The times., 1897-06-13
A Realistic Description of an
Old-Time Indian Battle.
SAVAGES THAT KNEW NO FEAR
Gen. George &. Forsyth's Spirited
Account of the Charge OF Ronian
Nose and His warriors Against n
small Band of Scouts-Cheyenne
Fathers Now Rising in the West.

ern Cheyennes, and, in fact, of any wild
Indians, was gained on the Western plains
In the year 1867, while serving as inspector
general upon the staff OF Gen Phiiip ID.
Sheridan, who was at that time In COM
mand of the Department OF the Missonri,
with his headquarters at Fort Leaven-
worth, Kan, the geographical limits OF
his military authority including the States
OF Missouri, Arkansas, and Kansas, the
Territories of Colorado, and New Mexico
limits named at that time, now thirty years
since, there roamed at will various tribes
of Indians, including Crows, Blackfeet,
Ogalallas, Brule, Assiniboines, PreJanl,
and other tribes of Sioux, as well as kiowas,
Commanches, Arapanoes, and the North-
ern and Southern Cheyennes. But OF all
the Indians OF the plains, tie Noruiern
Cheyennes stood then, as they do today,
head and shoulders above the average Wild
Indian &c, determination, honesty,
and soldierly ability, with, iii my opinion,
the Brule Sioux a good second.
The recently reported outbreak among
the Northern Cheyennes At their agency, on
Tongue River, in Montana, south OF the
Yellowstone River, will, think, he found
to he only a case OF perhaps peculiarly
aggravated murder just such a thlng as
might develop in any half-civilized com
inunity, which will probably result IN the
arrest OF the criminals by the Indian
agents without any really serious uprising
of this very brave band of aborigines- That
the settlers in the vicinity have stampeded
to the towns until assured of safety is only
natural. Had l d family exposed Should
seek safety in flight at once and take no
risk until satisfied that there was no up
rising, OF any probability OF one Shonid
one occur it would undoubtedly be sup
pressed within short time by the Army,
but much mischief might result, and IL is
probable that many lives would he lost
before the Indians We're overcome
To really appreciate these people 1T ls
necessary to study their history ana glance
at what they have done in years past In
1867, whenI firstknew them. they wicideda
great influence among the wild tribes, and
were apoweron the plains. They werelead-
ersfn the uprising ia Minnesotain 1864, had
been among the fighters inthe caii-
paign of e66, ami were now again aggress-
lNGlN httctfliiti liftAt bhN bb'NAi 3 ~NNtAAN
Railroad should noteross the plains through
their hunting grounds In CIDER to under
stand their claims, it is necessary to 20
back a little. In 1925 there was only one
well-known tribe CT Cheyennes, and at
that time they had no permanent villages,
but were a wild and rowing tribe who sub
sisted solely by the chase, whose habitat
was all that country lying between the
I'll RINpr<
north and south, and they hunted the
country asfaT eastas the Cirnarron crossing
Nor the Arka nsas River, and as far west as
the crest of the Rocky Mountains, from the
Red ButteS on the north to the headwaters
of the Arkansas River Oh the south, and
laid claim to all CT this immense stretch
of country as taeir own especial hunting
grounds.
OF course, this claim was not always re-
spected by the Sldsix, the Poncas. the Utes,
the Shoshones Or the Comanches, who
hunted within the,e limits as opportunity
offered, but who We're careful TO steer
clear OF the eCEeyennes, WHOM they wen
knew would not hesitate TO promptly run
them out OF the said country had they in
terfered IN the slightest degree with the
game anywhere within ordinary hunting
distance of the Cheyenne camps. Some
where about this time-1S25-a portion
of tue Cheyennes, who had by intermar-
riage with the Arapahoes become closely
affiliated with that tribe, SPLIT off from
the main body of The Cheyennes and, going
farther north, the triEe gradually divided,
and they became known as Northern Chey-
ennes, the main tribe becoming Southern
Cheyennes, or simply Cheyennes. In 1865,
in o treaty made between the United States
and ali the northern Ind dams, the Chey-
ennes and Arapahoes seem to have been
regarded as one tribe, and their claim TO
all that country claimed by the Cheyennes
In 1925 seems to have been to q certain
extent conceded by the commission The
second article of this treaty 'set apart
for the absolute and undisturbed use and
occupation of the tribes who are party
to this treaty, and such other friendly
tribes as they may from time TO time
agree TO admit among them, the country
lying between the Arkansas and the Cimar-
ron rivers, extending as far west as a
line TO be drawn from the mouth of Buffalo
Creek on the Cimarron River, north To the
Arkansas River"
In this treaty the Paches were received
by the Cheyennes and Arapahoes ION an
equal footing with members OF their own
tribes
Again, on October2S, 1867 ,anothert treaty
seems to have been gone into by the
United States Government with the Chey-
ennes and Arapahocs, barring out the
Apaches least, nothing was said of
them-giving the Indians allland bounded
on the north by the Kansas State line, on
the south and west by the Cimarron River,
and on the east by the A rkansas River
with guarantee of enlargement if, upon
survey, it should afford less than 100
acres of tillable land to each person au-
thoriZed under the treaty To reside upon
It. This treaty cut off the huntin e privileges
conceded these Indians in the treaty of
1865, which had authorized them to hunt
between the Platte and Arkansas Rivers
On May 10, 1868, another treaty was con-
cluded between the Northern Cheyennes
and the Northern Arapahoes, who, at that
time, were with the Sioux, but had never
confederated with them as part of their
tribe, and signed as Cheyennes and Arapa-
hoes and retained their distinct Cheyenne
characteristics. On February 2S, 1877,
by an act of congress, an agreement was
ratified between the United States and the
Sioux tribes, and In this agreement the
Northern Cheyennes and Arapahoes were
included, but in signing said agreement
the Northern Cheyennes signed as an in
dependent tribe and not as Sioux, still
refusing to be absorbed in the Sioux ma
ton.
Ib ali tfese years, however, mean be-
tween 1867 and 1s77-they had been
making wonderful war record, and 1t is