| Show THE INDIAN MOVEMENT washington january 5 secretary noble was questioned as to what action had been taken on the recommendation of general miles that the indian agents of the south dakota agencies be relieved from further duty and that their places be filled with military officers the secretary says he did not care to discuss the matter further than to say that the sub subject ty act hwa had not been mentioned fied to him by any one with authority to act in the matter it is believed however should general milea 1 recommendation be submitted to him by the president for his bis views the secretary would strongly oppose the transfer the secretary spoke with some earnestness of the reports that had been in circulation recently to the effect that the indians indiana were in a starving condition and that the pending troubles grew out of the fact that the government had not kept its agreement wish wih the sioux bioux but on the contrary had already begun to cut down rations in violation of all treaty obligations the secretary denounced these statements as unqualifiedly false the story of starvation among the sioux was a pure fabrication for ten long years the government in the fulfilment fulfillment of its treaty obligations had bad been feeding the sioux in idleness some of them however wt wre ra thrifty farmers and good citizens but a good proportion were a thriftless and indolent set perfectly willing to spend their inear time in idleness tend in finding fault with the govern ment on every pret pretext exl the treaty of 1871 the secretary said obliged the government to furnish them with a certain abou amount nt of food clothing implements horses hor cattle etc until they should become self supporting after ten years during which time the government spent millions of dollars with a view to placing the indiana on a self belf supporting basis members of congress very properly began to inquire whether it was the purpose of the government to cot continue corti dinue nue indefinitely ly and forever I 1 the he policy of feeding it ird d s ens no who persisted in living in idleness they thought it about time to test their ability to support themselves and so the appropriation was reduced not a very large amount when compared with the vast sum which the usual appropriation called for thereupon the indians indiana immediately began to cow complain plain but made no effort toward feeding themselves they occupied a vast territory containing thousands of sert a of productive land they were supplied with everything necessary to improve it an lerois crops but preferred to do nothing and let the gov to put food in their mouths it was time the secretary thought that these people should be compelled to do something and he had lost patience with those who upheld the indians in their idleness he sincerely regretted that the recent action of the m military I 1 gitary had resulted in bloodshed and he congratulated himself that his department part artmont ment was in no way responsible for ft the commissioner of indian affairs says to the best of his knowledge and belief the sioux indians indiana of south dakota are starving not and he has reason to think the statements their destitution are grossly exaggerated it is true he says that congress has greatly reduced the appropriations for the sioux bioux and other tribes and the agreements made with them have been only partially fulfilled whose the fault was he could botsay the recent out break was bethought partially due to the reason above stated the failure of crops and the religious craze he op ep pr posed sed a transfer of the control of the indians indiana to the war department the following table shows the amount by which the estimates of the indian bureau have been reduced by congress from and including 1880 1881 15 P 1882 1888 1884 2 75 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 no reduction uc 1890 1891 washington jan 5 general schofield Boh ofield said mid it had been by a person whom I 1 cannot mention that it would be well molook into the matter of the fight at wounded knee creek the other day inasmuch as the reports stated that several indian women and children were killed accordingly general miles at a suggestion from here relieved colonel forsythe of his command pending an investigation vesti gation of the circumstances of that fight which investigation is probably now being conducted by general filep the general management of the fight is also to be looked into but the particular point in question is the death of the women and children considerable criticism against col For suspension is heard in the war department it beems to be directed against the policy of relieving an officer during the progress of a campaign instead of wai g until after the trouble is settled As to the charge that cul forsythe allowed his men to ta kill hill women and children it is stated that it would be impossible in the hurry burry a d confusion of the unexpected fight and subsequent stampede and pursuit to detect the sex of the sioux one officer remarked it to is preposterous to say it is necessary in an indian fc kirmish mish to stop firing long enough to find just what sort of an indian you are ara shooting at the wo men look very much mike alike in their blanket costume and the former are quite as fierce fighters