ORIGINAL 1894 DEADWOOD EXECUTION INVITATION
CHIEF TWO STICKS (CHA NOPA UHAH)
ISSUED TO JUDGE JOHN H. BURNS
Offered here is an exceptionally rare original printed invitation issued for admission to the December 28, 1894 legal execution of Chief Two Sticks (Cha Nopa Uhah) at the Lawrence County Jail in Deadwood, South Dakota.
Most importantly, this particular invitation was personally issued to Judge John H. Burns (1851–1939), prominent Deadwood frontier attorney, magistrate, and later Lawrence County Judge. Burns' name is handwritten prominently across the top of the original invitation.
The printed text reads:
"YOU ARE INVITED TO ATTEND THE LEGAL EXECUTION OF
CHA NOPA UHAH, ALIAS TWO STICKS, AT LAWRENCE COUNTY JAIL,
IN DEADWOOD, S.D., DECEMBER 28TH, 1894, AT 10 O'CLOCK A.M."
The card is further printed "ADMIT ONE. NOT TRANSFERABLE." and bears the signature of the U.S. Marshal.
JUDGE JOHN H. BURNS & TWO STICKS
This is considerably more than a general surviving admission pass to a historic Deadwood execution.
Contemporary newspaper accounts document Judge Burns' direct involvement in the events surrounding Chief Two Sticks. Period reports place Burns at Pine Ridge during the attempted arrest of Two Sticks and identify Burns as representing Two Sticks during the legal proceedings that ultimately culminated in the 1894 execution.
The invitation was therefore preserved by a man who had personally participated in the events and legal proceedings involving the condemned Lakota leader.
PROVENANCE
The invitation comes directly from the Judge John H. Burns family archive and was acquired from Burns' great-grandson.
The Burns archive remained within the family through successive generations for more than a century. A signed and notarized family declaration documenting the collection's direct family descent accompanies the archive.
This invitation had never previously been offered on the public market prior to its appearance in our July 30, 2026 sale.
HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE
Official execution invitations of this type were produced in limited numbers and issued to selected officials and invited witnesses.
The historical format of this scarce invitation is further supported by published research in South Dakota History, Vol. 42, No. 1 (Spring 2012), which reproduces an invitation of the same official design.
This example has the exceptional additional association of having been personally issued to Judge John H. Burns, whose name remains handwritten across its face.
As one of the few surviving original official invitations to the execution of Chief Two Sticks, and one preserved within the personal family archive of Judge John H. Burns, this document represents a remarkable artifact connecting Deadwood history, Lakota history, the American frontier, and the legal history of the Black Hills.
CONDITION
Good antique condition consistent with its age of more than 130 years. Original surface wear, toning and other age-related characteristics are visible in the photographs.
Please examine all photographs carefully, as they form an important part of the description and condition assessment.
A rare opportunity to acquire an original, named 1894 Deadwood execution invitation with an extraordinary direct historical association and long-term family provenance.
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