New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-11-21
BUFFALO BILLS WAR NEWS
DECLARING THAT THE TROOPS HAVE HAD
A FIGHT WITH THE SIOUX

GENERAL MILES APPARENTLY CONFIDENT THAT
THE SOLDIERS ARE IN SUFFICIENT FORCE
TO SUPPRESS DISORDER ANXIETY
AMONG SOME OF THE WHITE RESI-
DENTs-THE GHOST DANCES
STILL KEPT UP.
Chicago, Nov 2o.-wilam Z. Cody, Buffalo
Bill, at o'clock tonight told representative
of the Associated Press that General Miles had
just received word that the troops under General
Brooke had a fight with the Indians this afternoon
between Rushville and Pine Ridge. The extent
of the casualties and result of the engagement
has not yet been learned. Buffalo Bill' ex-
pressed confidence that General Miles would, if
let alone by the Government settle the trouble
expedftiously. General Miles could not be seen
to-right either at his headquarters or at his hotel
II was stated that he had gone out in company
with Colonel Corbin. his assistant adiutant-
general.
General Brooke and his command reached Pine
Ridge Agency this morning. Two troops of cav
airy that have been patrolling the north side on
the reservation all summer will join the command
tomorrow. The Pine Ridge Indians were greatly
excited. They continued their dancing dis
patch from Standing Rock Agency y. d., says:
"The news that troops have been ordered to
the reservation has spread rapidly among the
savages and the general effect has been bad
Several hundred of the braves have disappeared
There was evident fright in some quarters, and 1T
was the general impression that the bucks were
running away from what they regard as an i'm
pending calamity. 1t may be, however that they
were bent upon pillage and murder, or have gal
loped across the country to incte the Northern
Cbevcnnes. the most excitable band of Indians
in the West, to take arms against the whites
Major Mclaughlin. the agent here, has just
returned from Sitting Bulls camp on Grand River.
Ue reports that the dances are still going on, but
that Sitting Bulrs influence has weakened greatly
in the last week Now he has 10 more than
hundred or so of followers He received MAJOR
Mclaughlin cordially, but the young bucks
scowIed at the agent as though he were not wei
come He had long talk with Sitting Bull, ana
is satisfied that the old chiefs faith i'll the coming
of the Messiah is on the decline. General RugerS
presence here last week had the effect OF reducing
Sitting Bulls followers by nearly onc-haf, so tnat
now he has not enough men to carry on CAM
paign if he wanted to-
Valentine Neb., is full Of refugees from the
Indian country At rough estimate l,2OO men,
women and children have fled from the country
north of the railroad and about the Pine Rage
Agency. Every freight train that stopped at the
small side tracks west of here was besieged by
reople demanding to be carried east. People VINO
came down the line from Rushville brought thc
worst possible rumors. 1t was reported tnaO
Agent Roger, who has charge of the Pine KldSe
Agency. appeared at Rushvilc on Monday night,
bringing with him Thunder Bear. sergeant oil
rndion police. and American Horse. Both of these
4ls1.. 70 nInf
Indians. and had carried their opposition to the
Ghost Dance SO far on Monday that knives
were drawn on them by the nfuriated redmen,
and the agent was compelled to bring them down
TO Rushvillc 10 prevent trouble. American Horse
has compleely lost his influence with the Indians,
and il is said that the Indian police are useless.
American Horse and Thunder Bear stayed in Rush
vile but Agent Royer returned, and on Tuesday
again appeared, bringing with him, this time, his
wife and children lie said he thought 1t was
no longer safe for them at the agency. III was
said however, that the traders at the agency nave
not left. and they think that their families ana
their property are in no great danger
Troops from both the East and West have been
pushed on to Rushville. That is the nearest point
on the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Naliey
Railroad to the Pine Ridge Agency. About 500
men have reached that point. These troops were
within about forty miles Of the Indians and
conld he used at twelve hours notice. if neces-
sorv against the excited Sioux at the Rosebud
Agency, where two white men are leading Ghost
Dance
Word has been received that Frank Gruard, q
Government scout, has reached Buffalo, Wyo.,
with information that parties of Sioux Indians are
travelling up the Powder River Valley toward the
Big Horn region This caused alarm lest dcpre-
dot committed
of the Big Horn Valley and the big cattle herdS
of the region. The Indians. If not headed on would
probably cross the Big Horn Valley 10 the ShOsh-
one Reservation, where there are LOO Shoshones
and Arapahoes. These Indians have gone through
one Messiah craze, and it is doubtful whether
the could be stirred up again The troops IN the
region are three companies of the 5th cavalry
at Fort Mckinney, near Buffalo, under Colonel
Guy V. Henry, and several companies of cavalry
at Fort Washalie, on the Shoshone Reservation
The Sioux Indians on the Devils Lake Rescrya-
ton, near Minnewaukan, y. d., are not specially
stirred up as yet. All the troops at Fort Totten
have been removed to Standing Rock
At the house of Railroad Commissioner llaIlon,
twelve miles west of Mandan, y. d., sixty refu-
gees are staying for safety. Pickets are out Mt
night and rules of military garrison are observed
On Wednesday night Picket llof shot at Plcket
Massingham thinking he was an Indian, the bull
let grazing Afassinghams head. Guns and ammuni,
ton were sent out yesterday. Two hundred
Arickarces were sent over to the east slde OF the
river to 90 to Fort Berthold. The authorities
feared that they would be mistaken for Sioux by
settlers, if they went OH the west side of the
Missouri. correspondent talked with an Arick-
aree concerning the feeling among the Sioux on
tho reservation whom the Arickarees have been
visiting. He said -
The Sioux are in good shape for fight. They
have plenty of guns and ammunition, ana also
have all the jerked beef they got oil the pralres
after the late prairie fire, when several hundred
cattle were burned to death. The Arickarees are
friendly with the whites and we don't want To
fight ourselves, but we would like to see the
Sioux go on the warpath, because 1T would mean
larger rations for all the Indians in the Dakotas
don't know whether or not the SIOUX set the re-
cent fires that destroyed much property, but
believe they did. The Sioux say that they nave
the white mans meat to eat while lighting white
men. Sioux expect the Messiah every day. There
are 300 young bucks missing from the reservation
Scouts and Indian police don't know where they
are We are friends of the whites and not of the
Sioux. but the Sioux gave us forty ponies, so we
viii be their friends whatever happens
At this juncture old Indian thought the hoy
had talked enough and pulled him away. The
boy was educated at Berthold, but. like most
educated Indians is lapsing into savagery. Every
body is praying for n blizzard
A dispatch from Chamberlain. y d.: reports an
interyiDw with Debose q lanktoD Reservation