but could do nothing. His whole attitude to the Indians has been, "Oh, please be good and don't make any trouble." The friendly Indians ignored him after a few discouraging experiences, the treacherous ones used him as their tool, while all despise him. I saw Major and Fast Horse privately, telling them of the plot, and urged them to watch, exacting from them the promise that when the attack was made they would rush to the defense of the school. They did so. The plan is shown by subsequent events to have been that at the attack to be made by Big Foot's band, who, protected by their medicine men, were to be invincible, Red Cloud and the Rosebuds encamped with him, were to destroy the Agency. This was frustrated by friendly Indians and white people who acted independently of any orders given by General Brooke or Dr. Royer. The Seventh Cavalry was rescued by Colonel Henry without orders from General Brooke. No defense of fortifications or outlying sentinels had been placed around the agency. Only through the services of Major Cooper was it possible for those to act who defended the Agency and prevented a massacre. I am stating these facts plainly to show why there is so strong a feeling against a man who, by his criminal inaction placed so many lives in danger, which he was employed to defend, by permitting the plots to be carried on in spite of warning, by allowing preparations for hostilities to be publicly made at the Agency blacksmith shop, and by depending for his information upon those only who, to say the least, were of very questionable character. His command to Colonel Forsythe was: “Disarm them; if they resist, destroy them!" I have been told that there is written evidence of this. The attack of Big Foot's band was premeditated and skillfully planned. If it had been successful, those who have been in readiness to join the uprising in their different places along the line from Texas to Montana, would have broken out. Although we may justly condemn the lack of discretion that would forcibly disarm them while their worst feelings were aroused, creating a resistance consistent with all ideas of manliness and bravery (in which the Indians have never been deficient), yet this has been overruled for good by showing the opposing forces their mutual power and spirit. As one of the Indian boys wrote in lan guage work at the school: "Indians laugh when white soldier comes. They think he cannot fight, and cannot hurt them; but white soldier fight strong and Indian man now think it not easy." On the other hand, the desperation and bravery shown by a body of one hundred and fifty men who will attack five hundred who have surrounded them, show the spirit of the foe our soldiers had to meet, and should convince a skeptical nation of the firm, strong measures needed to be taken. The Rosebuds are Indians who had settled upon a strip of land on a boundary between the two Agencies. I have heard many versions of the cause of their coming. One is, that they were allowed to have their choice as to whether they would join the Rosebud or the Pine Ridge band, and having decided to join the Ogallalas came there for the sake of living with that people. There is no well founded reason for believing that they came with hostile intentions; but their coming was made the occasion of terrifying reports by those who stood ready to use all the means for stirring up a strife. We hope now that the danger is over, but everything is still in a critical condition. However, they are in able hands. General Miles has the confidence of soldiers, settlers and Indians. Captain Pierce, who is now the Agent, is a man whose firmness and quickness of perception is admirably fitted to restore confidence and order, and may Heaven grant that these poor people may not again be the victims of such Agents as the indolent, mercenary Colonel Gallagher or the weak, narrow-minded Dr. Royer. I have used the plainest language in my power. I believe the situation calls for such; I have carefully gathered my information, weighing evidence brought me from the highest authorities, as well as from those who have been involuntary participants or observers, and have accepted only such facts as have been borne out by the testimony. As such, I submit it to you. It now seems essential that by concerted action on the part of the friends of peace and justice, all people shall be aroused to legislate in such a way that a blind policy may not be adopted which, by systematically unbusinesslike methods causes just complaint, drives a body of people to a self defense in the only way open to them, practically places all of the progressive, peaceable Indians at the mercy of their most treacherous enemies, involves our nation in an enormous expense that would have been much more honorably applied to remedying or preventing the trouble, and is fatal to the prosperity of a large number of human beings, both white and Indians. Respectfully, EMMA C. SICKELS. Miss Sickels was present throughout the time of the Indian troubles, and probably knows as much as any person about the different factions and feuds existing among Indians. The letter from her as well as that from Dr. McGillycuddy, was written in response to my inquiries for information upon the subjects therein treated; and, while I do not agree with them in all their opinions, their views are instructive. But the opinions and statements of the Indians themselves should receive some consideration from an intelligent and thinking public. Through the aid of interpreters and Indian scouts in my employ, I obtained interviews with the prominent