Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-01-28
THE CHEYENNES.
Nebraska Sentiment About the Chey.
enne Massacre.

The Omaha Daily Herald, of the
9th, reprints dispatches of the 10Th.
in. which it was stated that
1t was in accordance with the re-
commentator Of General Sheridan
and with the concurrence of General
sherman, that the commissioner of
Indian affairs requested that the Chey-
enne prisoners, confined at Camp
Robinson, Nebraska, be sent to Fort
Wallace, or some other military most
IN Kansas, SO that the civil authorities
might select such as were guilty of
crimes for trial and punishment: that
their lack Of clothing was not such as
to deter them from starting nortbward
and that the order to purchase add
tional clothing had been counter
handed until it had been learned
what supplies were actually required
that the Indians, fearing a eriminai
prosecution, had concluded to eseape
The Omaha Herald of the 18th re.
plies to the above dispatch as follows
The above is a tissue of lies. With
out knowing anything of the truth or
ialsity Of so much Of it as relates to
the recommendations alleged to have
been made by Sheridan or Sherman
we feel prepared, from our KNOWLEDGE
OF the entire falsity of the rest of il. to
Say that the statement is also a lie.
The above report was written in the
indian bureau, evidently. Perhaps
Mr.. Hayt himself was the composer
We shall be obliged if COMMISSIONS
Hayt or anybody else in Washington
will disproyc the following assertions
These Cheyennes were surrounded
in the sand hills of Northwest Ne
braska in a severe snow storm on tbe
10th Of October last by three GONNA.
MES Of the third cavalry. under
Captain johnson. Their number was
then officially given as l49. They
then said they would remain p~eacea.
bly, at Camp Robinson or live with
Red Clouds people, but would die
before they would return to their
reservation in the Indian Territory.
where they had been starved. Tho
commissioner did nothing in the oase
until the 18th Of December, when he
ordered their removal TO Kansas.
Inc thermometer that day at
Camp Robinson indicated thirty
degrees below zero. The COM
missioner must have known
tins. 1t was one of the items
OF news, current in all the journals of
the country. The squaws and chill
dren hadn't a blanket that WASH. in
rags. They did leave their rosorva-
ton IN the same clothing they now
wear, but they left in August, and it
Is now January besides, clothing !
often wears out in Nebraska as well as
IN Washington. The man who penned
that telegram was a fool or a cold
scoundrel. On the 10Th of
December, 1878, the commissioner was
informed by telegraph that before
these Indians could be removed they
must have clothing. He never an
slwered thattelegram until January II,
the very day of the outbreak.
This whole Cheyenne business is in
keeping with the rest of the Indian
Bureau management. 1t is a disgrace
70 the American nation. From MIR.
Hayt we are prepared to hear anything.
He displayed his incompetency so fully
N his dealings with the Sioux as a
'diplomatist' that we beg leave to
suggest TO him thatas a private citizen
he might be more Off success than he
has been as the head ofa bureau.
This Cheyenne business must be in.
1estigated. W. think that General
Crook should be ordered to Washing
to explain what he knows about il.
We believe hat the more General
Crook s part in it may be scrutinized
he more thoroughly he will be respee-
ed by the American people. Some
jody must suffer Tor this infamous
,iece Of incompetency.