Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1879-11-07
cnEyEnse AGENCY AFFAIRS.

CHEYENNE AGENCY AFFAIRS.
TAe7 are Net Ia the Most s%aeasfastery
Csndltlsn-APblerary Rulss Enforced
= Gentle savage-A Fair shsw fer .
Rebellion Ameng the Gevsrnuent,s
From Our Travelling Correspondent.
Fort Bennett, or Cheyenne River Agency,
D. T., Nov. l, ls79.-My %scjourn here will
bs short, as the air is "full Of war and ru.
mors Of war;" and the outcome may DO
serious. So serious in fact, that I have con-
cluded 10 move to some locality where more
important business is to be transacted.
Dissatisfaction and incipient rebellion
ssem to pervade this agency, and this state
Of feeling may be attributed to many causes,
chief of which can be mentioned the arbi-
trary course adopted BY the acting agent,
an officer named Schwan, of the 18th infant
~, Who through some %iuscrutable means,
slid from the volunteer service into the
regular army at the close Of the late ION.
p~leasantness." His military record may
b good, Is also may his intentions, but .
worse selection could not have been made
for the position of Indian agent. Like his
superior officers, Hayt and schurz, he ISIS
theorist, lacking the practical knowledge 60
essentially necessary in dealing with the
wards of the nation. The position Of pro-
vost.marshal would suit him to = T where
. guardhouse is within convenient distance,
and y strong force ready at all times to in.
carcerate any unfortunate devil who might
chance to look crooked, or show an inten.
ton to differ with him on any point. But
a. an Indian agent he is lost to the country
Another cause for rebellion here is the
contagion which naturally spreads amongst
Indians, particularly when a grievance is to
be redressed, or a cause of petty persecution
has been pursued. The recsnt shooting Of
= white man BY an Indian at Spotted Tails
agency, and the hostile attitude assumed by
the young bucks, who are we'll armed and
thoroughly independent, is a convincing
proof to the Indians Of this
agency that the followers of old
"Spot," who have never been disarmed or
dismounted, are amongst the favored few
of the Sioux nation. Because, If the same
thing occurred here, the shooter" would
have been arrested forthwith and held for the
action of the civil authorities, while
In the domain of Spotted Tail,
the agent released the murderer,
and apologlzed to him for any
Inconvenience his temporary detention
might have caused him. Different laws
for different agencies are bound to produce
disastrous results, and in cases similar to
that just mentioned neither SchurE, Hsyt
nor Schwan can predict the end. The Ute
troubles have also aided in adding fuel to
the flames. The defeat of Thornburgh's
command and the murder of agent Meeker
and his employees, have had no small effect
On the Indians here. The mistaken idea
prevails that q massacre is the only redress
within reach of the Indians, hostile or
friendly. and while some of the older
heads can ses conciliatory measures.
The more turbulent element scout the idea
as luoicrous, and point out numerous in
stances Of the fallacy of such arguments.
Such IN short is the condition of affairs
here. and when We consider, in addition to
this, the probability Of the garrison being
reduced to one company, and that not quite
full, it looks to q man up q tree as If there
were healthier localities in this broad land
than Cheyenne river agency.
What General Sheridan or General Ter
~ can possibly be thinking Of when NOV
ing the troops from the west side of the
river, on the great Sioux reservation, where
they are most needed, to Fort Sully, on the
east side, where they are no earthly US. in
case of an emergency, lie one of those
things that " no fellah can find out"
The Fort Pierre freightcrs are all scared
to death, and if only one company is left a!
this place, which is within Q few hours
march of Pierre, there will be q grand STAN.
pede for the Sidney route. and the former
place will die from q surfeit of general Or
der No. =.
Last month dfty-six lodges. headed by
Chief Burnt Face, quietly took their depart.
ure from this agency and travelled 10 the di.
rection of Spotted Tail. where guns, re.
volvers and ponies can be had for the ask.
ing. As Burnt Face has always beeen q
most peaceably and gentlemanly(?) Indian,
the only cause assigned for his exodus is
the dissatisfaction generated by the arhitra-