Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1875-10-08
Savage Treachery.

some weeks past with view to come
to some arrangement with them for
the purchase of the Black Hills, have
not only failed to accomplish that OBJ
ject and to bring back Il treaty with
the savage tribes, but they regard
themselves very fortunate that they
got away with their lives and scalps.
The red devils had planned an attack
which but for the friendly interven-
ton of the Chief, Yomg-Man-Afraid
ot-His-Horses, would have resulted in
the wiping out of the Commission
and their escort of Government cav
airy to the last man. The story is
thus told by correspondent Of the
Omaha Herald:
Two thousand Indians, represent
ing the various tribes of the whole
Sioux nation, met in council to-day.
They were gayly dressed and curious
ly painted. A number of the Wild
Wazazias, brought i'll by Young-Man-
Afraid attracted no little attention,
not SO much from profusion of
dress as from protllsion of paint
and an absence Of dress.
Colonel Mills and Captain Egan,
each commanding a company of cav
airy, rested in line in rear Of the tent
flies, under which sat the Commis-
sion. At least 1900 Of the 1000 In
dams were armed, and majority of
them mounted. The Standing Rock
Indians John Burke, of Omaha,
AGENT rode within twenty yards OF
the Commissioners. The Chairman
requested Mr.. Burke to have them
dismount. He returned with the an
swer: "They refuse to dlsmount, as
they expect trouble and want their
horses near them" The Indians all
declined the invitation Of the com
mission to be seated under the can
vas.
Red Cloud came from the right
half way to the Commissioners tent,
where he was met by Spotted Tail.
Red Cloud wore, rs usual, Il SLOUGH
hat, II blanket, and instead Of panta-
looms, red cloth leggings trimmed
with brass bells; Spotted Tail was
gayly dressed in buckskin shirt and
leggings, trimmed with ermine,
wrought with porcupine quilts and
hung with locks of hair, acknowledge
ed by all to be the most elegant and
gorgeous dress on the ground. They
shook hands and quietly squatted on
the grass; all the leading Indian
chiefs Immediately assembled with
Spotted tail and Red Cloud.
At this moment a death-like silence
prevailed. While the commission
were ignorant of an explosion resem-
bling that Of nitro glycerine about
them, it was atterward known that
both Red Cloud and Spotted Tail
went to the council ground with the
belief that if either attempted to
speak he would be shot The Ogal-
lallas feared Spotted Tails influence,
and his control Of the council, and
were determined to kill him if he at
tempted speaking. The same could
be said of Red Cloud and his men,
Meanwhile Little Big-Man, the leader
of the 200 lodges of Wazazias, was
busily engaged in picking his half
naked men from the crowd and pla
cling them behind the cavalry.
The halfbreed squaw men were
warned by the Indians to go away
from the crowd, as trouble was near
at hand. They stood not upon the
order of going, but went. Young
Man-Afraid, who sat in the crowd
quietly smoking a red-stone pipe, his
quick eye taking in the situation at a
glance, summoned Sitting Bull to
him. Immediately after, Sitting
Bull whispered to an Indian by his
side, "there will be trouble here, and
I will kill the first Indian that fires Il
shot. You stand by and watch me-"
He then directed Y Dung Man-Atraid's
soldiers to displace Little-Big-Man's
men and guard the white soldiers
This did not occupy the space Of
time we are writing it, and Little-Big
Man steals away and seats himself
with three half naked wild ones on a
hill near by.
About this time a signal smoke
was seen, doubtless intended to call
the Indians from the villages. An
Indian began haranguing the Indians
for bringing their arms into Il coun-
Gil Of peace. Bull Eagle, a Mime
conjou, replied: "The whites brought
their soldiers armed first, and we
came with arms last
That the diplomatic move of Red
Cloud and Spotted Tail in joining
their people without an attempt to
speak in council, prevented an out
break that would doubtless have end
ed in the killing of all the commits
sion-not because the spleen wnIld
have been directed to the Commits
sioners, but because the jealousy Of
the tribes might have provoked Il
conflict between each other-no one
will deny; and it is equally certain
that, once begun, the Commissioners
would have s4tfercd, and possibly
all have been killed. We can learn
nothing of the plan or policy of the
commission, hence our Ignorance of
the future, but it is understood that
no more chances are to be taken by
the commission where trouble is eX-
pectel.