The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1877-05-30
OUR RED CLOUD LETTER.
Gen. Crook interviewed.-Ais Opinion Of
Indian Affairs in this Depariment-The
Trip OF the cheyennes to the
Southern Agencies Bad
White Men.

| Crook at length yesterday, and the Cen
| erals remarks may be summarized as
follows:
81 have no fears whatever as to the
Cheyennes. / think Lieut.. Lawton
| will experience no difficulty in conduct
| ing these Indians to their future home.
| OF course, 1 could send them under
guard Of the six companies Of the
| Fourth Cavalry, now ordered to return
to their proper station at Fort Sill, but
| l do not deem il either necessary or
wise. II the Indiana really intend go
ing quietly, fifteen soldiers will do as
well as fifteen hundred. OF course
| they can straggle off in small bands II
| they wish TO, and will he able to thus
escape from the band, but my belief is
that all will go, and that they will keep
together until they reach their destina-
tion, the Southern Cheyenne Agency.
1 am told that Dull Knife hates to go,
for the reason that when he left the
Agency II price had been set upon his
head because OF some murder he had
committed, and he now fears that he
| will be arrested when lie returns. but
his fears are groundless.
The Sioux are by far the most
tractabie Indians / have ever dealt
with. ] have made a thorough study
of their character and pr~oclivities, and
when / told you last winter referring
to Il previous interview with the writer)
that Crazy Horse and the other hostiles
were coming i'll, / knew that | was
right, although you did not then believe
Inc. | find them easy TO manage when
the proper method is pursued, and l
anticipate no further trouble with
them. They must be talked TO fire.
quently, rs they are like children, and
need constant care and guidance. They
must be led gradually TO believe that
they are to work and earn their W
living, and will he made to understand
that the life of idleness they are living
only leads them into mischief; whereas
if they work, they will have something
to occupy their time and thoughts. 1
shall hold frequent councils with them
for this purpose.
THE ease with which they are gov
erned cannot be better illustrated than
in the present situation at this Agency.
Here is a city of six or eight thousand
inhabitants, and l defy anyone to show
me 4 town of the same size anywhere
in this country in which there is so
little vice and crime, or which is as
well regulated in every way, and this
too without the formal and arbitrary
laws and governing power provided for
white men. There are troops here, it
is true, and I do not thilli it proper to
remove them, for We must consider
that these people are entirely unlike us
in their customs and mode of living,
and that the repentant hostiles, many
of whom have never been at an agency
before, find everything new and strange
here. The slightest alarm will eau
| them TO seek safety in fight, and were
| the troops TO be taken away there is
danger of bad men getting among
them and melting them to deeds Of
violence. \ person bent on mischief
who will 60 among the Indians and
talk mysteriously can exert a great in
%huence, and will he believed with more
readiness than 4 straightforward, plain
speaking one will. Crafty and deceit
full by nature, as they have more res
pect for one whom they deem possessed
of these attributes.
''Their children are far more ODE
dent and better disciplined as 4 rule
than white children ara. and yet they
never whip them. They are put into
the saddle as 500 rs they can walk,
and are given bows and arrows ut the
same time, SO that their fine horsemau-
ship and expert shooting is not as Won
derful as we might deem it. Had the
Indian tribes been fairly and honestly
treated since the Revolution, II IL
try's history would not have been made
bloody by records Of Indian wars.
~ am confident that the Sioux and
Arapahoes will 500 engage in agricul-
tural pursuits, and am exceedingly anx-
ious that they be supplied with imple-
ments, seeds and working stock. l
have as yet been unable to provide for
them in this respect, and 1 suppose that
the prospect of their removal next fall
will have q tendency to delay this expe-
riment for this season, at least, here at
Red Cloud. Oyera at Spotted TAN, how
ever, quite a number of Indians have
engaged in farming, and are cropping
from one to three acres each. Lieut..
Lee, acting Agent at that Agency, in
forms me that they are doing well.
Il am having considerable trouble
on account Of the depredations of white
, horse-thieves, who are constantly steal
ing Indian ponies. The Indians are
thus made very angry and it is hard to
pacify them, for it is almost impossible
for us TO trace and capture the thieves,
, ,,oI ,,ofb;nn alca will n1aac co tho Indians