The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-08-29
|TELEGRAPHIC
INDIAN MATTERS.

affairs at Pine Ridge Agency, Da-
kOta. The report is dated August
20. and the agent says that on the
18th instant, agreeable to summons
issued by me, general council
of the chiefs and principal Indians
assembled at the council room, from
all the villages up to a distance of
twenty miles, runners having gone
out with relays of horses. l adj
dressed the council to the effect
that on account of the action taken
by Red Cloud, in threatening
to set the laws of the government
at defiance, we had assembled to-
gether to discuss the question of
troops or no troops; thai | had no
doubt the great father would &C
commodate either way, reading to
them your dispatch of the 18th, that
l would be sustained. That night !
received your dispatch of Friday
and with it one from General Crook
making inquiries and the purport of
the two messages, and the state of
increasing excitement in the Black
Hills and the neighbOring country,
as ascertained by Geographic in
quires. showed me there was
a plot on foot originating
with a class of unprincipled
whites to stir I'D the Indians
for some purpose. For that reason
[ made up my mind that decisive
measures must be adopted, and tele-
graphed you at once req testing
power to act. Yesterday morning
L summoned the chiefs and police
and requested them to go to Red
Clouds village and get definite an
sWers from him. and force a settle
nent, as he had refused to attend
the council, About p. m. they re-
turne1 with an evasive reply from
Red Cloud, who also denied
that he had made any threats.
They also reported that Red Cloud
had assembled his young men, who
were under arms at his villages; at
the same time the usual accompani-
ments of an Indian racket, in the
way Of Indians skipping around
naked, began to appear. was a
little doubtful what course to pur-
sue and was consulting on the sub
lject. About in the afternoon your
decided dispatch to arrest Red Cloud
and hold him a prisoner until fur
ther orders was received. [ at once
informed the chiefs that Red Cloud
must report at once and listen to in
structiOns from you. The chiefs in
formed me they would send him
word and he would come. So they
sent a runner to his village, one mile
distant. The runner returned with a
sarcastic reply FROM Red Cloud. He
was glad to hear from you, and
hoped you were well, adding that
he felt tired and would not come.
I then sent him word he must come,
or | should have TO send for him
and bring him. AT this point one
of the young men, Yellow Hair,
said: "Let me go, l Will bring him. -
Yellow Hair finally returned with
the information that Red Cloud
Twas coming, but he failed to turn
up. Subsequently one of the chiefs
!sent word to Red Cloud that if he
ibid not come in at once he would
ask the agent to call for troops, and
would assist them III disarming
Red Cloud and the Red Shirt bands.
Soon after that Red Cloud came in,
and Agent McGiliicuddy read to
him the warrant for his arrest, in
forming the police, chiefs and In
dams that he would hold them re-
spOnsible for his future conduct.
The agent concludes his report as
follows: Everything is serene and
quiet at the agency to-day. There
is a ring of white men in this
region, hound to force my resigna-
ton, dismissal, assassin alton, or an
outbreak by Red Cluud. The
reserve is hardly large enough for
both of us, unless affairs take a
change"
| Accompanying agent McGllli-
cuady's report is the following com
municatiop:
| PINE RIDGE AGENCY, DAKOTA,
August IS, 1882.
We. the undersigned chiefs, head
men and Indians of Pine Ridge
Agency, Dakota, desire to inform
the Great Father that we do not re-
quire the presence of troops here.
We blame Red Cloud and other In
dams who signed the letter of
threats recently forwarded to you.
We agree to settle the trouble, with
the aid of the police and the aid of
the Great Father, to prevent and
settle all trouble in the future.
Signed, Little Mound, YOung-Man-
Afraid-of-His-HOrse, anC twenty
seven others.
Commissioner Price received a
telegram, to-day, from agent Miles,
from the Cheyenne agency, in In
dian territory, saying the northern
Cheyennes there had recon
sidered their rash determination
to go to Pine Ridge Agency, with or
without the permission of the gov
ernment. The Indians, however,
he says. renew their request to be
permitted to join Little Chief in
Dakota.