National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1873-04-21


APhIL n, is7a \
~ a, Eifior " IA, NATIONAL Repssifean;
sIHi In view Of the late "Modoc massacre"
allow an old westerner TO make few remarks
II Is all mOonshine about detachment Of SOL
dlers Of the United States army catching lot Of
willy Indians II Is a regular Don Quixote busl-
ness, both In idea and execution. They might a.
well attempt to tie up q bundle OF quicksand.
The regular army soldier Is very capable to con-
sumo his twelve ounces Of bacon or pound Of
beef, but II Is utterly beyond his capacity TO cope
with Indians because no glory can be gained In
the encounter, aud his training Ii the very re.
verse from Indian fighting. Again; The writer
states army in he Extreme ,s Nsw
Mexico and northern Texas. He has seen herds
OF mnles driven on BY Indians, once within three
by Indians within two miles Of a post, cattle
driven on within mile Of post &C. The yefy
fort itself has been menaced by tho Indians
s a Wy Tune ,se s1lais, was zen, on eSrs
not so engaged, wal compelled to work At house
building. When any such depreciation had been
snn The an Scsr psrnsps two
and squad Of three men; several more hours
were consumed In getting ready, drawing ra-
tons, Ac., then struggled out on the road,
"a rUut, undisclpllned and struggling train,
Not born 20 glory on the dusty plain;"
the Indian by this time, God knows where. The
onicer and squad Of three men follow at leisure;
camp In some shady nook for a few days "io re-
crult the animals I" rations give out-''lets no
home" This IA the style OF Indian lighting by
our ''army In F1anders"-eIcellent material 10
enrich contractors; the poorest material TO light
Indians with. After residence OF TWENTY-FIVE
years In the extreme West, not an instance oc-
ours 70 me that, In brush with Indians, the
United States soldier came on victorious. III the
Indians knew their own strength and the weak.
ness on our side, not post would be left, not a
soldier would be left to tell the tale. The writer
In common with all other Western men hates an
Indian "worser n a snake" but still he ndmIfes
their courage and undaunted perseverance, and
u these sickenlng farces to Christlanlze them by
the Young Mems Christian Association and peace
commissions were omitted N q few honest men
could be found In all this vast nation Of love- to-
GOd-pretenderp, and almight " dollar worshlpern,
something might be done Tor them, but, alasi on
American soil, and under American efforts, I
fear not Why could not Bismarck send us few
OF his banished Jesultsf But by the way, Mr.
Editor, whence all this sudden anger because
they did Kill one general5 when the Modocs
took possession OF tue lava beds their hands
rocked with the blood OF eight families, whereof
no notice was taken but as soon as they Killed
one general all the hero-worshipers OF the coun-
try are up In arms. II his blood Ia better than
that OF the poor white "trashH pioneer, or than
that OF his patient, suffering wife, or than that
OF the young infant, who has been Drained, per
haps, under the eye Of the mother and Bcalped,
why do fail to see such Q nt Of vlrtuous indg-
nation AZ the killing Of body OF surveyors In
Colorado, In your and other papers7 Is It the
difference OF tweedleduin and tweedledee7
WRsrERNER.