The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1876-10-08

such people and things by parties interested I,
misrepreaent the Indians, excite hatred agains,
Them, and perhaps also make a little money
through it. Sitting Boil, to my know led ge-
and ! have been the missionary of the Sioux
ior the last ten years-has been quiet, sober
Kind man, but courageous aud al WAYS ready RI
lay down his life for the sake of his tribe and
| family He never was a Blanket I1dian, hay.
ing TOO much natural pride to become one and
let us say il: the tribes of Titon Sonx are too
well OH materially to have recourse to blau.
| Gets. The buffalo robe 10 the blanket of any
| rich Indian, the same fur coat is the win-
ter coat OF any rich white man having TO travel
and i've IN "A cold country.
| will not deny that Sitting Ball may have
been to Fort Rice on visit, and that he NAV
| nave there received n blow. Bat it is highly
| Improbable that he has, as bis positiou of irst
soldier to the High Chief, although not q chief
himself, as the papers wrongfuly represent he
is, required his continual presence in the Vel
ioWstone country. his native country. There
Ii not single Indian remen bers the Incident
Related in the Pilot am not try ing 10 defend.
Sitting Ball, nor do l want to make others
guilty for the satisfaction it might give to
soHe aud the dissati, faction it wonld ueyessa
riy give to others. AS a priest like AL men
and although a missionary to the Sioux / an
not bind SO that could not 500 their defects
| and am enemy TO the people Of the United
states. Anlicas Plato. dnicas Socrates SeG mdJis
AMIGA reritas! Whatever may be the poss, blity
of Sitting Boil receiving blow at Fort Rice
IL ls very sure that that is not what has shaped
the Indian policy of the United States, for il
could not, Sitting Bull never having made any
war on white people before now!
Now as to what cansed the death of General
Custer, as well that of his command it il
also very sure that it was not the bio W possibly
received by Sitting Ball. The Ti,ons, long
aware OF the existence of gold in their coun-
try, and seeing the same Country already sur
rouEded by white men, and still it being
their last place of abode, made a law THAT
any indian who would show the gold fields To
white men sbonld die, and the whites thus
made aware OF the presence of gold should also
dle Tor fear their country would be take1 from
them" Another law also made AZ the
same time, VIZ: that no tire-water should be
made use of within certain boundaries and
any trader introducing the same should be
killedH Sitting Snll approved those laws, aud
all the Chiefs upon his represen tations, also
sanctioned the same. aud they strictly kent
them, and the gold fields remaired nearly M
approachabe. Last year a commission ap
pointed for the purpose OF pnrchas,ng that
country from those indians, met with their
Willingness to sell the same, but failed in its
work, inasulnch as those Indians ask ed for
great anohnt OF money aud for spiritual
teachers who should be exclusively Catholic
pelts's. Having thus failed the Gentlemen of
the commission returned, aud certainly their
report did not give satisfaction TO those East
ern parties who had, after the Government
funeral survey of this region, chosen claims
in the Yellowstone or Titon gold re gions Thew
had lntiuence. and what was to them the lives
OF q fe W soldiers or of a million Indians! The
country being successfully freed from the latter,
they would at once make fortunes! Therefore
the army of a civilized and great nation must
marol out and destroy the last indian in his
wiiderness' map, woman or child, whether
Justly and with provocaton, or upjustly and
without any act on the part of the indians |
calling for such determination.
10 aid this, the most fearful stories of Indian
bar barities Were also at once circul 9ted all
through the land, and the Indians have no |
newspapers to contradict the most Infamous |
lies. II a miner happened to kill and rob his |
fellow miner or some other man for his money |
the Indians bad the credit of the heroic deed |
at once, Inc trOOD5 went out. therefore, and |
surrounded the Indians in their hills d a time |
thnt the said indians we're busily engaged in |
their usual ceremonies of the san dance gem
orally hs!d in time of peace. No white tuan
can tell why thus fearful expedition is sent |
ont. Even the officers of the same cannot ex-
actly say why; bat some openly declare there
Is no reason for it, nothing to justify it, and |
that the Government is seriously com pro mi ,ed
by means of it.
II some violated treaty could be pointed ont,
some of those heroic deeds" mentioned in
The Pilot really proved, would understand
il; but no, nos one single case can be brought
-"rth, aud J, as man who ba5 lived in this +
part of the crnDtCy for years, defy any budy to
provo that they ever slw Sitting Ball do any
mischief to any body, nan, oman or be5s5.
beluG surrounded bY t:oops, all of sudden,
o he hesfr"ye3 10 ne last, ask it of every
AMMAN heinS ""nid @o not have auswered the
;harEe il the bes' way we could. TIE Tiron
indians are too bravo, and love TIER families
90 tGuch, Is allow !hs same to hs butsher-d,
wen b. TIE a"id.cr, Of tho United States ana
lct 10 fight for tArm till death. Let no ulau
al THE massacre, il il piece Of Mere way
are. AT tho same time no can hut weep for
no poor soldiers who thus fell, aud for the
DOR widows and orphans some of thefu left in
Isolation. All this the Government has to
uswer for, not the red man! Indeed there ia
cco INFLATED more blood and tears at once than
hat the spectators who caused this are worth.
Yours respectfully,
. }. d. VI. GERM, o. NJ. l.,
Missionary Apostolic.
P. Sour friend Colonel Keogh's body and t
hat of another Catholic soldier were the only !
ues treated with respect by the Indians, who a
tripped the dead of their clothes on the battle
eld. The Tton Indians nearly all pagans
ct not shat they did not desire to become ,
catholics; they often asked me to go and live
Vith them, to instruct them and their Children
'ut had already too much on hand, and could
My pray for them, besides seeing some of
hem at long intervals. Pagans though they
nay be, and used to savage practices, still they
ave learned to respect the Cross wherever
hey find it, and finding on Col. KS neck a {
balm and cross, they did not cut up his body
ut covered his face respectfully, and left him
is CROSS and went by. A Scapular on the body
T another man was apparently the cause of a '