Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1890-11-06
EXPECT THEIR MESSIAH.
INDIANS WAITING FOR THEIR
PROMISED DELIVERER.
They Expect that All the whites VIII Be
Killed and the Earth Given Over to the
Red Men = sitting BulI Stirring Up
Trouble Among the Sioux.


Red Men = Sitting RulI Stirring Up
Trouble Among the Sioux.
Washington dispatch.l
Reports just received by the Interior
Department from the Standing Rock
Agency In North Dakota indicate that
the "Indian millennium" craze is fast
increasing. Tho greatest excitement
oyer the matter exists among the Sitting
Bull faction of the Sioux, and they
promise that the millennium will come
next spring when the grass begins to
| grow, and that the white man will ba
annihilated and the Indian restored TO
his former power and prestige.
| This superstition, Agent James Nc
Laughlin states, Is derived from the
more southern Sioux, and is no doubt
the same craze that has been agitating
the Shoshones in Wyoming and tho
Chsyennes and Arapahocs In tho
Indian Territory. Sitting Bull ap-
pears TO be the high priest
and leading apostle of this latest
| Indian absurdity, and he is the chief
mischief-maker at the agency. Other
| Indians prominent in the matter arc
| Circling Bear, Black Bird and Circling
Hawk, of tho Standing Rock Agency;
Spotted Elk, of the Cheyenne River
Agency; and Crow Dog and Low Dog, OF
the Rosebud Agency. Sitting Bulls in
tluence as disturbing element seems to
have grown worse during the last year,
and this Is partly accounted for, the
Agent intimates, by the presence of a
woman from Brooklyn, Mrs. C. Welden,
who went to the agency In June, 1889,
announcing herself as member of DIR.
Il. A. BANDS society, the Indian De-
fense Association. She, with DIR. Bland,
bitterly opposed the ratification of the
sale OF the surplus lands Of the Sioux
Reservation by the Indians, and that
gave the Sioux Commissioners at tho
time great deal of trouble Mrs.
Welden, tho Agent reports, bestowed
numerous presents upon Sitting Bull,
and after her departure she kept up
correspondence with him until last
spring, when she again returned and To-
Gated outside of the reservation and
about twenty-five miles from the agency
Sitting Bull has been frequent visitor
to her house, and is reported to have
grown more insO!ent and worthless every
visit, Mrs. Welden's gifts enabling him
to give frequent feasts to the Indians,
thus perpetuating old customs and en-
grating upon their superstitious nature
this additional .absurdity of the "new
Messiah" and the "return of the ghosts
Concerning the new craze of the In.
dians, Agent Mclaughlin, in a letter tC
Commissioner Morgan, says:
They are told by some members OF the
Pioux Ii7-. gso .hay .lT -J1r1rfs fiIuuTfU ny
the dominant race has been sufficient, and
that their numbers now having become 80
decimatcd, will be re-enforced by all In
dians that are dead; that the dead are all
returning TO reinhabit thi, earth, which be-
longs TO the Indians; that they are driving
back with them as they return Immense
herds of buffalo and great herds OF wild
horses to be had for the catching; that the
Great Spirit promises them that tho white
man will be unable to make gunpowder I'm
future, and every attempt at such will be
failure, and that the gunpowder now on
hand will be useless against Indians, as it
VIII not throw bullet with sufficient forco |
to pass through the skin OF an Indian; that
the Great Spirit had deserted the Indians |
for long period, but Is now with them and |
against the whites, and Will cover the earth |
with thirty feet or additional soil, well sod |
dcd and timbered, under which the whites |
VIII be smothered and any whites who may |
escape this great catastrophe will become |
small fishes in the rivers of the country. |
But in order 20 bring about this happy re- |
suit the Indians must do their part and be- |
come believers and thoroughly organize.
IL would seem impossible that any person |
no matter now ignorant, could be DrOup hit Il
tn heliave snnh 9isa,''d b>s4 %rr=,
agency actually believe it, and since this |
new doctrine has been engrafted here from |
the southern Sioux agencies the infection |
has been wonderful, and so pernicious that |
1t now includes some OF the Indians who |
we're formerly numbered with the progress
I've and more intelligent, and many OF our
very best Indians appear daZed and unde-
cded when talking of it, their Inherent
having been thoroughly
aroUs ID.
Agent Mclaughlin gives Sitting Bull
q very bad reputation, saying:
Sitting Bull is polygamist, Iiberti1e
habitual liar, active obstructionist, and n
great obstacle In the way OF the civiliza-
tlon of these people, and he is so totally de-
void of any OF the nobler traits of charac-
ter and so welded to the old Indian ways
and superstitions that Il is doubtful IL any
change for the better will ever come TO him
at his present age OF SO years He has
been a disturbing element here sncs his
return from confinement as n military pris-
Oner In the spring OF 1888, but
has has been growing gradually worse
accounted for by the presence of
a lady from Brooklyn named Mrs.
9. Welden, who came in June. 1880, an
herself as n member OF DR.. BANDS |
society, the Indian Defense Association,
and opposed to the Indians ratifying the act
Of March 81, 1889, demanding of me permis-
sion to pass through the Sioux Reservation
TO Cheyenne River Agency and to take Sit
ting Bull with her. The Sioux Commission
ers being then engaged negotiating with tho
Indians at the southern Sioux agencies, /,
rs a matter of course, refused to permit her
sither to pass through the reservation or to
allow Sitting Bull TO accompany her, and
compelled her to cross the Missouri River at
his point and travel over the public roads
outside OF the Indian Reservation, in conse-
Iuence Of which she was very hostile to-
wards me, and wrote several letters TO diff |
Ierent parties in condemnation of my course |
II action. While here she bestowed numer- |
)us presents upon sitting Bull, considerable
being money, which had demoralizing ef-
Iect upon him, initiating him with his i'm
Dortance.
Notwithstanding the prohibitory or
iers of the agent tho "ghost dances" arc
frequently held and the excitement over
the expected millennium Is spreading.
These dances are characterized by tho
agent as "demoralizing, indecent and
and under their influence
jhe Indians act in the silly manner Of
men intoxicated.
The officials Of the Indian Bureau hero !
ook upon the situation as ser, Gus,
Personal Notes.