Indian characters, some of which are as follows: YOUNG-MAN-AFRAID-OF-HIS-HORSES. Young-Man-Afraid-Of-His-Horses is one of the ablest as well as most honest representatives of the great Sioux nation. I am told that he is the regular hereditary chief of the Ogallalas, the most powerful tribe. I rode with him from Chadron, Nebraska, to the Pine Ridge Agency, and have also met him a number of times since and have found him on all occasions to be a very sensible and intelligent man. He said in substance: "This whole trouble came from a misunderstanding between my people and the Great Father. There was no need of the war. General Miles understands our situation. He is our friend. The Brules have much to complain of. Their Agent was a very bad man. Their wives and children were hungry. They only had half rations. I have been away on a hunt and am just coming back to explain and help stop the trouble. Peace will soon come. We will have our big councils and explain things, and I will go to Washington and settle our difficulties. Our Agent was a bad man. The Great Father does not know this. I will tell him. The Indians are brave and the white men are brave, but the white men do not do as they agree; that is the trouble with the Indians. Some Indians are bad, but most of them want to be good and want to learn to live like white men." LITTLE WOUND. I had an interesting interview with Little Wound, a Sub-Chief of the Ogallalas, who, by the way, is a particular friend of Miss Sickels, and has engaged to make a tour of the principal cities of the West with her and explain the situation to the people. He said: "Red Cloud is not my friend and he has talked much against me. We are holding councils and trying to settle all the difficulties. The Great Father does not know our troubles. The Agents have stolen from us and made themselves rich. We do not get the pound and a half of meat or beef promised us. We do not get our coffee, sugar and flour. The Agents lie to us and lie to the Great Father. I will go to Washington and tell them how we are treated. The Wounded Knee battle was very bad. The Big Foot Indians were driven into the fight, and they fought brave, but they were killed. The soldiers were too many. They fought for their lives and did not want to be made prisoners and have their guns taken away, and the soldiers killed them and their wives and children. Our hearts are all sad about those that were killed. General Miles is our friend. All we want is what is right. We want our children We want to live in houses and have farms, and have our money. We want what the great father promised us. We want the Government to do right, and we will not fight. We have money and we have property in the hands of the Government, and the Government agrees to take care of us, but we are hungry and can get nothing. We do not want to be beggars. If we had our lands and our money that the Great Father has promised us, we would take care of ourselves." to go to school. TWO STRIKE. Two Strike, one of the ablest Chiefs of the Brule Sioux, made the following statement: "We were driven to fighting. We did not fight first. Our Agent treated us bad, so we came over to Pine Ridge. Big Foot and his wives and children were all murdered at Wounded Knee. The soldiers took away their guns and cut them down like grass, and fired big guns at them, and so we proposed to fight. General Miles said we could have our guns back again if we gave them up. We guns. believe General Miles, and many of my people will give up their He has given us beef. One hundred and forty of my people with Yellow Robe, have gone to Rosebud Agency. I want to go to Washington and see the Great Father and tell him how the Agent starved us and did not give us what the Great Father promised when he took our lands from us. My heart is good. I am for peace; I am not for fighting, but we had rather die fighting than be disarmed and then killed. The army officers are our friends. They do not steal from us. We believe what they say." KICKING BEAR. Kicking Bear, Chief of the Minneconjous tribe, is a fine looking Indian, about forty years old, who is regarded as very reliable and honest. He made the following statement: "My people have much to complain of. Our rations are too small. The Great Father promised us plenty. He sends us bad Agents, who rob us. Our land is poor and we can raise nothing. The buffalo, deer, elk and antelope are all gone. are hungry. We do not want to fight. We want more meat. We We want to be like white men and have our children go to school and learn to work. If the Great Father will do as he promised us, we will live in peace and be happy. Our Great Father said when he took our land that we should have plenty of meat and coffee and sugar, and have so much money every year, but we do not get it; and when the Agent robs us they send soldiers. We want the Great Father to know this." LITTLE CHIEF. He usually Little Chief, Chief of the Cheyennes, was one of General Crook's friends and has always been a friend of the white man. wears a head dress of eagle's feathers, a blanket, a belt of pocupine work, and a large bright silver cross which was presented to him by a Catholic priest, upon his left breast. If the Government does He said: "My people are warriors. with us as it agreed, they are peaceful. The Government took away our good land, promised us money and plenty to eat; they said they would bring us to a good country and teach our people to farm and be like white men. They brought us to this country where nothing The agent steals our beef. My people get poorer every day, grows. |