The New York Herald Newspaper, September 8, 1872, Page 3

“TM AMERICAN REDS Condition and Prospects of the In- dians of the Southwest, POOR LO AS A FARMER AND AS A WARRIOR Ofvilization and Barbarism Strug- gling for the Mastery. "THE PRESENT CONDITION OF THE “NATIONS.” Wo Signs of Improvement Among the Fallbloods and Halfbreeds. A CURIOUS MIXTURE OPSRACES. Relations of the Reclaimed Indians with the Wild Tribes. THE PEACE POLICY A FAILURE. Quaker Testimony Against the Murderous Kio- was and a Call for Troops. ‘Wholesale Murder and Rob- bery in Texas. "The Weakness of the Government and the Au- dacity and Insolence of the Kiowas. ANOTHER GRAND COUNCIL AND POWWOW. Commissioners to Patch Up a Peace—Retarn of Two Captive Girls—Indians After Quaker Hair— The “Stock” and Scalp Market Lively—An Amusing ‘Dress Parade’—The Colored Cavalry—Fort Sill and Fort Gibson— Devastation of Texas—Policy of the Kiowas and Comanches— Prompt Action Necessary to Save Life and Property. Fort Si11, I. T., August 27, 1872, What the Schleswig-Holstein question was to the ‘statesmen of Europe the Indian question is to our politicians—the more determined the effort to solve }t the greater are the difficulties encountered. But although there was but one man in Europe, accord- ing to Palmerston, who understood the Schleswig- Holstein muddle, and he was dead, the matter was, doubtless, plain enough to the people immediately concerned. The difficulty arose and was continued through a plethora of unmeaning treaties, diplo- matic powwows and the interference of outside parties. Soin like manner the solution of the In- dian problem is too heavy a task for the Washing- ton Solons, whose ideas concerning the Indian have been formed from seeing the gentle savage in the house of his Great Father; but to those who live on the border and have relations with the different tribes ,it is as plain as the rule of three. Yet the conflicting interests of parties in- terested in lands, railroads and army and Indian supplies, bureaucratic red-tape, political pressure and “philanthropic” interference with the eperations of troops render the dearly bought ex- perience of settlers and army officera of no avail. The Indian puzzle still remains to disturb the quiet of Washington and keep this wide border in a state ofanarchy. The present administration is, it is maintained, responsible for the reign of terror ‘that now prevails in Texas, along the banks of the Rio Grande, ana here on the Red River, having adopted a lct-us-have-peace policy with incarnate Gends, who love murder and rejoice in robbery, in- stead of the just, but merciful, action of previous governments. How THE PRACE POLICY has worked I will in this letter endeavor to show That it has not fully realized the expectations of even the President may be inferred from the act that there are now here two special commissicaers from Washington charged with the duty of ex- amining into the present condition of affairs im the Indian Territory, and the case, and reporting thereon. These commissione’ ate Pro- fessor Edward Parish, of Philadelphj, and Cap- tain Henry E. Alvord, of Virgin®, formerly of the Tenth United States cavairy Olored). The HERALD commissioner Will anticipte their report. I joined the commisstoners at Jawrence, Kansas, On the 19th inst., and that afterioon we set out on our mission, Taking the Pleasnt Hill road to Se- alis, we got on the Missoux, Kansas and Texas Railroad for Limestone Gay the extreme end of the road, 160 miles from tt’ Kansas border, and in the Cherokee Nation of v@ Indian Territory. The rails were down but af days, and consequently our progress was slo’, the average speed being fifteen miles an hour The road runs over a mag- nificent prairie lar! for the greater part of the dis- tance; one sectio« Of it is known as the “Tunnel,” astretch of fat/Ountry for ninety miles without a cabin, station, g-house or wigwam. As the hot gun was sink#é in the flowered bed of the horizon the scene 788 truly beautiful in its desolation. No Indian Were to be seen, nor were there any cattle in tew, but flocks of wild birds fluttered up from thrPrairie and raced with the train. It seemed ‘to me #at ifa civilized people, as the Cherokees are claimed to be by their distant admirers, had sway herr this long but narrow and splendid belt of land ‘walld be well stocked with cattle or at least a por- ‘tyn of It cultivated. FORT GIBSON AND THE CHEROKEES. Nearing Fort Gibson, a military post on the east bank of the Neosho or Grand River, we left the prairie ana struck into a wide stretch of timber