The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1879-07-18

rhrcc years ago the Po' anna
tablisl,ed Oh land IN .uthcr, nat,,,,
They had been I" a large extent XVI.
lizcA and Chris ,ianized In Their hot;,s
They had sc,iools and religions instruc-
ton, lived in houses, and depended r,r
subststcwe on the products of the soil.
They were ms peaceful as they were in
dustrious. and it is said that there il no
case on record of an act of violcncc
committed by Ponca Indian against "A
while ma;i. The land OH which tl,c,
lived had been formally "ceded and re-
linquished" in treaty bv the govern
ment. One would suppose that IL there
was any Indian tribe which there cnnld
be no excuse for molesting, IL was this
tribe oflPoncas. There could be no
| pledge more solemn and binding than
that by which the government had So
cured them in the possession of their
homes. There was no pretencc that
there was anything in their conduct to
ing out steadily and successfully the
problem which has proved so perpleAing
how TO make the Indian an industri-
Gus and law-abiding citizen-and the
one thing their case called for was TO be
let alone. But the authorities connect
ed with the Indian Office at Washington
saw things differently. For some rca-
son which has never been explained, it
was determined to remove them to In
dian Territory. A few lines in an APP
preparation bill conveyed the necessary
authority. Their consent to the rcmov-
al was required, but this they refused
to give, and to persuasons and threats
they gave but one answer. The chiefs
offered, if need be, 10 die for their peo-
pie, but the treaty they would not sign,
aud never have. Then troops were
sent, and while the men were collected
in council the women and children
were got together by the soldiers, and
, the tribe, leaving their houses and fields
+ started on the march of eleven hundred
miles under guard of the soldiers. All
. along the way one and another died and
, were buried. When the reservation
was reached it proved so unhealthy that
: after largo number had died second
| reservation was selected, and they were
J moved upon it. But up to last April
0 one hundred had died upon the new
r reservation, and two hundred on tho
old so that the tribe of 700 members
has now less than four hundred lett
At The beginning of the present year
one of the Ponca chiefs, Standing Bear
I gathered together his children and some
friends, and took flight. They were SC
, near starving that they ate the raw corr
Q given them for their ponies. After they
a had reached the Omaha reservation they
v were arrested by the troops, and wer'
III OH the point of being taken back to die
1 in the desolatc region from which they
@ had fled, when an Omaha journalist, Mr.
f Tibbles, applied for writ of habea
= corpus in their behalf. Judge Dudy is
/ sued the writ, and an appeal was there
4 upon taken. Whom the appeal cam,
f before the Circuit Court, Judge Miller
n found that no bond had been taken fol
s the appearance of the prisoners, on th'
t ground that they were not "persons.
v The case, therefore, could not be heard
s and was dismissed, and the Indians arc
O at liberty. Meanwhile the lands in Da
O kota which belong to them have beel
, taken up by white squatters, and an &c
l. ton for ejectment is TO be brough
( against these squatters by the Indians
S To restore to these Indians their homes
: and to make the vindication Of theil
{ rights test case for TIE adjudication o
b. the Supreme Court, is the object of tn,
+ present movement. Ii is said that Oma
: ha and Chicago lawyers have promised
e their services free of charge, and it il
/ only the incidental expenses of litiga
ton which have to be provided for. Al
r the case stands, it represents grea
and inexcusable wrong perpetrated by
the government upon a helpless anC
peaceful tribe. If the Poncas, wha
are left of them, can be re-established
upon the lands of which they have beer
, robbed, it will not only undo in great
measure the great wrong which has
been done, lbut it will establish pre-.
cedent which will mako the perpetra.
ton of similar wrongs more difficult
. Boston Journal