Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-02-01

| eon.em piaecu. DeIore the Gnu u tuo AI 81
week 1 was thoroughly satisfied that the
Government was doing eminently the best
thing possible in sending troops to the
scene OF agitation. Through channels OF
private information exclusively my own
ana that could be worked only with the
greatest difficulty and by taking serious
risks, found the Indians fully resolved
upon war. Their plan at that time was to
nave great light in the very near future.
| Bravado of the Sioux.
There has been an element of the admir-
able about the Indians course in this
trouble all along, and say 1t, with all en-
phasis possible, notwithstanding he kept me
lodging bullets for two hours at the battle of
wounded Knee. To him it was a coolly
calculated dael to the death for wrongs
which he keenly felt had been inflicted upon
| him by the power whom the soldiers repre-
sented. He did not mince matters particle.
He was Sioux, and the Sioux never have
been conquered. To show his contempt for
| the demonstration of military power that had
been massed about him, he went ON pillag-
ing and burning the homes of the settlers,
stealing and butchering scores of big private
herds of cattle. He committed q thousand
crimes, for any one of which a white man
would have been run down and most severe
ly punished.
The spectacle presented by several thou
SAND OF these devils plundering the homes OF
irontiersmen, stealing Government stock by
the thousand of head, most of the time
within less than days march from the
camp of the United States army. and not a
hnger being raised by the latter to stop the
high-handed wholesale work of crime, was
spectacle that drew forth derision and taunts
from not only the press of America, but Of
all Europe. But no one expressed more
wonderment at this spectacle than did the
red-skinned depredators themselves.
1t Was a Bad Lesson.
During the three weeks that spectacle
lasted the now hostile Indians gained more
selfreliance, more of utter fearlessness of
the military power OF the Government than
they ever gained before in any ten years of
their history. I have the word of many
thoroughly civilized Indians who talked
with these hostiles daily, that this was so.
have more proc; have the word of many
| of those hostiles themselves, spoken to me
direct that the permitting of such a thing
by the Government has put a feeling Of
power into the Indians that will result in a
mighty tragedy most fearful to contemplate.
However much good the Indian loving
philanthropists of the East may claim to
have done in the past in the way of secur-
ing justice toward these creatures, they have
certainly made what little more time will
show to have been one of the most serious,
most stupendous of blunders in bringing to
bear upon the administration the avalanche
of influence that they did and which
succeeded in hampering and finally block
ing the wheels of the War Department
Those wealthy, influential devotees of false,
ignorant theories relative to handling In
dians who are on the war path may certainly
now throw themselves back in their fitting
chairs and caress their well-fed forms with
deal of satisfaction over having been the
power behind the Presidential chair, that has
made this regular army of America the
laughing stock of the world, and has averted
for the time being any more Indian blood
shed.
They Will Rise Again.
But, when these Indian lovers in the East
take up their morning papers and read that
the Indians, to save whose blood from being
spilled they pulled their influential string
with SO signal success, have again suddenly
aroused in greater might than ever, have
caught the whole Western country off its
guard-ths soldiers departed to their re-
spective forts-the thousands of settlers on
the Northwestern frontier detenceless prev
to their Unsuitable thirst for blood let those
Indian fad affectors know where the whole
blame will rest.
The influence used so secretly and 30
effectively by these Eastern so-called be-
frienders of the Indian is q feature of this
whole campaign which in point of potency
has probably never before been surpassed In
history. From 5000 to 5000 armed
Indians are plunderlng and burn
ing the homes of settlers and steal
ing and slaughtering thousands of
Government cattle. The military is called,
arrives upon the scene, is possessed Of ample
power to check the diabolical work. But
what happens? The soldiers are strung out
around the great territory where the devil
lsh work is going on. Instead of the War
and Indian Departments harmoniousiv and
with an everlasting irmness demanding OF
the Indians that they stop their hellish
work, and if they refuse force them; giving
them certain time-a week or ten days-in
which they must surrender their arms as
prisoners of war, or have them taken from
their dead bodies; instead of this what do
we see? A long series of peace begging
conferences humbly solicited by-shamel
shame! shame!-the army.
The Power Behind 1t All.
1t gave me a feeling of simply nauseating
disgust for the general in command. The
faces OF his own officers were pictures of
supreme disgust. This continued for a
never will it be known by what chance-a
package of official dispatches. Instantly
my disgust was withdrawn from the officer
in command and centered upon the Indian
fad affectors in the East. It became clear
as day to me that the hands of the War De-
partment had been rendered almost useless
bv the ironclad influence welded by those
Eastern Indian lovers. In the light of other
secret information which I obtained, am
warranted in stating that the course pur-
sued by those in command of the troops was
almost if not wholly opposite to the dictates
of their own judgment
And, mark it, the soldiers OF Pine Ridge
agency wanted, begged to be allowed to
fight the main body of the hostiles. Many
OF these old soldiers grew mad as furies as
they discussed the attitude in which they
were being placed before the country.
The Indians still mean to fghti
If they mean peace if they are done with
war why do they not give up their arms? l
can produce 50-yes 100 persons whose
statements will 60 unchallenged before any
court in the country, who will take their
solemn oath to the'effect that they have seen
as many as 1000 guns. principally Win
chesters, together with great quantities of |
small arms, ammunition, etc., In the posses
sion of Indians concerned in this uprising.
and now in the near vicinity of Pine Ridge |