Jand. A few scattered log huts and shanties of mud covered with brushwood were to be seen, and here and there a lounging, mongrel Indian, listless and filthy, peering out at the passing train from ‘Demeath a dirty sombrero, decorated with gaudy feathers. The Cherokees, like all the other tribes and remnants of tribes on the reservations, rarely make their homes near the road side, preferring ‘the deep recesses of the forest, where the hated face and his detested civilization can be readily avelded; and passengers by the Missouri, Katsas and Tex: route will mot long enjey the pleasure of staring at semi- civilized Lo he loafs on his native heath. Fort Gibson is e¥ht miles from the railroad station, and is situategon a high biaif overlooking the Neosho and the kansas Rivers. We were dumped down at the gation at eleven o'clock at night, and an ambulince being ready for us, jolted over a very rougt trail to the fort, getting in shortly after midiight. General Grierson, the commanding oftver of the post, and the officers of the two com- pies of the Tenth cavalry stationed there ex- wnded us the hospitalities of the place, and we femained until the following night. I made the best use of my time in making such inquiries as enabled me to form a fair estimate of the character and capacity of the Indians claiming to be civilized, their present condition and wants. As is pretty well known already, the members of THE ROSS FAMILY re the F. F.'s of the Cherokees, and have a con- grolling influence with their red brethren of the NEW YORK HERALD, SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1872—TRIPLE SHEKT. Teservation who affect agriculture. They live ina small frame house about a mile from the fort, and are said to be wealthy, Heirs of Chief John Ross, they work with considerable energy for the com- mon weal. Allen and John Ross are intelligent men, as are also Colonel William P. Ross, ex-chief, Daniel H. Ross and Lewis Ross, nephews of the famed chief of the tribe. Colonel John was, I be- lieve, educaved at Princeton College. He isa polished man, very clever and greatly respected for his many good qualities, I called at his house, but, unfortunately, he was absent. Mr. Daniel H. Ross, however, was at home, and very readily conversed on Indian affairs, 1 afterwards saw and spoke to @ number of persons, halfbreeds, traders, deputy United States marshals, army officers and others. It would be useless to give their opinions as uttered, the judgment of almost everyone im the Territory being warped more or less, and but little regard being paid by the majority to simple facts; but, notwithstanding all this, there isasingular unanimity of opinion regarding the proper treatment of both the tame and wild Indians entertained by the white citizens, and this opinion I shall embody in an account of the condition of the civilized tribes. Fort Gibson—which, by the way, is not a fort, but @ collection of houses of wood erected by the gov- ernment for the accommodation of troops and the storage of provisions and army materiel—is ad- mirably situated as a ; It was abandoned last year, but was reoccupled in May last by two com- panies of pavalitee ler the command of General Tiergon, the many butcheries of innocent people in thé surrounding nations rendering that course imperatively n a THE DUTY OF THE MILITARY. Besides the duty of preventing crime and arrest- ing desperadoes, General Grierson had to use his force in ex from the district under his comman the white people who had smuggled themselves into and squatted on the reservations. Up to the present time he has turned out 3,000 people, and the hunt for delin- juents still continues. Owing, however, to the fact that the time of service of the colored soldiers expires this month his operations: are limited just now. He has remaining batsixty men of his two com- nies, and these will soon go oi! their way rejoicing. {i is just possible that before the War Department ‘wakes up to the necessity of sending out more cav- airy the Territory will be overrun with white set- tlers too numerous to molest, and that the unfortu- nate half-breeds will be robbed by tne wild Indians and horse thieves and reduced to the state of misery in which, they found themselves at the close of the rebellion. laws of Congress and the enactments of the local councils bear hard on white people attempting to settle on the reserva- tions, Young men, however, who are determined to enjoy this beautiful climate and accumulate ty making the willing earth yield her fruits id an easy easy Wi iS over the