Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-01-31

visited Pine Ridge almost daily because the
seat OF war could be visited with much less
OF discomfort than would ordinarily be met
with In other Indian campaigns. Of course
things were in a somewhat crowded condition
and many civilian paid a dollar a night for
the privilege OF sleeping on a floor in company
with several other people and things, but even
that was an Improvement on trying to slumber
In sleeping bag while the mercury was en-
deavoring to crowd itself into the bulb.
THE HOTELS AND BOARDING. HousEs.
It may be that the hotelsand boarding houses
lacked some of the acknowledgements which
high grade of cultured civilization. temporarily
were necessary, but the edibles were immeas-
urably superior to the horse meat which men
couldn't get enough of when they marched
with Crook from the Yellowstone to Deadwood.
Those men who wrote such horrible stories Of
hardship and suffering were probably in earn
est, for this was their first experience but as a
matter of fact the worst thing any one has been
called upon to put up with was a trihe of in
convenience now and then and great deal of
extortion pretty much all the time. Ii there
should happen to be a stringency in the money
market soon don't look to Wall street for the
cause; the currency is in northern Nebraska
and South Dakota. The only sufferers except
financially. in this campaign were the soldiers
and Indians who we're killed and wounded.
THE SOLDIERS JARED WE'LL.
Nearly all of the hard work has been done by
the seventh and ninth cavalry: that is the
fighting work. and with the exception of the
two or three busy days they had about New
Year the troops have had ii somewhat monot-
onously good time. breakfast, dinner and
supper have never failed. Bread (soft when it
could be had, hard otherwise coffee bash or
stew or steak have been the component parts of
the first meal. For dinner there WAS pork and
beans. roast beef or meat pies, potatoes,
tomatoes, bread. apples and cheese. while sup-
per time brought around a meal that was very
much like breakfast.
AN INDIAN scAKR.
Nowhere on this continent have there been a
greater number of irresponsible rumors during
the past month or 50 than at Pine Ridge and
somebody will have to bear the responsibility
for a canard that stirred things up here yester-
day evening. Where it star ted nc one seems TO
know, but from some source there emanated
the story that those fifty lodges of Sioux that
refused to follow Sitting Bull into the United
States, when he surrendered with honors. were
coming this way as rapidly as possible. On its
face the thing was a lie. but startled people
never think of attributing falsehood to a state
neGt which is directly in accord with their
fears. Those Indians, who took refuge in Man.
itoba immediately utter the Custer massacre,
could not prepare to move without having that
admirable force of fighting men-the north
west mounted police-rigiit on top of them.
Every avenue by which these Sioux could pos
sibly enter the United States ID watched on both
sides of the international boundary line. 1t was
very foolish rumor; ii stirred up the excitea-
bic indians and scared nervous women and
then went the way Of all rumors, fortunately
without having caused any damage.
MAI. sURKE's PLAN.
One Of the more or less original propositions
which have been brought to the front by this
Sioux trouble comes from Mai. John IL Burke.
Buffalo Bills press agent. Burke was here un-
til day or two ago. but when he went away he
left behind him an idea which is worth con-
sidering.
Factors of no mean importance in these
periodical uprisinss," said he to me, ARE the
haven't gotten over it, although great many
years separate us from the period when their
savage iargeness was apparent. Now they are
not OF the slightest account in themselves, but
they are the true melting causes which send
lot of hot-headed young bucks
out on the warpath. They live on sufferance
and somebody else food, for these aged war
riors have no chance IN the modern race for
agency beef: their grub is lost in the shuttle
These old fellows sit around the camp fires and
in the tepees and talk everlastingly Of the days
when they used TO fight the pale-faced intrnd-
ers and their ante-belium conversation is most
demoralizing to the younger element. Now 1
would stop all this by putting these archsolog.
ical specimens In homes; houses built and
kept for that purpose. There's old Red Leaf
he looks as though he was at least 100 years
old, and belongs to that class known around
here as coffee COOLERS but he and his fellow
coolers are the connecting links between the
days of fabulous plenty and this age of semi
starvation. The days in which these old mems
memories revel can never return and some
thing ought to be done to prevent them from
telling their old war stories to BOYS who would
be worse than their grandfathers if they could.
Place these antiquities IN plain home, with a
superintendent and cook to care for them
Let their rstions be drawn ss q whole and not
In seyeralty. Shut out the mob of relatives who
now eat the old genflemen's beef up and there
will be more well-fed and eontented elderly
Indians and less incendiary talk
what do You suppose caus ed this outbreak"
] asked.
1T is o waste of time" said he. s.to argue ms
to the responsibility for what il past 1t is
much better to discuss what ought TO be done
in the future. We have been expecting too
much from our savage wards. You cannot
change the habits and ideas of the Sioux nation
in thirteen years. Let us wait q generation or
30 before We begin to look for much in the way
of results. Is there anything very extraordi-
nary in the fsct that the Indian loves not to
enough 10 live on never looks for q Job: he
simply labers that he may have enough TO live
on in idleness. The Indian managed TO get
along very nicely before the white man came
aioiae ana sook away mas suseenance; suppose
we give the noble red . little time Don't
crowd the mourners, even II they are copper
colored and don't all wear psuts." G. II. Il
Rates ON Peaches From Delaware 10 Boston
The interstate commerce commission, in an
opinion by Commissioners veazey, has an
nounced its decision Of the oass Of the Boston
Fruit and Produce Exchange agt. the New York
and New England Railroad Company, the New
York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Com
pany, the Central Railroad Company Of New
Jersey, the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company
and the BenuaYlInnia Rsi}rrad rsosu,s,.,av In q.