Washington sentinel., 1901-02-02
IL 49,, SENTINEL
A faction
CRAZY SNAKES OF the Creek
OUTBREAK. - 49, .,

leadership ofChief"Crazy Snake
bitterly opposes the changes in
land allotment and administration
which the Government has deter
mined to put into effect among the
"civilized tribes" OF the Indian
Territory. Crazy Snake e's' band
OF disaffected warriors, 500 strong
and well armed and mounted, de-
clded TO make a last fight for the
maintenance of tribal conditions,
regardless OF legislation enacted
by Congress two years ago. The
majority Of the Indians OF the five
tribes, it is stated, accepted the
new arrangement OF the Govern
ment, but the governors OF the
tribes and the native police were
unable to enforce obedience to the
law by the disaffected Creeks, and
United States troops were ordered
70 their assistance.
In the event OF a conflict, condi-
tions are not as favorable now for
The Indians as they were 80 or 10
wears ago, when they were a lie to
inflict heavy losses upon the
whites. The western country IS
more thicklY settled, the means OF
defence are abundant and effective
and troops can be sent against
Indian raiders more quickly now
than even IS years ago. While
the Indian is possibly quite as
0loodthirsty as OF Yore, he has
been punished so severely in the
past that he does not lightly make
war now. He has learned his les
son, although the most warlike
tribes were not subdued without
terrible cost to the whites. Thou
sands of white settlers were VIC
TINS oil their savage ferocity, and
many soldiers perished before the
Indian raiders we're crushed. Gen.
9. A. Forsyth, a gallant Indian
fighter, states in a recent work OF
which he is the author that during
the wears 1869 to 1875 the official
records OF the War Department,
show that IN the military Depart.
ment OF the Missouri no less than
2o3 actions were fought between
United States soldiers and Indians.
The Department OF the Missouri
"included all OF the North, the
West and the Southwest east Of
the Rocky mountains"
During the Civil War the Gov
eminent was compelled to with
draw the regular army from the
West and abandon some Of the
frontier posts. The Indians re-
garded this as an evidence OF weak
ness. In 1862 scores OF settlers
were massacred by Sioux in Upper
Minnesota and Dakota, their
daughters either killed or carried
into a captivity worse than death.
At the close the Civil War, when
the army was sent 20 reoccupy the
old frontier line, he Indians were
infuTiated and most Of the wild
tribes allied themselves against the
whites. In 1865 nearly all oi the
Northwest beyond Kansas on the
south and Minnesota on the north
was occupied by rowing bands oi
Indisns as tar west as the Pacihc
Slope. OF these tribes the Sioux,
--TPSpReesF-PieRaps a ssUrihnineS.
were the iercest and most warlike.
They entered into an alliance
under the leadership OF "Red
Cloud" very able and astute
chief, refused to sign treaty Civ
ing the Government the right ol
way for a railroad through what
theV claimed as their country and
made raid upon the settlers on
the exposed frontier. Two years
later, after a series Of bloody en-
counters, Congress entered into a
treaty with these tribes conveying
10 the Indians nearly all the terri
tory in dispute. The military posts
Of Forts Reno, Fort Phil Kearny
and Fort c. +. Smith were dis
mantled and abandoned.
These forts had been built BY the
troops themselves after many hard
ships and dangers. Fort Phil
Kearny was 500 miles from Jules
berg, the terminus Of the Union
Pacific railroad. and 600 miles from
the nearest mining camp. The
Sioux made every effort to prevent
the construction OF the barracks
and stockade. In December. 1866,
1900 Indians, led by RED Cloud ."
surrounded a detachment Of SOL
dlers and killed 3 officers and 81
men, annihIlating the command.
In the summer OF 1867 Capt. James
Powell, MarVlander. command
ing a company Of the Twenty
seventh Infantry, repulsed an at
tack by several thousand Indians
led by Red Cloud" The army
wagons from which Captain Pow
ellis men fought were lined with
boiler iron and were bullet proof.
In 1868 the Cheyeunes and Sioux
began TO murder settlers and mill
tarY operations against them were
undertaken by the Government
and continued through a part OF
the following year. "Black Ket-
tie, who led band OF Cheyennes
which had massa cred many set
tiers in Kansas, was killed by Gen.
Clusters command and his band
nearly destroyed. In Montana
bands Of Blackfeet Indians, knows
as Piegans and Bloods, were ex-
terminated, being surprised in
their village near the British bor-
der in January, 1870. The Apaches
Of Arizona gave the Governme mt
a great deal Of trouble from 1865
TO 1871. In one county 81 white
settlers were killed in I868-69, and
in the following year Al were muir