Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1886-03-03
AN INDIAN ALLIANCE.
Many Tribes of the Northwestern Saw
ages Have United for the Purpose
Of General Uprising.


Matters are now shaping for gen.
eral Iniian uprising In the Canadian
Nor in the spring, and 1t is very
douIi f anything the government
will DO able to do will arrest it. The
southern Indian reserves, which lie be-
tween the Canadian Pacific railway
and the international boundary line, in
the neighborhood of Glechen, contain
about 10000 natives, consisting of
Bloois, Blackfeet and Piegans. These
tribes are in federal alliance, with
Crowfoot as their principal civil chief
and Three bulls as their commanding
war-chief. The latter is now in posi-
tion to harass the country with more
than 5000 braves. Further to the
north there are the Crees and Stoneys,
who were, with Poundmaker and Big
Bear as leaders, more or less mixed up
with the Riel troubles last spring.
They number in all about 1900 and
have nearly 1000 picked fighting men.
Poundmaker, the Cree chief, who was
the first to surrender TO Gen. Middle
ton after the defeat of the Metis at
BatOche, and who has been sent to pri-
son for three years for his part in that
outbreak, is ason-in-law of Chief Crow
foot, and that, too, in more than in
any ordinary Indian sense, for the
Blackfoot chiefs favorite daughter is
at the head of the Cree chiefs polygam-
ous household. Poundmaker is in the
penitentiary, but the principal Mrs.
POundmaker is whettIng thousand
scalping knives for the Crees on the
Saskatchewan, and sending franzied
war messages to her B.ackfeet kinsfolk
further to the south. CrOwfoot has
yielded to the appeals of his daughter,
who is now looked upon as the queen
of the Crees, and seizing the opportun-
ity to avenge the wrongs from which
his own people have recently suffered,
has summoned a council of his head
men, representing Bloods, Piegans and
BIackfeet and, after mature delibera-
ion, Three-bulls has been commanded
% havt 100 braves ready for the wai-
path as soon as the grass is sufficiently
uncovered for the ponies. This fierce
war chief is already astir, and around
many Blood snd Piegan fire, and IN
hundreds of smoky Blackfeet tepees
the scalplocks taken by dead heroes OF
their race are taken down and waved
IN the dim freight to the ugly strains
Cf the war-iance songs of impatient
braves. Horses and cattle are rapidly
disappearing, to the dismay of Cana
dian ranchmen. These, it is stated,
find their way into the possession Of
the more reckless of Montana traders
in exchange for rifles and cartridges,
whose deadly crack will, before another
June reaches US, render every piece OF
tall grass or clump of brush and every
ravine or reed-5ordered coolie things tc
be avoided as repositories of certain
death. Among the bad results of the
Nets rebellion is the contempt
with which all the Indians regard
Canadian troops. The latter were woe
fully beaten, with the odds in their
favor, both at Frog Lake and Fish
Creek, and the so-eaIled battle of
Batoche was rather successful retreat
of the rebels than well-earned victory
on the part of the militia Col. Otter's
dash upon Poundmaker's band with
his celebrated Queens Own regiment
was a disorderly rout, and his almost
miraculous escape was achieved only
by march of over forty miles in a
single night, through swamps and
muskogs. Neither Poundmaker nor
Big Bear was defeated. Both surren-
dered only after tiring of harassing and
evading the volunteers. The half
breeds will not likely join the hostile
Indians. They lost their leader on the
gailows at Regina. The government
has redressed their wrongs partially,
but they have no heart or courage left.
The rebellious natives complain chiefly
of the too officlous presence OF Cana
dian militia, or mounted police, whose
number and vigilance have been doubl-
ed since the late disturbance of the
intrigues and dishonesty of Indian
agents and instructors of the tyranny
and flunkeyism of Lieut.. Col. Gov.
Dswlnsy, who is the Indian commits
s.oner. and of the unlawful encroach-
ments of settlers and ranchmen. The
Canadian government is taking steps
10 nip the prospective outbreak In the
bud, but preparations have already gone
so far that the very acts of the govern
ment, intended to avert the calamity,
will prove the immediate cause OF trou-
bla. The more the Canadian authori-
ties make preparations to meet the ex-
pected emergency the greater the in
suit to the Indians. They are determ-
ined to be avenged, and the coming
summer will be one of hardship and
devastation in the Canadian North
west. Settlers south Of the Conadian
Pacific line are pretty much all prepar-
ing to serve, and to-day delegation
from the ranchmen passed through this
city for the federal capital to urge on
the authorities the necessity OF regl-
ment being at once sent to the neigh
borhood of Calgary to put stop to the
inroads which Indians are making
upon their horses and cattle.