, 1865-10-19
TIE NORTHWESTERN INDIANS.



| toI1 ecl1s, oe'- y, A. n FRIDAY 1soa.
ncy, and very near the end Of the world. We
haye nearly reached that r1,oos of matter GO
ofta., ..1,.aa ~ ~ 80, =. .a"s's. o.
o'ten &'.A1o " ~ ftcnen l'nSslc1sts-a oeso'
lhtion, the evidence OF whose presence forces
Itself upon all the senscs-thc eye wcaricd and
panied With the vast monotony of sterility,
.1o,d. that 49, w,na ~ ~ e1na
1-ou.o - ., t4.N .us "ua "n1ets ~ oeals a1ong'
Inc dry air, the shadeless waste, the hot sun
beating down mbroken, or chill blasts sweep
ing unimpeded over the plains and careerine
.noonor tho l+o,nan5o,s I'm. tho .1n,..se
u4uone .ns .,enIuuoo' A1i0 tns el'uness
uhofoken ny inc chfrp OF grasshopper, or
! eycn of q bird; the absence Of every form OF
animated naturc. sayc silent mrlo,.1,o1v
cIora ontnona hn,,,rda c,no1 rao1.,,,,.
roI'.as so,;.asnsns s,...,,..,. ue g., GUAM. .I
tanee, lonely village Of strange little prairie
dogs; Eo1l that moving hoofs stir to clouds
Of dust, mcaeer, poyerty.slricken Grass
spreading away till its sfckly f,rev t,i.s n tba
Is,,,. ,t,,..,ia-a. 49,. -. ..N,1., -. ~A1s
~P,s spnsi l1eoo @e ene a'1ae1loIs
which ,h1s fninless Sahara OF death oilers to
cnigrants. We left the river at Grow Greek,
,u,,o,css In The sraet, ~, 1naa 49,, ~ -. ~
49, - .s,1. - - .Al r. H1o a41sGu u
.ne immense mus, rising lFom the river, had
mdulged hope that the great upland would
prove teite1Igise promise that BY irrigation
Or Or ey some oiher ars t9e land that was tabled
port the cattlc % athousand lil's. In truth,
eaSh eat; o. 1ne cattle would require thousand
~ nl4s !o1 ls euosis.eoce, ana nnhlmg-the
lamous 1untang OF thcse plains that has alled
80 many 1hf1llIng pages ol veraclous trascl-
lcfe-"1is al dcluslon md SHARE" a
hunters r1ArfH fJ,sA:A mia
depending solely On their guns would all per-
IN save the few who might turn their atlen-
tlon 70 hantlng, shooting, trapping md eat
ng the resi- OF the company
Ihe rctinue Of eaters and feeders who At
ss eenaed ; ING commission, was lcft on the boat,
da;n..i ~ uuf lulcl ana reporter, the
aasl'nguisnd . ;n parry, a!linE iwo a1nbulances,
,t Ioue eyer M me PLAINS yesterday sixty miles, to
meet tae tmPa'lsnt Indians, who would not
wait Tor Inc boat to pursue its winding way
ior tour or 1sc deys 10 traverse the same In
tedxal'
lue Iommssaoners, WIG are NJ here, are
10Y. Merton M Edmunds, ofDacotah Territory,
-Col. = u. Taylor, the Nebraska Indian Super
intenaea11 nv nen- M = Is. CuItis, Gen. u. Il. Sib-
iey, NeT' Ii: ~: Reed, of Iowa, and Hon. O.
1uesnsey o. Wisconsin. Ma1. Gen. snlly, the
Iohllnanuss II q LUIS oepaftMcntt Is mere. 40
tqss havs n mg srved 81 the het heretofore hostile
bands, the Sans Arcs, the Ocalalas, the MIN
neconges and others, are encamped. seven
hundred lodges strong, about hundred miles
rpm here. Like nearly all the Indians from
whom any word has been received within the
iast TWO months, they are heartily tired Of
VA, and are anxious to make peace. Some
q them have been awaiting the Commission
~ ", Wdose sh:o conang nmors nave gone forth over
i11 ~ .nts Tcglons nntn lhey arc out Of provfs-
IONS. Two days ago the chiefs sent in word
t!. tnas ,aer People Were on the point OF starva-
;l Gon, anu Gonla not possibly bo held In walt.
hurry sway to the James River region 10 hunt
BuGalo. The chiefs md leading men have
now come In.
The Uniform story Of destitution, aud the |
earnest cntreaty for food from the Indians |
everywhere, are often discrcdised and ridi-
culed at Washington aud in the newspapers
through the States: The first sight Of these |
iorloln wctches whose stern fate has thrown |
them IN thls inhosp1table waste, shows how
painfully true Is the account Of their utter
poverty, and how dreadful are the corse-
qnenecs OF season of scarce game or the
suspension Of IN annuity payment.
Tie milit0ry expeditions Of the past two
years, though their success appeared very
when estimated bY captures. bat
ties OF conquests, have, In act, done much to
keep the Indians moving, and prevent Their
making the scanty provision nature here al
lows them to prepare for winter. Slight o.
has been the disturbance our slow moving
troops could effect, It has been sufficient Il
produce positive distress among many. 80
1early does their ordfuarF modc Of life bnrr1or
1pon destitut1on.
"A little provision. 4 few clothes dist rfhnted
1ayc sbeen found sufficient l,v mr. nfTiccra ~
ecure friendship or very efficient military ser.
ice from the Indians near tic forts. 4 {arre
lumber are now employed as scouts. messen.
,ers and otherwise, and they arc IA more ec
ective In obtaining information or cutting OF
catered bands or destroyIn. remote caInps
II hostile Indians, than m equal number Of
,,ur best troops They arc faithful, swift al-
Les, and light thcir race In our eause with !
arsge ytudictiyeness. I state this on the
authority Of the most distinguished military
ncn who have been engaged il the services
luring the bostilitics Of The uast three Years
From various points on the Upper sfissonri ii '
rom the vicinity Of Fort Rice, and Fort
leTthold, the intelligence arrives that the |
hicfs are coming In to treat for peace. They
ave dread of Fort Rice, whore there have
cen several petty fights with them during
he last summer and will not 20 there. En
ewing that they will meet with misfortune st
bat p1acc-treacherY or slaughter.
A resolution was adopted by the Commits
ion Last crening, authorizing and reaucstfnp
rigadicr General c. A. R, Dimon, nov hcre
u his why to Fort Rice, to send out word from
orts Bertho1d and 1}ice to the tribes in that
sggion, that the Commission would remain
biefs and principal men to come on with all .
ia Ia -,ra.E ;o's ~ tse1 auc1a MAte heIe.
-. -. ~. - E1o't te.uu - Importantly 4oI klc | ]