The post. [volume] (Middleburg, Snyder County, Pa.) 1864-1883, 1870-08-18

markabic. 1t will probably never b
accounted for. - The Galaxy.
An Unparalleled Crime.
During the past year, it has recently
been deecloped, circumstances have
iranspired in the Yellowstone country
which will ciolte Indignation and
alarm throughout the whole Union
A crime has been committed which
cxcels in diabolism anything which
the history of the world has produced
aud " hich places Probst and his com
peers in the light Of moderate offend
ers. a few men for the purpose oI
accumulatiug fortunes, have attempted
to scatter throughout the United State,
robes which are known to be Infected
with small pox! This has been done
prcmcditated and knowingly, and will
the full knowledge that in doing SC
they have been the means oi spread
ing a loathsomc disease from one end
Of the country to the other, aud saci
uCt uuiIlau IlNtS III uuhHoNH uuuitCiS
During last summer, the steamboat
Utah piled, We believe, between Sioux
City and Fort Benton. Daring on,
Of her trips the small pox broke on,
among the passengers aud crew, and
ouc death occurred OH ih, trip the
boat Landed II short distance below
Milk river, aud there the corpse was
buried. The burial was witnessed by
q number of Indians, OF the Gro'
Seutres tribe, ond as soon rs the boat
resumed its course, the body was dis
inferred, tho clothing stripped from
the rcmains, and distributed among tn,
party who had perpetratcd th,
act Of desecration. The consequence
may be imagined. In the proper courst
OF time, tho dreadful contagion brok,
out ia its most virulcnt form among the
savages. The devastation was so ter
rible that out OF 1000 members of The
tribe, $50 died.
Ia removing the Indians it is a Gus
tom, without deviation, to lay the dead
upon the ground, 10 the robe which
encased them while living, and coysI
up the body with brush. There ~,
spectators 10 the Indian country
whose sole object in life seems to be {,
make money without the slightest re-
gard for the manner in which they DC
it. The robes which enclosed tic deat
bodies were valuable. The spccula
tors, aware Of this, determined to prof
by it, and did not hesitate to roam tn,
country il quest OF infected robes, auC
convey them for storage 10 warchous,
in For, Benton. 1t was but n shor
time before nearly every house in For
Benton was a small poX hospital. 1t
the face OF this terrible visitation, ,thos,
who engaged in the unholy traffic diC
not desist. They asserted that tn
place was alive with small pox, ant
that, US it could be no worse, tho arri
val aud storage Of robes could mak'
no difference. And thus, in the yer,
midst OF death, desolation and despair
these human vultures continued thci
pestilence-breeding -lealing cor
ruption!
One white fcnd added greatly t,
the suffering. While suffering will
tho disease, he obtained two yeas
cans, aud filed them both with scabs
As soon as he vas able to do so, h'
took aD old shirt, rubbed it thorough
with the contents of the boxes, an(
then placed tho infected garment OF
the trail of the Piesaus, on llighwoot
creek, where the Indians would be sur,
to fiud il. They did so, aud in shor
time afterwards the most frightful o
calamities was visited upon the tribe
II spread with wonderful rlpidit,
among the Blacklect, Bloods, an,
River Crows, until .he whole coun,r.
within a radius OF one hundred mile
from Fort Benton, aud extending alon;
the river a much greater distance, wa
Infected with the disease, and death
occurred by the thousand.
In this frightful manner Thousands
of buffalo robes, all Infected with th
disease thai had killed their sayag,
owners, were collected, and the ship
mcnt of them down the Missouri rive
for sale in the East began. The Gov
ernment becoming Informed Of th,
matter, Gen. Hancock was ordered t,
prevent the shipment Of any robes tha
could not be proved free of infection
This diverted the business TO the Pa
ciic Railroad, the authorities OF whic'
are using every exertion to prevon
the carrying Of any robes not known t
be all right. But, having gone thu
far in the nofaIious business, IL
wretched authors will, II 10 the leas
possible, get at some way to pay thei
expenses by selling these robes in tn
Eaat-Omaha Herald