difficulty. When a wi marries a squaw he weds 160 acres of land, rets 160 more himself, and if, as general fappens (the squaws are not entirely “ vilized’? yoo, the pair havea family, then for every child here is another 160 acres of land set apart, This is the law Of the Territory, and is stricter in its terms m the Cherokee Nation than in any other. The man who thus marries into a nation becomes an Indian in the eye of the law, and is entitled to all the rights accorded a full-blooded native or half breed. Ileave it to others to say whether this process of ‘levelling up" is wise or unwise on the part of the tribes and on the part of the government, THE CIVILIZATION OF THE NATIONS. So far it has not worked very satisfactorily. Children of white fathers and Indian mothers, as a rule, inherit the shiftlessness of the savage and but little of the energy and enterprise of the civilized father. They are content to cultivate a patch of round large enough to grow corn sufficient for eir support, keep @ few hogs and cows, and, per- haps, a mule or @ pony, and let the rest of the land remain in its primitive condition. Of course, there are exceptions, but they are not numerous or con- spicuous enough to affect the general statement. I have read many rose-colored reports, written by interested Indian agents, I have no doubt, concern- ing the rapid progress of these civilizcd tribes in the arts of peace and of their desire to enrich them- selves by honest toil and educate their children, It is stated that all they want isa aupply of agricultural implements, &c. 35°Rt 1] it is, cy want nothing so much a8 one. Wichitaws are less civilized Kn | than they were fteen years ago. Wherever in the Reservation, which contains 822 by 250 miles of the finest lan erhaps, on the heel ie fons one sees well cultivat Reias, fenced and filled with corn, 1t may be taken for granted that the owner of the property isa white man who has married a squaw or a former slave of some dusky Cherokee or Choctaw. When the Cherokees were brought from Mississippi here they owned a number of slaves, and these managed to get together, in time, a little property, so t! when the emancipation was proclaimed they found themselves in a better material condition than their former masters. And thus it is that the good- natured and hard-working Sambo can afford to chuckle at indolent and improvident A CURIOUS MIXTURE OF RA get on very Well to; The two races ther, how- ever, intermarrying with curious eo ological re- sults. Perhaps nowhere else in the world can such @ mixture of races be found—the Anglo-Saxon and African and semi-nomadic red. How will it be when this mixed race absorbs, as it must in time, the distinctive characteristics of the others in the Territory ? The “full bloods” are not at all content with the existing condition of affairs. They dread absorption and Gre jealous of the whites and half- breeds. The constitution adopted by the council ofthe nations last year as the organic law of the proposed territorial government is the cause of considerable ill-feeling. The Chickasaws have ac- cepted it, but the other nations have not voted on it as yet. The delay is attributable to the fact that the “full bloods” are afraid that in the event of the adoption of the constitution and consequent or- ganization of a central government the half-breeds and carpet-bag whites would not only claim and receive the larger half of the spoils of office, but would frame such laws as would work mischief to the cause of idleness and picturesque ease. They be- Heve with the philosopher, that “whatever is is right,” and regard locomotives, agricultural im- plements and decent dwelling houses as innova- tions, not improvements. Many of them, indeed, despise the clothing sent them by the government. It is not long since that a number of Indians of one of the tribes were presented with an abundant sup- ly of trousers. ey accepted them reluctantly, fee still accepted, and the heart of the benevolent Quaker agent was made glad. There was A “DRESS PARADE” ordered next morning just to see the effect. Ima- gine the horror of the Friend on discovering that each particular brave had, under cover of the night, deftly scalped out a necessary section of his trou- sers and cut them offat the knee! There never was such @ dress parade even in the Indian Territory. The idea of dressing the reconstructed Indians in the habiliments of civilization would be @ good one of it were only practicable, but it is mot. What seems to us as very proper is to them senseless; what we deem purifying and