Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-01-06
A P0ssrBLE SURRENDER.
An Important Dispatch From Gen. Miles 10
the War Department.

n POSSIBLE SURRENDER.
An Important Dispatch From Gen. NILES 10
the War Department.
FIVE wAlR1oas CONE m TO LEARN WHAT rHxr
NAY EXPECT m CASE THEY REMAIN HOSTILE
COMMENTS ON COL. FoRsYrHx's cAsE-RArIoNs
TO THE SIOUX.
A portion Of telegram that was received at
army headquarters this morning from Gen.
Miles, dated at the Pine Ridge agency last night,
is as follows: "In answer to . communication
that Isent to the hostile comp yesterday saying
that five men could come in and learn what ex-
pected them to do, the following named men
came in: Big Road, He Dog, Little Hawk, Jack
Red Cloud and High Hawk. The first three
surrendered to me on the Yellowstone in 1877.
The prospects are at present favorable that the
whole camp may surrender, but I do not wish
to anticipate. There are no changes in the ono
dition Of troops"
The typewriter copy Of this telegram fur
in rey e IS 70 :ho~ latter par
1t was originally followed by some further
sentences that were deemed of too important
and interesting character to be made public.
No amount Of questioning could elicit the
nature of what constituted the body Of the
dispatch. 1t was. however, sent at once to the
Secretary. who took the entire telegram and
various other papers bearing on the Indian
war with him when he went to the cabinet
meeting at II 80 o'clock.
THE FoRsYTHE CASE.
The Forsythe case has caused even . greater
disturbance than was at first anticipated. The
order Of the President relieving him from his
command-it is no longer q matter of doubt
who started the investigation-has been COM
| mo tod in, oil W., o<xF
the navy are beginning to talk Of the principle
involved, for, as they say, this means a viola
ton OF the very theories of a successful mill
tary system.
..You must give your officers feeling of self
reliant responsibility" said one Of them this
morning, 'or you will never have anything but
disastrous results"
This is the main point in issue, and the con-
versations that are to be heard on every side
about the matter revolve about this idea.
GEN. MILES FOLLOWED INSTRUCTIONS.
There is growing belief that Gen. Miles
followed his instructions in the case of Col
Forsythe against his will, for those who know
him are confident that he is too much of q
soldier not to realize the demoralizing results
OF suspending an officer from his command in
the very face Of an enemy.
There was very significant sentence in yes
terdays press dispatches from the west, to the
effect that Gen. Miles has been constantly ad-
monished by the administration ever since the
beginning Of the trouble to prevent
indicate that there has been q great deal Of
pressure brought to bear on the administration
by the humanitarian party that always appears
In such a campaign.
FoRsYTHEs MEDICATION NOT DOUBTED.
Few army officers have any fear as to Col
Forsythes vindication in this matter His
magnificent record a soldier his five brevets
for gallantry and meritorious services during
the war and his general reputation as an officer
and o gentleman are sufficient elements to in
dictate that he knew perfectly well what he was
doing in the fight at Wounded Knee.
great many facts are being
brought out by his relief concerning this fight
that will make his case an easy one, particu-
lafly before a military tribunal. One of these
is that in the skirmish the Indian women and
many of the children rode about like the men,
hghting like fiends, and, to use the expression
of an eyewitness, pumped their Winchesters
at the troops right and left
The killing of such people, while not exactly
praised by the army people on duty here, is
not particularly deplored, and the action Of
Col. Forsythe's men receives more commenda-
tions than Combinations
WHO COL. FoRsYrHR 1s
The "Col. Forsythe" in question is Col. Jas.
W. Forsythe, seventh cavalry, Familiarity known
among army officers as "Tony" How this
nick name was given to him is somewhat of a
mystery. He is not the Col. Forsythe who was
court-martialed and retired a short time ago,
No suspicion has ever rested on him until the
present time.
CHARACTER OF GEN. NILES TELEGRAM
The news that comes from Gen. Miles to the
authorities here is seldom of q startling char
acter and, indeed, scarcely deserves the name
OF news, since his kilograms are usually merely
Official repetitions Of facts already telegraphed
east over the press wires He sends one dispatch
day, customarily at night, which is received
here In the morning. The dispatches come
| addressed to the commanding general Of the
army, who communicates them at once to the
Secretary.
House and shows them to the President. They
are given to the press by the adjutant general
on duty at army headquarters, Gen. Vincent
In some cases but a portion I dispatch is
furnished and at other times the telegram is
not shown, but a summary Is given by either
Gen. Vincent or Gen. Schofeld. The replies
that go to Gen. Miles from here are never COM
municated to the press.
DISTRIBUTION OF RAr1oNs.
Indian Commissioner Morgan today sent to
the President a statement in regard to the dis
tribution of rations to the Sioux Indians He
gives a history of the relations between the
government and the Sioux Indians, the various
treaties and the agreement in the
treaty Of 1877 in accordanc" with which
rations are now given to the Indians
He gives full account Of the amount thus dis
tributed, of the recent reduction in quantity
and the reasons for this reduction. He shows
from the records the exact quantities distrib-
uted and how they were distributed.
In previous communication Gen. Morgan
sketches the history Of the Sioux commission
and enumerates the promises made to the In
dams by the commission. He shows that the
Indians who signed the agreement did so with
the understanding that the government would
do certain things. Congress was asked to make
these promises good, and as Gen. Morgan shows
it failed to do so.
1t is understood that the President will send
both communications to Congress accompanied
by special message.
BEFORE THE CABINET.
The Cabinet considered the Indian question,
especially with reference to Gen. Miles propo-
stion to relieve Indian agents of the charge of the
agencies near the scene of the troubles and re-
place them with officers of the army. Secretary
Noble, as has been stated, is earnestly opposed
to such plan and its accomplishment is there
fore matter of doubt.
PROBABLY THE OTHER PART OF GEN. NILES