The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1877-01-11

OcucIdi SIOOk, Iuc luIIcplu lHuidH
fighter, has made o valuable report, Civ.
ing the story of his operations on the
Plains during the year closing Septem.
ber %, and adding some general obser'
vations of interest. Of the arms with
which the Indians are supplied and their
facility in using them, he says:
"Of the difficulties with which we
have had to contend it may be well to
remark that when the Sioux Indian was
armed with a bow and arrow he was
more formidable, fighting, as he does,
most of the time on horseback, than
when he got the old-fashion muzzle-
loading rifle. But when he came into
possession of the breech-loader and the
metallic cartridge, which allows him to
load and fire from his horse with per-
feet ease, he became at once ten thou
sand times more formidable.
"With the improved arms, I have
seen our friendly Indians, riding at full
speed, shoot and kill wolf, also on the
run, while it is a rare thing that our
troops can hit an Indian on horseback,
though the soldier may be on his feet
at the time. The Sioux is a cavalry
soldier from the time he has intelligence
enough to ride horse or fire gun. II
he wishes 10 dismount, his hardy pony,
educated by long usage, will Craze
around near where he has been left,
ready, wnen his master wants to mount,
either to move forward or escape. Even
with their lodges and families they can
move ut the rate of fifty miles per day.
They are perfectly familiar with the
country, have their spies and hunting
parties out all the time at distances Of
from twenty to fifty miles each way
from their villages; know the number
and movements of all the troops that
may be operating against them, just
about what they can probably do, and
hence can choose their own times and
places of conflict, or avoid it altogether"
The condition of affairs at the agencies
is thus vigorously treated by General
Crook:
"The Sioux Nation numbers many
thousands of warriors, and they have
been encouraged in their overbearing
conduct by the fact that those who par
ticipated in the wholesale massacre of
the innocent people in Minnesota during
the brief period that preceded their re-
moval to their present location never re-
ceived adequate punishment therefor.
Following hard upon and as the ap-
parent result of the massacre of over
eighty officers and men of the army at
Fort Phil. Kearney, the Government
abandoned three of its military posts
and made treaty of unparalleled liber-
ality with the perpetrators of these
crimes, against whom any other nation
would have prosecuted vigorous war.
"Since that time the reservations, in.
stead of being the abode of loyal Indians
holding the terms of their agreement
sacred, have been nothing but nests of
to their treaties and the Gov
ernment, and scOurges to the people
whose misfortune it has been to be
within the reach of the endurance of
their ponies. And in this connection,
regret to say, they have been materially
aided by sub-agents, who have disgraced
a bureau established for the propagation
of peace and good will, man to man.
What is the loyal condition of mind
of lot of savages who will not allow
the folds of the flag of the country to
float over the very sugar, coffee and beef
they are kind enough to accept at the
hands of the Nation TO which they have
thus far dictated their own terms?
"Such has been the condition of
things at the Red Cloud Agency. The
agents have informed us thus that the
hosting ola flag over the agency, or a
persistence in the determination to find,
BY actual count, the number of warriors
,ut on the war-path, would result in
heir massacring all the people there.
When, therefore, the present campaign
vas inaugurated against the hostile
,ands it was impossible to find out what
orce we should probably meet. 1t has
that they could and did re-
nforce the hostiles by thousands of
eff, therefore, by the placing of these
lgencies under control of the military,
md insisting upon the points not here
ofore required, any portion of those os-
ensibly peaceable Indians 60 out, /
submit that it will be better than a
loyalty, as we shall know some
hing about what we have to encounter"