publication of this article dealing with some Indians whose fame has been imperishably preserved in enduring metal is especially appropriate as that date draws near But more important than establishing the veracity veracity veracity-In In one case at least least of of of a press agent Is the fact that Frazers Frazer's statement recalls recalls recalls re re- re- re calls once more the name of a really great grent Indian Indian Indian In In- dian chief and Americans may well look upon the buffalo nickel with new Interest because they now know that the Indian profile thereon has In it some of the dignity J and strength of the features of Chief Two Moons of the Northern Two Moons rose to a position of Importance among the because of his feats asa asa as asa a warrior lie Ile was many times wounded In battle both with Indians of other tribes and the whites Once a Pawnee arrow tore Its way through h his flesh on another occasion he was shot by a Crow In the Yellowstone country In a fight with American soldiers in Utah he was shot through the thigh But he also counted many coups on both red men and white The opening of the Indian war In 1876 found him the chief of a band of In the Powder river country and when the Sioux were Joined by their allies the Two Moons had hada a conspicuous part In the Battle of the Rosebud Rosebud Rosebud Rose Rose- bud when Crazy Horse of the defeated General Crook A week later Two Moons and his band were encamped on the Little Big Dig Horn when Custer and the Seventh cavalry made their fatal attack attack attack at at- tack on the bi big bib Indian village e strung alon along that stream Two Moons Moons' account of the battle which was taken down by Hamlin Garland and which appeared in the old McClures McClure's magazine for September Is one of the most graphic and at the same time one of ot the most Important Important Important tant from the Indians Indians' viewpoint narratives of that famous anions engagement ever written In telling of his Interview with Two Moons Moons' Garland Garland Garland Gar Gar- land writes There was something placid and powerful in the lines of or the chiefs chief's broad browand brow browand browand and his gestures were dramatic and noble in sweep His fIls extended arm his musing musIn eyes his deep voice combined to express a meditative solemnity profoundly impressive There was no anger In his voice and no reminiscent fer fer- fer- fer All that was stron strong and fine and anti distinctive dis dis- In the Cheyenne character came out In Inthe Inthe Inthe the old mans man's talk He fIe seemed the leader lender and thoughtful man he really was was patient patient under Injustice courteous even to his enemies Two Moons not only participated In the Crook and Custer battles but also was In n another famous famous famous fa fa- fa- fa the battle battle tk attack by General Mackenize l on Dull Knifes Knife's village that bitter hitter winter night of or 18 1870 G when the power of the was broken The next nest spring Two Moons realized that the game was up and he led lell his people to Fort Keo Keogh h Mont Font to surrender to Gen Nilson Nelson Nel Nil son A. A Miles In 18 1879 1579 9 h he served as a scout under W. W P. P Clark in the effort to catch the Che Cheyenne enne chief Little Wolf after his epic dash from Oklahoma towards freedom In the north After the close of the Indian wars Two Moons was looked upon as head chief of or the Northern Che ennes and he lie was zealous In leadIng leading lead lead- Ing ng them then in the white mans man's road even after blindness handicapped him In his later years ears The Indian on the buffalo nickel however Is not the only one nor or which a notable red rell man was the model The other day a statue which has stood at the foot of Eighteenth street In Chicago for nearly 40 years ear was removed from its stone base and taken to the Chicago o Historical His Ills Society building for safekeeping until Its final disposal osal is determined So travel travelers erR coming coining Into the Twelfth street station In Chicago Chicago Chi Clil- cago over the Illinois Central or Michigan Central Central Central Cen Cen- will no longer catch a fleeting glimpse of ot the spirited bronze group which once stood I i r j o 6 Dearborn near the site of the historic Fort Dearborn massacre The group is a representation of one of the most stirring incidents In that tragic affair It shows Black Partridge a Pottawatomie chieftain chieftain chieftain chief chief- tain saving Mrs Irs Helm wife of one of the officers officers officers of of- of the Fort Dearborn garrison from the tomahawk of a mad blood-mad young brave And theres there's an interesting story connected with the Indians who were used by the sculptor as his models In making this piece of statuary For they were none other than Chief Short Bull of the Brule Sioux high priest of the Ghost Dance religion which came so near to resulting In a areat great reat uprising of the Sioux In 91 1890 and Chief Kicking Bear of the Sioux a fierce warrior who was Irreconcilable to dom loin domInation domination by the white man and saw In the Ghost Dance excitement a chance to rouse his people against their enemies How It happens that these two Indians from the plains of the Dakotas came to be the models for a memorial to a tragedy on the shores of or Lake Michigan Is told In a book published In 1893 1533 The Chicago Massacre of 1812 1 by Joseph Kirkland as follows Carl Smith Rohl a Danish sculptor who had hall already won distinction In Europe and America and who came to Chicago under the strong attraction attraction at at- attraction traction which preparations for the Worlds World's Columbian exposition offered for for M all artists won notice and praise by his statue of Franklin cast for the entrance of the electrical building He was invited to prepare a model for a group commemorating the Fort Dearborn massacre of 1812 Mr SmIth Rohl set himself to work with utmost utmost Utmost ut ut- most diligence Fortune fa favored orell him for there happened to be just then some Indians of th the most JOOst untamed sort at Fort Shet Sheridan idan only a afew afew afew few miles mUes away in charge of the garrison arrison as prisoners of war they having been car captured turell in the Pine Ridge district whereof the affair of Wounded Knee was the chief event By General Mlles Miles permission Mr Smith Rohl was allowed to select two of these red rell men to stand as models for the principal savage figures Intile in inthe inthe the tile group The Tile two best adapted were Kicking Bear and Short Bull Lull Concerning them Mr Smith Rohl says sas KickIng KickIng Kick Ing lug Bear Is the best specimen of physical manhood manhood manhood man man- hood I have ever e critically examined He lIe Is a wonderful man and seems to enjoy the novelty of posing besides evidently having ha a clear understanding understandIng understanding un un- un- un of the use to which his figure will willbe willbe be put The fhe assailant of Mrs Helm the one with the uplifted tomahawk Short Bull fills the historical Idea that the assailant was a n ayoung ayoung young Indian naturally one who would not be beas bens beus as us fully developed as the I vigorous orous manly Black Partridge The presence of these Indians has been of great reut value to me In producing the fl fig fig- ures I have been enabled to bring out some somo of their characteristics not otherwise possible The savages were accompanied by an Interpreter interpreter Interpreter inter Inter- preter and the newspaper of the day gave some amusin amusing accounts of their demeanor in the studio stu stu- dio their thc their I mixture of docility and self assertive ness etc It chanced that the real dispositions of or the two principal models were the reverse of or their assumed characteristics and Kicking Kicking- Bear who when wearing his native nath-e dress and war paint curried carried a string of six scalps was much amused at the fact that he was assigned the more humane part Me I good Injun he cried Him bad ball Injun And he lau laughed hell loudly at the jest So the paradox connected with the model for the Indian on the buffalo nickel that nickel that of a press agent nent stor story with some basis of or fact not bell being believed and a press ItreSs agent story with no basis of fact becoming an American myth has myth has Its counterpart in the paradox connected with the model for the Indians In the Fort rort Dearborn Massacre monument statue So long as Its bronze endures Short Bull Dull who was a u visionary vision ision ary a u dreamer a n man of peace pence who did not desire war with the whites will continue to threaten the life of ot a woman 0 of the white race And the figure of Kicking near Boar a warrior a hater of or the white man and anti a u leader who sought to use religious frenz frenzy to stir up Ut his people against the whites will continue to hold out a restraining hand to save a white womans woman's life Ufe I by Western Newspaper Union |