Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1891-01-06
INVESTIGATING THE MASSACRE
OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN.
Short Bull Determined 10 DESTROY
the Pine Ridge Agency at
any Sacrifice.
PROVIDING foa The NEBRASKA
REFUGEES:
Plenty Of Americans aud Lots Of
Suicides at Monte
Carlo.
" x.,sss.sA . Ne st.s.,s
sEcaErARY NOZZLE srsAKs.
0osern.aenf hss not visisssA sheas
Obligasi0ns 20 tie Indiaas.

| WAsuISGToN, Jan. 5.-Secretaf.
Notle was questioned as to wha
action had been taken on the re
commentator Of General Mile
that the Indian agents Of the Soutl
Dakota agencies be relieved from
further duty and ttat their place.
be filed with military officers. TIL,
Secretary says he did not care {,
discuss the matter, further than Il
say that the subject had not beer
mentioned to him by any one will
authority 10 act in the matter. 1t /,
believed, however, should Genera
Miles recommendation be cub.
mi;ted to him by the President fol
his views, the secretary would
strongly oppose the transfer.
The Secretary spoke with some
earnestness Of the reports that had
been in circulation recently to the
effect that the Indians were in q
starving condition, and that the
pending troubles grew out of the
fact that the government had not
kept its agreement with the Sioux,
but on the contrary. had already be
gun to cut down rations In violation
Of all treaty obligations. The Sec
rotary Denounced these statements
as uuqualifiedly false. The story
Of starvation among the Sioux was
pure fabrication. For ten long
years the government, I'm the full
filment Of its treaty obligations, had
been feeding the Sioux In idleness.
Some Of them, however, were
thrifty farmers and good citizens,
but a good proportion were q thrift
less and indolent set, perfectly will
ing to spend their time in idleness
and in finding fault with the gov
eminent on every conceivable pre-
text. The treaty Of 1871, the secre-
tary said, Obliged the government
to furnish them with q certain
amount Of food, clothing, imple-
msnis, horses, cattle, etc, until they
shoul: secome self supporting. After
ten years eitps-J, during which
time the government spent
MILLIONS OF DOLLARS I.
with q view 10 placing the Indians
pn a self-supportin, basis, N. mben
" Congress very properly began to
iIJQuire whether il was the purpose
:, 1an n. Sll:.; 'c 81
feeling in,iisns TO persisted in
living in iIl-uess. They thought
it about time to test their
ability to support themselves,
and so the appropriation was
reduced SlO9,O0O, not very
Iary. amount when compared with
the vast sum which the usual appro-
priaiion called for. rhereupon the
Indians Immediately began to COM
plain, but made no Effort toward
feeding themselves They occupied
vast territory, containing thou
lands OF acres OF productive land
they were supplied with everything
necI ssary to improve 1t AMI raise
guoi crops, but preferred to do
nothing, and let the government
continue 10 put food in their
mouths. IL was time, the secretary
thought. that these people should
be compelled to do something, and
he had lost patience with those who
Upheld the indians i'm their idlsnesss
He SINCERELY regretted that the re-
cent action Of the military had
resulted in blood>hed, and he con-
graduated himself that his depart
lneut was in no way responsible for
it.
The Commissioner Of Indian
Affairs says, TO the best OF his
knowledge and belief, the Sioux
Indians Of South Dakota are no,
starving, and he has reason to think
the statements regarding their des.
ti;ution are grossly exaggerated. 1t
is true, he says, that Congress ha-
greatly reduced the appropriations
for the Sioux aud other tribes, and
the agreements made with them
have been only partially fulfilled.
Whose the fault was he could not
say. The recent outbreak was, ne
thought, partially due TO the reason
above stated, the failure Of crop
and the religious craze. He opposed
a transfer of the control OF the Indi
ans to the War department..
The following table shows the
amount 10y which the estimates o!
the indian Bureau have heen re-
ducei by Congress from and includ-
ing 1873: 1879, Sl05. 900; 1850, $751;
0OJ: ISsl, SIS, 900; ISS2, So. 900; 1883.
$40 OJO; 1854, $50, 900; 1855, S275,-
O1J; 1885, ss75. 900; 1857, $500, 900,
IsSs. slaO, 900; 1859, no redu ton;
1893, Sl5J, 600. 1891, $4,000.
THE MASSACRE To BE INVEST IGATED.
WASHINGTON. Jan. 5.-General
Schoiield said: at had been sug-
sesie>i by a person whom l cannot
mention that 1t would be well to
look into the matter Of the fight al
Wounded Knee Creek the other
day, inasmuch as the reports stated
that several Indian women Rnc
children were killed. Accordingly
General Mile, at a suggestion from
here, relieved Colonel Forsythe OF
his command, pending an invests
CATION of the circumstances Of that
fight, which investigation is prob
ahly now being conducted by Gen
eral Miles. The general manage
mcnt OF the fight is also to be looked
into, but the particular point in
question l. the death Of the women
ami children.
Considerable criticism against
Col. Forsythe's suspension Is heard
in the War Department. 1t SEEM
to he directed against the policy Of
relieving an officer during the pro
gress of a campaign, instead Of wait