Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1869-01-18

LION was tOWdrQ tu0@ southeast tQaC In
following the trail in vigorous spur-h
suit, at 1880 A. NJ, oon the morning Of
November eth, his Usage traiIers re-
ported atssillage, ,"not a.. camp" with
in less than mile from his advance 81
3 In sort of supplement- to his report
made aday or two'later o'the Lieutenc
anti General, Sheridan says that the
scalp of an expressmanJ and his mail
and photographsand other articles taken
from houses robbed in Western Kansas,
were found in Black Kettles !" camp. ~
Custar, in his report, says that in prele
pairing his inventory of the spoil, strict
and careful examination was made after
the abattle, y but he says not a word
about this scalp Or the mail of the murd-t
cred expressman, or the photographers
other articles, and they are not to- be
found in the inventory. i also look in
vain for anything in Custar's report
about killing between eight and nine
hundred animals, or any, other number,
or about appropriating any animals to
military use. Custar did say that in the
hurry of the fight sit so happened that
some of the squaws and a few children
were killed." but this important fact is
omitted entirely in the reportof General
Sheridan. Now, submit that such dis
crepancies as appear in these reports.
although official, and made by high
officers, of the army.1render them unre.s
tliable and unworthy of confidence, while
at the same time they lead theimind to
Ethe conclusion that the location of Black
Kettles village was known before the
lexpendition set ont, and that Custar did
not, while in nf'search of hostile Indians
accidentally strike the trail thatled him
to the devoted village.oo oas-1asg as5
A word about the village of Black
Kettle. That he had one in the "Indian
fterritery'' as early as the beginning of
November, We are now enabled to prove
by army officers themselves. It seems
that General Hazen,y perhaps in October,
commissioned an individual to trade with
the Indians who were assembled on the
reservations, or in the neighborhood of
Fort Cobb, under the provisions of the
treaties of October, 1867. Where did
ihe get authority for this--and is the cor
rupt Indian trade captivating to the mil
]itary?] This person brought a letter to
Fort, Cobb from a. Mrs. .Blinn, a white
captive, dated November z, 1868, She
states that she is with the Cheyennes,
and that they say she can go home s0hen
the white men make peace This letter
Hazen sends to headquarters In an
other dispatch to headquarters, Hazen
says Black Kettle was at Fort Cobb on
the goth of November, on which, occa
sion he told the Chief that he and his
people were considered at war, and that
he would give him no protection until he
Ehad made terms with General Sheridan
That Black Kettle was at his village or
4 the Washita on the 27th of ,Novembe,
4 is painfully true Hence thelfaet seems
to be apparent that the Chief spent the
| month of November in the Indian Eerito
ny, and therefore he had not been nortt
withsa war party, returning on the 26tl
Of November. From all that we, learn
4 about this VILLAGE it was established
j with his herd. hisstocks ofCprovisions and
| his buffalo robes, the result of his fall
fhunt,s and his other property around
4 him. If not Immediately on the reser
i vation, he, was in the country adjacent
4 where by the treaty he had, q legal righ
ltodwell. He was, moreover, in the IRE
! / eien of, Fort Cobb, the point to which
i General Hazen had gone in October, BY
order of General, Sherman f'to. fulfil
our treaty stipulatiops" with the l0heys
ennes, Arapahoes,o Nowas, Comanche.
and Apaches, where General Sherman
! expected these Indians to go, and where
General Hazen, he said d,q would provide
for their necessities. In his village, thus
i located, and where he was dwelling b
had right to the protection of the gov
\ ernment of the United States, and if
i perchance, any Indians with him We're
j guilty of murder, theft or other wrong
to whites or Indians, he was bound, upor
demand, to give them up to be deal
with according to law. That is one o
the stipulations of the treaty" On the
night Of November 26, 1885, the inhabi
Il tants of that Indian village-not 3
i l"camp''-appear to have gone to theil
4 lrest unconscious Of danger. ia Having
done nothing to merit it, they did no
4 anticipate an assault. Not being a wal
i party Just returned from the North will
i spoils and scalps, they did not engage ii
| the usual scalp dance, nor had theJ
picket or sentinel on duty, $500 as'iiiHR ?
i Custar comes upon, or within mil,
of this village, at 1:30 A.. M, on tn,
9th of November, having followed th,
4 trail, which,, he says he had no diff
Guilty in discerning, even in the night
Notwithstanding Sheridan says 2Custai
travelled "during one of the heavies
u snow storms that has visited this THAT,
i section of country" He halts, and
countermarches his command, and ar
ranges for the attack on he'village a
dawn of day. The result is known
, Custar reports that he killed one hun
dred and three warriors, including Blacl
Kettle himself; also. some squaws ant
children, and that 1fifty-three squaws ant
, their children fell into his hands as pris
: oners of war. A correspondent of tn,
. New York Herald, with Custar,7 say
, that the desperate character of the fgh
may be, judged from the fact that NJ
male prisoners were taken over eigh
, years of age, all the Indians above tha
: age having Joined in the fight. It may
4 then, safely be assumed that all the In
dams in village were put to the sword
isave the fifty-three sqaws and their chill
i dren. To make up the one hundred ant
three warriors left dead upon the ground
we must, include all the male Indians
over eight years of age.3 In this view
Of the case, where, l ask, were the one
J hundred warriors of the war party whose
trail Custar followed : Certainly mo-
lin Black Kettles village.lezAnds where
II Il 4.