The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1878-05-24

An InterestinS statement DIV Lieu
tenant baldwin, U. &. A. showing
How the HOsiiles are Outntted-
The British Traders over the Line
UnresirictedIy supply Them with
Rifles and Ammunition.
The sale by traders of arms and am.
munition TO hostile as we'll rs friendly
Indians on the Northwestern border has
for some time been the subject OF in CURRY
~ the United States military authorities
rbe Injurious effects OF this unrestricted
traffic has been felt for years on the from
.Ier, and the threatening attitude OF the
non-treaties has been the cause of alarm
Ill along the line. Among those who
have had excellent opportunities for In
vestigsting this matter is Lieutenant +.
ID. Baldwin, of the Fifth Infantry, U. S.
A., who has been stationed at Poplsr
Greek, in Dakota Territory. The result
If these inquiries on the part OF Lieuten-
ant Baldwin has been al interesting COM
muuicstion to General Nelson Miles,
commanding the District Of the Yellow
stone. This statement of the facts in the
case shows either q csrelessness On the
IdIl Vi Lu6 DIlglSu dukllOllllCS III buO Dao-
kstchewsa Valley, or else
CURIOUS METHOD OF COOPERATING WITH
THE MILITARY
IN the south side OF the boundary line.
Lieutenant Baldwin's communication is
lated Poplar Creek, April Is. That
gentleman states that he learned from
msLY Yanktonais and friendly Tetons
hat ammunition and arms were sold by
British traders TO the Indians in the
British Possessisus with the consent OF
:he authorities of the Dominion. The
stories told by the Indians to Lieutenant
Bs OWN were found to agree in every
essential point.
"Bsck Tiger" one of the prominent
,hiefs, stated to him that any Indian
could get all the ammunition he could
pay for at one time, there being no limit
IS to the amount or kind supplied them.
lie once traded fine painted robe, re
,eiving for it IN exchange 200 rounds of
Winchester ammunition. A good robe,
not split cou command $50 rounds, al d
4 split robe 100 rounds. Tns Tiger
4ffirmed that Major Walsh, CT tho CsEG-
dian mounted police, told him he or any
his people could trade for al they
wanted and paid for. Whenever these
little transactions occurred. Black Tiger
never needed such an order as some OF
the other Indians were required to p-o-
duCe
A friendly Teton named Red Door re-
ported that he saw two carts lOsaed with
ammunition arrive 1t the camp of the
Ysnktonais while that tribe was across
the line; these cart loads were sold, said
the "Door."
AS FREE AS THE WATER MOVED"
and any one could get ammunition IN
exchange for robes or anything else they
had to sell.
"Carries-the- Eagle" was another In
dian who said ne was told by Major
Walsh that the officer had been informed
that the sale of ammunition had been
stopped on the south side of the line, but
that he did not care, for the Indians
could get all they wanted anyway.
This Indian showed the followin &, which
substsntistes this story:
"WOoD MOUNTAIN, August, 1877.
This man (phe-one- Carries-.h Esgle)
has permission to trade two skins for am
muniuon. A. &. MACDoNELL."
The Eagle" further reported that he
received sixty rounds of Winchester am
munition st one time on this order, and
that all he had TO do was to present the
speaking paper" as often as he wanted
cartridges. The traders never took up
the orders. The Identical order was re-
celved by General Sheridan with Lien
tenant BaldwIn's report. The latter
adds thst the Indians all corrooorate
these statements, and affirmed repeatedly
to him that every Indian, whether hos
tile, semi-hostile, or friendly, was allowed
the same privileges. The tribes on the
United States side of the line know
these facts, and, while they are friendly,
Lieutenant Baldwin reports they COM
plain because they cannot obtain from
our traders these same tavorS, when by
going a short distance INTO British terri
tory they are fully supplied.
LIEUTENANT BALDWIN RECOMMENDS
that. if this state of things Is to continue,
the only way to guard the United States
IA to allow the Indians at Poplar Creek,
and all other friendly Indians, to purchase
ammunition from American traders, and
IN this way the government may be able
10 form some estimate of the amount the
varlouI tribes have on hand from time TO
time.
JOE LAMBERT,
the Interpreter, stated to this officer that
nd