death and if the convict was a man of ordinary spirit he
usually chose to commit suicide in preference.[4]

[4] Interview with Joseph LaFramboise of Veblen, a Sisseton, at
Sioux Falls, in October, 1900.

For some offenses a convict was exiled from the camp, given an old
teepee and a blanket, but no arms, and was allowed to make a living if
he could. Sometimes he would go off and join some other band, but such
conduct was not considered good form and he usually set up his
establishment on some small hill near the home camp and made the best
of the situation. If he conducted himself properly he was usually soon
forgiven and restored to his rights in the community. If he went off to
another people he lost all standing among the Sioux and was thereafter
treated as an outlaw and a renegade. The entire band of Inkpaduta, once
the terror of the Dakota frontier, was composed of these outlaws.[5]

[5] Flandreau's Minnesota.

The camp policeman was a most important officer of the court and he
frequently took upon himself the adjudication of petty quarrels and the
summary punishment of small offenses committed within his view. He was
appointed by the chief for one or more days' service and he made the
most of his brief span of authority. In addition to executing the
orders of the court he was always on watch to preserve the tranquility
of the camp during the day and he stood upon guard at night. When
ordered to do a thing it was a point of honor to accomplish it or die
in the attempt. He was a peace officer, delighting to fight for peace'
sake at any time.[6]

[6] Journal of Lewis and Clark September 26th and 27th, 1804.

While the civil court was composed of the "elder statesmen" the
military court was composed of the war chief and his most distinguished
braves, and, as has been before suggested herein, exercised unlimited
power in time of war and was implicitly obeyed. It took jurisdiction of
all matters growing out of infractions of the "Articles of War" and of
all the civil and criminal affairs of the tribe as well. There was no
appeal from its judgments and its sentences were summarily executed. An
anecdote will illustrate something of its practice: In the campaign of
1876, after the affair at Little Big Horn, Grey Eagle, a Hunkpapa
headman of good family and with a good military record, was charged
with stealing a horse from another warrior of the Sioux forces. He
denied the charge but the prop