The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1877-04-21
THE CRUEL WAR IS OVER.
Broken Bands Of Repentant Redskins Com.
ing in-Lo's Great Sacrifice.

Everything betokens the speedy ter
mination of the Sioux war. Band after
band of hostile Indians are coming into
the Agencies, and, in conformity with
the conditions imposed, giving up their
arms and ponies. If this secession
from the warlike portion of the Sioux
tribe continues, Sitting Bull will have
but a feeble force left to oppose Gen.
Crook this spring. The latest de-
lection from the hostile camp is an
nounced by the expected arrival of
Crazy Horse with 1000 Cheyenne In
dians at Red Cloud Agency, who are
weary Of war and ready to yield to the
inexorable demand for their guns and
ponies.
People unacquainted with Indian
life a hardly realize what a depriva-
ton Is comprised in this surrender.
Next to life, and almost equal to 1t in
value, is the possession of a rifle and
pony. Giving them up is almost equiv
alent to yielding his personal liberty.
Ponies are the delight Of an Indians
heart. The wealthy man is rated by
the number Of them in his herd.
Mounted on a fleet horse, leading
another by q lariat, provided with gun
and ammunition, he is the king Of
nomads.
Nowhere besides exists the savage
man who could cope with him. The
wild Arab of the desert, the fierce
tribes of South Africa, even the Co.'S
sacks of Asiatic Russia, would not, we
believe, stand a moment before him.
One reason for this is the fact that the
American Indian is far better armed
than his savage brethren of other coun-
tries, and more than all, he has opposed
a desperate resistance to the en-
croachments of civilized man than any
uncivilized race at any period of the
worlds history. This is especially true
when we take into consideration the
great advantage civilized nations of
modern times enjoy in the use of gun
powder in war. 1t is not likely that
another general Indian war will ever
again occur in this country. The
Sioux are the most powerful tribe on
the continent, and the only formidable
tribe left among the Indian race. Their
strength nee broken, no hope of effec-
tual resistance is left.
Tho A,,nphao 10 fha Cnrtt pra
humbled. The Crows, next to the
Sioux the most numerous of the north
ern tribes, have always been friendly
to the whites. The Snakes, the Rees,
the Omahas, Otoes, Mandans, etc., are
mere remnants of former tribes now so
insignificant as hardly to merit the
name Of tribe, and all of them are in
the interest of government, as much
from their hatred of the Sioux as their
desire to conciliate the whites and in
sure the continuation of their annui-
ties. Although their aid is Of no
account whatever in actual fighting,
they sometimes render valuable as
sistance in the capacity Of scouts and
guides. The Indians do not possess
much patriotism. Even members of a
tribe at war with the whites will turn
against their brethren and, seduced by
a soldiers uniform and rations, will
enlist as scouts for the purpose of
guiding the common enemy to the con
cealed villages of their people. An
example of this renegade spirit was
manifested by Sioux from Red Cloud
Agency during Gen. Crooks last ex-
petition, who had nearly one hundred
of them In his command.