The Durham recorder. [volume] (Durham, N.C.) 1879-19??, 1890-12-10
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confcated. To refuse to 60 out
with his people, if such a course
is decided upon in council, would
be a course without precedent
among the red men.
i The position occupied by Sit
ting Bull is very much misun-
derstood. He is a medicine man,
, a sort of high priest, and in this
, present Messianic craze pretends
. to be an apostle of the coming
Saviour. He is a witty old sim
ner of the greatness shrewdness,
but not a warrior, for he never
participated in a battle. His
value to the leaders has been in
working upon the superstitious
feelings of the braves until they
were ready to fight anything.
Besides, he is a schemer who
has been useful to the chiefs,
whose abilities lie their courage
to go on to death rather than
mapping out a plan of action.
Sitting Bull got credit all over
America for the slaughter of
Custer, when he was not nearer
than three miles of the battle
field, and was treated with by
the Government officials until
they found out that he could
answer only for himself. That
war was a gold mine for old
Bull. AS soon as peace was
brought about he settled down
to his normal station as a medi-
cine man without a job. His
hut ON the reservation was an
object of ridicule, andits inhab-
liant one of contempt. The
bucks poked fun at the old sham
who was consequently very
much dissatisfied with his sur
roundings. Matters were like
this when his foxy brain dis
covered an opportunity in the
pretended coming of a Messiah.
He is undoubtedly inclined to
favor the warpath at once, be-
lieving that he will be treated
more generously than he was
after the other disturbance, and
hoping to regain favor with his
tribe.
The natural cause against war
is Winter. Fifteen years ago
this was a vast prairie, more
like a desert than anything else.
Now it is thickly settled, and a
call to arms would bring out
thousands of hardy farmers,
who would go to the front to
protect their homes and fami-
lies. With a hard Winter star
ing them in the face, very lit
tie Buffalo grass for their ponies
and no rations to depend upon
after the first raid on the ranch
es, the wise Sioux will hesitate
a long time before he dons the
war-paint.
There is undoubtedly some
reason for complaint on the part
of the Indians, and probably
this trouble will have the effect
of calling attention to their
wrongs. When President Cleve-
land appointed Col. Wilkenson
to Pine Ridge Agency a count
of the Indians resulted in the
finding of 5000, although DR..
McGilicuddy had been given
rations for $4,000. 1t was as
serted that there were really
10,000 there at the time, and the
natural increase would render
il $4,000 or more now. IL the
Indians have been taken care of
on the basis of 5000, as some
assert, it is no wonder that they
are dissatisfied, for they must
have been underfed.
The report sent out from Pine
Ridge that troops were on their
way to Wounded Kneeis false.
Promises have been sent from
different bands that they will
come in at once. Whether they
do or not, troops will be kept at
the agencies all Winter.
Ex-Agent Gallagher in an in
terview said that he was not in
clined to accept the responsible
lity for the present trouble at
Pine Ridge. He admitted that
during his last days there dis
cipline was not up to the mark,
but says that was due TO politi-
cal Vaccinations looking to his
removal. He charged the author
tiles at Washington with delib-
erately breaking faith with the
Indians, and especially with
violating promises made by
General Crook and others Of
the Commission that negotiated
the treaty of 1889. At present
the greatest difiicultyt lies in
the shortnes of rations. Every
body but Royer now seems to
court the inevitable inyestiua-
tion. Roger has threatened his
employees with dismissal II
aught is said by any Of them
againsl his course.
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