The New York herald., 1879-11-23

=. -. ,,, A..
pains To- explain tho Situation 70 the
the ,sent h.,pre i, anvw,s con;,,i VIII
In any event the with Thornhrs.h on the
was not sa,,sss,arv ~ - =, h I1 o1; :. "aam rors
from il Greatly distnrbad =, mind d mao i re.usned
as TO their Future action II, ,etrr,x' - sa. ~
,ns ,hev hasa ~ @ IN on that even
freichtsr who Was transnort,,s. s'l. - so.u"u, !"
agency and whose train ~ ~, . suppiius 70 .ne
during the battle on the foI,owino dsv mr. cn.d
beno In camn where his s.,,l
on the day of the battlsI Thv s., th - was Aea h
rry and tired and desirsa 70 rast ana ~ VIZ Will nun
unon Mr. liordon Who hal rat,rad - srS eas' neie
be prepared for them and thsv toAeo 80 ~
and disturhad in mind fHsnrv ~. 20 . uopsesseu
seemed to want to tell MIR Gordon someth;ra xn;ch
he was half afraid to communicate He asssaS SNI' M
Gordon REPLIED in the nsoativa ha said .Wht WI; vi;
Won do II Indians fiohf3 Mavha Ir,;.ns - 1ht
Mavbe not Mavha Won hatter ,,, hock - nv 49,. M
story of that last interview will never ba known fr
ali but one of the narticinanfs are da.I T..'.. ~. -
burgh. Meeker and Eskridre are dead and (,oiora1o
alone remains to toll the Story but bo rnaw ss. s
what there occurred and ,vas rut off ,v,tn .,,. ~
indecison as 70 whether his reausst ad h
arantad ana h;s sns,,;.;nns H,, nHnt~"a Win 10
6s ~ ;,sn', n' . suspoioSS os rha.i IN view
atrued srch arrarant indocision ~ s,..,sS;s., a.
NAL of his reonest But Colorado was mist.tar FOR
if he had NOT rrecnrnt the hatta On the ooi h,s
object wonid hava heen attained and Thorn~ur,h's
command which had ahont comp,etad aa..s
,,arnh aSr,,I ha,,a arc.mnad and ,,ct ~. ,s ,3
thai d.v ~, Nfi,r piver whar, arran as,, ~ S ~,
ras;raJ can,ararca ,yonld have hsan a,.,,,,,a.aS "a
Although the true story cannot be known in MI its
det.;ls enoucb ia known 70 corv;nco mo ,hat nr ~
that occasion there was msnnders,.rd
ing on the part of Colorado. arising from
co1cealmcnt con On the part Of Thaspbnr"n
and Esn ridce ana that that NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..
;n' rrac,;totsJ tho h,t,la or MiIi Rvsr ;n,,a,.;,
the II rf,n fnation in a war not INTENDED altbnrSS
balf nrovoked
THE REASON OF THE FIGHT
As correspondent of the HERALD 1 accompanied
the movements of General Merritt on the daId and
uas or the SCENE of action nj Milk River and tha
White River Agency while the evidence of recent
avents was fresh and undisturbed-iust aa tba
indians had lert it. and took particular Mains 10
collect and preserve ali evidence obtainable FOR
7 knew that the actors whose dead bodies
Law stark and cold before me would never
tail the storv and that the captive women
ana Children could only tell about what
thev saw "a II was not likely that their
,,rotoctors Moy ~orIJ disou,et them with data;i
Of the complications OF the situation and dam
eers that seemed immipent and inevitable. Upon
ten evidence while the condition and postion of
the bodies themselves told in broken accents as IL
were the story of their death which was confi-med
nv smoulderirr ruins and the debris of propertv
destroved in the conflict repeating in ianguaSe
that could not be misunderstood the same story
of carnage rapine and devastation PUTTING the
links together 1 find no difficulty in con-
structing the true story, for there is but
tainad facts have in nv desnatches to the Hrp.Jr
civen the facts as they presented Themselves Mt the
five Int was nnwiliing TO venture a connsctea ac
count of tho whole matter before soundin a 70 tho
bottom and it is only within the last few days that
have been able to ascertain the sequence of events
which casts food of ght unon The m vsterv s darr
hefore and makes the truth Of NV theory manifest
What wonld have heen but little better fin ,nara
snacnlat,on before ia now an autbentic mar.
rative. never given to the public before
I,acansa only half puessed and fragmentarv
have adyered to the troubles at the agency and the
oa,sos which nrovoke ed them Int tho tronIas ,,aro
not so serious as IN reouire eytreme Yneasnros on
tbe mart of the oovernment nor were the causes an
troy sufpcisnt IN nrovoke host,l;tv on tha ,ar, -
te IL d;ans The war which has resnlted thms fsr
~ tha los of 1oo human lives the destrncton ~ a
IN ia the loss o ioO e,d 'ta tSa Oh
;n1 mat half n dozen words onenly spoken and not
,,seelessly suppressed would have avoided. On the
s - paar R,v.r tLera wac a councn ThnrrInrh
Co,orano ann Eskrdoe were nresent Thnr,,'
soscs of ,5o monnted men had encamSei ;bers ~ for
the niabt Fifty miles Law between him ana tba
agency. Two days' march remained. and at the end
F ,ho trst f tn. tue davs Ia intenlad 80 anc.r,,-
- s Nan, p; tsora | ar.a;,, - .ha ca' - 80, i'oaii,p amp
The nnrtnsrn boundary Of the Ite rsservation
hi n.aSsas ,ba ivar near The ,,ace ,nar h ~
s o,ossSs S si ,t a ,Ia % p,o r,d ie err; ne IN ~
comnanS Co,oraIo IN hsbalf Of b;s ,eo,,,a ha5
conmaha Colorao. an .i uvhai. 10, "a ms people haa
sonu W. r. .o 81 90 ~ ornhrrS tSa ,Ir
Naarar' tbo naant aud tho cS,er ,oan or tha Wit,
Rivar if,es having lett tie greater ~ nar, .ae os
y warr;ors ,,nder Iact ON tho rasor.,.tn' Sso
NEAR tne northern bonndarv at the 81 M,
River where it had bivouacked to await his return,
f tbs cnwander snnse, ar Par R;var @ Wv ~orus r
yions evenins ISentrmber on lack with h;s G hapnd
bay,ne iet the agencv without instrnctions o th
oc,h n tba ni,bt of which dav No. sst hI;hS va
1narss n. the agency Eskr,d,e had coms sxi,h
ssaIad fr,,,n ,ho .oe,f arj sva;tad - ~.
swer This the corScil stood. and Colorado had the
first speech and having the word he preferred his
request desiring Thornburgh to proceed to the
agency with FIVE men of his command in order to
hold council there before crossing the reservation
line with the rest, and thereby provoking Jack,
who seemed ready for any emergency even for the
event of war; although he desired peace Thorn.
burgh had not forgotten the lesson taught by the
Candy affair. and unwilling to place himself at
the mercy OF the Iudians but thinking the mater
iubt he cd witt m iein
gave Colorado an uncertain answer, dismissng him
In such manner as to indicate that he was fearless
and uncompromisng. Thornburgh then, through
Eskridge. sent despatch to Meeker at the agency,
advising him of Colorado's request and making GER
tain suggestions which he (Meeker) approved. The
suggestions were evidently to the effect that
Thornburgh thought it expedient for Meeker
to Join him at the end of his march
on the 29th las he did-but not Milk River nor in
the canycn), in order to hold a brief council and
satisfy the Indians to the object of the movement
without first precipitating hostilites Meekor was
to have ioined ThOruburQl n that point In. com.