Los Angeles herald., 1891-01-05
LAST GREAT INDIAN OUTBREAK.

this Indian outbreak. 1t is probably
the last tragic stand of an hist torical
people, who will figure in the rom ance
and poetry of centuries to come. There
is something quite unique about the
American Indian. His physique, to be-
gin with, is quite peculiar. As the
higher types materialized they were
beef-eaters, thus presenting marked
contrast to the root eating Digger
aborigine OF California. The Sioux In
dian is tall and willowy creature,
compounded of bone and sinew, and
with an eye like hawk. He remarka-
bly, resembles the Apache OF Arizona.
His stature is great, his spirit proud
and his prowess, on equal terms, proba-
bly, up to the standard of any type OF
warrior which could be furnished from
any quarter of the earth in any age.
Strangely enough he is without beard.
The Messiah craze and the ghost dances
have been the instrumentalities OF
concentrating the latest fanati-
cism of the race. 1t is a question
as to whether these poor creatures
know that the last act of the drama
which relegates them to obscurity and
extinction is being played, but it is
probable that in some confused way
they realize their critical situation. The
Indian is not the only race of mankind
that is willing to stake his all on the
cast OF die, in which life and all may
go down on the turn.
1t is worthy OF remark that Father
Crafts, the Roman Catholic missionary,
who was dangerously and probably
fatally wounded in the battle OF Wound
ed Knee, has found time, in his
passage to eternity, to say that the real
cause of this Indian outbreak was star
walton. General Miles, in his article in
the January number of the North
American Review, has no hesitation in
saying that the failure OF the crops in
the Dakotas during the past two years
is largely responsible for it. The gen.
eral adds that the frequent changes
of Indian agents is also a
great factor in the disturbances.
If these things be true, there is grave
responsibility somewhere. There can
be no question but that there is only
one thing to do as long as armies of
murderous redskins are in the field, and
that is to annihilate them. But q grave
reckoning remains after the last hunted
brave, adorned in his red pigments, shall
have died or surrendered.
The peculiar way in which the Indian
treats his captives has done much TO
ALLEVIATE from him the sympathies OF
civilized people. Barbarities whose mere
are certain to await the white man who
is unfortunate enough to survive bat
tie. In this respect the Sioux and the
Apache are the lineal descendants of the
Miamis and other ferocious redskins
who crowded the Ohio valleyin the days
of Simon Girty, the renegade. From
the head OF the Ohio to the head OF the
Mississippi river fierce warriors once
contested every foot OF the way
of Daniel Boone and his fellow pioneers.
Incidents of incredible atrocity charac-
terized every foot of the advance made
by the whites. The ancient legend,
"woe to the vanquished, assumed
significance never known in the wars of
the ancient world. One OF the pioneer
settlers OF Ohio was burned at the stake.
He was compelled to walk around slow
fire in weary circle. After he had
gone his round for three hours brave
jumped upon him and tore the reeking
scalp from the head Of the martyr, who
still continued his agonizing circling.
A squaw watched her opportunity, crept
up behind him and poured brazier of
burning Goals on the raw scalp. Such
were the atrocities of Indian warfare
one hundred years ago. Quite as sensa-
tional and demoniacal is the treatment
received by whites who fall into In
dian hands today.
Under such circumstances it Is useless
to look for any sympathy with Indians
from the frontier states and territories
of the United States. To a man they
believe that the only possible good In
dian is dead Indian. The present out
break will intensity this feeling. Every
Indian outrage, and they are sure to be
of specially atrocious character, will
tend to inhame feeling which in the
west has already assumed the form of
passionate desire for the determination
of every tribe OF aborigines that 70 ans
the wilds.
The military department. the United
States seems in the present case
to have met the situation with
unusual prolnptltude and sagacity.
Not to Iepress this fanatical In
dian outbreak would be to surren-
der the whole interior OF the northwest
to devastation and barbarism. The Gu
pidityof the white man has given the
Indians arms OF precision. The long
range repeating Winchester is in their
hands in great numbers. The Sioux
and Cheyennes and the rest must be