Vicksburg weekly herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1868-1883, 1870-03-12
AinIsanACElUL AFPAIR.

DC 10 DflnB ulshOhOT upon WHAT
was once regarded as an honora-
BILE profession. The recent mWr-
der Of one hundred and icty
,0Omen and children, the most Of
,chom were SICK ,cih small por,
by Col. Baker, and q party of
United States soldiers, Is of the
most atrocious transactions of the
age. These women and children
belonged to the Piegan Indians of
Montana, and their murder is thus
descanted on by the New York
Times, a Radical journal of the
highest authofity, and hence, we
imagine its statements will not be
denied by the smaller lights OF
that party. We quote the Times
article entire:
THE SLAUGHTER OF THE PIEGANs.
When Custer, last year, moved
against Black Kettle and the
Cheyennes, destroying ,he camp
of that thieving band with great
slaughter, we defended and ap-
plaudcd the affair, because the Of
fence had been greater even than
the penalty. When Carr and his
cavalry made his famous raid
soon after, killing, capturing and
scattering hostile savages, we
praised It, because the gang at.
tackled were q plundering, murde.
rous lot, who deserved all the
chastisement that could well be
inflicted. But the slaughter of
the Piegans in Montana is q more
serious and a more shocking af-
fair than the sacking Of Black
Kettles camp on the Washita.
We do not deny that the band
which Colonel Baker annihilated
had been guilty Of crimes, but the
wholesale massacre Of men, wo.
men and children seems to have
been a different affair from the
surprise of Custar, and really an
atrocious one.
Mr. Vincent Collyer's letter of
the 22l to Mr.. Brunot is dated
from the Board OF Indian Com
missioners, Department Of the In
terror, and hence acquires a semi
official and even governmental
sanction; and that letter repre-.
sents the attack on the Piegan
village in Montana, TO have been
simply sickenhg slaughter No
other term will properly qpalifF
it ; no redeeming merit attaches to
it, A month ago, in the dead Of win :
ter, great force of well armed,
we'll mounted troops surrounded
and surprised an Indian village,
which was at once and per force
in their power Did the force of
the troops call for a surrender |?
Did they give any quarters ME.
0sllyer tells rs tIAtathey Did not
and that, on the contrary, though
kthe savages numbered far
| less than our troops, the latter
began aud continued butchery
until one hundred and seventy
three persons were killed.
What that "butchery'lRas may
be known from, that, according to
General Sherman's report, our
only loss was one man killed, aud
one man "injured from falling
from his horse" But of the In.
dians l73 paid the forfeit Of their
lives. And this is not ar Mr.
Collyer tells us of thai Of these
l73, only fifteen we're soldiers, OF
men between IL and 81 wears old,
while at any rate, only twenty
five were between the outside
fighting ages Of II and @ Be.
sides these, there were eight men
killed over go. Take these alto.
gether, and we have conceivablC
resisting strength of just thirty
three.
What Of the other 14e? OI
these ninety we're women, more
than half over 40 years of age
and the other fifty were children
all killed in zone fell scoop"
MANY Of tue children ssss Mr.
Collyer, were in their parents.
arms" and all we're under Y years
Of age. Can we call the Killing oi
l73 people, ofiwhom 140 were
women and children, anthing but
4 sickening slaughter.
We do not desire to Wahder in,
to mere sentimentality inthis mat
ter, but here are the horrible of.
fetal facts. They are derived
) from Lieutenant W. B. Pease, an
officer Of the army, and agent of
the Blackfeet, of whom, accord
ing to our remembrance, the Pie
e gans are a sub. tribe, and they are
t endorsed or attested by General
0 Sully, well known Indian fighter
and negotiator in our army Are
not the facts sufficiently stocking
: to demand an inquiry by Con,
/. gressp We admit that, during
G the past year, the Piegans have
! committed many outrages and
have rendered themselves liable
to be punished; but so long ago
: as the 23d Of December, General