The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1876-07-16


The recent short and disastrous cann,;.
against the Indians. resulting in the defss, %
Gen. Crooks army and the annihilstion of a.
ter's small command, has evoked a cry fo,,s
venge throughout the land, and we hear ana
read little on the subject which does n OF cont.a
threat and hope of the speedy and utter ert.,
mination of the savages. Every one seem. =.
forget that it was in battle against armed mo.
seeking their destruction that the india.
uck,-that they acted in accordanoe With
their we'll known usages of war never to ana "a
foe, and that their hearts were embittersd
and their passions endamed by the duplicitn
of the Federal Government, evidenced =.
scores of dishonored treaties with them and
by the cruelty of some of its officers who usvs,
hesitated to murder even their women and
children. This very war was brought n,
by the violation on our part of solemn
treaty entered into several years ago with
the Sioux Indians; and we have the tea.
timony of Gen. Harvey, United States officer
who was in high command on the frontier for
nearly forty years, that he had never known
the savages to break q treaty.
We do not wish it understood that wa an.
prove or defend the blood thirsty spirit of .bs
Sioux is massacring Clusters forces We simplv
offer these suggestions in the hope that, on
better understanding of the question, public
opinion may be so Influenced as to compel mora
honorable and merciful treatment of the abort.
gines by our Government in, order that such
dreadful scenes of slaughter as have illustrated
the history of our connection with them may be
lessened in number if not entirely avoided
IN ia Cd al t.
York Sun of Congressman Cox's speech in the
House of Representatives on the Indian cues.
tion is interesting. The Sun says:
The career of Gen. Sheridan as an Indian
fighter was reviewed with deserved severity
by Mr.. Cox. 1t is well known that Gen. Sheri.
dan does not believe in treating with the In.
diaus he thin ks they should be eItermnated.
Among the acts for which he is responsible was
the issuing of an order declaring all Indians
hostile when found outside of their proper
reservations, after peace commission, of which
his superior officer Gen. Sherman, was men,
Der, had guaranteed the Indians against whom
the order was directed, the right TO roam and
ant outside their reservations under certain
conditions and the slaughter of Black Kettles
band of friendly Cheyenne Indians on the
Wschita river, where they were legally and
peacefully dwelling.
Still more atrocious was the butchery of NO.
men and children in Piegan smallpoI
camp in 1870 executed in Pursuance of bis
inbbTucLiOnb BIGeE personal conference Win
the commander of the detachment which did
| the work. The results of this "engagement'
were pompously announced in a bulletin issusd
by Gen. Sheridan from his headq oarter IN
Chicago, in which " the spirit ana conductd
the troops and their command" were highly
commended, follows: "Oue hundred and
seventy three Indians were killed, three hun
dred horses captured, and the village and pro-
perty of the band totally destroyed" The
bulletin concludes with the remark that 90 one
of the results of this severe but necessary
punishment of these Indians. he cougratulatas
the citizens of Montana upon the reasonable
prospect of future security for their properly
and lives. From Mr.. Cox's speech we quote
more candid description of this event:
"Lieut. Pease, who was for the time being
the agent of these 1ndians, reported the result
of the expedition, as he was in duty bound to
do, TO Gen. sully, then acting as Superinten'
| tehdent of Indian Affairs. aud the latter made
report to the Indian Office at Washington.
From Lieut. Pease's report it seems that of the
| l73 Indiana killed only Is we're what might DO
called fighting men, that is, men between the
| ages of 10 and 81 years. Ten were from 81 to
60 years of age, and eight additional were over
were killed. The village had been suffering
| for over two months with tho smallpox raging
| in it, and some half dozen were dying daily
1.-THE band attacked and thus destroyed were
Red Horns band, against whom no charges OF
hostility had been made, and Gen. Sally ~
marks in his report tn at iG was to be regretted,
since it was thought necessary to chAstises
portion of tho Piegsns, that Mountain CMsis
band was not the band that suffered, but tns
band was across the line in the British poses
| sions."
From the Now York Suns "sunbeam" COL
| umn, of last Sunday, we copy: