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Show A TALK WITH SPOTTED TAIL. A correspondent at Custer's Gulch, Black Hills, relates his interyiow with Spotted Tail, as follows: I was introduced to Spotttd T.dl. Major Howard detailed his inter-1 inter-1 retcr, and Spotted TaiI sat down to nave a talk with mo. He knows perfectly per-fectly well what an "interview" means. Correspondent What do you think about the miners being here? Spotted Tail We re wronged. The great father's promises are br ken. This land is not bought yet. It belongs be-longs io us still. We are to have a council soon about it. Ihis was never thought of. Correspondent White men are fond of gold, and it is hard to keep ihem from hunting for it. Spotted Tail It is s:ealing. If this country belonged to the whites, and Indians wanted to get gold, they would have to buy it. Whites aro difierent; they come and take it. Correspondent How much will the Indians ask for the Hills? Spotted Tail smiled as a horse jockey might when asked a price. Finally he said, "A great deal." Correspondent V ill there be o :,l n.il,n,n Tnfi;nna9 -Spotted Tail I can't tell anything xbout it. I don't want to go to war 511 either side. I want to he at peace, l'he Indiana are all angry their hearts are badj because the miners are in this country. In a former interview with Red Dog, a chief accompanying the commissioners, com-missioners, I took occasion to say that the horses lately stolon from Laramie Plains by Indians belonged to the Hon. W. D. Kelley, explaining that Mr. Kelley was a congressman, and had been a friend to the Indians, and that Red Dog and the other chiefs should try and recover this herd, to which he assented. He wished to have Mr. Kelley come to the big council to be held in September, on Shadron creek, I suggested the same idea to Spotted Tail, but the old fellow fel-low only shook his head and Baid, "We can tell about the horses when we know -where they are and who stole them." Spotted Tail -was taken to see the operation of gold mining. He wished to know how it was done and to get a specimen. Mr. Harrison's sluices were visited, and three men worked vigorously for an hour, and then the dirt was "panned out," but no "color" could be seen in the pan. Spotted Tail shook his head and grunted. He evidently meant to say: "Played out; the boys have put up a job." - Spotted Tail made a speech to a mass meeting of miners last night, in which he scolded .them roundly foi coming in here. It was rather ar. imprudent thing, for more than one 1 hand itched to take out a pistol Whether or not the old fellow wai 1 conscious of the danger there inigh ' be in stirring these men up was no indicated by word or look, borne one laughed in derision at his claim for damages. He said: "White men lauEh while I -talk; if a squaw did that while a whito man were talking in my camp she would be whipped." There is no doubt that the Indians are willing to sell the Black Hills-, but whether their price, which I understand under-stand to be $7,000,0:0, will be paid is another thing. If this sum will buy the Big Horn country, and with it a lasting peace, the bargain would be a good one. |
