Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1876-07-13

to the Fort Peck Agency part of
his followers, but he refused to treat
himself. Next year Gen. Custer
went out with tho Northern Pacific
surveying party, and twice defeated
Sitting Ball, and at least repulsed
his attacks. One of his bands lnvad-
cd the GalIatin Valley in 1872, and
carried off 500 head of horses, after
numbering d number Of farmers. In
1873, he made a night attack on Col
Baker. but was repulsed and pursued.
In 1874, he drove the Crows from
their reservation agency, and made
war on all peaceable Indians.
The Peace Commission finding him
intractablo, now began To demand
that the army shoul ! tax" the often
sive and subdue him, and this re-
quest has frequently been repeated
by the Peace Commission an the
Indian Department, until the War
Department has acted on il. Last
wear some of his followers went down
to moot tho Commission in Confer
cnco with tho Red Cloud Sioux, and
came noar precipitating a massacre
of the Commission. Sitting Bull HIM
self refused to go in, and spent the
summer In attacks on the Grow
Agency, and on the frontier settlers.
He captured Government wagon
train on the Carroll Road, murdered
number of recruits going to the
Montana posts, and captured the
stock of the Carroll Stage Company
Such have been his exploits up to
the bloody history OF the present
year. He defies the government and
hopes that he can get the Sioux ma
ton to Join him. If they will only
do this he promises TO drive the
whites back into the sea, out OF which
they came, and utterly disbeleves
the reports of Red Cloud and others
who have visited the coast as to tho
number of whites thoy saw. He
says thor eyes were dazzled by bad
medicine "magic." How many fol-
lowers has he ordinarily Not more
than 200 or 800 lodges, but there is
no doubt that his numbers are now
swellod by recruits from all the
Agencies. The northern Cheyennes
are with him, and large portion OF
the Ogallallahs, and probably he has
had 1000 or moro we'll armed and
we'll mounted warriors in these late
fights. There were times last win
ter when he could not have gathered
800 men, but young bucks have silly
slipped away from the Agency where
they wintered, and where the old
people and women and children arc
being fed by the government, and
they will remain with him during
the summer.
This war, then, has no connection
with the Black Hills trouble; none
W whatever. 1t has been waged de-
fensively on our part for many years
before tho Black Hills were entered
by anybody. Tho Black Hills trou-
bles may be used for a pretext to in
duce the treaty Sioux to join them.
OF cCursc, he is anxious to conteder-
ate all the Sioux tribes and bands in
general war. He has been trying
to do this for years, and has made
repeated advances to the Crows and
Black Feet. This is one reason why
the Peace Commissioners urged that
he must be subdued, lest he should
demoralize all the treaty Indians,
and bring on a general war. Oh
course the government has no alter
native but to bring him to forms.
Any other course would be coward
ly and wicked surrender OF our from.
tier. Settlers and our friendly In
dian allies would be subject to O
| barbarous and determined enemy.