Santa Fe gazette. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1859-1864, 1864-01-09
SANTA FE, SATURDAY JAN. o, 1854.
sUBscRIpTIoNt
able in advance witbou. exception
From the Sunday Times,
Abuse Of Official Power.

Tine, Which, in the long run brings all
things tdlight IS now helping the public
mind to see that many of the exciting sta.
tementS which one year ago were spread
over the country in regard to Indian atroc-
ties in Minnesota, were highly exaggerated,
and in some instances utterly false: aud
that the treatment Of the Indians, resulting
from that excitement, is cruel and unjust
in the extreme.
The Importance of this fact can scarcely
he estimated when it Is considered that
while man as an individual receives the
| lrmt # his doing in future life Nations
as snch being limited to earth receive their
rrtlibutions BY what trauspircs upon the
earth; and therefore, when our nation aims
to destroy Indians as a nation, it strikes a
death blow upon itself. TINS fact has its
illustrations in the rise and fall Of repub
lies aud empires, which ARE now extinct, as
well as in the destructive processes which
are now rampant in our own country.
Mankind are apt to thInk that crime
loses It's crminahty in proportion to the
number that participate in its commission;
as #, when one man nuIawIully takes the
life Of another, it is - MURDER 6r which lh
.aV Justly sentences hun TO be executed
But if fifty men are engaged in the act Of
killing, the gOilt seems to be divided, sd
that the shace Of each Ia So small that none
aro punished This immunity, however /.
only for time, Sooner Or later, commnni
ties or natiouS, as well as persons who dea
uniustIy are oycrIaken by jnst judgm pts
No people can have permanent prosperity
only III PREPARATION to the right doing5 oI
each individual.
Now, in order TO awaken d kccncr sens,
Of personal lespnn,iolIity, propose to cal
attention tp the proceedings Of two publr
Representative mon seec, those ihdtyi
duals, n brcausc | co0cey9 their cour,C
more uIpdbIe than that Of many othelb, bd
because an investig gstioa il their case vii
bring to light the treatment anil condition
Of the much wropged Indians.
For this purpose, | shaII'arragn Geaeral
Slb'ey and Sulley for the high crime o
murder before Il court in which cOnscienc,
prtsides as Judge, and tho moral senti
mcnt' act as the jury, while the ncwspa
pers will be the witnesses, my humble self
the prosecutor, and the persons above nam
ed, the prisoners at the bar
The law which defines the crime will
which the prisoners are charged, affirm
that "murder consists in the unlawful tax
ing ofhuman life with malice aforethought
II, in sudden passion, two men strike cacI
other, and oneof them gets killed, it is man
slaughter or jush6abo homicide, accord
ing to the circumstances. But il A strike
B, and the conflict ceases for a suilicien
time for the passion Of both parties to coo
of and afterwards B attacks A and Kill
him. il is murder Or, if while fighting, |
! evidences desire to give up the conteS
. and leaves the field, and while in the at
tempt to do so he is killed by A, it IS muI
der" | will now briefly state the case
ana show to this court and jury that bot
in the spirit and letter Of the law, as ju,
!, quoted, the prisoners at the bar are cIearl
guilty
1t appears from various and concurrer
testimony that during the early months {
1868 there was some excitement among til
frontier settlers Of Minnesota, lest the Ii
dians, who were really getting as far OF
in the forest wilds as they could shouI
commit another raid upon them. 1t was
), order to aIlay this gronndlesS fear of Il
u settlers, and al o to demonstrate that Il
Government had power tn protect its pc,
+ pie, aud to do Justly to all parties, that
~ large army was organized aud sent to II
frontiers Of Minnesota in two divisions, u
" der the commands respectively Of Gener
Silly and General Sulley.
1t is in evidence by the published renor
of General Sibley that with his branch
the army he followed the retreatng
dams Tar INTO their own country, AMI
near did he come to them that for the la
twenty miles of his pursuit the route W
covered with their scattered property, Co
sisting of blankets and provisions, all
which were destroyed by the troops, /
sides killing number of straggers vi
y q were loo feeble to make their esrSpe, 1t
II in evidence from other reports that subs
he quently General Smiley entered the lndi
st country from another direction, and that /
IN. with his forces, overlook and snrronnd
is is an eucampment Of Indians in aravine es
" r ated to number 900 souls inclusive
!" sqnaws and papooses, with all their pl
perty, consisting Of camp equipage al
Al. 4 r 1