The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1879-10-25
THE INDIANS.


The Indian war in Colorado has taken IN I'M
expected turn. As soon as the full measure Of
the disaster TO Maj, Thornburgh's command
and at White river agency was known, Gen.
Sherman declared no less loudly than prompt
ly that the first business attended to would be
to pursue, catch and punish Thornburgh's and
Meeker's murderers and after that to talk OF
peace. Accordingly, Gen. Merritt was DIES.
patched with force Of some 600 men in all
haste to the White River Agency, and If he
found no hostile Indians there, he was directed
to pursue them southwark until he found them
In pursuance of such orders Gen Merritt.
finding, on reaching White River, that the hos.
tiles had fled to the south, at once, on Oct 18th,
broke camp at White River and started in pur.
suit towards Grand River But after a day
and haf's march, he was overhauled by
courier from Secretary Schurz ordering HIM to
return. The order was not only to return to
White river, but after leaving Il small force
there to protect the deJris of the agency, to
break up his command and send them back IN
squads to their former respective posts. The
news of this counter.order seems to have been
both to Gen. Sherman and General Sheridan q
surprise, and the latter commenting on it in
a dispatch to Washington says bluntly, "is
looks as If we had been pretty badly sold out
in this business" Gen. Sherman, however,
gets over the apparent conflict between The war
and interior departments by saying, the In.
dams are by law in charge of the latter, and of
course we must defer to Schurzs orders. The
latter comes forward and says, instead of send.
ing the army after the murderers of Thorn.
burgh and Meeker, he has concluded to with
draw the army and send Gen. Chas. Adams
to Chief Onray, at the Pinos agency, as a peace
commissioner, charged with trying, through
the help of Ouray, to have the murderers given
up and to recover the poor women and children
whom the Indians spared at the White river
massacre, but are dragging with them heaven
knows where. Meantime, however, Schurz
says he is concentrating a military force at Al.
amosa, IN Southern Colorado, to act in case
Gen. Adams and Ouray fail in their peace ne.
gotiatons.
Of course this turn of affairs eXctes the
highest Indignation in Colorado, for the back.
down of Gen. Merritt is looked upon by the
Indians as sheer piece ofcowardice, and they
are returning IN swarms to their old haunts
the settlers and miners in all di-
rcctons. Even a small party from Gen. Mer-
ritts command, on their march, nine miles
from the White river agency, having ventured
out to hunt a few miles from the main com.
nand were waylaid by Indians, fired upon and
Lieut.. Wier an ordnance officer held IN the
highest esteem, was foully murdered and 9th.
ers of The party barely escaping with their
lives. Mr. Schurz's peace programme, under
the circumstances, seems to be little better than
a criminal blunder.
The Apache outbreak in New Mexico and
Arizona has lost none of its terocity. In Sc.
RES Of outrages, commencing about Sept. 9th
and continued to latest dates, no less than 1870
soldiers emigrants, &c..
have been massacred by Victoria ana his bands
Gen. Morrow has finally gathered sufficient
force to cope with them and expects to put an
end to the outbreak within month, but mean
time the whole country in that direction is in
the widest dismay.