Connecticut western news., 1888-01-11
AT WASHINGTON.
Some Matters of Moment Brought
 Up at the Capital.

Gen. Cutcheon of Michigan has introduced In the house two bills which revive an interest ing episode of the war. The bills are for the relief of Cornelius NJ. Hadley and William B. Rowe, formerly sergeants respectively of Com Ranles F and A, Ninth Michigan Cavalry. These men were in camp with their regiment at Cumberland Gap, on Nov. 22, 1863, when they were awakened in the middle of the and important duty. Gen. Grant, who was at Chattanooga, found it necessary to communi- cate with Gen. Burnside at Knoxville while the siege of the latter was in operation. Hadley aud Rowe were selected for the dangerous mis- sion. Gen. Wilcox was in command of the cavalry at Cumberland Gap, and the men re- ceiyed their orders through him. They started from Cumberland Gap in the middle of the night with despatches from Grant telling Burnside to hold on at Knoxville until reen- forcements should reach him. They had & hard trip, being in the saddle continuously for over thirty hours and subjected to hardsNips and danger of capture. They reached Burn- side Ill safety and started on tho return with mand. The men were obliged to separate iu order to diminish the chances of capture, were compelled to abandon their horses so they could steal through the rebel picket lines. Hadley got through and joined his company. Rowe, however, was captured and sent to the military prison at Anderson vile. where he remained until March, 1885, when he was set at liberty, more dead than alive. Commissions and pecuniary reward for their bravery and fidelity were promised them, but they neverfeceived anything. The present bill, therefore, provides that they be paid the difference between the pay and allowances of 8 sergeant of cavalry and the pay and allow Nov: 22 1863 to tho date on which each was discharged. These bills are before the Military Committee.
 The President has sent to Congress & conl- munication from the Secretary of the Interior submitting the draft of bill 'to provide for the protection of the Round Valley Indian Reservation" in California. The President, in his message of transmittal, says:
 The documents thus submitted exhibit ex- tensive and entirely unjustifable encroach- ments upon lands set apart for Indian occu- pancy, and disclose a disregard of Indisn rights so long continued that the Government cannot further temporize without dishonor. Efforts to dislodge trespassers upon these lands have in some case been resisted, upon the ground that certain moneys due from the Government for improvements have not been paid So far as this claim is we'll founded, the sum necessary to extinguished the same should be at once appropriated and paid. In other cases the position of these intruders is one of simple and barefaced wrong doing, plainly questioning the inclination of the Govern ment to protect its dependent Indian wards, and its ability to maintain itself in the guar anty of such protection. These intruders should forthwith feel the weight of the Gov ernments power. I earnestly commend tho situation and the wrongs of the Indians occu- pying the reservation named to the early at tention of the. Congress and ask for the bill herewith transmitted careful and prompt con- sidera ion.
 The papers which accompany the communi- cation show that few settlers were upon the lands before the reservation was established, and are presumably entitled to pay for their Improvements; but the majority of occupants have come in since the establishment of the reservation, have dispossess q the Indians, and even the agency people of lands and have successfully dehed the efforts made to dispos- sess them Several years ago, it is said, 8 company of squatters came upon party of Indians, and slaughtered fifteen of them on their reservation, the pretext being that the Indians had killed some stock. The agency | tors of the massacre.
 | It is learned at the Navy Department that | the Russian Government contemplates the at | tachment to it's legislation in this country of an engineer officer, whose duty it will be to re- | port to his Government upon the development | of engineering science in the United States, | with special re erence to marine engineering. l This intention of the Russian Government has | caused some comment among naval officers, | for the reason that the idea of assigning such | duty to an expert officer contrasts strongly l with the system adopted by the United States l of detailing at European capitals line officers l who are sometimes unable to clearly indicate | in their reports details of important discover ies in naval engineering and construction.