Year: 1870

ence, and when not fighting among them
selves or with some other tribes, it has
always been very difficult to prevent them
from attacking miners or farmers living
near their reservations; or, in fact, living
where they could reach them. He con
sidered Spotted Tail as good warrior as
Red Cloud and far more cunning. He
says the country bordering north and
northwest on the Sioux reservations is
the most excellent game country in the
world, and that while such herds Of
buffalo exist there it will be difficult to
keep the Sioux at their homes. Red
Cloud informed him that the pale faces
are more than grass in numbers. He
had come, however, to see if his letters
had reached the Great Father, and to see
if the pipe of peace could be smoked.


In this connection it is well to give an
important fact, stated by General Parker.
He says that when an Indian reaches
the age of eighteen he is supposed to be
able to do something for himself, and
that among this very savage race OF
Sioux, something is murder and horse
stealing. No young warrior can get a
wife until he has taken scalp, either Of
white man or Indian, and stolen at
least one horse This is positively law
among them, and SO, in proportion, the
more scalps and the more stolen horses,
the more wives he secures and the greater
warrior he becomes.


Now, General Parker justly contends
that this one thing makes the first act of
the young Indian misdeed-either q
| theft or a murder-but with their own
people, great and heroic deed. From
this fact it can be easily imagined what
sort of hero Red Cloud is.


Mr.. Bevis stated that among the party
there are number of young chiefs who
are nearly as bad as Red Cloud. Mr..
Bevs is wealthy merchant of St. Louis
but has traded and lived in the SIOUX
country much of his life, and speaks
their language well. He hopes, as does
Gen. Parker, that some good will come
of this visit of the savages to Washing
ton.


Red Cloud and his band after dinner
to-day took seats on the balcony in front
of their hotel, and appeared much inter
ested in the pale-faces going to and from
the Capitol The attention of the squaws
was frequently called by the men to the
pale-faced women as they passed along
and the interpreters report that the pan
ier or shoo-hy bustes on the skirts and
the terribly large amount of hair and
small basket bonnets on the women S
heads were the sources of much amuse-
ment to Red Cloud and his brother
scalpers. There was continually molly
crowd of whites and blacks on the street
in front of the hotel, and many
were the remarks indulged in. The
little red-headed and over-ofiicious
porter or clerk of the hotel was at one
time taken for Red Cloud, but his
perfectly insignificant appearance soon
dispelled that impression When the
great horse-stealer strobe forth on the
balcony, colored boy, evidently the son
of an anti-Bowen, inquired if dem war
de niggers from Alexandria, dat was
carried up heah to register for Bowen.
This allusion to the municipal contest
going on in this city between Bowen and
Emery, in which it is charged that the
Bowen faction is registering voters from
Alexandria etc., elected much laughter
in the crowd, which evidently did not
please the Sioux.


Altogether, they are q molly looking
set, and well worthy the curiosity evinced
by every one to see them. 1t is to be
seriously hoped that General Parker's
belief that he viii be able to pacify these
Sioux, and make them go on their reser-
vations and behave themselves, will be
full realized