The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1885-07-08
"Kanapsa' Disoourses on Indian Raids.
DUPUYER CREEK, July .Ist, 1885.

Well, they say, truth hurts no one, I"
probably don't, though a very intimate
acquaintance of mine got badly headed
up" once for being too truthful.
The Indians have got onto a new
racket for raising the wind' up on
Birch Greek and they work It thusly :
A buck comes to some one OF the ranch
es with good looking cayuse which he
offers to sell for five or ten dollars. The
unsuspecting rancher looks the animal
over carefully for brands but none APP
pear and consequently he feels pretty
sure that the Indians assertion Of own
ership is all right and forthwith purcha-
ses the cayuse, priding himself on his
bargain. A day or two after, however,
another buck comes along, claims the
horse, says another Indian stole it from
him and the rancher finds himself
obliged, either to give up the horse or
pay twenty or thirty dollars for it. AS
this has been worked four or five times
this spring it is evidently made up
game.
why don't you make them give up
the money or refuse to give them the
horseoo / asked one Of the victims.
IF do either or have any row with
them they will steal better horses from
me, or perhaps, during temporary alb
sence on my part, burn my cabin down.
Unprotected as we are here, we are
obliged to be pretty careful how we
treat them" And this brings me to ''my
text" as the preachers say Does the
government want settlers to push out
and settle up the frontiers? If it does,
why dom it afford us some protection
Here are Forts Shaw and Assinaboine
with plenty of troops garrisoned in
them, and yet, during the spring and
summer months, when our frontier is
exposed to the raids of Indian and white
horse thieves not one company, or even
small detachment, can be spared from
these posts to come and camp out here.
No effort, no attempt is made to stop
their predatory raids and stealing expe-
ditions over the country Ranchman,
freighter or traveller, no matter whom
he may be, providing he's pg.er) has
his horses close at hand all night when
he lies down to snatch few hours re-
pose and in the morning awakens, only
to find himself set afoot either by white
or Indian horse thieves, and an applica-
ton to the nearest military post (f there
is one within hundred miles) for as
is greeted with the consoling
reply to go and hunt them himself; of
course he is afoot, but that don't matter,
though
It's very great wrong, in fact ter
rible crime for q few white men to go on
the reservation, dig up some dirt and
stones and take out little gold, sin
that calls for the whole military force, if
required, to put down and drive the in
truders out, especially when they are
busily engaged in their mining, injur-
ing or molesting no one, and probably
not seeing an Indian once in six
l11O11Sl1Os 1A1OY III 0CCl11Ss ID ~ 2ICdO
crime, demanding the most stringent
measures and the poor devils OF miners
are to be hunted, if necessary, like wild |
beasts by the military, but the Indians,
hose poor, down-trodden people, they
nust be allowed to swarm the ground |
hey have no right to be on, they must 4
De allowed to insult us, TO steal our |
lorses, to come to our cabins dunk and |
10 just as they please and we naust sub
nit without murmur What ranch |
nan in Montana would be allowed a
detachment, or even q corpo-
al's guard, were he to ask for it to pro-
ect his land or property from these
azy. begging, thieviug vagabonds? Not
NE.
Bah the day of treating the Indian
Ike big baby or spoiled child has gone
y. Leniency with them is nolonger q
irtue but fault. 1t is time the gov
rnment, instead of making such stren-
GUS efforts to protect the Indians,
ooked little to the interest of their
and give them little of its
neltering power. People, except in q
Nv hardy cases. will not settle up a
ountry when they are obliged to put up
,ith the insolenee Of these wretches, or,
they retaliate, stand the chances of ]
aving their property stolen or des-
Dyed, or of being shot or injured by q
lob of the drunken brutes It's time
lat the old sickIy sentimentality about i
le poor Indian was done away with,
I'd little more consideration given
the white men who braye the hard J