The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1892-07-14

lisNl Nv hhifibilAN w I'u''' Nv
could not allow them to come within tn,
lines or remain in the vicinity; charged
them with pertidy at Fort larimic where
they came in with professions of peace
and then fired on the guard and run of
the stock lie told them they might g
| out ON sand Creek and remain there il
they chose To do 50. He offered then
no protection for he had no authority to
do 50: and they continued their inferno
| work after that.
quote now from Rev. Mr.. Hanson
article in the REPORTER of june NH. 1t
purportS to be taken from the treat y
made with the indians in Oct. lS,-5. and
speaks of this battle at sand Creek.
while HE said Indians were at peac,
with the | >. and under the flag who's,
protection they had by lawful authority
been promised and induced to seek.
| BY " hat lawful authority; When Black
| Kettle profess ed his desire to mdkrws ",
it was an acknoN Judgement that wal
then existed. GOV Evans refused to
treat with him; Col. Anthony had uo
authority Ia make peace: Gen. curtis
who alone had authority. absolutely for
| bid making peace without his consent.
Considering all the circumstances. ! do
not see how any one can come to amy
other conclusion than that whoever
negotiated this treat Y on the part Of the
| ;. Government We're made by ml>rep-
rc1rntation perhaps by false swearing
to believe and give currency to a bare
faced falSehood. \ Capt. Talbot was
severely wounded al sand Creek. and
lay in the hospital al Fort Lyon several
weeks. tolley the Indian Agent and
John Smith the Interpreter told him they
were trading with the Indians and had
lost $1,000 by the sand reek fight they
had 100 buffalo robes. some ponies ami
other goods on the ground which they
never recovered. and would make the
government pay for-and damn old
thivington. II il reals in the History.
and ii adds they furnished about all the
coudcmnatory evidence there j. ON
record" Talbot tells that they dcliber-
alcly planned and pcr>i~tcntly worked
for ClIivington'S downfall. Another
witness tcslies thar he saw a man open
one of the bales of buffalo robes and take
therclrom number Of >calp> Of men
women and children. lie tcstities to
seeing dagucrrcotypes, chlldrenS cloth
ing and other things mentioned in my
first article. What splendid witnesses
these traders with the Indians were.
these buyers of butiiIln robes and scalp-.
There is superstition among almost
all the Indian tribes that we have any
knowledge of, that one who is scalpcd is
forever shut out of the '.lmppy hunting
grounds, or what ever name the Indian
heaven is designated by. Til, makes
death the more terrible 10 them. and j.
why | said the dead warriors were scalp
ed to strike the greater terror 10 the liv
ing. Not all of them were 50 served,
come were. Some waite men were
enough like savages TODD il.
From the report of the Indian race
commission in 1865. Fleeing women
ho,ling up their hands and PRAYING for
mercy were shot down: infant- were
killed and scalped in deri>ion men were
tortured and mutilated - and 30 on.
when my son read Eat ne declared
without hesitation il WAS II lie; in AL his
search and count fo; dead bodies. he
snw no dead children ami heard OF none,
except the two who were killed by their
mother rs before related Capt. Me- an
non saw and beard of none. know it
is hard to prove II negative, but it is al
the women generally who were in the
rifle pits and tall grass lighting a. fierce
~ AS the men and also with the sullcn
stoicism of the race.
fully believe this was a continuation
of the conspiracy to ruin 'hivington
reputation. The honest readers Of the
REPORTER can have but little conccp-
ton Of the corrupt intrigues, the rancor
of personal luminosity, the EHrjury stimuli
lated by bribery, that aboandcd in those
times. In 1867 Gen. Hancock destroyed
a Cheyenne village of 300' lodges. and in
| SS5 Gen. Harvey surrounded and DIES
troycd village at Ash Hollow IN Ncb-
rislla, killing Sc. many of them Women
and children: and when remarks were
in.ltie about killing children, his lac"nic
reply was ''nts make lke. No court
of enquiry was held over these CAST,
but Chivington must he put out OF the
way ut any cost. II i~-not necessary to
believe the commissioners were in the
plot. But the last nsan named on the
{ commission is the lasg man thai should
have had Il place there this was Col. >.
+. Tappan, known ut that time a> Il Bit
arr personal enemy tt{fivingt0n. which
tS,. continues to he to- tile pr.ss@t ilnic.
When was in Denver about four weeks
ago. the Methodist spoken If before,
told me thar Il short time before that,
Col. Tappan came tn him to get some
Testimony that would work against
thivington in an effort he VIZ making
to get payment for the loss Of teams and
wagons employed in transporting gov
ernmcnt supplies, lost by means of In
dians. What Col. Tappan wanted was
20 prove there wae II paItns win the bust
ness, so ifanythilsg WAS recovered. Chiv
ington oWild get but half ofiiit My aged.
friend knea the 3arties but knew moth
ing about any partnership. by the way
he told me there were only two children
in the Hungate family instead of five az
| stated. either through the mistake Of
my Informant, or my oMni by reason OF
defensive heaithgs.
| wish it to be distinctly undcrst sod
thai do not endorse Col Chiyingson.
believe and think have made it liain
than the Cheycnnes were at rdr and de
served the punishment they received ut
Sand Creek, but 6hivington' methods
and manner is another matter. L will
add that at the very time the Commits
sion that condemned hin was in session,
the same tribes were committing tbl-
same depredatious AMI barbahicirs ia,
eastern Colorado ANIL kansas. Gen
Custer acting under the ordeb of G,Il,
Sheridan attacked them and DESTROYED
their ctlnp with much greater DIES
truction of life, for which Is, recessed
the highest commendation from Sheri-
dan. Black Kettle himself was one of
The Slain.
How does the >>sober secoad thonght"
regard the Sand Creek affaiuS Kate Field
was here soon after and wss very free in