New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-05-09

that branch Of the service although he has deeds
to his credit which would enitle him to great con-
sideratijn at the hands Of his fellow warriors
He Is the man who according TO accepted ac-
counts on that subject. killed Tom Custer. the
brother OF the General, and mutated his body In
the most horrible manner: and he killed and
scalped also Drs Halznger and Balerano He
has been member of the police force for year.
and has given perfect satisfaction.
At the various agencies where there Is an In
dian police there are also Indian justices who
occupy similar places TO that which was held
by Gall. There the Indians who are guilty OF
any misdemeanor are brought by the police and
there Justice is administered Theft, horse steal
ing. drunkenness and all other offences are tried
there. and those who are found guilty are SEN
fenced to confinement in the lookup FOR various
lengths OF time to work on public property or
to saw wood. Court is held on ration day,
about twice every month. and at such times the
men who have been arrested by the Indian police
are brought up for trial and are allowed to defend
themselves before the Judges pronounce sentence
upon them. man who was present at Standing
Rock when John Grass was holding court there.
gave the following as an illustration OF the legal
proceeding in the unique court.
THE RED MAN AS JUDGE.
An Indian had caused the arrest OF another
for stealing his wife. and the two appeared be-
fore the dusky judge. The accused man con-
fessed that he had stolen acquired the wife
OF the plaintiff, but made the counter-charge
that the accuser had also stolen the woman
year before. The Judge, AFTER TAKING all tHe
testimony, said that they were both guilty, and
condemned them each to cut ten cords OF wood.
They went about the work reluctantly and In
a hangdog manner. and. although they worked
only few feet apart, they never exchanged
word, and made very little progress with the
work. The time approached for the assembling
OF the Indians to receive their rations. and FOR
fear that their fellows might see them In as
grace the culprts hurried with the labor set
out for them, and finished it before the braves
arrived.
Cases of drunkenness among the Indians are
handled with great severity. The Indian justice
makes II his duty to discover the person from
whom the Indian received the liquor and AIDS
the authorities in his prosecution He also IN
fcts punishment OF Imprisonment on the
Indian who was found intoxicated. some uaV-
ellers in the Indian country have had occasion
since the esta blishment of the Indian police to
note its workings to their own discomfort Ac,
cording to the law no man has right 10 traNti
in Indian reservations unless he has permit
from the Interior Department or one OF lts SUP,
departments. ard If an Indian policeman shoul'i
find on a reservation traveller VINO was hot
properly armed with permit ne Woulu ne
likely to take him to the nearest headquarters,
even il that were fifty or sixty miles away AS
long as the man went peaceably he was per-
fectIy safe in the hands Of his Indian guide, but
neithe- bribe nor threat would induce the police
man TO allow his white prisoner to escape
When Sitting Bull was killed in 1880 the Ind
ian poice showed that they would work as
diligently against Indian foes. II required 10
do So as against those whom they CONSIDER their
natural enemies.