The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1876-08-19
Custer.

The Republican newspapers have,
with great unanimity, seized upon
the disaster which betell General Gus.
ter and his troops, as a reason for
urging a policy of extessn;nation,
They are perfectly right !; 1t is war
of determination, thorough and com.
plete, that should be carried on. But
they are altogether in error as u the
object upon whom the operation
should bo performed. 1t is,not the
Indians who should 10 swept from
the face Of the earth, but hin. and his
minions who rendered the calamity
and its cause possible.
The sooner VIC view in its proper
light transaction of this nature, the
better it will lie for us. 4 .re>nlt
which, a~ vne sue III a Struggle,
would be glorious victory--a mag
niticent exploit, an evidence Of heroic
spirit and hardihood, specimen If
indomitable pluck and contempt Of
danger, cannot upon the other side be
a brutal aud horrible measure plan.
ned and carried out with deVilish
malignity which calls for vengeance
upon every member 6f the tribe which
has perpetrated it. The fact is that
the Indians have, under provocations
the most atrociols, conducted them.
selves-no doubt through the force of
circumstances with Il placidity Of
demeanor which would have c'taract.
e,izsd very few more "civilizetl' peo-
pie similarly beset aud imposed upon.
When, u few years since, an attack
was made, under - orders Of Gen
eral Sheridan, upon Red Horses viii
lage, and upwards Of TO of the tribe,
most of them old men, women and
children, were slaughtered in cold
blood, the village destroyed, and 300
horses stolen, the event was not Il
horrible massacre, buta great victory.
This Red Horse band, be it rememb-
cred, was not a hostile tribe +; the
village was Il quarantine settlement,
occupied by victims Of small pox, yet,
without any reason but that the hands
of our soldiers must 10 kept in the
practice of murder, that the 1arocious
instincts Of human nature might be
fed and stimulated 6y the taste Of
human blood, tho whole Of the in
ha6itants, l73 in number, Of whom
but about two dozen were able
bodied men, were butcherea and
destroyed. The less We say about
the barbarity "fthe Indians the bctter.
But still the fate of Genera! Custer
and his men calls loudly for VEN
gcance. They were murdered, bar
barously aud ruthlessly murdered.
But not by the Indians was the das-
ta,dly deed performed +; they simply
did what We should have done nnde,
the circumstances, defended them
selves and theirs from hostile attack
No, the responsibility for the attro.
cious murder, the assassination, rests
upon the shoulders of the President
and his horde. It's the ,ascally adj
miuistration that sh0ultle he extermi'
mated. not the Indians.
In what manner have We, under
the rule Of Grant, been in tho habit
Of dealing with the various tribes Oi
Indians, whose lands we hate stdlei
aud appropriated to our use aud &C.
cupation !? Simply in 4 way that is ;
disgrace to civilization and Humanity
We have pretended to treat will
them as independent nations, ant
and have made treaties with them,
Then, with the brutal conciousness o
bullies e2ultingin their strength, W
have without cause, other than the
pursuit Of our own advantage, broke,
those treaties, and proceeded to MUIR
der the defradded ii they should pre-
sumo to resent the injury. We have
encouraged the men Of our rice AM
color to look upon them As will
animals; and kill them whenever the.
could ret d Glance without DANCE
. tn themselves. We have held ever,
murderer VI an Indian as a bcncfacto
+ to his race and worthy Of reward
every Indian murderer Of a whit
!. man as an uucleaD beast. who wit
any others Of his race that we coul
catch; should he swept from the fac
If the earth. The detestibte creature
iu whose hands tho various tribt
3 have been placed, have for the SAX
Of personal gain, even supplied the
with the most approved weapons
warfare, and now, when We have es
asperated then, beyond endurance /
our yillanies, we cry Determination
because they have used upon Us Il
instruments We have placed in che
, hands. The wholesale murder
q Custer and bis men is ono Of The ma
dcplorable III the result.
And this is tho way in which eve
branch Of the public service is CO
}" Quoted. Yes, extermination sl'ou
be the cry. Let US thrust from
every man who has had q hand
building up the system. Grant, and
administration are the murderers
the noble Custer and his brave band
Grant, who degraded the noble lea
er, because he was compelled to {
pose the execrable deeds Of one of
devoted followers /; the Admlnist'
ton which hos brought into being I
, cause Of Indian discomfort. With
4 leader let every man who has work
/ with him in the furtI'eraDce Of his '
4 schemes he swept into destructf'
Z Let Us assure this glorious. res
8 by. electfus the man who can
complislt il. HIfat mar; ~ We
know, is Samuel }. Tildcp.
A writer IN the PRACrfTf0SER gl'
several instances to- show that alec