The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1879-08-12
HOSTILE SIOUA.
LATEST FROM SITTING BULL

. $500" $1,000 a . 3 80
No More Fighting Desired-They Want
to Hunt the Buffalo-Interview
Between Major Walsh
and Gen. Miles.
a special correspondent of tile Chit
cago Times, with Gen. Miles expedi-
ton, gives some very interesting
Indian news. On last Friday Major
Walsh, accompanied by the well known
war chief, Long Dog, and several other
Indians, anne into Gen. Miles, camp
and had an informal talk, as the general
has no authority to conclude a treaty.
The Indians.protested friendship and
charged all the bad deeds to the agency
Indians. Major Walsh said he brought
With him the assurance of the Sioux
leaders-Spotted Eagle, Broad Trail,
Black Moon and others-that they
meditated no war against the United
States. Although they were poor and
starving they would remain on the
other side, and move back beyond the
Cyprus hills If necessary. Gen. Miles
said that was the most sensible and
agreeable thing they could do. The
major said the Indians had very little
meat left, and most OF them were living
on wild turhips. The northern herd of
buffalo had all gone toward the Mis-
souri, and the Musselshell.
Long Dog vas taken to see the work.
ings of the Hotchkiss revolving cannon,
about one hundred shots being fired for
his benefit. When he saw the shells
strike and explode at a distance of a
mile and a half, his astonishment and
disgust were unbounded. He gave
vent to his feelings by exclaiming:
''Heep shootl Bad medicinel God
damn" The old fellow is all covered
with scars, and is the hero of a hundred
fights. He was suspicious of the Crow
Indians aud kept close to Major Walsh
all the time. 1t is no use for them,u y
he said, in Sioux, ''to shoot at me in
the body; l am shot all over there. If
they want to kill me they must shoot
me through the head" The officers
assured him that he would not be
harmed, and he did not allude to the
subject again. (
Subsequently the correspondent WIS.,
tied the camp of the hostiles, just as
they were indulging in a big scalp
dance over the scalp of a Cheyenne
warrior slain in one of the recent con-
nicts. Then followed n council. The
burthen of the speeches was that the
Sioux did not want to fight, but merely
desired to hunt the buffalo.
One Of the chiefs said hat they did
not wish to make war upon the Amer
cans, but that tlieir children were, starry
ing, their women were starving, them
selves were starving, and they only
wanted to kill enough buffalo to supply
their wants. "Why is it, demanded
the hero, ''that when the white man
comes here-(pointing to the cores
pondent)-we welcome them, and when
we go TO the American side of the line
we are met with fire? Is it a crime
that we should try and feed u wives
and u children? ! am willing to be
friends with the white man if he will
be friends on equal terms. L was not
born a slave. 1 was born an Indian,
and hunted. l know nothing else"
On Friday the bands of White Eagle
and Red Hand, both Uncapapas, nnm-
bering over three hundred lodges,
making an aggregate of n thousand
one hundred hostile lodges and more
than three thousand well armed war
riors Joined the hostiles.
AS to the strength of the hostiles the
correspondent says: 4.uls1
The correspondent has no axe to
grind in this matter, but for the infor-
nation of the American army, and
especially the headmen thereof, he will
state that from personal observation he
knows the Teton or hostile Sioux camp
to number eleven hundred lodges. They
have from twelve to fifteen thousand
ponies at the lowest calculation, and
their arms and ammunition are of
the best quality. No mere American
regiment or portions of two American
regiments, however brave the officers
and men, could beat the three thou
sand without exaggeration able-bodied
warriors of that camp, not to speak of
boys who would be no contemplate
allies in the skirmishing tactics OF
Indian warfare. Perhaps the Sioux,
for want of provisions, cannot hold
together long, but when starvation
comes the correspondent hardly believes
they can be restrained by the small
force which the doubtful wisdom of the
American military head center has now
in the field. 1t is not necessary TO be a
West Point graduate to learn that six
repeating rifles in Indian hands. are
superior to n breech-loader in the
hands of a white soldier. Ll01
What the correspondent has seen
himself is perhaps as valuable to the
American public as the reports of mill
tary scouts, whose opinions are seldom
published. Gen. Miles is entitled to
credit, inferior as is his force in
strength, for driving the hostiles over
the line in 1877 and again this year.
If he had me the whole Teton force
- IT