Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-01-07
INDIAN STORY OF RED CLOUD
Nephew Of Old War Chief Tells Tale of
His DesdL
LED MASSACRE At FORT PHIL KEARNEY
Now Feeble, Childish and Almost
Blind, He Calmly Awaits the Call
to the Happy Hunting
Grounds.

Harry A. Cloud, an educated full-blood
Ogalalla Sioux Indian, and grand nephew
Of the famous old Indian chief, Red Cloud,
is one Of the witnesses for the government
in the land trials now on in the United
States district court.
Yes Red Cloud is my grand uncle" said
Mr. Cloud. THE old chief is still living
at the Pine Ridge agency. He is Sc years
old now, and is nearly, II not wholly blind.
His wife died about two years ago and
he mourns her death deeply to this day.
Seven Of his daughters are still living on
the reservation. All of them are married.
OF his six sons but one is now living,
Jack Red Cloud, who is also on the res
ervatlon.
my grand uncle is very feeble now and
IL growing more so every day. He talks
but little. and of late seems to live more
in the past than he did few years ago
He used to delight in telling us youngsters
of the old days and of how he fought
the white men to save the hunting grounds
for the Sioux. He was one of the principal
chiefs at the great treaty at Fort Lara
mic in June, 1856. The other big Sioux
chiefs there were Spotted Tail, Standing
Elk, American Horse, Man-AfraAd- Of His
Horses, and others Of whom 1 have heard
my grand uncle speak often, but all Of
them are dead now. He had no particular
love for the later chiefs, such as Sitting
Bull.
sioux Respect Red Cloud.
IAN of the Sioux Indians have the most
reverential regard for Red Cloud. They
| used to like to have him come to the coun-
Gil meetings, but he told them that new
conditions existed now and he could not
advise them other than to obey. the laws
| of the whites. Before the Fort Laramie
treaty of June, 1866, my grand uncle was
friendly to the whites.
| THE purpose of that treaty was to ne
gotiate for the protection Of the Union Pa
cifc railroad, which was then being built
from Omaha He was not opposed to the
building Of the road, but he wanted as a
condition Of peace that the hunting country
of the Black Hills and Powder river
should be left to the Indians.
| while this treaty was in progress two
regiments of regular soldiers came to Fort
Laramie to relieve the volunteer soldiers
then in the country and he was told that
the Black Hills and Powder river countries
should be left open to the Indians as the
last of their hunting grounds. But the
whites did not keep their word, for before
lhe tiedty was ldiTly DeBun tne TWO reR1-
ments marched out Of Fort Laramie right
out into the Black Hills and Powder river
countries in violation Of the treaty arrange
ments and my grand uncle arose in the
council and charged the whites with perjury
and want of truth, and so Red Cloud
told them he would take mis- Indians and
go back into the country and fight every
step OF the way.
Declares War on whites.
His great speech on that occasion closed
with the words: We have given you the
buffalo lands of the Shallow river (tht
Platte) for your iron-horse road, and wi;
keep our people back and protect you. Yor
have promised to save our hunting lands II
the north of us, but by sending these sol
diers now on the march into our huntinf
grounds you are acting the lie. will hav,
nothing more to do with you. I will taks
my people back. We will fight you ever,
mile Of the way to the Big Horn We will
let your milestones be the graves of YOU
dead You have lied to us and have nov
nothing to expect OF US but war; war, war.
RED Cloud then assembled his people
1000 or 5000 OF them, and left Fort Lara
mic that same day. How well he KEEP
his promise in giving war is a matter o
history. The war began the next month
and did not end until the white troop
were driven out Of the country in 1878
He was in active hostility and on the wa
path from June. 1866. until 1871. The For
Phil Kearney massacre in December, 1855
was led by him in person. He was not a
the Custer massacre on the Little BIZ
: Horn in the summer of 1876.
''The old chief is getting childish in hi
old age and he does not like to talk much
He is calmly waiting for the end, when h
shall go to join his fathers"