On February 6, 1893, Brown met with more than 50 chiefs at his quarters to discuss the murders and subsequent apprehension of Two Sticks. Most of the chiefs agreed that Two Sticks was the instigator of the troubles and that he was always one of the first to join insurrection crowds. The consultation lasted two hours and was pleasant and harmonious. Several of the chiefs assured Brown that they were friendly and represented peaceable tribes.

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Two Sticks’ wounds proved so severe that reservation officials agreed to let him stay until he recovered enough to make the trip to Deadwood S.D., for trial. Several weeks later, Marshal Chris Matthiessen journeyed to the reservation to bring Two Sticks to justice. Two Sticks refused to cooperate and called upon his friend Chief No Waters to protect him. Two Sticks held out for more than a month, but after No Waters himself was arrested, Two Sticks finally gave up the fight. While in the Deadwood jail, Two Sticks had a relapse from his wounds and remained seriously ill for several months.

He recovered, only to face the white man’s justice. On December 29, 1894, the Black Hills Daily Times, under the bold headline ‘A GOOD INDIAN,’ reported that on the previous afternoon Two Sticks had been hanged in the Lawrence County jail yard in Deadwood.

On the day of the hanging, the 28th, curious people began gathering about the jail as early as 8 a.m. Everything was in readiness. The gallows stood in the center of a 40-by-60-foot space between the jail and the stable. A 16-foot solid board fence surrounded the perimeter. At 9:30 a.m., those with admission tickets were permitted inside. By 10:15 there were at least 200 people packed into the enclosure. Many of those with no tickets climbed on top of the adjoining stable and sheds.

Inside the jail, amid the preparations for the execution, Two Sticks appeared bright and calm. He had passed the night sleeping, walking the floor, singing and talking. He had eaten a hearty breakfast of steak grilled over live coals, two cups of strong black coffee and several slices of bread.

Soon after breakfast, Two Sticks’ spiritual adviser, Father Digmann, and his attorney, W.L. McLaughlin, entered with the message that President Grover Cleveland had refused to intervene and that he must go to the gallows. The announcement did not startle or unnerve Two Sticks, but he became more serious and thoughtful.

A U. S. marshal named Peemiller, accompanied by other officials and members of the press, entered the corridor about 9:30 a.m. As they approached, Two Sticks arose and extended his hand to all. When told that the marshal would read the sentence of the court, Two Sticks merely grunted, and he was quiet while the death warrant was read. But when he was asked if he had any reason to give why the sentence should not be carried out, he grabbed the opportunity he had been waiting for. He turned to Marshal Peemiller and spoke in a clear, resonant voice.

‘My heart is not bad,’ he reportedly said. ‘I did not kill the cowboys; the Indian boys [meaning White Faced Horse, Fights With, Two Two and First Eagle] killed them. I have killed many Indians, but never killed a white man; I never pulled a gun on a white man. The great father and the men under him should talk to me and I would show them I am innocent. The white men are going to kill me for something I haven’t done. I am a great chief myself. I have always been a friend of the white man. The white men will find out sometime that I am innocent and then they will be sorry they killed me. The great father will be sorry, too, and he will be ashamed. My people will be ashamed, too. My heart is straight and I like everybody. God made all hearts the same. My heart is the same as the white man’s. If I had not been innocent I would not have come up here so good when they wanted me. They know I am innocent or they would not let me go around here. My heart knows I am not guilty and I am happy. I am not afraid to die. I was taught that if I raised my hands to God and told a lie that God would kill me that day. I never told a lie in my life.’

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