The National tribune., 1881-09-17
The Gentle Savage.

the Dakota tribes OF Indians. lhe theme 1uT-
nished fine field for rhetorical display, and
enabled the colonel to exhibit his knowledge of
Indian character, air his philanthropic views
indulge in mawkish sentimentalities, and tell
what he would have done, under certain circum-
stances, had he been a noble red man.
During the course of his address he took occa-
sion to refer to the Fort Phil Kearney massacre
a subject by the way which for the sake of his
own reputation as military man he should have
avoided
Hear what he saws Of the manner in which the
his own eyes, after having slain the gallant Fet-
terman and his nearly one hundred men:
Il found that nearly every body was stripped
of the muscles of the arm, breast, back, thigh
and calves of the legs. The bodies were filled
with arrows one hundred and sixty eight having
been found in three bodies. | quote from the
official report as to these mutations Eyes torn
out and laid the rocks: teeth chopped out; q;
joints of fingers cut off; brains taken out and
placed rocks with members of the body
entrails taken out and exposed; hands and feet
cut off: arms taken from sockets; eyes, ears,
mouth and arms penetrated with spearheads,
sticks, and arrows: punctures upon every sensi-
tive part of the body, even to the soles of the
feet and the palms of the hands
Now listen to his closing words:
In the horrors of that calamity, when loved
companions fell so suddenly, after safely passing
the ordeal of four years of war. and it seemed
as if there was no salvation for the rest Of the
small force in Dakota, and when our wives and
children were in peril, so that no one knew what
the next hour would bring of toll or trial, |
could not but feel that, if | had been a red man,
rould hare fought as bitterly, If not as cruelty,
for my rights and my home, rs the red man fought"
The italics are ours.
Thus after the lapse of fifteen years, he whom
we believe to be chiefly responsible for the
fearful massacre above referred to, reOpenS the
subject which, at the time, caused no little COM
in resurrecting the dead past he has called to
mind some incidents which transpired not long
prior to the time of which he speaks.
The writer crossed the plains in 1866 following
the Bridger Cutoff Fort Phil Kearney was Just
then being established on fork of Powder River
some distance west of Fort Reno and Colonel
H. B. Darlington in command Of the new
ders and some ten or twelve cannon, together
with an abundance ct provisions and ammunition
The stockade of the fort was in process of erec-
ton, the site being well selected, and with the
force located there the Colonel should have had
no difficulty either in defending himself or in
protecting those whose duties took them outside
of camp.
1t is true that Red Cloud, Spotted Tail and
other noted chiefs with their braves, We're on the
war-path, stealing stock and numbering people
whenever opportunity offered, but we had met
then with less than sixty men (all civilians and
fought our way from the crossing of the Niobrara.
at a point nearly due north from Fort Laramie
to Phil Keaney, distance of several hundred
miles without loss. We had passed through the
though set upon almost every day by from twice
TO three times our numbers and yet upon arriv-
ing in the vicinity of the Fort found that it.
instead of being place of refuge, as ought to
have been the case. the point of greatest
danger. Numerous murders had been committed
by the Indians almost under the shadow of its
walls. Government stock feeding within less
than half mile of the stockade had been run
off by the savages in broad daylight and within
full sight of the garrison, and, worst of all no
effort had been was made, so far as we could
learn, to punish the murderers capture the
thieves. \ conversation with Colonel Darlington
showed that he was in state of the greatest
tiOn-demOralizatiOn we used to call it in
war time-and virtually besieged by his red
brethren. SO fearful was he of bringing on a
general engagement Tor it may have been on ac-
count of his tender regard for the dear Indian y
that he wont to send out mounted pickets /
as learned from more than one of them
from one to three miles from camp armed with
a muzzle-loading Springfield rifle and but three
The men were not even permitted /
to load their weapons, as we We're informed .
except in case Of attack. The Colonel evidently .
feared that 1t Spencer carbines, of which he had .
plenty, were to be furnished those sent upon
Surh dutV tOUethar with o, op,,la c,,,,,,l,- 90