The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1908-06-02
WASHINGTON LETTER
[special correspondence.1

war were revived in the senate with
the passage of a bill to pension the
widows of several braves of the Grow
tribe of Indians. The beneficiaries are
Mrs. Bullhead, Mrs. Shavehead, Mrs.
Little Eagle and Mrs. Hawkman
Their husbands fell in the fight at the
time that the attempt was made to ar
rest Sitting Bull at his camp on the
Grand river, Dec. 10, 1890.
1t was report of Colonel Fechet,
now on the retired list of the army.
that brought about the pensioning of
the widows of the Indians who were
killed on that December day seven
teen and half years ago.
Indians Fought BraveIy
No white man ever fought better
than did the red man on the Grand
river, Standing Rock agency, just ten
days before two troops of the Seventh
cavalry were practically wiped out of
existence by the braves of Big Foot on
Wounded Knee creek.
Colonel Fechet, who made report
on the bravery Of Bullhead, Shavehead
and the others, had very little, to say
about his own part of the affairs
which ended in the killing Of Sitting
Bull and the dispensing of his follow
ing. The colonel, In fact, was content
to praise everybody but himself for the
work done, and the chances are that
no senator on the floor remembered
the part which this American army of
ficer played in that drama of the
plains.
Red Man Against Red Man.
1t was bitter December night when
the little company of Indian police at
Standing Rock agency was sent out
under orders to arrest Sitting Bull.
The war department officials thought
it was better that the Indian police
should attempt to arrest the great
Sioux medicine man-Sitting Bull was
never fighting chieftain-rather than
to send white troops into the field to
accomplish the arrest, because the In
dams were FESTIVE and there was fear
that the appearance of the whites
would send them ON the warpath.
There were forty three braves in the
Indian police band, and when they
came to the camp of Sitting Bull they
ran up against 160 Sioux. The medi-
cine man was killed at the first ex-
change of shots, and the most famous
Sioux Indian of comparatively recent
history at least went where it is hoped
the buffaloes are plenty.
The police routed Sitting Bulls fol
lowers, but they were speedily re-en-
forced by another band of Sioux, and
the police were compelled to barricade
themselves In some log huts, from
which they held off the swarming
horde until Fechet then a captain of
the Eighth cavalry, reached the scene
with two troops of horse.
Peary May Not Go North.
The proposed effort of Captain r.
E. Peary, the arctic explorer, to reach
the north pole may not be made be-
cause of inability to secure funds
Captain Peary called on the president
a short time ago to report the status
of affairs to him. Captain Peary had
not expected any difficulty in securing
funds and had set July as the time
for leaving for the far north to get
everything in readiness for his dash
next spring to the pole. He went
ahead and got his vessel ready, equip
ped it with supplies and many of the
things needed, but the usual number
of volunteers have not come forward
to put up the money necessary. OF the
$4,000 that will be required the ex
plorer has received assurances of only
$4,000.
Uncle Sans Payroll.
There are approximately 1,62S,518
names on the payroll of Uncle Sam in
the United States, Alaska, Hawaii,
the Philippines, Porto Rico, Cuba.
Panama and various foreign coun-
tries. This does not include certain
temporary employees, such as substl-
tute letter carriers clerks and others
who work by the day for few
weeks or months at intervals, persons
employed on piecework in the quarter
masters or commissary department of
the army, in mending mail bags in the
postoffice department, in doing incl
dental jobs about the navy yards and
other government institutions or those
who are employed by contractors en-
gagged ON government work. 1t does
include, however. all names on the
pension rolls, the officers and soldiers
and sailors of the navy.
A Good Paymaster.
The latest official register shows
2S6,902 persons employed in the exec
utive civil service, of whom 1854
are subject to appointment by the ex-
ecutive under the civil service rules, in
Guiding 172,053 men and 1881 women
OF these 2S,947 are employed in the
District of Columbia, and they drew
salaries amounting to $31 ,541 ,225 last
year. That amount of money has
flowed in an unvarying stream Of cash
from the disbursing offices of the diff
ferent executive departments and the
capitol into the banks, stores, shops,
hotels and boarding houses of Wash
ington and its suburbs without the va
Ration of day Uncle Sam is good
paymaster He never asks his en-
ployees to wait. He never has to go
to bank to borrow funds to meet his
payroll
A Prosperous Community.
The regularity as well as the gener-
osity of Uncle Sans paymasters