The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1878-01-24
RANrANKERoUs REDSKINS.
What Ioe Bosler Says Of the Spotted Tail and
Red Cloud lSioux-His Cattle
Contracts.

Mr.. Joseph Bosler arrived ut Chica-
go on the Goth, having left the New
Spotted Tail Agency on the 18th. He
told Times reporter that the young
men of Spotted Tails and Red Cloud S
bands are quite outspoken in their de-
termination not to remain on the Mis-
souri, river later than next spring. For
fifty years the Sioux have believed that
the Missouri river was the devils
apothecary shop of "bad medicine" In
their recent transfer from the old
agencies it happened that an unusually
rainy season set in just as they reached
the river. During the greater part of
December it rained every day. They
are settled in the conviction now that
the stream is fatality itself to the red
man. A few of the chiefs are coun-
selling the bucks not to attempt any
thing that will contravene the wishes
and plans of the government authori-
ties, but the young warriors say they
will leave the river as soon as spring
opens, whether the authorities like it
or not.
Spotted Tail started from the old
agency with seven thousand Indians.
A census was taken about two weeks
ago, and the number was found to be
about fifty-five hundred. This shows
fifteen hundred absentees, and the pre-
sumption is that they have gone off to
the other agencies, and there is nothing
to prevent them from taking to the
war-path in spring, or sooner if they
like. 1t is believed that they are pro-
vided with arms and ammunition.
The report telegraphed some days
since, to the effect that Spotted Tail
had shot and killed two or three In
dians, is pronounced falsehood by
Mr.. Bosler. The old chief and his one
hundred home guards got six months
back pay about ten days ago. Spotted
Tail drew pay as a captain, and receiv-
ed 5000, the bulk of it consisting of 81
and 50 bills. The others received the
same pay as private soldiers in the reg
ular army. Spotted Tail wrapped his
money up in blanket, and wore it
around his shoulders in daytime and
lay on it at night. But the other In
dians spent their wages for ''fire-wat-
er, !" except what they staked and lost
on poker. They actually offered as
high as 80 for pint of whisky, and
the rum sellers who dealt out ''forty
rod'' just outside the line of the reser-
vation got every cent of the money
paid to the Indians. Red Cloud and
his home guard were paid off about the
same time. These guards were enlisted
by permission of Gems. Sheridan and
Crook, and Mr.. Bosler thinks they have
rendered valuable services in policing
the camps, and assisting in putting
down small instructions. They have
taken some pride in their organization,
and look forward to payday with in
tense eagerness. a couple of weeks
since two white men, belonging to the
mob known as camp followers, very
degraded class, were guilty of some
misdemeanor, and the commanding
officer at Spotted Tail ordered their ex-
pulsion from the reservation. Instead
of detailing regular soldiers to execute
the order, he selected couple of In
dian guards to escort the vagrants
across the river, and the poor devils
were hustled over the ice in style that
set the whole camp in a roar. 1t was
the first time the guards had been en-
| trusted with the custody of white
man, and they improved the opportu-
nifty by kicking the fellow from one
bank of the river to the other, and mop
ping the ice with him occasionally as
they helped him along.
Mr.. Bosler and his partners have
n contract to furnish beef to the
Indians at eleven different agencies
on the Missouri river. The major
ity, of course, are located at the
agencies presided over by Spotted Tail
and Red Cloud. Their contract runs
for one year, and has been renewed
every July for seven years past. They
purvey to twenty odd thousand In
dams, and the number of cattle fur
nished yearly is $4,000 head, or about
%, 900, 900 pounds. They buy the cattle
from Texas drovers, and turn them
over alive to the Indian agents, and by
them they are apportioned out to the
head of each little squad, or band
This issue is made once in every ter
days. An Indian, for example, repre-
sents fifty men, women and children
and draws fifteen, twenty or thirty
head of cattle, as the case may be. The
cattle are driven outside the camp ant
shot by the bucks, after which the
squaws turn to and skin and dress thu
animals.