Delaware State journal and statesman., 1867-07-23
THE INDIANs.---DIFFIou OF
INDIAN WARFARE.


A lively correspondent Of the Chicago Tribune
writes from the Plains as follows;
"The Indians are very hard to find. Ask
every man on the road il there Rre amy Indians
about and he will very promptly answer, Plenty
of them.' Ask him il he has seen any, and he
will sammer out, mo; but they have been seen
Just up yonder.' Occasionally you meet man
who has been wounded--a clear case of the
genuine thing, how and arrow Indians-tut
every such case is when stage or wagon is
passing along alone, and the Indian is playing
highwayman, or perhaps, more truly, some high-
wayman is playing Indian. 1t is not warfare,
not even guerilla warfare-ony indiscriminate
robbery, with occasional bloodshcd. The way
to protect the country against Indians is TO hang
every available Indian who is found in the Platte
Valley, after being sufficiently warned away.
The skulking midnight ASSASSIN may be an lr-
dian, or may bo a rancbman; no one sees him,
and no one can decide which. My observation s
lead TO tue conclusion that some Indians are try
ing to obtain fine horses TO sell to their warriors
and under the cover of Indian troubles many
whites, half breeds and traders are doing gene
raj highway business, wholesale and retail, ant
the Indians get the credit of it all. To comni
all the depredations claimed, would require NJ
= organized force of a hundred men at least. Bu
the facts are That between the Platte and lh
Republican is almost sixty milcs of wilderness
y or rather high table land, without wood or water
Back from the Platte Valley toward the Repuh
lcan there is only one spring which never dre
up, and that is near Fremonts Buttes. Travel
ers will assure you that they have found man
running streams, but they are either deceived
mistaking temporary rain stream for creel
or to settle the question, they had been drinkiu
Platte river water
"a regular officer was ordered north from IL
southern route to report at Fort Morgan, au'
in order to do SO, made a forced march with
company Of cavalry sixty four miles to rtat
the nearest tributary of the Platte. lmagi ac
country without wood or water, except occasion
v alkali pools-a country half as wide as Northei
Illinois, no buffalo, scarcely any antelope,
N, grass capable Of keeping stock in fair condtio
scarcely any vegetation except the pricky csct
II and the sharp points of the Spanish bayon
plant-imagine such a country. and tell me VIII
motive has the Indian for interfering with I
Platte Valley? Why should he spend two da
or more hard marching, without water Or fiji
DS. for the sake of shooting an occasional arrow
stage coach? When any stock has beea driv
off it has almost invariably been traced to
river, which means either that the maraudt
came from beyond the Platte, or that they We
II white Indians dwelling on the river bank on Z
side.
nIf the Government believed they we're rea
about to have an Indian war, why would Il
hS' not prepare for defence? Kearney is not
our our defensible against an organized force Mcfh
heir son and Sedgwick are both shockingly locat
Aive and from the South they are by far the most
hng danger Of attack, rs the wooded streams emp
IS to ing into the Republican come within twenty
thirty miles of the Platte Valley. Fort Nor
- is the strongest fort We have yet seen-str
in its natural position, and its earthworks
- stockade. The same number of men ought t,
three times the execution hero that they C,
any where elae along the limo which we
= seen Two things probably augment the SCI
> one is the creumscribed positions Of the
mandanis of forts the other is the panic of
pilgrims
"The forts are without enough troops to
, ~, anime the country, and therefore You may
officers at forts who know nothing Of the
rounding country except the stage route Ivy v
they came from the States. You may ask
about the country, the roads, the travel, rO
-ly-- the creeks, the Indans-auything in fact
tx, the best they can do is to retail to you
story told them by a rhnchmaD. The pilG
are more easly deceived, and arc easily fl
assort ened. You may sec them riding in their WI
past tho fort with their guns loaded ant
yanced, ready to bring to The shoulder an
l Fine ment. Can any one wonder that such ma
Ji9.hs .'ols should constantly excite aud multiply
rumors? Meanwhile men carry on theii
mutt iugs, manage their farms and ranches,
.palA adobe forts and never see an Indian.
"There are plenty of Indians on the ;
D Hill route, and they are determined to
that route up, as it interleres with their hn
but for this south side Of tho Platte. vi
sand, awamps and bayous, lis sand hill
CT. alksli pools it's prairie dogs and occasion
telope, the whole Sioux nation would not
picayune."
3D. ga An orator of Athens said to DemOst
mn. A,Loo;ans will kill vnn if thew wax