The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-07-09 00:00:00

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TEE "NOBLE SAVAGE" GOING HOME.

"Red Cloud" and his Indianbraves, who have been
attracting each a large share of public attention,
have gore home (writes a correspondent). By dint of
pers•tency the "noble savage" made the Government
trumise the gift of those 17 homes for the Indians to
ride borne on which it had so steadily refused. An
Indian envoy to Washington tramping back to his
village on foot is laughed at by his tribe, but an Indian
envoy who goes back on horneback is a great man in. I
deed. Therefore, when the promise was given "Red i
Cloud" in sincerity said it "made his heart very big." I
But the navages, neverthele ye, go back disappointed, I
for they got scarcely anything they milted for hut the I
horses, and whether there in to be peace or war with i
the Sioux in a problem yet unsolved. "Red Cloud"
kept his promise of making a speech in New York,
. and just before his departure spoke to a densely
cro vded audience at the Cooper Institute, in a meeting
called by the Indian Commission, at which Peter
Cooper presided. Dr. Bellows, Judge Daly, Dr.
Wsehburne, Dr. Crosby, and several other,' made ad-
&tales friendly to the Indian..
Through the aid of his interpreter, and after shaking
hands in the usual Indian fashion, "Rod Cloud" said
that God Almighty made us all, and wan present to
hear what he had to say. The Great Spirit had made
both races. He gave the Whites lands and he gave
the Indians lands. The Whites came to the Indians,
and the Indians received them as brothers. When the
Almighty made you he made you white and he clothed
you; he made the Indians with red skins and poor.
You are getting many and his race is getting few and
poor. "Rod Cloud' then said,—" You do not know
whom you have before you to-day; he is a representa-
tive of the original American race, the first people of
this Continent "—at v•hich the Indians all gave a loud
grunt of satisfaction, provoking much laughter. He
' continued,—" We are good and not bad. The reports
1 you hear about us are from self .interested, bad men. If
we had much land, we would give it to you, but we have
been driven to • little island, and want you, as good
wen and friends, to help us with the peopled the United
Stem. Tile Great Father mad* um poor and ignorant and

laredeyou rich and wise, and abletodomany things weds-
not do. You have tame fowls and we only wild ones.
Ask all the people who have passed through our lands
L if we have not treated them well. You have children
. and so have we. We want to rear stir children well,
and ask you to help us in doing so. In 1852 the Great
Father made a treaty with us, by which we were to
allow all the people of your country to go through our
country. Tney did so; no one harmed them; but
troops were sent, and then killing began. Before that
there was no trouble. Since then there have been
goods sent, from time to time, but they seldom reached
us. Some of us went on fame, as desired, near Fort
Laramie, but we were very badly treated. All we
want is justice. In 1869 men came out and broluht us
papers. We were ignorant and could not read them.
We understood they would take away the troops, and
bring us traders who would teach us to work, tut they
deceived us." When he reached AVashington, "Ret
Cloud" !raid, he saw the Great Fattier, who showed
him the treaty, and made him see that the in-
terpreters had deceived him, and had not let h m
knoq what the real state of the treaty was. All he
wanted was justice. He had tried to get it from
the Great Father, but had not quite succeeded.
He represented the whole Sioux nation, and was
no Indian like "Spotted Tail," who will say one thing
one day and another thing another dal, for any thing
he can get. "Look at me," said "Red Cloud," "I
am the chief of the nation ; yet I am poor and naked,
and have nothing. We cannot take our riches to the
other world, and want in this world love and peace.
Secretary Cox (of the Interior) told us we cannot take
the money we make in this world into the next ; why,
then, does he tend commissioners out to the Indians
who do nothing but rob them, if they cannot take out
of this world the money they steal 7" In his ear'y
days he was brought up among Indian traders. They
treated the Indians well, and taught them to use
tobacco and firearms, and gave them clothes. But
now men come who bring whieky, and who are no bad
that they cannot be kept at home. They are, therefore,
sent out to the Indians. Ha bad sent a great many
words to the Great Father, but was afraid they wee
drowned on the way, so he came himself He was
about going home. The Indians wanted people with
them they know and can trust, and don't want the
people now there. He did not want men sent out who
are so poor that all they want is to fill their own
wickets. He wanted good and not bad men, and con-
cluded by thanking them for listening to him.
Red Dog" followed "Red Cloud" being an-
nounced as the orator of the tribe, notwithstanding the
brilliant powers and copious ability in that line of
" Red Cloud." He said that when the Great Spirit
raised them he rained both rac.a with good men for
councils; but now you have bad men, anti only ours
remain good. This causeda laugh, when Red Dog'
pointing to his comrades, Paid they are all young
men. Look at them. They are all poor because they
are honest. (Great laughter.) When I call my young
men to council they all listen to what I say ; now I
want you to listen: YVII are all men of sense and of
respect, and when the Great Father sends out men
you should see that they are the risht men and just
men, and will not do us harm. When the Great
Father first sent out men to them "lied Dog" said he was
thin and spare. He was now stout and fat, because so
many liars had been sent out and he war stuffed full of
their lies—This caused the Indians to make a yell of
delight, when the orator of the tribe sat down. Next
morning the Indians left New York, and by this time
they are almost at the end of their railway journey and
prepared to mount those 17 horses they coveted no
much.