The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-06-01

l
Cheyenne Indians at Lame Deer agency
are not verified. 1t is not believed that
any one was killed, except a sheep
| herder named Hoover, whose murder
| some time ago caused the excitement
Settlers and cowboys determined to
avenge his death and give the Chey
| ennes an object lesson to deter them
| from similar acts in the future. They
| sent all the women and children to
| places of safety, armed themselves and
| congregating near the agency demand
| ed the surrender Of the Indians accus-
| ed Of numbering Hoover The Indians
armed themselves and made threaten
| Ing demonstrations against the whites,
| but no battle has been fought nor mas
| sacres begun, 30 far as is known. Six
| companies Of United States troops are
at the agency. The Indians declare that
| they do not want to fight with the
| soldiers, but are anxious to have a
| brush with the white settlers and cow
boys.
There Is a conflict Of authority be-
| tween Indian Agent Capt. Stouch and
| the sheriff of Custer county. The sher-
| ifs deputies were ordered off the res
| ervation by the agent. They returned
| to Miles City and got warrants for the
| arrest of the agent for interfering with
| the officers and started back to arrest
| him. Lame Deer is sixty miles from
| a telegraph office, and the result Of the
| expedition is not known. The trouble
| is due to the charges Of settlers that
| the Indians kill and steal their cattle
and countercharges of the Indians that
| the settlers continually intrude on the
| reservation.
Gov. Smith wired President Mckinley
| today, protesting against the action Of
! Capt. Stouch and asking that he be
| directed not to interfere with civil Of
| f1cers. Stouch says he can and will ar
rest the murderers as soon as the ex-
citement dies out.
While the soldiers and civil officers
will be prepared to crush any actual
outbreak, considerable anxiety Is man
| ifested.
Two companies of colored cavalry
| from Custer were ordered to the
agency Wednesday, and Saturday a
courier arrived from the agency with
information that George Walters, the
| postmaster and Lou Anderson, a stock
man, had been shot and killed; also
that the Indians had shot into the
cavalry and killed five and had sixty
armed cowboys surrounded. The cav
| airy from Fort Keough and Company
e of the infantry left Saturday for the
scene.
| Sheriff Gibbs and Coroner Bateman
| have returned from Barringer's ranch,
| in the neighborhood Of which the in
quest was held on the body of Hoover.
The verdict was that he came to his
death by two shots fired by Cheyenne
Indians. While the inquest was pro-
ceeding, sixty men under Legislator
James Brown arrived on their way to
the agency. The sheriff pleaded with
| them to return. and told them that
| sixty of them against 400 or 500 Indians
armed and such fighters as the Chey-
ennes are would be helpless. The sher-
iff learned that the crime was commit
ted by three of the band led by White
Bull, who said day or two previous
that his heart was bad; that he wanted
to eat white mans heart. The agent
said that he knew one of the murder
ers and thought with a little more
| time they could find the others,
and would arrest them. and turn
them over to the civil authorities
with what evidence they had. He had
requested a sufficient force Of soldiers
to surround the Indians, and said he
would cut off rations until the murder
ers were turned over. The sheriff and
committee went back to the main
body, which had been augmented by
made report
Though there was much dissatisfac-
ton at the turn affairs had taken,
they agreed to disperse for two weeks
to allow the agent time to make the
arrest. If not then done, the original
plan Of attacking the Indians is to be
carried out. The women have been
gathered at several ranches for protec-
ton, under guard of ten or twelve men
in each instance The sheriff left four
deputies at the agency, with Stock In
spector Smith as chief
On the road down, Friday, a courier
overlook the sheriff and his deputies,
saying that White Bulls band had
during the night escaped from the
agency; that the force of settlers was
being reassembled; that two compan-
les Of cavalry from Custer had been
sent over, and the Indians had killed
some Of them, and that this band Of
Indians was liable to do more damage
to ranchers while at large Women
and children are being sent down the
Tongue river to more secure places.
The county attorney has received a.
telegram from Stock Inspector Smith
that Agent Stouch had ordered the
deputies off the reservation.
Deputy Sheriffs w. D. Smith and Matt
Winters have arrived at Miles Citv,
after having been ordered off the
Cheyenne reservation by the military
agent Capt. Stouch. They say that
when the negroes from Fort Custer
arrived at the reservation, the Indian
who admits doing the killing could
easily have been arrested, as he was
pointed out to the troops, who prepared
for action If necessary to make the ar
rest, but the agent did not desire the
arrest made at that time, and prevent
ed the officer in command of the troops
from exercising authority then. The
Indians were decked out In war paint.
and riding the ominous circle waving
their blankets, displaying their VIM
chesters and challenging the citizens
to come out and fight them. They
claimed they did not want to fight the
soldiers, but that they did want to
fight the citizens.
Capt. Stouch asked the citizens to
leave the agency. The deputy sheriffs
refused to go unless upon written
order. This he gave them, stating Their.
presence might excite the Indians to
further deeds of violence. The deputies
that came to Miles returned with
Sheriff Gibbs, having the warrant for
the arrest of Agent Stouch for interfer-
ing with officers in the discharge of
their duty and warrants for the Indian
krown, and two John Doe warrants.
! Orders were given to the ordnance