Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1869-01-11

the Indians on the. war path. On the
9th of June, 1864, Governor Evans
issued a circular to the friendly
Cheyennes and Arapahoes, directing
them to separate from the unfriendly,
and go to Fort Lyon, where Major Col
ley would supply them with provisions
+" and show them a place, of safety"
Some time after its date, the circular
was placed in the hands of Black Kettle,
who Immediately proceeded to gather his
band with a view of complying with its
directions. His first efforts to commu-
nicate with the fort were unsuccessful.
his messengers being fired upon and
driven off. At length he succeeded, and
Colonel Wynkoop, then in command,
had a talk with him, which resulted in a
visit of this chief, and others, to Denver,
to talk with Governor Evans. They |
were accompanied by Colonel Wyn-
koop. The interview with the Cover
nor took place on the 2Sth of September,
1864. In that interview Black Kettle
said Z: a'' '.'
''On sight of your circular of june 81,
l took hold of the matter, and have now
come to talk to you about it. told Mr..
Bent, who brought it, that I accepted it,
but it would take some time to get all my
people together many of my young men
being absent, and 1 have done every
thing in my power since to keep the
peace with the whites. We
have come with our eyes shut following
his (Wynkoop's) handful of men like
coming through the fire. All we ask is
that we may have peace with the whites.
We want to hold you by the hand. You
are our father. We have been travelling
through a cloud. The sky has been
dark ever since the war began. These
braves who are with me are willing to
do what say. We want to take good
tidings home to our people, that they
may sleep in peace. 1 want you to give
all these chiefs of the soldiers here to un-
derstand that we are for peace (Colo-
mel Chivington and other military men
were presently, and that we have made
peace, that ,oe may not be mistaken by
them for enemies. | have not come here
with little wolf bark, but have come to
talk plain with you. We must live near
the buffalo or starve. When we came
here we came free, without any appre-
hension, to see you, and when 1 go home
and tell my people that I have taken
your hand and the hands of all the chiefs
here in Denver, they will feel well, and
SO will all the different tribes of Indians
on the plains after we have eaten and
drank with them"
Governor Evans declined to make any
arrangement with them, said that war
!, existed, and he had turned them over to
, the military. Colonel Wynkoop, with
the Indians, then retraced their steps,
and the latter were placed on Sand
Greek, under, as they supposed, the pro-
lection of the military. This they were
, promised. About this time Wynkoop
was relieved from command at Fort
Lyon by Major Anthony, who Joined
Chivington in the attack on the village
at Sand Creek, and the massacre
which followed on the goth of November
1864.
This affair was examined into by the
committee on the conduct of the war, of
f which Senator Wade was chairman.
That committee had all the charges and
the testimony before them, and in sum-
ming it up say !: call the testimony goes
to show that the Indians under the i'm
mediate control of Black Kettle and
White Antelope This brother), of the
Cheyennes, and Left Hand, of the Arap-
ahoes (the Indians in the Sand Greek
village), were and had been friendly to
the whites, and had not been guilty of
any acts of hostility or depreciation. A
northern band of Cheyennes, the Dog
Soldiers, had been guilty, but they had
no connection with Black Kettles band,
and he and his band denied all connec-
tion with or responsibility for the acts of
the Dog Soldiers. Even Governor Evans
and Major Anthony, though evidently
, willing to convey<to your commit
tee false impression of the character of
these Indians, were forced, in spite of
their prevaricatien, to admit that they
knew of nothing they had done which
rendered them deserving of punishment. I"
The investigation and judgment of this
committee should be sufficient to relieve
the character of Black Kettle from all
the, misrepresentation of Chivington,
Evans and others, and to place him, in
[1S65, before the country as faithful
friend of the whites. His confidence in
and friendship for them, through which
the Indians were placed on Sand Creek
to be slaughtered by Chivington, subject
f ed him to the censure of his own people,
and he lost his influence and position. 1t
is, however, averred by those who ought
to know, that he still adhered to his pa
cifc views, always throwing the weight
of his influence, be that much or
little, in favor of peace. He was
enabled to bring his band to the
meeting of the commissioners who made
the treaty of 1865 at the mouth of the
Little Arkansas, and join in it; and
again to meet the Peace Commissioners
at Medicine Lodge Greek in October,
1867, and join in that treaty. In the
intervel between November, 1864 and
his death, no single ofense was charged
against him, so far as know, until af-
ter the Usage warrior had taken his
scalp, Nov. 81, 1868, and his lifeless
BODY was left without burial on the
Washita. Then, and not till then, Gen.
Sheridan asserts. that he was guilty of
the first depredations last summer in
Western Kansas! A soldier, honored
by his country. should weigh we'll his
words and tell the truth. This l most
solemnly believe Gen. Sheridan has
failed to do, and that his accusation
against Black Kettle is without founda-
: ton.
In this connection, I offer few re-
marks on this extraordinary Indian at
the Medicine Lodge Greek Council, as
reported for the press. All the Chey-
o,,,,ns ,,r,ra nnt nresant at the first nre-