The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-06-20
REDSKINS QU|ETING Down.
The Situation Fully Discussed at
Powwows at and Near the
Agency,
Their Lack Of Adequate Rations
is the Chief Cause Of
Complaint.
They Also Allege Fear Of the Cowboys
The Hills Watched-Breastwork
Arc Thrown UP.

CHEYENNE AGENCY {via Miles City,, june
19.-[Special. ]-To-niRht all is quiet ON tho
reservation, but the danger is not over and
will not be till the Cheyenne Indians are
disarmed and given enough to eat. The In
dians are now more scattered than they
have been in three weeks. There is better
feeling prevailing, and 30 far as his power
goes Colonel Curtis has been successful in
the mission upon which he was sent. Rang
ing around and on tho reservation are 1OO,-
600 cattle belonging to men who have a right
to protection from the government. II to-
morrow white man should surprise an In
dian killing steer the Indian would be
killed unless he fled first, and the result
would be bloody war in country where it
must of necessity, from its hilly formation,
be of long duration. Despite the stories to
the contrary have seen Agent Upshaw's
letters Of two and three years ago to the de-
partment, saying the Cheyonnes were not
farmers, could not be anything like self
supporting for years, detailing their oondi-
tion and calling for more rations. The
ranchmen also asked that the Cheyennes be
fed, but their requests were not needed.
The money this campaign will cost would
furnish the Cheyennes with rations for q
long time, and had Agent Upshaw's con-
slant request to have the Cheyennes dis
armed been needed and the Indians given suf-
fcient to eat there would to-day be thousands
Of dollars more taxable wealth in Custer
county, and Robert Ferguson would be
alive. The Cheyennes have no land on
which they can depend for crops because
they have no water to irrigate, and on their
reservation even the white men cannot
make living by farming. The first Of the
month is set for another big dance, at
which Porcupine, the new Christ's apostle,
will talk. If they gather in as large num-
bers as before it will require six beeves
daily to feed them, and these they will try
and obtain by killing range cattle. The
stookmen will keep sharp lookout, and
woe betide the reds caught. Then will
como the war, but it may come sooner.
Since Col. Curtis arrival, and at his sugges-
tion, troops Of cavalry have besn patrolline
the country and this has been having Z
good effect, and still there ID but one sdlu.
tion of the trouble. disarm the Cheyennes,
keep them on their reservation and give
them full rations. II possible, move them
to place where they can have land capa-
BILE of raising crops.
The story of the powwows with the In
dians is as follows: Col. G, ID. Curtis and
your correspondent, with Stock Inspector
Smith, arrived here on the 14th. The first
parties met on the way were lot of cow
boys returning to roundup, which they had
temporarily abandoned. They were un-
armed, but had arms at Forsyth, a town ten
miles away. Asked about the Indian trou-
BILE, they said the Cheyenne bucks were
very sorry and defiant, and the Indians
were not justly treated. Inquiry of set
tiers along the road failed to fasten any
criminal act upon the Cheyennes except
the killing of cattle by the Indians for food
and the marder of Ferguson, for whose
killing the whole tribe is not to be held re-
sponsible. The first Indian met on the re-
serve WAS fine young buck armed with
a new Springfield rifle and belt full of
ammunition. Arriving at the agency, a
talk with Major Upshaw, the agent, re-
vealed the fact that the Indians had called
for rations during the day as usual and that
there were as many bucks present as usual.
In the evening visit was lpaid to the camp
where Major Carroll is located with three
troops of cavalry. The major said he had
investigated all the stories of outrages by
Indians, and while there was no doubt that
the Cheyennes killed cattle still many of
the stories sent out, he thought, were exag-
aRgerated; that the Indians and whites
were each afraid of the other and that the
greatest danger arose from the fact that a
sudden meeting in the hills by an armed
Cheyenne and nn armed white might result
in one or the other shooting and the result
would be disastrous conflict.
At the powwow held Sunday at tha agen-
cy there were present the following Chey
enne chiefs: Little Wolf. Two Moons, Red
Cherries, Old Wolf, Buffalo Hunt, Little
Creek and White Hawk. On the part of
the whites there were present: Col. G. D.
Curtis, Agent Upshaw, Major Carroll and
your correspondent. Agent Upshaw intro
duced Col. Curtis, telling the Cheyeanes he
had been sent there by the big chief of the
state to talk with them. Two Moons acted
as interpreter for the Indians and proved to
be very diplomatic old fellow. When he
was asked question he did not want to
answer he avoided reply by asking anoth-
er, and when his tribe was accused of desir-
ing to kill Agent Upshaw, he simply laughed
it away. In reply to the charge that the
Cheyennes had ordered settlers to leave,
Two Moons said "Who told you so?'' Cur
tis explained that Lem Holt, a settler on
the Tongue river had been warned to leave
by an old Grow and his son, Two Moons.
"rhe story is a lie Those tales of trou-
bles between the whites and the Cheyennes
make me sorry the Cheyennes have not pre-
pared for war. We dropped all that when
We came here with Gen. Miles. You can see
if my people had prepared for war. The
big chief at Keogh said he wanted my young
mon for scouts to enlist in the white mans
army and send them to you for soldiers.