, 1876-07-30

Indians with having done them any wrong. For
a detailed account OF this horrid slaughter, I
Isaac V. D. Heard, entitled "The Atrocfous
Sioux, published in your lust SUNDAYS edition.
So dreadful and terrible is the history of this
massacre, that, inhuman as friend Haincs calls
its rehearsal. About this time my policy was
introduced On small scale through the agency
Of Gen. Sibley, who, with 1,t00 men,
"braye and true, pursued the Indians and
captured about AGO OF these fends of the forest,
who were brought back to the scene of their
late exploits, tried, and most all condemned to
death. But that great and good man, Lincoln,
who always erred on the side OF mercy, directed
that only about forty Of them should suffer tho
death penalty. The mercy. he showed IN behalf
own race, but even this small homeopathic dose
Of my medicine they had not forgotten when
the new Indian tamcrs went among them
Had the entire sentence Of tic law
been executed on these red devils, as
stfsd 1y he .ye 2%r tnd ot Ted 'hs1 s,
less with which to butcher and to torture brave
Custer anil his gallant band OF heroes. NY
friend Hancs asks il were the posscssor OF u
territory Ike the Black Hills, and had bexa
same knowledge and ideas that the Indian has,
would act differently from them! will add,
if nv friend Haines had enlarged little upon
this intcrrosatory, lie would have HE in the
change of position i full grown Sioux. Had my
mother been squaw, and my father
Sioux Indian, tho answer would be in the
affirmative; therefore, not knowing what kind
of all animal would be If were to lose one
half of my identity, being half savage and half
civilized, I confess l cannot tell just what !
will say, that if / were a wolf, snake, tiger,
or any other kind Of animal that was in the way
OF civilization, do think friend Haines would
be in favor of my removal, and SO he should be
human progress. hot"lihStanding 5 HIa the con,
in regard to myself, beg leave to inform him
that / am one Of the many who believe that the
poorest use that call be made Of nlan is
to kill him. | have US much regard for
no circumstances except to preserve my own and
my fcllow-lnan's. have Ill inborn repugnarlce
to the shedding Of human blood, ard lie who
has not this feeling, though called a man, lMs
only the instincts of brute. Again, lie WHO
would not defend tue innocent and helpless
endowed with that courage which should adorn
a civilized being, and more, the mother, tender
angel Of mercy, the man who should SO
far forget his duty as to allow
her to suffer lndlgnity, much less
tomalla~k and sealpingg.knife, wieldcd
though it may be by I" Lo, the poor INDIAN
is below the brute. Now, to correctnly friends
impressions about cxterlnnatlnT the lndlanS,
let rue say to him: have never spoken or writ
ten in defense Of any such doctrine, but do
say that if my neighbor'a house is OIL fire, and
my own is about to be destroyed unless his IS
torn down, then it becomes law Of necessity
on my part to tear it down for him, and III so
doing do no wrong; end SO it is in case Of the
Indians, The temporiziny policy Of our Coy
crn1nent hus for many years past enlarged tie
long list Of butcherics, which have
been committed by the wild 1nen
of the forest. Our blood freezes
ut the enumeration Of tue torturcs our kinsmen
have undergone while dclying down into the
distant mountains Of the uncu1tivated 'silds;
the bones Of our fathers, mothers, brothers,
and sisters, together with countless thousands
of innocent children, lie unb,lricd on the plains
ant, mountains of the West and Northwest;
their flesh las become food for the wild beasts
IF the forest. For this sad condition Of things,
the end Of which I fear has not yet come, I
mourn to think an apulogist can be found,
aud more especially do I regret that it
c1nanates from ono Of that noble race of
men and womeu among whom I have
so many kins1nen, the Quakers. I know their
general repug1laucc to all kinds of cruelty;
Know all the good traits Of character for which
they are SO c-enncntiy distinguished; know
that their relations in life are not confined to
raising broorn-corll or garaen-seeds, but even II
it were, they, with the many good traits they
now have aud always possessed, should not be
ashamed Of their history. have read the lie
OF Penn, Franklin, Paine, end many others OF
the Quaker faith, and while in some matters l
differ with them, the immortal names above
oil ft11n n