The New York herald., 1868-08-20
Indian Atrocities.

Again we hear from Missouri of atrocities
committed by Indians in Kansas as late as the
10Th instant The last accounts represent
quite considerable band of rowing warriors
attacking white people at Spellman's creek,
sixteen miles north of Ellsworth, which is only
four miles from Fort Harker, beating the
males-a very novel mode of Indian warfare
but killing no one, and, of course, taking no
scalps. The women, however, are said to
have been grossly abused. 1t is some consola-
ton to know that in this case Colonel Benton,
the commandant at Fort Harker went after
the perpetrators himself with force of men
strong enough to give them good thrashing,
and that he probably taught these young
rowdies a sound lesson. As we have said be-
fore, if Indian affairs were in the hands of the
War Department especially now that General
Schofield has control of it, all these Indian
troubles would soon be settled. The officers
and soldiers on the Plains would make short
work of the obstreperous gangs of red rascals
that stray away from their villages on these
raids But as long as the Interior Department
them to be punished by the troops, what can
he expected? 1t is as much as an officers
commission is worth to do this very thing
which Colonel Benton is reported to have
done, and the Indian Bureau may administer a
rebuke to General Schofed on the occasion.
the interest of Indian traders, contractors or
agents that the Indians should be kept quiet.
II is not their interest that they should be sent
too far back on the reservations, because the
cost of transporting the annuities might
lessen the profits of the contracts
and least of all, is it their interest
to have the frontier posts abandoned and the
army removed 1t is therefore to the benefit
of all these classes of persons, as well as to the
department at Washington which employs
casionally but we rarely, if ever, hear of a
trader, a contractor or an agent being mo-
Tested. 1t is always some poor settler who
suffers. Reports of Indian atrocities are thus
easily accounted for.
There are no hostile tribes in the vicinity
Wnere the last attaChS are SAID 10 nave been
made, neither near Soloman and Salina. nor
Ellsworth, Spelmans creek or Fort Harker.
The Kaws, Arapahoes, Kiowas, Osages, and
even the Comanches, who stray up that way
sometimes from the South, are avowedly
friendly to our government, and their chiefs
get on amicably with our officers. II Is
clearly, then, not TO q state of war that these
recent troubles can be attributed, for no such
condition exists or is likely to exist Just now.
They may probably be traced to the discomfort
among many of the young warriors arising
from the orders of the Indian Bureau not to
give them the guns and ammunition promised
them on the 10th of July, and which were ac-
tually in the agents hands at the time. The
chiefs, be they ever so friendly, cannot always
control this spirit. II, however, what we hear
be true, it is to be hoped that the perpetrators
will be severely punished, and furthermore.
that the Department of Indian Affairs will not
interfere with the officers in the proper exer-
else Of their judgment as to how to punish
them. The fact is, that as long as the man.
agement of Indian affairs is left in the hands of
contractors, agents, traders and civil officials
at Washington there will be no end of this
kind of trouble. The sooner the matter is
transferred to the War Department the better
for both red men and white men.