The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1875-03-27

and what the Government proposes to d'
in the matter, and it Immediately con
Germs all who contemplate going int
the country for gold:
ii Do Rs MILITARY DIV OF MISSOURI /
CHICAGO, March %, 1875.
To gen. w. r. Sherman, headquarters
Of the ArDtu, ST. Louis:
GENERAL In reply to your question
Nv hat do you know of the Black Hills
| respectfully submit the following re-.
marks: Ny first knowledge Of the
Black Hills was derived from an inter
view with the late Father De,mct, Il
noted Catholic missionary, whom ! met
many years ago on the Columbia river in
Oregon from whom | heard the Indian
Romance Of mountain of gold in the
Black Hills and his explanation OF that
extraordinary and delusivc story told by
the Indians TO frontcrsmcn and eXplor-
ers. The Black Hills country i
much more extensive than that particular
locality brought to the notice of the
public by the recent explorations of Gen.
Custer, and gets IT. name from the black,
scrubby character Of the timber which
grows on the sides and tops Of the moun-
tains and hills. 1t comprises the whole
Of the country bounded OF the east by
longitude 1929. on the south by Sweet
Water and Laramie rivers, on the west
by Bighorn and Wind rivers, and on the
north bv Yellowstone river. This Is
really country of black hills, but en-
biacud in it are several localities called
black hills. for instance, "Black' Hills Of
Laramie. "BIack Hills of Powder river
and BLACK Hills of the Cheyenne river,
the latter being the locality in which
General Custer made his reconnaissance
last summer, and about which there j. 30
much speculation at the present time,
and within it, bounds, it Is supposed by II
large number of people, i To be found
Father DcsmctS mountain of gold.
Father DcsmcGs Story
was: While living with the Sioux In
dians, he was shown by them nuggets OF
gold, which they informed him had been
obtained mt different points in the Black
Hills, and supposed to BE- from the beds
oGthe Big Horn, Rosebud and Powder
rivers. and from the branches OF the
Tongue river; and on his representing
that such yellow metal was Of great
value, they told him that they knew
where there was nuuntaln "I II. Sub
s"fu'ht NeS''Sal'o'' "o"'Ne'' ,oN'"
that th' lhdH'ii 'h"u'!t"'" =" S"'" was
nothing more thail formation ol IelIo"
mica such us may Dc io"nd IN number
81 places ia lh' tDoN' "'''r''"'" rU""Ir!
had scarcely gwen III" S'"r! 'h"uSh'
after 'n'1 until about 'nt'' year. age
"'''n nhPi'in'" ~ -. ~. - wv" ,I,;.' G' ~
ana WAS '",''' " '''"T"' ~ '''' '''',
y! '''''',''''' s'',''.''''.'' "'''
,',.I ,I.., ',,,,,., Ill.
L,.a,,, ',,' -, anc, g.. ..,c, from linn tbc.crrr,
.,f,Ln,l,IJ MAINTAIN tb,t v.uld nay the
.,,a,in,sI J.L Nr Art.r head
informed him that il was
an old and cyplodrd story, his ardor cool
rL. and the excitement about the NOUN
tain of gold subsidized 1t 50 happened,
however, that the Black Hill country
was embraced in my military command,
uIl Two wear. aWu IL became apparent lee
me that i military post IN the Black Hill.
o! the Cheyenne" would soon become nee
r,,ary for the proper protection ol the
settlements in Nebraska, from the RAIDS
Of the Sioux warriors, who, always before
they commenced drprcdating on the
frontier, >rcur"da ,alc place for their
families, and the villages in the locality
mentioned. Believing that thc," lndl-
ans would never make war on our
settlement as ,Iong ~ We could
threaten their families and Villages. Ia
this remote locality, abouudng III game
and all that gor, to make Indian Iii"
comfTtablc, and with this purely mill
tary object IN view, th" order was giy"H
Tor Clusters reconnaissance. he dI''"'-
cries of gold 10y aIIuvlHl washing near
llarn"y peak, on the eastern 'lopr "I
the Black llIIIs, followed and brought to
the surface Father Dc,mcts tory for the
third time. The Black Hills Cd Cheyenne
described by General Custer are situated
between the north and south FORK OF that
river, ncof which Is "nown ~ tn" Bod"
Fourhr and the other Il, tn" south Fork,
Nf a