Sioux City register. [volume] (Sioux City, Iowa) 1858-1871, 1866-05-05

Troops were promptly raised in Mime
sofa and put into the 6eld under General
Sibley. Some Of the Indians we're caught
and executed Others caught (p .rhsps Il
would have been better had oil caught
been executed, not - q punishm ent, but
~ an example and future prevsotive.)
No one Of course pretsnds to excuse
these Indians for their outrageous con-
duct. DOES any one pretend 10 excuse
The white men who, from their love Of
money, drove these uncivilized, 5arbarous
people to deperation3
Tue country west Of Minnesota beyon d
the Missouri river, ~ far = est as the yell
low Stone river, known ~ Dakota Terri
tory, is also inhabited almoss entirely BY
Sioux Indians, belonging to The same
tribe - the Santee or Minnesota Sioux,
but very different il their habits. They
live on the open prairie or In the hills
west o. the Missouri they have, or had,
large dr.vss Of horses, and subsist prin.
c;pslly by hunting the buffalo. Immense
herds Of these animals roam over this *.
tensive country, there being no settle
ments or travellers to disturb them 10 their
undi> puted right 70 the land. These
Sioux ere bold, free race of men, Who,
until lately, seldom or never saw The
.whites, except . few traders, who we're
mostly half breeds, who had penetrated
the country to trade With these Indhns.
They considered themselves Superior to
any white men, and no one would they
allow to enter their country without their
ps Emission. They are divided into several
arge bands, such as the "Nor,h Yankto-
nais, Lower Yanktonais, ""Cut Heads"
"Unkpapas,' "Blsckfset Sioux" and eth.
ers. These bands are a>so subdivided
into villages or camps. Each sub hand
has its chief and principal men, or .,
they call them, soldiers. There is also .
head chief Of the baud while in camp
together. The chiefs manage to keep
some control and order, but out Of their
camp the Indian kn"ws no law and acts
~ he feels disposed.
Up to 1862 the Sioux lived compare
lively in . state OF peace With the whites.
No white man visited their country. for
he had no necessity to 90 there, conse.
qnently the Indians, having no induce
ments 10 plumber and murder, they be-
havsd themselves. No boats exeep. thos.
conveying goods for the American Fur
Company ascsnded the river above Fort
Randall, and they had to pay toll in the
shape Of tobacco, ammunition or provision,
to compensate, a. the Indians claimed,
To-. the wood these boats consumed from
their lands. But about this time the Z old
in Idaho began to at,asct attention; mi
ners attempted to navigate the Missouri
river with their Fat boats, but they we're
attacked BY the Indisn., driven back, and
very many OF them killed. The Sautee
Sioux. who had been driven GU, &c Min
nes,ta BY the troops abou, the same time,
joined some bands Of these plain or rr..
rio l"disus on the east side oil the Mis-
souri,, making . fs.midibls combustion
Ut war with our Government
Until 1863 the most remote military
pest on the Missouri was For, Randall,
not over 100 niles BY land from III. fro.-
tier Of Iowa. No small party of whites
would coesids< il safe to travel above
that point, add no whites except traders,
who we're known 10 the Indians, dared ~
travel above Fart Pierre, exc. ., they had
peroissiou Of the indians TO do 40.
About the year 1856 the Indians on
The Platte road, the overland California
route. had committed so many depred..
tons that Governme ut sent troops 10 pun
isb them. These Indians were Sious,
par. Of the great Sioux family. Gene
raj Harvey was placed in command Of
these troops. They marched from Lea
wentworth and surrouoded 4 email camp
Of Brule aud AgaIara Sioux at Ash Hol-
lows, and killed large number Of them.
The troops marched " Fort Pierre on the
Upper Missouri river, aud Congress ap-
propristed large sum Of money to pur-
chase pesce, thinking that more eco
aonicsl plan than fighting. The result
shows they we're greatly mistaken, for
this peace treaty has amounted &c abso-
solussly nothing. The money annually
appropriated was converted into blank.
cts, ammunition, provisions, etc. which
agents issued TO such Of the different
bands who chose to be present when they
arrived in steamboat, bu. the amount
70 be distributed, when divided among
the large number Of Indians, was 50 RI
dicalously small, that it could no, be done
With any chew Of justice it would no.
pay IN Indian TO stop two days to receive
il, provided oil did 30, much less to leave
his bunting grounds and move 100 miles
(sone Of them would be obliged to come
500 miles) to the place where the snnui-
ties were Distributed. The consequences
was that most Of the Indians would not
como to receive their annaities, aud to
this day many Of the bands have refused
TO have anything to do with them still
these Indians have behaved themselves AZ
long ~ there was no occasion to do 9TH
erw,se. A part, however, Of these Sioux
Indians, never did come in to treat
big Head and his band of Upper Yank-
tonais, very large and powerful band,
refused 10 have anything to do With the
treaty, and sent very impairment reply
10 General Harvey when sent for to come
in. The Unkpapas also were very inde-
pendent in their talk st the treaty. Thus
the year 1868 found the country Of the
Upper Missouri in : troubled s,sie; large
bodies Of Indians on the east side Of the
Missouri, numbering several thousand
in . state Of war, threatening
The borders Of Minnesota, Iowa, and the
.sttleuent Of Dakota Territory, while tho
Sioux on the west side were ready to take
} hand in anything that nigh. turn up;
he Indiana we're fully aware Of our trou-