Connecticut western news., 1874-11-06
A PHANTOM THIEVES, COLONY.
Long and Intellectual Search for .
 Colony of DesperadOes in the North - west.

Long and Intellectual Search for .
 Colony of Desperadoes in the North- - west.
 {. Now comes the news that the mount ed police expedition to the northwest ern territory has been signal failure. The history of this expedition has par ticular interest for Americans. It is more than year ago since the news came to us through the Canadian papers that thieves colony, formidable in numbers, had been established in Dominion territory. close to the Rocky Mountains. When fuller details ar rived, the fact appeared that this colony was made up entirely of persons who extent in various parts of the United States that they were compelled, in order to escape "Judge Lynch" to seek safety in flight. Repeated rein forcements from over the border soon swelled the male population to five hundred. There was then no female population. We were told that, after having devoted much time to building Notifications to guard against surprises from possible enemies, the colonists longed for the possession of wives. The leading minds were set to work to conceive plan for gratifying this de- sire. It was decided that the Indian tribes should be made to supply the required number. It was not consid- eled wise to use force, and how to at tain success without it rather puzzled the heads of the outlaws.
 | At last, suggestion of whisky-dis- tilling as chief industry of the colony was the means of developing a very pretty scheme for relieving the Indians of their choicest furs and handsomest women. So soon as the still-house was m good working order, agents were sent among the Indians, and negotia- tions opened for a profitable trade. Samples of whisky sent out te hasten operations were 80 highly approved that the Indians presently pitched their wigwams close to the colony and began quite brisk trade. After many days of drinking and yelling, the whisky gave out. There were no more furs to barter for it. The colonists' oppor. tunity had arrived. They proposed to exchange whisky for squaws, and the proposition was eagerly accepted. In this way matters progressed until the colony was we'll furnished as to wives. Nothing was needed now but few heavy guns to guard the principal ap breaches to the stronghold. A raid was made into the United States, which re- suited in supplying this necessity. h addition to several pieces of artillery the colony owned a large number ot rifles, from each one of which it was possible to fire seventeen shots without reloading. Having succeeded so well in their undertakings, the more adven. turous spirits thought they could dc still better. They procured feet horses and inaugurated marauding excursions that were the terror alike of settlers and Indians.
 This was the news 7 that reached Ottawa. A mounted police force, three hundred strong, was speedily organized under the direction of an English colonel, for the purpose of capturins the stronghold of the outlaws. Iii July last it set tifor the Northwesi with an advance guard of forty men It was we'll equipped and carried { large amount of stores. During three months, we are told that this force has been securing the plains in quest ,o the colony of which such an elaborats description had been given to the gov ernment, without having found any trace whatever of it. One of the cap tains, in recent letter to his father says: %&& #
 "We have at last got to the end ol our journey. We started homewarc last Monday. Our destination was g fort of whisky smugglers supposed tc be near the forks of Boy and Belly rivers. We arrived there about two weeks ago, but could find neither tho fort, smugglers, nor any traces of them We sent our scouts for about eight, miles around, but could not find ever an Indian. We are all to be divided here. We will have cold trip back"
 The account of the expedition givel by the privates of the force is more il detail. They say that in the marcl across the prairies it was reduced b, bad management, desertion, sickness and death to eighty; that of the ad vance guard of forty mounted men there remained but st eight weary mel on foot" and that great portion o the three months had been spent il wandering about in search of river that were not found. The last lette sent home by private states that ol the 28th of September the provision had nearly given out, the horses tha had survived the march had been takel flom the men and put to the wagons "We are now,'' says the writer, "burn ing buffalo chips for fuel. Starvation stares us in the face, and cold, relent less fall before us. If we go to For Benson, eighty-four miles distant, W must walk there, jaded as we are, an, T then discard our arms and enter int an American fort for protection for tn winter. A sorry spectacle. The horse on the wagons are dropping dead ever day, and the poor brutes look more ik hat-racks than horses" -~z-=
 The government organs assert tha these letters are not genuine-that the, have been manufactured for politics capital. sissI3
 Honest Gypsies. .t-
 Julian Young, in his interestin