The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-07-29
WRONGS OF THE RED MEN.
AGENTS KNAVERY.

AGEN 10 INA L
A VISIT TO THE YELLOWSTONE REGIoN-THE
WRATH OF LAUNDERING BULL - TALKS
WITH OTHER CHIEFS-THE TRADERS-MAN-
AGEMENT OF THE AGENTS.
An emissary of the New York Herald is
on the war path among the Yellowstone re
gion Indians. He writes from Fort Peck:
There were 5S3 lodges or 1000 Indians at
Fort Peck until the Goth of June. They
were mostly AssinIboines, Santees, Upper
Ysnktons and Tetons. The latter are fierce,
and all of them are wild enough for the
war path, though the Assiniboines are very
friendly. What struck me the most on my
arrival was their immense statue as compared
with many of the lower In
dams. Their muscular development
is simply wonderful. Some OF
them could pick up white man in each
hand and shake the life out of them. They
handle their heavy rifles as though they
were pistols. With the exception of the As
siniboines, they are hard to interview, much
more so than those of the Southern tribes.
However, visited fourteen of the principal
chiefs, including Mr.. Alfroid, OF the Bear,
White Eagle, Good Hawk, Long Fox, Black
Catfish, laundering Bull and Redstone, the
distinguished friend of the whites. told
them what wanted, and laundering Bull,
of the Cut Head Sioux, was appointed
speaker They assembled in ring and
lighted the pipe of peace. 1t was pleasant
smiling group until laundering Bull took
the floor. Then marvellous change followed
Their faces darkened Every man was silent
as the grave. The orator became another
man. All of the outrages and villainies Of
the agency must have appeared 10 lines oil
FIRE before his eyes, for midnight black
ness came into them. His muscles swelled,
emotions. Then his deep rich voice
kindled with passion, and he poured out
stream of rhetoric that rolled like an angry
river. His gestures were mastery. No In
terpreter could follow him, and none but a
nitTo-glycsrlne shorthand machine could
take half OF what he said had it bsen spoken
in the English tongue. A minute had
hardly passed before the perspiration WAS
streaming down the faces OF his brother
chiefs, and he himself looked like Vulcan
taking Turkish bath. When he had
finished
A PEACEFUL SMILE
shone ON his face, as the sun shines out on a
stormy SKY, and be took his seat with the
air of a country boy in the House of lords
From what the interpreter was able to catch
learned that the agent had two houses,
one for the annuities and one for the food.
He (the speaker) had seen the houses filed
with blankets and rstions, but each day his
people were growing poorer. The 600
lodges never received what belonged TO
them. For three years their eye had seen
their blankets and -four disappear, but they
could not tell whittier they went When the
Indian goes for food 10 the agent he puts some
before him and says, "this ls for yOu;" but
he don't tell him where the rest has gone.
The agent has door which opens for none
but those who rob the Indians. The little
father tells them to come, then he sends
them away, then says come again, and at
last he gives them what white man would
throw away. The great rather talks we'll,
said the speaker, and promises to keep his
young men from spelling our country. de
sent the agent blankets. We saw them
come. But they stopped in the agents
house. They didn's come to US. We get no
rations, so We have to eat our dogs,
The whites poison wolves; our dogs eat the
wolves and die. We received no blankets
last winter when it was cold, and the moons
were dark with ice and snow. But now,
when the sun shines and the grass grows. this
little father of ours SAYS, "Come and ge1
your blankets" / asked laundering Bill
what rating they gave him. A sarcastic
smile ran around the lodge, and he con-
tinued: For an ordinary teepee, one pint
OF sugar, two scoops OF flour, bacon the
same as none, and beef none, that any one
knows OF. Once they gave US handful OF
coffee, bat there Is none now.
THE LITTLE FATHER TALKS WELL,
but we are still hungry" Mr.. Afraid-of-the
Bear. of the Yanktons, said his people were
to be pitied. They wanted some guns or
provisions. Now they could neither shoot
nor eat. The steamboats, come with much
for US, said he. The agent gives US little.
My heart is full to find that at last the Great
Father sends to hear our complaints. The
two agents have not treated US right
and it makes our hearts bad. / have
known the country tor 80 years.
All OF u.s. the men, the boys, the squsws and
the little pappooses, want new agent.
What does the agent do that is gooo? He
does it all bad. He made me one Of his
children. When the cattle came be put the
fat ones in his own corral and gave the poor
ones to US. If we go to his house to speak
with him he locks the door. The trader Is
bad. He sells our goods. We had rather
have the old trader (Durfee IL PecK.) He
gave US more for our skins and money. My
talk is small, but it is enough for the white
nation to hear. Redstone, chief OF the as
sinlboines, it is a pleasure to talk with.
All the whites agree that he has rare
Intelligence and good heart. He
wore Hungarian military hat,
with string OF decent beads around lis
neck. His chest and shoulders were bare
but a dark blue blanket fell from his waist,
and be looked like a sailor in the tropics.
His face is melancholy and he is as quiet and
gentlemaply as member of the New York
Farmers CLUB in its palmiest day. He SAID
that he represented go lodges and 500 war
riors. He had been around the agencies
three years; was first at old Fort Union,
near Fort Buford. There they traded with
him well. Since then the cups of flour and
sugar have been growing smaller. The
traders are bad since Durfee 81 Peck closed.
Leighton had treated them worse than all
the rest.
THE OLD TRADERS
used to make the chiefs present or give
I,