The New York herald., 1874-09-13
DIsARMING THE C0nGANCHEs
Interview Of Herald Correspondent with the
KiOwa Chief Kicking Bird.
THE DETERMINATION OF THE RED MAN
Order of March and Details of the
Advance Movement.
HEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES TROOPS,

FORT SILL, l. T.. Sept. g. 1874. !
While the "Back Hills" floral valleys and the In
dians occupy the public mind at various other
points. believe can say with truth that we have
all those commodities here, blended together in
this locality in this wise. In the first place II one
looks from where l sit he can see for miles and
miles nothing but black hills, and even mountains,
taking in the Wichita range y0nder, made so by
the Indians burning up the prairie spite us. so
we can't have forage for the animals when we
move upon them; but in this, If 1 mistake not,
they scratching their own pant-besmeared
faces. Then we have ''foral valleysr that can
floor any thing at this season Of the year. When,
after long ,hard march, descending from the high
tableands, you gently slope into q valley ana
along narrow belt OF timber you go down
confidently expecting to find water-a very neces-
sary commodity for man and beast in this Intensely
heated season-and when you get down into what
was the .'de prorlndis' OF a fine, large, rolling
stream you dnd nothing but a hard, dry river bed
OF sand and pebbles. II this isn't enough to
''foor' you, and II that valley cannot be called q
'fooral' valley, then don't know what the SEN
sation means; but l do know that we have thus
been "hOOred."
Though no magnificent descriptions or reports
have been given OF it, in tramping about these val
leys-since we came near being "foOred" at the
Wichita Agency by large crowd OF sneaking.
~.
is not 80 much in the tinted, variegated, golden
floral valley line as trying to proceed in a
straightforward way to help solve this
problem. General J. ". Davidsons command,
composed of the Tenth United States cavalry, the
Twenty fifth and Eleventh infantry nave been
hard at work.
The most important step now to be taken is to
dlsarm the so-called friendly Indians and do away
with their superabundance of STOCK most OF which
Is stolen and is the great enabling medium
whereby they may-tO use Western military pro-
vnclalism-'light out" at any time, going here
and there to maraud, plunder, murder and burn.
There Is no doubt in the mind Of any one out
here who knows anything about the Indian ques-
ton that the first thing to be done to secure
peaceful and friendly Indians Is to follow up the
initiative step OF General Davi dson with the band
of lssanau-i.ka and his Yamperica, COmanches,
and dsarm them entirely, with the exception OF
bows and arrows. Next these. wild horses,
which they have in herds OF hundreds, must
be taken from them and farm cattle, mich
cows, goats and chickens substituted
for them. There is no manner OF doubt but that
this thing is the very first to be done to change
the Indian, as the HERALD has properly put the
problem ''from q rowing band to an agricultural
class" 1t ands to reason that with arms In
their hands and droves Of fleet wild horses, with
their wonderfully restless nature, they must be
impelled to rove abroad in order to keep their
hands accustomed to the use OF such arms ana to
keep their horses OF the plain In trim. not to
say anything Of their own unbrtdled and untamed
dispositions, which keep pace with the wind and
revel In the storm. Even the white man would be
tempted to this But how or when to disarm
them is the question. 1t must be confessed
that there are differing opinions even here
as to the advisabty Of doing 1t with
ofinv n 10
eral Davidson in favor Of it and has it under con-
sideration and shall see before he starts on the
march whether the experiment can be successfully
and safely tried at the present. 1t Is believed that
1t might be attended with
RESISTANCE ON THE PART OF THE INDIANS,
or that fearing other results and constituting it as
an unirendly act many of them might inconti-
nenty leave the reservation and move out to join
other bands now on the praries, free Of restraint
and subordnaton. Thus far those who have been
enrolled by General DAVIDSON, with few exceptions,
have behaved we'll and seem disposed, unless they
have base treachery at heart, to do their best. A
striking instance OF this is found in one OF the In
dian chiefs thus enrolled, who Is regarded
by the officers and others here as gen.
eral favorite and high type OF the In
dian, q warrior Of good fighting reputation
and courage, fOr which he has an excellent record,
besides having an acute sense OF honor ana sound
Judgment. The famous Kicking Bird chief OF the
Kiowas, who fought Captain Mcclellan In the
brakes OF the Wichita in 1871, has thus far given
shining example Of good faith and obedience to all
the Instructions received by him from General
| Davidson whom he regards with feelings OF great
respect and confidence Your correspondent, in
| company with Major woodward, OF the post and
Mr. George FSx ana OF to s ep ps tn
kiOwas to pay visit to this distinguished chief,
and to test in measure the impression, largely
BY by troops. A' Riding s cut about hall mlie
store where we found Mr.: Fox and Kicking
Bird awaiting the arrival OF the expected yisl-
Speaking the Is We as the
chief, and interpreting kindly lor your correspon-
dent. We started at once. and on through the
dark we rode with the lusty, strOng-snewed red
man, the chief placing me at his left and his Adj
jutant General or striker" being on his right,
lowing US. At length we reached the outpost OF
| the camp, where lew dusky forms OF Indians
"a their sanes rhe sawars or
and graceful equestrian movements OF Kicking
Bird must have been recognized, and unquestioned
! save by the barking OF O few wolf dogs we
passed into the sanctum sanctOruna-the pre-
cincts OF the kiOwa chiefs lodge-through q leafy
arbor erected in mont OF It, Mrs. Kicking Bird
was on hand to meet her liege lord, and immedl-
ately took charge OF our horses, tying them up
we sat under the arch which the Conformation OF
the bent twigs made, and as the moon our only
aemmed sSy and the opet of the pIace gave to it
the semblance OF q lovers grottO. Kicking Bird
! sat by my side, and III q lew minutes as though
| the Occasiol1soi strangers presence was
| whispered on the evening air, score OF large
framed, blanketed, solt-stepplng savages stole
gently In and arranged themselves In a
| circle near him. Near 5v some OF the
dusky forest maidens were gleeiully playing In
front OF q camp fire with some iniants, and the
merry, musical laughter Of the squaws with the
| weird-like outlines OF the warrior forms about us,
looked like contrast picture OF life and death. We
chatted long into the nigat and exchanged views
| with these FEARLESS
| BLOODSTAINED DENIZENS OF THE PLAIN,
and they were as polite, as subdued and well-be-
| haved as q group Of polished cOurtiers. Kicking
Bird spoke much and freely of the grievances OF the
| Indian, was pleased to have his views known to
| the public through the HERALD. and would seek
an opportunity 70 have them literally spread out
through It's columns before Congress and the peO-
pe OF the United states. There we're no facilities,
on account OF the darkness to take report OF his
savings, but he has promised me an interview
at length on his peculiar views. En- pas.