Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1891-01-09
RESTLESS INDIANS
A BIG BATTLE IMMINENT IN THE
VICINITY OF PINERIDGE, S. D,
GEN. MILES TRYING TO EFFECT
a PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT.
The News OF the Past Week Sum-
married. for Busy Readers.
WOMEN AND CHILDREN IMPnRILLnD.

WOMEN AND CHILDREN
The Omaha Bees correspondent at Pine
Ridge telegraphs that Gen. Brooke has
received word Of a fight at the Catholic
mission, on Clay creek. and that six men of
the Seventh cavalry have been killed and
many wounded. The first intimation of
trouble at the mission was brought late
Wednesday afternoon by a courier, who
rushed in with the startling news that the
mission building, where there are num-
Der Of Catholic priests and sisters and
hundreds of children, were surrounded by
hostlles and had been set on fire. The
cavalrymen, who had had scarcely any
rest for four days, were instantly in the
saddle, and, with couple of Hotchkiss
guns, started on a gallop for the mission.
AS the dispatch was being written the
roar Of guns could be heard, indicating
that hot fight was in progress. Two
Strike, Little Wound, Short Bull and other
chiefs ran away from the agency Monday
night after hearing of the Wounded Knee
fight, taking with them hundreds Of war
/ riors They also compelled old chief Red
Cloud to accompany them under threat Of
death. 1t is these Indians who looted the
supply train Wednesday morning and
in the afternoon raided tho Catholic
mission
GEN. NILES LATEST REPORT.
A dispatch was received at Washington
by Gen. Schofield Friday morning from
Gen. Miles, dated at Pine Ridge Agency
January /, saying that 3, 600 Indians, men.
women and children, including about 600
| bucks, are now encamped in a section of
the Bad Lands about fifteen miles from the
Pine Ridge Agency and there is almost
Gordon of troops around them. Gen. Miles
announces that he hoped TO be able 10 in
| duce the hostiles TO Surrender without a
struggle. The spot where they are en-
camped he describes as somewhat like the
| lava beds of California, where the Modocs
made their final fight. 1t is an excellent
| position from an Indian standpoint but
| there are now no avenues of escape, all
having been closed by the troops. Gen.
Miles further states that the Indians have
gathered some cattle and provisions and
appear to be determined to make their
| fight for supremacy at this point. He
says he will make another effort to get
back to the agency without bloodshed
and in order to do so he has established
regular seige around this stronghold.
KEEPING UP THE EXCITEMENT.
a special to the Inter-Ocean from Pine
| Ridge dated January 4, says: Last night
| was one of feversh excitement to every
| one at the agency. For the first time the
| squaw men and half breeds were alarmed
and remained up all night fearing that the
| outbreak would be made before morning
| The agency is too well guarded TO permit
any large force to approach very close
! without discovery but it would be hard to
prevent "a few daring individuals from
creeping up some of the numerous ravines
and throwing fire arrows into barns and
hay stacks. The friendly spies all say that
there are large number of warriors in
the enemy's camp who have worked them
selves up to a condition of frenzy similar
to those who committed suicide at
| Wounded Knee; that say they want to die
and are going TO die whsle killing white
men. 1t is also said that two bucks es,
| capped alive from the Wounded Knee fight
who swore that they wiz set the agency on
fire and kill the agent themselves.
Gen. Miles has his troops all around the
enemy. and could draw them all in any
| day and have tremendous battle, but
could not prevent small bands escaping
| here and there which would have TO be
followed up by the soldiers, which would
place the lives Of many settlers in danger
| BY holding his troops until much larger
| force can be thrown around the Indians
the trouble can be confined to the reserve.
The end cannot be reached without one or
more battles, and bloody ones as there are
too many of the crazy ghost dancers who
only want to follow the example of their
Big Foot relatives. Gen. Miles sent out a
letter yesterday asking for hearing. The
Indians tore the letter to fragments and
threw them into the fire, saying, ave
want no treaty we are here to fight" Last
night several shots were fired by pickets,
ard couple of arrows were thrown into
the yards. Doctors are constantly arriving,
there being no less than fifteen here, with
q large corps of assistants. A delegation
of friendlies ask that a large party be sent
out at once to aid those who desire to es-
cape from the hostile camp. They say
that 700 or 500 warriors wish TO return;
that they either fed through fright at first
or were forced to go with the rest. To
let the friendlies go would undoubtedly
precipitate a fight and consume several
days of valuable time. No decision in
the matter has been made yet. The day
is warm and clear and the wounded who
are on their way to the railroad will suf
fer no discomforts. The Indians in the
hostile camp number over 1000 men,
women and children and represent every
agency of the two Dakotas.