The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1874-07-04
THE INDIANS.

A correspondent of the New York Iri
buns who accompanies Gen. Clusters ex
ploring expedition to the Black Hills, Da
kota Territory, gives the following accoun,
of the Indians they expect to encounter:
THE AGENCY INDIANS
Since coming here Fort A. Lincoln,
D. IT, have sought intelligence concern.
ing the condition of the Indians on the
river and their protested attitude toward
the expedition, to supplement personal
inspection of all the Missouri river agen.
cies made last Fall.
The Mandans, Rees and Gros Ventres
are some so miles above Fort Abraham
Lincoln. They are friendly to the Govern
ment and always have been, though the
Government has never been very friendly
to them. Being small in numbers, unitedly
not exceeding thousand, the Government
has had no occasion to fear them, and
therefore has not surfeited them with food
and presents; but, on the contrary, has
made them the victim of a starvation
policy. If these Indians, who are of an
entirely different lineage from the Sioux,
had any virtuous way of supporting them
selves, the Indifference of the Government
would not be material; but there is little
game on that side of the river; the Indian
has little inclination for agricultural pur-
suits, the soil is not readily productive, and
the Sioux are too fond of coming up on the
other side of the river to make hunting in
small parties safe. From year to year they
have lived a hand-to- mouth existence
Within the last year, however, the Govern
ment has been more just and generous in
its issue of rations; and the chiefs of the
tribes have just returned from visit to
the Great Father to arrange for their future
prosperity. From 40 to so of these In
dams have been engaged on the expedition
as scouts. Their friendship has long been
tested. The news of the Sioux raid on
their homes at Berthold has greatly exas-
perated them. They will fight desperately,
but at the white mans side.
Going down the river from Fort A. Lin
coin, there are six agencies of Sioux In
dams within distance of 400 miles. Of
these the Yankton, Yanktonais, and the
Santee Sioux agencies, numbering together
about $500 Indians, are friendly, and
though a few individual members of these
tribes might lend moral encouragement to
an expedition against Custer, the vast ma
jority would give it no support whatever.
At Standing Rock, about 100 miles be-
low Fort Lincoln, at the Cheyenne Agency,
within 10 miles of Fort Sully, there are
Sioux of three different varieties. There
are first, the friendly Sioux, who have
agreed to accept the Government bride,
it unsafe Or impolitic to do
otherwise; second, the "hostiles," who
come to the agencies only from necessity
or to.foment mischief by melting the bet
ter disposed Indians to insolence and vio-
lence. Their influence is powerfully bad,
upon the young men, from whom
their section is mainly recruited; thirdly,
there are the semi hostiles, who vacllat e
between friendship and hostility, and whose
temper cannot be relied on
Considerations of self-interest determine
them to peace, but a strong influence from
the hostile camp easily induces them to
take the risks of war.
At Standing Rock there are some 5000
or 5000 Indians on rations. The number
of young bucks who would like chance
to bother Custer in the Black Hills is pretty
large. 1t would not be necessary to divulge
their intention to the agent. The Sioux
have neat euphemism which kindly rec
onciles him to their departure. They sim
ply tell him they want to go off on a hunt.
They say nothing about the game. The
Indians have made little or no real progress
toward civilization. They have built no
houses, have no schools among them, have
made no attempt at agriculture; but when
they are not eating their rations or fight
ing the Rees or the Government, they are
simply quiescent. Their principal chiefs
are Two Bears, Running Antelope (who
looks more like an OK than an antelope),
Fat Belly, Bear Ribs, and Long Soldier,
six feet six inches in hight. These Indians
are largely of the Unepapa and Ollagalla
Sioux.
At the Cheyenne River agency there are
about 5000 Indians belonging to the Min
neconjou, Sans Arc, Two Kettle, and part
of the Blackfeet bands of Sioux. Some of
their principal chiefs are Long Manden,
who is the head of the Two Kettles, Four
Bear of the same band, Burnt Face of the
Sans Arcs, Little Swan of the Minnecon-
jous, and Little Black Feet. The Sans
Arcs are, perhaps, the most numerous.
The Two Kettles are the most Industrious,
and have built nearly forty houses. AS at
Grand River, they are powerfully inau-
enced by the "hostiles," and their young
men form strong war party.
DECLARING INTENTIONS.
The Indians at these two agencies, both
by word and deed, have been very frank in
declaring their intentions for the Summer.
At Standing Rock an Indian came in dur
ing the Winter bringing Mcclellan sad
die, and openly beasted that he was the
one who killed the cavalry doctor on the
Yellowstone expedition. The sugar and
coffee found in the deserted Indian camps
last Summer proved that the Indians we
were fighting had either come directly from
the agencies or had been in contact with
agency Indians. So that it would not be
unreasonable to suppose that the "hos-
tiles" may be considerably strengthened
from this source. To leave no doubt about
the matter, when news of the projected
Black Hill expedition reached the Indians
at Standing Rock delegation of about
200 came up to pay their respects to Gen.
Custer and learn his intentions. Subse-
quently party Of IL chiefs, and again
about half dozen of the same dignity,
came up on the same errand. Two Bears
was present with one delegation, and Run
ming Antelope was the spokesman of each
party. Gen. Custer informed his inter
viewers that the Government was thinking
of sending an exploring expedition into the
Black Hills simply to ascertain the charac-
ter of the country; that this was the only