Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1879-05-16

Who in the following letter has off,
tally corrected some Of the sickly de.
criptious given in Eastern journals of
he great humanity of joseph and his
nurderous band:
VANCOUVER BARRACKS. April 3.
To the Editor Of the Army and Macy
Journal:
The statements made by corrcspoo-
dent in your paper of the Goth of March
that Joseph. chief of the Neg Perces,
anl his Indians were humane in .teir
conduct of the so called Nez Perce war.
is Il mistake. How far the chief him
self is responsible cabnot say, hut
more horrid outrases than those COM
mitted near the Mount Idaho country
cannot be found in any annals of In-
dian massacres. H.
saw u poor woman who had sui
f,red from repeated acts Of brutality.
one Indian succeeding another in out
rage. | saw little child with part of
its tongue cut cut. The details con.
cerning the dead - conceruiug what
preceded the fual acts that ended lif,
are sickening n their Eoriors.
In what purports to be Jeseph's ac
count of the war, you will fiud com
rlHe answer in my report, a part o
: Y hich send you.
Joseph did not at the time coup ali
of the thirty days. 1t was long c.,ougl
if his people had intended to coupl,
with The will of the government.
Even with the old Too hui hui SCOT
, was patient. White Bird and Lookin
t Glass pledged themselves for his snbse
quent good behavior afterhe had def
the authority of the government an
: behaved as harshlv and impudently a
any Indian could. Upon this pleda
AMI his own promise released him.
e No band of indians in the Unite
1t States we're ever treated with MOI
, carefnlnes- and consideration than J
seph's by The officers of the army, al
;, Joseph said to me at the tinal captu
n that if he had teken my advice ar
,e submitted to the instructions Of Il
ID government he would have avoided ,
$ trouble.
People MT belonging to the arm
70 killed ia the beginning Of the war.
We have seen in the Horse pralI
!" country. after passing l4emhi in tn
vicinity. along the stage rnad IN t
y National Park, several of diff rel t %
= les killed or wounded, on the Clarl
fork uprer waters. ii unmher OF mine
several near Hart mountain. and SC
tnret! along to the crnssing IT the NJ
lie sopri, everv white man was killed
IN badly wounded that came in their Wi
~ ~ So far rs can learn
X The nu!y exceptions vas where
IN truce arrangement was made in eross'
1T the Bitter Root country and wh
J seph spared the two ladies and
rk brother with them in the Na'io
er Park; also a couple OF white men Il
". he used as guides.
~ Jnseph's Indians had primary pro-
cation when the whites Of Wallo
FIT killed one of their number; bat tn
- savages were not saints. aud it IL
<" well to attempt to use their treacher
Is memories to fslsify history.
n. Again. the government had to
ry. 0uire obedience to its authority, al,
ief believe this to be right throughout
domain.
no n, We do not redress the wrongs Of
~ Indians because the army is ca!'e'
10 make the Indian obey. and car
from our system be called 10 tn m
lsr the white man do the same. We
our best in Joseph's case, and h
,ar done our utmost under the law in
out other cases to help the civil author
punish white men who murder Ind
and steal their property; hut the p
w ,,e comi,a,us law finally hindered even
:, help. The balances Of Justice are
40 in equilibrium. but it is the fault o
inadequate and one sided system,
nfs not SO much the fault of the exec,
an. Of it.
uier Extracts from my reports at
zine pleasure.
ook Yours, truly, O. 0. HowAR