The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1879-01-18
THE CHEYENNE MASSACRE.

We gave briefly in our last an account OF tho
outbreak of the Cheyenne prisoners at for'
Robinson. in Nebraska and now we have some
more facts to add in relation to this heartIess
massacre. The account last week stated that
the Indians, after breaking out of their pen
had fled over the frozen snow-bareioolcd ana
ill.clad rs they were-tOwards the northwest
pursued by troops and being shot down in
their tracks as fast as ovcrhaulcd The iugI-
tives, on the 18th, were corrallcd over night in
rifle pits on the bluffs, but next morning got
away and were again merclessy pursued until
they got into the woods where they disappear
ed so that the pursuit had to be abandoned.
In the whole affair 30 Indians including 90
bucks" and 10 women and children, were
killed, and 80 bucks and two squaws were re-
captured, of whom IA are wounded The loss
on the part of the whites was soldiers killed
and Swounded.
A brief statement of the facts in relation to
these Cheyennes only serves to illustrate the
entire Hayes Grant system of Indian manage
ment with which the country is now cursed.
The same causes precisely which led to this
massacre are responsible for the calamitics in
western Kansas and Nebraska last summer,
for the Bannock war year ago last summer,
and for the Custer massacre two years ago.
And these causes lie in the bad faith, swind-
ling ana injustice with which the Indians are
uniformly treated by the government agents IN
charge Of them.
These Cheycnnes "a part only Of the tribe
were induced to leave their homes on the Up.
per Yellowstone year ago and move to the
Indian territory west of Arkansas on the solemn
promise that they should be abundantly sup
piled there with food and clothing and that in
a few months, they should be joined by the rest
of the tribe None of these promises were
kept 1t is notorious that although the gov
eminent was charged with and paid for a third
more ratons than these Indians needed, they
were swlndled by the agents and kept on such
short allowance that they had to kill and eat
their ponies to keep from starvation. No won
der therefore that they tried to escape to their
former home and their kindcd on the Yellow.
stone 1t is true, in their march through ives
tern Kansas and Nebraska they committed out
RACES. But what else could be expected They
had to forage by the way, and the settlers made
war on them in defense of their property and
got the worst Of il.
Captured, finally, and Imprisoned at Fort
Robinson, the government ordered that the In
dians should be supplied with proper clothing
and sent back to the Indian territory. No cloth
ing ever came and halffrozen, halfstarvcd
they lived in their pens until informed that
within week or two their line of march back
to the Indian territory must be taken up. The
Indians sad they would rather die than 20
eyes, such IA return involved The Command
ant at Fort Robinson undertook to force them
into compliance by freezing and starvation.
The lndans-thus seeing nothing but horri-
bic death before thcm-naturally tried to cs-
cape, and for this most natural and righteous
attempt they are shot down like some many cs-
Gaping sheep or hogs
Comment on such facts is entirely unncccs-
sary. If the American people have any honor
and humanity in their composition this bar
barity will be punished as 1t deserves. If not
punished it will cry to heaven for vengeance,
and sooner or later that cry will be heard and
answered