as the men the sioux bioux squaw is as bad an enemy as the buck at times little boys too can shoot quite as well alk altheir aa their fathers and what a spectacle it would be for a soldier on seeing a 10 yew yer old novt jolet ng dg a laded 1 abed gun at him with as true an aim as the best marksman in thearty to stop his advance and cry out my son you must drop that gun fur for you are a nii rui norand I 1 am not allowed to h hurt u rt you 1 1 another officer said at rate the sioux ro rott tt it lee will grow to be just as bad as the events of the first three years of the i I 1 war when every officer with an independent command had not only 0 sly an enemy in front of him but a court martial behind him still another officer sail it was a grave ve error to order the relief of col C forsythe baythe at this stage of the he proceed ingi and thus hold up lip a warning finger to every colonel in the little army around pine ridge to tell them that the death of each sioux must be explained washington january 7 the f following correspondence made today explains fully the position lof of the administration on the indian n washington oct 31 1890 secretary of war sir I 1 forward for your information a letter addressed to me by the secretary of the interior under date of october accompanied by letters from the commis commissioner of indian affairs and of certain indian agents all relating to the apprehended trouble with the sioux indians indiana this delusion as to the coming indian messiah and he return of dead indian warriors for a crusade against the whites seems mohave taken a strong hold bold not only upon the sioux but upon some of the other tribes even as aa widely separated as indian territory territory you will at once cause a personal persona investigation to be made breither by either a division or the department commander into the actual condition of things among the sioux and direct him to make an erly airty report of his observations and any recommendation men dation he may have to submit in the meantime you will see that all necessary precautions are taken to have the troops in that vicinity prepared to cooperate in the execution of any orders that may be adopted very respectfully BENJAMIN HARRISON HABBISON washington nov 18 1890 secretary of war siri sir I 1 transmit herewith communications dated november ath and from the the secretary of the interior accompanied compa nied by copies of letters from the commissioner of indian affairs and from the agents of the indian bureau at pine ridge and cheyenne river agencies all relating to the disturbed condition of the indians at these stations and relating incidents in which the authority and power of the agents and the indian police have been violently defied and set at naught the situation seems to me to be ser serious the authority and discipline of the abe agents must be maintained and ade adequate quat and early steps taken to prevent any outbreak that may put in peril 1 the lives and homes of the settlers or of aln adjacent states you will therefore assume direction and responsibility lor such stops steps as may be necessary to these ends you will see that troops services will be in iii requisition in case of an outbreak are in readiness to take and remain inthe in the field that any movement is supported by a body of f troops sufficiently large to be impressive and in case of resistance be quickly anh and thoroughly efficient I 1 have directed the secretary of the interior to advise his agents to use their influence to separate the well disposed from the ill disposed indians and while using their best beat endeavors to preserve discipline to avoid an outbreak until the war department has made the necessary preparation signed BEN BENJAMIN yAxiN HARRISON WAsE washington aNoToN dec 1 1890 commander of indian affairs sir you will convey to the several agents among the sioux the following order which is hereby made during the present indian troubles you yon are instructed that while you shall continue all business and carry into effect the educational and other pui purposes Toses of your agency you vou will as to all operations intended to suppress any outbreak by force operate cooperate co wi with auk and obey the orders of the emilifa military ry officers commanding in the re reservation on in your charge signed JOHN W NOBLE secretary general schofield sent the following telegram to miles under yesterdays date you are hereby authorized under the existing orders of the president to assign captain ewers fifth infantry captain lee ninth infanta infantry 0 captain Ear earnest earnist eighth infantry and captain pierce first infantry to take charge of the indians at the several sioux and cheyenne agencies to exercise over them such military supervision and control as in your judgment is necessary ir without interieri inter feri g unnecessarily with the administration of the agents of the indian bureau under regulations and instructions received by them from the interior department CHICAGO jan 8 dispatches from pocatello idaho received here early this morning say that the indians indiana are barni burning the town troops have been aska asked for from boise city BOISE CITY jao jan 8 advices advises from pocatello state that the indians in on the fort hall reservation have been lancing dancing and that