St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-12-04
COL. HEYL's OPINION.
He Relieves There Will Be- No
Outbreak During the VI inte :.

CHICAGO, Dec. 4.-Col. Heyl,inspector
general, division of the Missouri, re-
turned this morning from visit to the
scene of the Indian troubles in the
Northwest. In an interview he said:
MY opinion Is that there is no immi-
nent danger Of any serious trouble.
The troops are confident and seem to
have the situation perfectly in hand"
LAS matter of fact, has the situa-
ton ever been as grave as has been re-
ported in the newspapers"
Nothing like it," he replied en-
phatieally. "a great part of the scare
has been totally uncalled for. Why, a
number of newspapers got to print
ing number of sensational and
grossly exaggerated stories about the
Indians, and many settlers in Dakota
and Nebraska became panic-stricken.
They sold their property for almost any
thing they could get. abandoned their
homes and rushed to the nearest railway
station, when the fact is that they were
in no more danger from the Indians
than we are here in Chieago.n
do you consider the movement of the
Indians toward the Bad Lands is seri-
ous."
The colonel smiled.
''I'll tell you about the alarming re-
treat TO the Bad Lands" he said. In
the Bad Lands there are some fertile
spots in which the Indians live. When
the order went out calling the tribes
into the agency, those Indians had to
abandon their homes. In their absence,
some bands of marauders have been
committing petty depredatlons. such as
stealing chickens and household uten-
silS. This came to the knowledge of
the Indians at the agency, and numbers
of them are slipping away whenever
they can get an opportunity, for the
purpose OF going back to protect their
chatleis."
Nothing in it more alarming than
quiet faux movement to protect some
henroost, them"
''That is about it, the colonel re-
piled. 81 reached Pine Ridge on the
27th. l found that the dance had ceased
three days before / got there. And |
may add that it was not resumed when
l left. The Indians were quiet and
peacefully disposed. Some few of the
lgaAala Sioux, particularly the young
bucks of that tribe, were anxious for
trouble, but these were pretty much
heads. The principal cause of the In
dian troubles is lack of proper proyis-
ions in the way of raioDs-prineipally
meat rations. The latter were reduced
i,000.000 pounds for the Pine Ridge
reservation alone, ana the au-
thorities there have, practice
of issuing steer at the weight
at which it was received. For instance,
the agency might get steer in the fall
that would weigh LOCO pounds. In the
spring it would not weigh moIe than
600 pounds, but it would 6e issued as
1,00o pounds all the same. OF course
the Indians would lose the difference.
This is one great source of diSSatiSfac-
tion. The Indians generally, think,
are inclined TO accept any prOp0SiIion
made to them by the military authUri-
ties of a peaceful nature, but when |
left there was big snow storm and
blizzard coming, which think will cool
the ardor of the young bucks. l
don't anticipate winter campaign
in the Indian country, in that sense
of the word. but troops will be
kept there as against any trouble that
might happen this winter or any at
tempt TO go on the warpath in the
spring. The Indians are not properly
fed, and there will be the probability OF
touble until they are. In the spring
they may make break-that is, the
young bucks-but they can be con-
trolled. These troops will be there to
attend to them if they make trouble. L
believe an effort is being male to in
crease the meat rations among the In
dians. Several bands came in while
was there. When L left Young Man
Afraid-o -His-Horse was coming in with
his band, CARRYING yellow flag, which
is token of peace.n
Sixty-eight recruits from Davis Isl
and, New York. passed through the
city en- route to Pine Ridge agency to-
day.