Santa Fe gazette. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1859-1864, 1864-01-09

uutiiai me anu 10 hrC Voileg ulNI tVileJ
upon them until night; and that during the
darkness, all the Indians who were able
fled through fear of u rcncwlI Of their mas
sacre in the morning leaving three hundred
of their number killed, besides vast nun
Der Of wounded aud dying scattered along
their route. Their camps and ponies were
destroyed by the troops, and We learn from
another report that there is now one thou
sand three hundred indians of the Sioux
nation, nearly all of whom are women aud
children, kept near one of the forts Of the
upper Missouri while it is supposed their
husbands and fathers will be either starved
or hunted to death, to accomplish which n
military order is puhliShod in the St. PAM
Preas, Of October Is, 1868, Altering to in
dependent scouts $500 for every Indian
warrior they can kill; and in subsequent
number Of the Press, General Sulley ad-
vises the settlers in Dekota Territory to
keep their arms in readiness, for lin my
last battle (moro truly massacre) with
the Indians, IkiAed all their ponies, so that
they must either steal or starue" | am
aware that it will be said in defense Of the
prisoners thai all this cruelty was inflicted
as a Just chastisement for previous raid
which the Indians had committed upon TIE
people of Minnesota.
But the court and july will remember
that several months previous to these hor-
rid transactions ofSibley and Sulley, the
demands Of Justice had been met, if not
more than met, upon the Indians imme-
diatoy concerned in that affair, by the
hanging Of thirty eight, and the sentence
If near three hundred to prison and hard
,bOr, besides number that were shot,
Hence, the argument haScd upon chastise-
ment is as unjust as it would be to degrade
all the people of Washington on account of
the thieves and prostitutes and murderers
who are known to have been in their midst
affirm that not only justice, but venge-
once itself ought to have been satisfied with
the punishment already inflicted; for, in
addition to the shootng and hanging and
|iupfsqnmaat Of several hundred Of their
uumbef. all the remainder of the tribes in
Minnesota, regardless Of innocence or oI
glit. were forced from their comfortable
homes and baushed from the State, hay
it please the court, dwell upon this point,
because know that the false aud exagger.
atcd reports of designing men misled aud
prevented the Judgment of even the wist
and good, and filled the whole country will
prejudice against everything in the shape
er name oran Indian. It's, therefore, pro
per that should in this connection show
to the court and to the jury that so ial
from the prisoners having an occasion oil
authority to inhict chastiscment, they had
nor particle Of anything of the kind. Bnt
instead thereof. there was every reason
which humanity aud iu'tice and natona
uouor could suggest to protect those In
dians from further outrage, and to have of
frred all the redress which could be giveI
for the wrongs which they had already en-
dured.
This will be plain to tie court and to thc
Jury when it is considered that the Indian
owed no allegiance to our Government, ex
eept by treaty stipulations, which havl
ever been made and unmade only to sui
the white man. And, moreover, the lu
dians, being always treated as foreigl
people, and for the most part as enemies
felt that it was their interest, as well a
their duty, to allie themselves with th'
Sontl., which offered to sustain amore jus
aud truthful relation with them.
Hence, they should not be considered il
the light Of rebels; but as n nation, VIII
hod as good right to make war upon on
Gov, rnment for unpaid dues as our Gov
crnmeut had upon Grey Town, in Centra
American when it sent man Of war t
b,mnnrd that city, or when it sent an arm
{ invade Mexico, and to kill tolsandS O
It's citizens, and to poss IS itself Of its cap
tal But even if there were not these pal
I lating consider ations, and if the Indian
r were indeed fcllow.citizens with us,
= should still be remembered that there ar
those who, with vastly superior advantage
/ of knowing better have male as great
/ mistake as did the Indians. But the worl
would cry shame, if, after they have sui
. mitted, as the Indians have, we should col
a Time to chastise them to death. asl
!. then, in the name ofhumanity, why shoul
a these poor, deceived, and deleuceless Ii
q dians, whose oflensO is less, and whose is
!. lation and language excludes them irol
i the sympathy and aid of all other ration
Of the earth-I ask, why should they
> deprived Of their annuities, be driven fro
# their country, masacred by hundreds, hn,
=. ted by hired mnrderers, and their female
N separated from their husbands and father
Il forced to live under the shadow Of a mil
IS tary fort, help lpless victims Ofits leChery al
!. vice? am sure, in view Of these enorr
# ous facts, the Jury will not be influenced
,. their verdict by the plea of "a Just cha
IA tiSement."
Is Neither can the defense sustain the plt
e. that tho prisoners, being subordinates, a
IN MT accountable; but that the President
tbe Tfnilal States ns COmmandpr-in-Ohi