The Montana post. [volume] (Virginia City, Montana Territory [i.e. Mont.]) 1864-1869, 1868-02-22
SELF-PROTECTlON.

datlons and consequent excitements in
the border settlements have again COM
menced. Authentic accounts come by
every mail of barbarous atrocities in
neighboring territories, and the tele-
grams have a probably exaggerated
statement from the Fort Sanders Lndez
that two thousand of the tribes so gen
erously furnished, last fall, with arms
and ammunition by that misnomered
monstrosity, conceived by those who
make fortunes out of treaties and born
of the hereditarily diseased communities
whose ideas of Indians are moulded by
the fictions of Cooper and the suborned
evidence of agency employees or hangers
on, are laying waste the valleys to the
south and threatening the Sweetwater
mines. For few days we nave had
accounts of murder, thieving and threat
enings on the road from Helena to Ben
ton, perpetrated by Blackfeet, Bloods or
some other of the Indian tribes of that
vicinity. In some instances, the reports
have happily not been. authenticated.
but when men are brought into Helena
dead, shot through the heart, in the
dead of night, by savages who had par
taken of their hospitality and avowed
friendship few hours before, the tTeach-
cry, murderous intent and fiendish pro-
cliyities of the hundreds of Indians lurk-
ing on the borders cannot be doubted.
Like the tribes to the southwark. these
northwestern. Indians are well armed.
some with stolen arms, others with cap
tured weapons, and still others with
navy reyolyers presented to them by Off
GERS Of the government at Fort Benton
two years ago. These attacks upon the
settlers have been wanton, barbarous
and unpIovoked committed with wea-
pons which no hostile Indians should be
entrusted with, and which, having been
given them by authority of the govern
ment by recommendation of the Com
missioners, we assert that they are
morally and should be held criminally
responsible for any life sacrificed by fire
arms in the possession of savages. These
same Commissioners recommend that
Governors of Territories should be pro-
hibited from allowing citizens to defend
themselves, and no doubt their recon-
mendation will be adopted, although the
blind perversity and inhumanity of such
q course would seem incredible These
frontier settlers-ranchmen, miners,
trappers and prospectors-aret the picket
lines of the government and the vedettes
of the rapidly developing west. How
insane and inhuman il would be to thrust
them into the teeth of a watchful and
merciless foe, shackled and fettered, to
be sacrificed, they and their wives and
children and homes, to the bullet, knife
and torch, while those in authority turn
q deaf ear to their entreaties, and their
people refuse them assistance. We make
these remarks because blood has been
murderously shed, the blood of our peo-
pie, and with confidence they have asked
for arms and ammunition from the Exec
ztive, and he has given them. In this
he has done right, and will be sustained
by the people. Conceding the best inten-
tiors and efficiency to the regular sol
diers stationed at the various posts in
our Territory, they cannot afford imme-
date protection to all the remote and
isolated settlements in case o.. hostile
movements. The people are competent
and willing to protect themselves, and
the larger communities win respond
with alacrity to any appeal for support
We have twenty-five hundred stand OF
arms and a sufficient supply of ammuni-
ton, of which the Governor is custodian,
They were intended to be used for pro-
lection against Indians, and certainly il
is proper that those living in exposed
localities should be furnished with
means of protection, the Peace Commits
sioners to the contrary Notwithstanding
There are along the northern and east
ern limits of the populated portion o.
Montana, little communities, liable to be
overcome by thieving or numbering
Indians, in which there are prudent
responsible parties who should be fur
nished with arms, which, If necessary
could be used for the purpoIe contem
plated when they were sent to the Ter
ritory. This would impart feeling o.