The Shreveport weekly news., 1861-09-09
WEDNESDAY.
Letter from Albert Pike.

.
SIR IL will thank YOU to permit
me, through the columns of your pat
per, to inform the people of Texas
that have this day settled the terms
''ef Conventions between the Reserve
Indians, and the Chiefs OF the No-co-
nj, Ta-nei-weh, Ya-pa-rih,ea and
Co-cho- -tih-ca bands of the Conan
ches.
l am entirely satisfied that the
Chiefs and their people are acting in
faith Those four bands agree to
come in and settle upon the Re-
serves. Peace is made with them,
and the Chiefs are to go and carry
the talk to the other bands, and III
due, them to come in also and meet
me here when the leaves fall.
The most perfect confidence is now
felt by these indians in onr good
faith, and l have entire confidence
in theirs. Their confidence has been
in great measure produced by the
fact that I have an escort Of Greek
and Seminole mounted volunteers,
and that the principal Chiefs OF the
Creek and Seminoles are here with
me, and have given assurances that
my promises will be kept.
appeal to the people Of the from
tier Of Texas in this ende;lvor to re-
store peace on that frontier, and to
stop the etiusion Of blood in an UNI
necessary and profi.less- warfare
We car. have peace with the Conan
ches. if nothing occurs to shake their
confidence in our good faith, and if
mounted men and volunteers do not
interfere to prevent the success of
negotiations, by inconsiderate, hasty
or passionate action,
l inflore the citizens of Texas
not to cross Red River, into the coun-
try leased from the Choctaws and
Chickasaws, in armed bodies. 1t is
not necessary, and therefore they have
no right to do so. In the exercise of
the powers vested i'll me, ] have
stipulated that all the Texas troops
shall be withdrawn, and their place
supplied by companies of Choctaw
and -Chickasaw troops and have
given advice of this to the Governor
of Texas and to Colonel Henry Nc
Culloch.
l shall give the Comanclie Chiefs
white flags and Letters of Safeguard
for themselves and all the persons Of
their Bands. To violate these Let
ters would be to dishonor the Repub-
lie, and he who does it will commit a
high crime.
1t is my most anxious desire to
effect a permanent peace with the
Comanches, and their settlement up
on Reserves. With the aid of the
people of Texas i can do it, Let
them not listen to lying reports, set
Oh foot, no one knows BY whom, and
attrihuting to the Comanehes all the
villainies of the Cal a-was, who have
refused to make pe6ce, when that
was insisted on by the Comanches,
and demanded of them the Peace
makers of the Reserve Comanehes,
that they might kill him. 1t was
the Cai-a-was who lately killed the
son of Mr. Courtney, near Fort Gobb,
though the lying Ton-ca-was said it
was the Comanches and ] shall send
word to these murderers that unless
they make peace and atone for their
murders, l will send a thousand
Greeks and Seminoies and wipe them
out.
The Confederate States know the
cost ofan Indian war, asnd bow very
far the lives of our people outweigh
in value those of the few Indians
that from time to time we succeed in
killing at immense cost. They wish
peace on the frontier. that all our
means, men and energies may be de-
voted to the maintenance ofour liber-
ties and honor. in the great struggle
in which we are engaged. In the
name OF this great cause, and of good
faith and honor, 1 implore you not
to permit any rash men to embroil us
anew with the Comanches, with
whom the Northern officers in New
Mexico have lately been making trea-
ties but rather help us to keep
them quiet, and so save perhaps,
many lives, and certainly vast ex-
penditure of money.
Respectfully, your fellow-citizen,
ALBERT PIKE.
Commissioner of the Confederate
States to the Indians West of Ar
kansas.
Agency for the Comanches, Wichi-
tas, &c, on the False Washita, Au-
gust 10th, 1861.