, 1870-04-07
ALASKA.

Honabardncnt OF WrnuRet-A Con,-
mnnicAtton to the President from
tho IndInn Com1nixxloncr..
WAsH1soIoS, April 3.-The following docu-
nent has been laid before the Senate:
DEPAETsES1 or THE INTERIOR
Board OF INDIAN CoAal1RsloSERa,
March 81, 1870.
SIR: am directed by the Board Of Indian
Commissioners to call your attention to the
recent bombardment Of the Indian village at
NEangel, A1aeka, by the United States troops
located at that Iost b. referring 10 tho tTo
official reports, herewith accompanying, from
the War and Interior Departments, called
for By resolution Of the Cnited States Senate
March II. 1870, you will see that the rllage
was made up Of well-constFucted habi-
tations. costing The inhabitants yo.ra
tive tools osnarnanted with carving in wood
OF most singular and elaborate Workmanship ;
painted with curious imagery, and provided
outside and in with many Of the conveniences
OF civilized life. Tie testimony Of Leon
Smith. the post trader, vino WIS Killed, Nm.
Wal, aud others, shows that these Indians
we're perfectly peAceable and wcn-disposed
toward the whites. honest, industrious, afways
anxious TO get employment, and "nnscepti-
BILE Of high standard Of cultivation"
visited their cabins and can endorse the above
statements Of the white residents OF tho vii
lage. They entertained With grsat de-
Industrial school among them, arranged
enthusiastically for its location, and engaged
10 aid il the erection OF tho school build
ing. This village, containing population Of
sos souls, Of whom $40 were women and chill
dren, was cannonAded with both solid shot and
shell continuously from O'Clock TIL dark OF
one afternoon, and resumed the next morning
At tinuinE wo know not how long
-uati these helpless people begged for mezcy,
The military reports show that this boratars-
ment war the result Of Wanton and uniusti-
liable killing of an Indian named ST.
Van By Lieutenant Loucks, tho second officer
in command Of the post. This Indian, who
was intoxicated. had severely bitten woman s
finger, The arrest Of such man AZ this
ii any dar effected BY two or three ordinary
policemen in our cities. with perfect ease
aud quietneRs. Instead Of this. Lieutenant
Loucks, with twenty umed soldiers, weat to
his houee: At midnight. placed eight men out
side Of the aoo1, took twelve in with him, and.
though he found only two drunkan Indians
with their wives in the csbin lle saya '.per
haps there may have been eomc othnrs lie
only guetses At that. he deliberately uranges
his twelve soldiers in sinElc file, Kivea them
cs1iers to Dire when he ahAll Iaise his al,nd, and
then. after some unimpcstant demonstrations,
he rays:
"stil wishing to avoid loss OF life If possi-
biz. tried to give him two OF three sabre cuts
over the head. to etun without killing him. a In
dong this bad Eiren the preconce1ted signal
{ty raisiug my hAud) to fire. ! should Judge
about six or eight ehote werc fired during the
melee. and only ceaBing By the Indian Si-Wsu
falling At the feet Of the detachment, dead"
The eject of this firing by the soldie1s was
70 arous4 the whole Indian village. .na in
about HI hoH1 after it occurred 4 Ehito nj u
named Leon Smith w1a shot bv eo.,-..- OF
Si-wau in retaliation for the killing u. his re!a-
tive: and it was for the death Of this ". ron
smith. though caused, Il we have Heep, ur Al
officers own cruelty, that the Post Command
ant. Lieutenant Bor.ows, ordered tho bonn
barumeut Of the entire Indian y1f8ge, with its
$40 women and children. in the middle Of win
ter. The report Of the Secretary OF the Inte-
zioE, on page ,,eho~e abuses przctised On these
Indians which. being allowed to go unpunished.
would naturally lead to disastrous results, and
on rAge 10. Rev. Nn Duncan, the most sue
cessful missionary among the Indiana in British
Columbia near NrangeL says:
Military rule among Indians, while hesthen,
is. feel sure, fatal mistate. It will ouly
breed the troubles it VAS intended to check.
The blood OF poor Captain Smith, late1y shot
At Fort NrapGe1 les an sa1Ey TO SAT-, at the
door Of military authority there, willie both
Indian and soldier are reciptocating their
yices, and both being plunged into utter ruin
! he Accounta I have received from time to
time Of the conduct OF the soldiers in the
Indian camps Of the coast OF A1aakA are truly
shosklne. II the United States Government
did but know hlf, 7 am sure they would
shrink from being identified With such abouin-
ATOMS, and the cause Of 30 much uisery"