The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1877-03-25

Old Spotted Tail. The Boss Sioux, Wants
to Run a Big Ranch.
Honest Distribution Of Annuities-Discour-
aged 0eviIs-crazy Horse and
. Sitting Bull.

Hidnuer ana n inherent bands are
made through him. Spotted Tail told
General Crook just before he started on
his peace mission that he expected to
make farmers out Of the fellows who
had been winning laurels by s~calping
under Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull.
For years he has cherished an idea of
cultivating a colossal farm, whose broad
fields shall furnish employment to ten
thousand or fifteen thousand redskins.
So far the only progress he has made
towards developing this magnificent
scheme was to dig up a patch of ground
about ten feet square, on which, by dint
of much labor and the utmost care and
attention, he succeeded in raising a
funnel-shaped squash, which he exhib-
its to admiring frontiersmen and strang-
ers as his first and last achievement in
agriculture.
HONEST Distribution OF ANNUITIEs.
! General Sheridan was gratifed to
learn while here recently that the Indi-
Il at the Agencies were highly pleased
with the distribution of annuities Just
made. These presents consisted mainly
of blankets, calicoes and a sort of wool
len cloth called shrouding, which is
used for making leggings and breech-
clouts. This year they have been hon.
estly dealt with, and they are pleased
over receiving so much. When the an
nulties were disbursed by evil agents
they got one-half the goods intended
for their use. After these public plumb
erers had gobbled their share, the re-
mainder was turned over tothe Indians,
in the proportion of one blanket to every
half dozen squaws, and n breech-
clout to every ten bucks, which accounts
for the rather shabby and deplorable
aspect of the noble savage. In those
days the thieves who distributed annu-
tiles among the redskins accounted for
the articles they had stolen by saying
that the mice had eaten up the blankets
and shrouding. Now that the Indians
find themselves receiving so much more
than formerly, they are rejoicing to
think the mice and other annuity-de-
vouring vermin have been extermin-
ated.
DISCOURAGED DEVILS.
A Cheyenne chief who came in with
the party that reached the Agency on
March 3 reports that he had the honor
to be one of the redskins who were licked
by Gen. Mackenzie last fall. He says
they were completely routed, and fled
in the widest disorder. According to
his account, fourteen warriors were
killed in the fight, and about forty
wounded, most of whom afterwards
died. Besides these several squaws
were killed. They lost their robes,
blankets and provisions, and, the wealth
er being very cold, they suffered much.
The children froze to death and the
wounded died while the band was flying
over the country in confusion. The
chief says that the winter has been in
tensely cold, and the suffering among
the hostile bands was unparalleled,
starvation gnawing away their very
vitals a portion of the time. The I'M
expected defeats sustained by them
during the cold weather of last fall had
a demoralizing effect. They had been
accustomed all their lives to feel COM
paratively secure during such severe
weather. But after the thrashirg they
received at the hands of Mackenzie and
Miles they felt that security and safety
were things of the past. In all the hos
tile camps a notion prevailed that the
whites had changed their tactics and
were striking them where they wereleast
prepared to defend themselves. The
chiefs were so confident that this was
the policy of the enemy that they kept
up a most vigilant watch all winter.
The Indians were momentarially ex-
pecting an attack, and this fear took
such complete possession Of them that
they couldn't rest or sleep. Such a
thing as a good nights sleep had been
unknown in the camp Of the hostiles
since Mackenzie gave them a drubbing.
ABOUT CRAZY HORSE.
AT last advices Crazy Horse and his
immediate followers were encamped on
OWutT liNSr. "a pOIttotl VI Iic Dduu
were still absent on the h~eadwaters of
Little Big Horn, hunting buffalo. The
warriors who have arrived at the Agen-
cy describe Crazy Horse as a man about
80 years of age, smart, energetic and
fearless; yet, if what they say is true,
he would be glad of an opportunity to
take a vacation and give some of the
youngerchiefs an opportunity to achieve
fame in hair-lifting pursuits. This
band now numbers 120 lodges, while
his available warriors are less than 300.
When word reached him of Spotted
Tails coming he summoned all the hos
tiles to a grand council, at which the
overtures for peace were to be dis
cussed, and accepted or rejected. Up
to the date of last advices, the different
bands were responding to his call, but
the result of the powwow is yet un-
known. There's is reason for believing
that all the bands, or a majority Of
them, at least, will decide to take their
rations at the Agencies the coming
Summer- |