two hundred in war paint have taken to the mountains with arms causing a great excitement governor wiley bas bag been asked to order the militia to pocatello Vo catello and probably a company of united states cavalry at the boise barracks will be sent there the indians indiana on the reservation number 1200 or 1400 bannocks Ban nocks who caused a prolonged war twelve years ago the people at pocatello have almost no arms and nd the towns of blackfoot and eagle bock k are on the border of the reserve the indians who took to the mountains are working di eastward stward towards wyoming the belief Is expressed that if the indians at pocatello go 90 0 on n the war path they will be joined by the tribes on the lembi reservation who number embracing able bodied bucks washington jan 8 general schofield this morning received the following telegram from general miles dated pine ridge bidge agency january fab seventy indians came in from the hostile camp today the reports from them are that red bed cloud little wound two strike big road boad and oth rs will come in tomorrow new YORK jan 7 the heralds pine ridge bidge special says a courier has just come in from general brookes headquarters on wounded knee creek with a dispatch for general miles to the effect that heavy firing is going on in the direction of the hostile camp he believes some portion of the troops have engaged the rebellious sioux his forces are am ready to more move just as soon as it can be definitely learned where and what the light fight is scouts have been sent out from here to get at the truth and ill if excitement gereral gee oral miles ako aho receive 1 an official report that lieutenant edward casey company H twenty second infantry had bad been killed by hostiles ho stiles the unfortunate young officer had bad gone too near the hostile camp when he be was fired on through the head bead his hie body has been recovered lieutenant casey was born in california but appointed to the military academy at west point from louisiana in 1869 on graduating in 1873 he was appointed as second lieutenant in the twenty second infantry and promoted to the first 11 rat lieutenancy in 1880 ile he served with his regiment in the departments of texas dakota and missouri up to 1883 when he was made senior assistant instructor of infantry and artillery tactics at west point serving there a year he was adjutant of his regiment from 1884 to 1887 he was regarded as one of the brightest young officers in the service ST LOUIS mo jan 12 A post dispatch special from the pine ridge bidge agency reads general miles determined this morning not to parley nor confer again with the indians and this morning ing he sent a messenger to the hostile camp at the mission stat ing his terms he said they must come to the agency in small squads and go into camp on grounds near the friendly indians indiana he would not object if they chose their own camping grounds but the brucem arulen and Ogal Oga lalas lialas must not camp together and add they must submit to the laws governing the reservation and to the agent it is learned from official pour that this to is general miless final action if the indians indiana do not accept these terms miles will go after them and there will be a fight figh tsure sure the indians indiana are at the mission six miles away and father jute has made arrangements with general miles for ft conference with the chiefs this morning Itis it is expected that the indians will come in either as friends or hostiles ho stiles rod and the conference may determine which father jute came to the agency acenoy last night and brought news of the arrival of the indians at the mis mission siou he in formed general miles that the indians were in a friendly mood anti and in inclined elined to come in peacefully he said the chiefs would be in in the morning and possibly terms might be made the general consented to receive them and short bull kicking bear and little wound will confer with him today father jute says the indians do not dot want to be disarmed this is the OF THE OON conference FERENCE general beneral miles says they will oot not be disarmed it is possible there may be a peaceable settlement there is no confidence in their peaceful pretensions all day yesterday they were shooting booting along the line of march they burned three shacks destroyed their own property or of every kind save their guns and ponies and these facts destroy all confidence in their expression of not desiring to go to war the indians themselves partially admit that the chiefs cannot guarantee to control the warriors th they ey say they have among them about three hundred young bucks who want to fight and a single shot will start them besides this the indians who murdered lieutenant casey are known and when they are taken they will be bangad bang d for murder they are among the belligerent young buck and they may precipitate a fight to prevent dying by the rope the indians are just as anxious to k know now what the whites ars are going to do as the whites are to know what the indians will do ST LOUIS jan 18 13 A post Die dispatch patch staff correspondent at pine ridge bidge agency this morning telegraphs the paper as follows the indians are in cam camp P within full view of the north fortifications to the right their column rests there |
