The Opelousas courier., 1897-09-25
INDIAN POLICE,
IN THIS CAPACITY THE RED MAN is
AN EFFICIENT SERVANT.

NAAu III
r"ptible as a Guardian of the Peac
Indian Justices of the Peace,
Lo, the poor Indian has been trie,
md found wanting. His fighting dis
position and his Indifference to wha
would be termed discomfort and pri
walton by white men, gave the Unite,
States government grounds to believ,
that the Indian would make q goot
soldier, and several companies were
organized and stationed OF ~frontie1
posts. The experiment has proved .
failure, and the war department is
sued an order for the disarmament o.
the company stationed at Fort Sill,
Oklahoma, on May 81.
Many of the Indians who were use.
less as soldiers became valuable mem.
bers OF the Indian police, and it is
probable that most Of the Fort Sill
company will enter that branch of the
government service. As members OF
the Indian police they will have more
freedom, will not be restricted SO
closely as to hours of service, will not
be confined to narrow quarters, and on
the whole will feel themselves more
free In every respect. = Those who
have already served in that capacity
have shown on many occasions that
the Indians are we'll fitted for the
duty. This branch was organized by
Major John Mclaughlin, and among
those who became members of the
force, and did good service in its early
days were some of the braves who had
given the country the most trouble
when they were on the warpath. A
notable example of this kind is Chief
Gall, who was n of the judges at
Standing Rock Agency, in South Da-
kota. D.. F. Barry, who knew him
well, said of this chief: "His bearing
was almost regal, his face expressive,
and his slightest motion graceful. He
was a born leader of men, more brave
than crafty, and he knew not what
fear was. He was the brainy and in
trepid chieftain of the most warlike
band I eve saw in any Indian nation.
He attracted attention wherever he
went, and those who have seen him, I
will venture to say, have never for
gotten him. 1t was Gall and Crazy
Horse who commanded the Indians
that took part. in the Custer massacre.
To show you how Gall inspired admir-
alton, I will read to you from a letter
I have from Mrs. Custer, widow Of
the general, written since the massa-
Gre. She writes: Painful as it is to
me to look upon the pictured face of
On Indian, I never in my life dreamed
there could be in all the tribes as fine
a specimen of a warrior as GALL"
Gall was succeeded as judge in the
Standing Rock Agency byJohn Grass.
These men were of the higher or Off
cial class of the Indian police, but the
privates r equally notable in their
sphere. They are conscientious and
diligent in the discharge Of their
and perfectly trustworthy and
reliable. The Indian who becomes a
member Of the police feels proud of
little authority, and does not hest
tate to arrest his best friend. The
officers have SO little fe4r as to the
Of their Indian police that some
Of the most desperate Indians have
been placed on the force. Of these,
Rain-in-the-Face is a good sample.
He is a policeman at $40 a month, with
the same duties to perform as any
other private in that branch of the SER
vice, although he has deeds to his I
credit which would entitle him to great
consideration at the hands of his
Fellow-warriors. He is the man who,
according to accepted accounts ON that
killed 'sTom" Custer, the
brother of the general, and mutilated
lis body in the most horrible manner ;
md he killed and 'scalped also Drs.
and Balerano. He has been
member Of the police force for a
year, and has given perfect satisfac-
ion.
At the various agencies where there
s an Indian police there are also In
liam justices who occupy similar places
that which was held by Gall. There
he Indians who are guilty of any mis-
lemeanor r brought by the police,
md there justice is administered.
Theft, horse stealing, drunkenness,
md all other offences are tried there,
nd those who are found guilty are
entenced to confinement in the lock-
lp for various lengths of time, to work
n public property or saw wood.
court is held on ration day, about
vice every month, and at such times
he men who have been arrested by
he Indian police are brought up for
rial, and are allowed to defend them
elves before the judges pronounce
entence upon them.
Cases Of drunkenness among the In
ians are handled with great severity.
he Indian justice makes it his duty
0 discover the person from whom the
indian received the liquor, and aids
be authorities in his prosecution. He
lso inficts a punishment of imprison-
lent On the Indian who was found in
oxicated. Some travellers in the In
ian country have had occasion since
ne establishment of the Indian police
!, note its workings to their own dis
According to the law no
ian has a right to travel in Indian
sservations unless he has a permit
ON the interior department or one
its sub-departments, and if an In
ian policeman should find on q reser-
alton a traveller who was not proper
armed with q permit, he would DO
kelly to take him to the nearest head
uarters, even if it were fifty or sixty !
lies away. As long as the man went
saceably, he was perfectly safe in