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Parent Issue
Day
28
Month
July
Year
1876
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Delégate McGinness of Montana Tcrritory, who has careítllly studied the Indian questioii) tüitkes tke following statement in regard to the cauëe of the Sioux troUble and the character and strength of Sitting Buil "the bad " The cause oL this war, or rather of these expeditions - for this war with these Indians has been golng on for flf teen or more years - may be summod up in the words, " Sitting Buil and the outlaw Sioux.'' We havo never had peace, or even treaty relations, with these bands. After the Spirit Lake massacre in lowa, and the great Sioux massacre in Minnesota, all the more turbulent spirits banded together. After Gen. Sibley's expedition in 1863, they crossed the Missouri and endeavored to concéntrate for another invasión of Minnesota. But the next year Sully followed them across the Missouri, and, after saveral running fights, they retreated across the Bad Lands into the Big Hom country. Sully followed them to the Yellowstone and established Fort Buford. Upon this post and on the steamboats and immigrants to Montana they kept up un ceasing war, often keeping the garrison at Bufoïd in a state of siege for weeks at a tilne, aild mtil'dering eVery stf aggler who went oütside üie pös't. An atterapt was made to treat with them in 1866, but, aCter accepting the presents and securing some animunition, Sitting Buil broke up the council, and the Oommissioners escaped to the fort across thé river. When Red Cloud and Spotted Tail made peace at Laramie, Sitting Jíull stubbornly rcfused to come in. All that year he made war on the steamboats and commerce of the Miasoiiri, massacreing several boat-loads of returning minors, and capturing larse quantities of gold dust, which he traded for arnis with the iiorthern half-breeds. In Í867 he threatened the Gallatin valley in Montana, when the Montana volunteers were raised to meet him. In 1868 he attacked the settleiaent of Muscleshell, and suf fered defeat, losing thirty-six warriors. The settlers, having notice of his coming, ambuscaded him in a ravine outside of the town. AJ.though the attack was iiiituti vy mits oiuui un mt) vmuge, uijlh battle was denounced as a massacre by a portion of the Éastern press. Af ter this he lost prestige. During 1869 and 1870 lie devoted himselt' principally to the slaughter of the Crows, the Tiíandans, the Rees, the Shoshones, and all other tribes friendly to the whites, varying it by an oooasional attack on the Missouri river forts. In 1870 Gen. Hancock, then commanding that department, thought of organizing au expedition to bring Sitting Buil to terras ; but as there was a prospect of the extensión of the Northern Pacific, which would simplify operations, he reconimended another attempt to buy a peaco with him until that road should be pushed iuto the Big Horn country. On this recommendation, backed by the assurance of the Peaee Oommissioners and the Interior Department, Oongress voted $500,000 to inake peace and support him. This was the famous Teton-Sioux appropriation, Sitting Buil himself claiming to be a Tetón, though his followers are outlaws and hard customers from all the bands of the Sioux uation. Considerable criticism has been made on the expendí - ture of this appropriation. It resulted in bringing to the Fort Peck Agency a portdon of his foliowing, but he refused to treat himseif. Next year Gen. Ouster went out with the Northern Pacific surveying party, and twice defeated Sitting Buil, or at least repulsed his attacks. One of his bands invaded tlie Gallatin valley in 1872, and earried off 500 head of horses, after murdering a Qumber of farmers. In 1873 he made a night attack on Ooi. Baker, but was repuised and pur3ued. In 1874 he drove the Crows from their reservati.jn and agency, and made war on the peacef ui Indians. The Pcace Dommission, finding him intractable, aow began to demand that the army ;ake the offansive and subdue him, frnd ;his requost has been frequently ed by the Peaco Coinmission and the Interior Department until tlio War Department has acted on it. Last year some of his followers went down to meet the Commisaion iil confesencewith tho Eed Cïoud Sioux, and came near precipitating a inassacre of the Oommission. Sitting Buil himself refuscd to go in, and spent the summer in attacks on the Crow Agency and on the Montana settlers. He captured a Government wagon-train on the Carroll road, murdered a number of recruits going to the Montana posta, and captured the stock of the Carroll Stage Oompany. Such have been his exploits up to the bloody history of the present year. He defies the Government, and hopea that he can get the Sioux Nation to joiuhim. If they will only do this he promises to drive tho whites back into the Bea, out of which they came. He titterly disbelieves the reports of Bed Cloud and othors who have visitcd the East as to the numbers of the whites they saw. He says their eyes were dazzlecl by bad medicine (magie).

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Subjects
Old News
Michigan Argus