elevating is to them polluting.and Lytle Mr. Lo has his own ideas concerning “the eternal fitness of things,” and not even the blandishments of a Broadway tallor could disturb his settled convictions on the subject of pantaloons. With the squaws it is different. They doat on Dolly Vardens, and take delight in giant them- selves out in the gewgaws offashion. But as Lo takes no more notice of Mrs. Lo than to see that she does his work for him while he is busy loating, it is not likely that Dolly Vardens will be largely distributed. It would be a8 sensible to dress a pumpkin in baby clothes to please Horace Greeley as to at- tempt to soothe the savage breast in that way, Another disturbing element, and one which is likely to cause further and more serious mischief as the country round about the Territory becomes thickly populated, is the anomalous relations of the nations with the United States authorities and the courts of the adjacent States. Wedged in between Kansas on the one side and Texas on the other, they have CIVILIZATION CROWDING IN upon them and trampling on what they consider, with justice, their rights. The United States gave them the land in return for other land taken from them by force of arms and by fraud. If they are not disposed to till the soil and produce more than they require for their own consumption, what business have philanthropists to interfere, and what 1s civilization going to do about ity The Indians all think that way, though few can be found to give expression to the thought, It galls them to be ignored by the whites as a people be- yond the pale or treated with contempt. The recent massacre of Going Snake Court House grew out of this feeling of irritation. It will be remem- bered that several Deputy United States Marshals, armed with writs procured outside of the Terri- tory, went into the Cherokee Nation to arrest a certain murderer; that the Cherokees resisted and a number of people were killed, The murderer had married in the Nation, and consequently, according to local jaw, was a citizen and amenable to Cherokee law and not to that of the United States; hence. the hostility of the Indians to the marshals, I saw at Fort Gibson anda conversed with J. G. Peevey, the marshal who cut such a prominent figure in that bloody affair, and he is of the opinion tuat the question of the JURISDICTION OF THE COURTS OF THE UNITED STATES in the Territory, in cases where murderers make it their place of refuge, must be settled sooner or later; “for,” said he, “the pith of the matter is, the Indians want to have every white marderer hanged and every Indian murderer let goat large.” Mr. Peevey, however, may be somewhat prejudiced, having been trained in a school (Quantrell’s gue- Tillas) where but one side of @ question was allowed to be discussed. Whatever the merits of the controversy, certain it is that there is trouble in store for the semi-civilized Indians on this account if on no other. The attitude of the Indians on the reservations toward the “outer barbarians’ is perfectly consistent. Every clog they can put to the wheels of progress ts so inuch added to their lease of life as an independent people. They know perfectly Well that the easy condition of semi-barbarism in which they live cannot exist forever; that civiliza- tion, advancing with slow but resistiess move- ment, is bearing down upon them to crush them out, as it has their brethren in other sections of the country, leave nothing but monumental mo of earth to point the moral of their taxing of. Their country is worth a . Magnifi- cent land, well watered and led, along the banks of numerous it yields sixty bushels of corn (the staple crop) per acre, and tobacco and cotton where cultivated. It is bounded on the east by Arkansas and Missouri, on the north by Kansas, on the west by New Mexico and a part of Texas, and on the south by Texas. The section ap- P lated to the Chickasaws is very rich (but not, Perhaps, more so than the Cherokee reservation about Fort Gibson), and in 1870 produced 5,000 bales of cotton, besides corn, tobacco and cereals. Fruits (except apples) are abundant. The peach, grape and strawberry are ‘to manor born,” It is possible that with the pening. of the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad to the Rio Grande thro the Territory a number of affiliated whites will go into the business of cultivating for wine. A little pre van is properly regarded as promising mach , aN rly regarde the vineyards of the future. Nothing may be expected from the action of the local councils, the interests, aspirations (where there is ambition enough to to anyt! and prejudices of the bands being too con- eros nations, tribes ant cting. THE POLICY OF THE GOVERNMENT seems to have been to crowd in here every wild Indian it could catch, drive or coax, and shake up together, in one lomerate mass, peaipers, hunters and diggers of every hue. If it is concede that the policy was sound it must also be acknow- d that it was quite suc No accurate estimate of the number of Indians on the reserva- tions can be obsained it now; but it may be jekeronting, to note names of the na- tions, tribes and bands resis within the ‘Territory. The principal nations are FIApeboes, Creeks, kees, Cheyennes, Sha’ a-ha-das, peter, areenn oe jated Indians” — follows :—Cadd Ke ect and Wi taws, 208: Keechies, 'acoe! latter realde on the reservation of the Comanches and Kiowas, on the northern bank of the Washita River. They are rated as ‘ Indians,” though they certain! keep bad company. It is said that their “young men” greatly enjoy a dash into Texas with the Kiowas, for scalps and cattle, O@NDITION OF THE GOOD INDIANS. Too weak to defend themselves against the pow- erful, bloodthirsty and thieving Kiowas, they have to do their bidding or suffer the consequences; 80, while the government continues to coquette with the Kiowas, they cannot be blamed. e Caddoes are well di toward the whites, and are con- sidered the best Indians of all the tribes on the Kio- wa-Comanche reservation; dut how long they will remain so if the Quaker policy is persisted inisa question that demands an answer. The prevalent opinion—and which I alluded to above as unani- mous—respecting the tame Indians 1s that eve! pene made to them by the government shoul rigidly fulfilled, geet ne = = hee pes for every Outrage on part 8 ‘aD ndign punishment should be meted out. Patience, firm- ness and fairness are undoubtedly the proper Rollcy for the government of the so-called tame Indians, and, for those who seem at all desirous of Series themselves, friendly aid and encou! ment on the part of the government. The full-blooded In- dians are rapidly dying off; war and disease are thinning their ranks, and their total extinction is oan @ qugstion of time. And with the end of the “full bloods” will come peace and plenty to this eee territory and the end of the Indian ques- tion. THE ROUTE TO FORT SILL. The only means of conveyance from Fort Gibson to Fort Sill—a distance of nearly 280 miles—is by rail to Limestone Gap and thence by te through the Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw and Chickasaw nations, over prairies and through belts of forests of jack: oak, hemlock, scrub and peccan trees; and into one of these close, rickety and uncomfortable vehicles (temperature 110 in the shade) we were packed, with our luggage, at Limestone Gap. The journey occupied over three days, and was without particu- lar interest until we entered the district near Sill, where Kiowa young men are wont to murder and scalp unsuspecting travellers, It was a lovely moonlight night as our mule team emerged from the gloomy recesses of the Big Beaver creek and took the prairie trail to the fort. Mount Scott and Medicine Bluff, a few miles from the post, were dimly seen in the distance, and the prevailing atill- ness was occasionally broken by the snappish bark of a prowling wolf. “Smell anything ?” asked the driver, by whose sideisat. “Yes.” “Wall, that was a man t’ onst. Killed for his money Ireckon. He's in that ‘ere gully yit, (Gitup.) Wenever had but one man ho gould manage that ‘ere mule and he was a Bngchnian. The Kiowas, Comanches, or some of them varmints got ‘im tho’; got ’m bad, | tell ye.”” “Murdered hin 1”? rf “Rayther. ‘Was a sittin’ on this ere seat a whistlin’, as you wus a while ago, an’ in a wink there wasn’t a whistle in ‘im. Injins fired into im like, an’ he dropped, an’ was scalped apd out a in slices like t'matoes. He wus aloné, Wis Dutchman (we called ‘im Bill), or it mought a bin worse nor twas. Got the mules though and carried ‘m off to the Rio Grande. We got one back from he varmints, an’ thar he is, the wild one I Sy ye of, as fine a—(E-zee-wo-o!) Hold light, sir! Here's the derndest Rall ened 1.) ar With equally Aecdotes of travel on the Plains thé weary hours went by, until the sun, rising behind us, snuffed out the lamp of night, an threw @ glorious spread of flashing gold on the broad prairie, the high, irregular peaks of Moun) Scott Dlue in the nipping cold of the morning, an the stone buildings of Fort Sill, THE COUNTRY OF THE WILD INDIANS. In another half hour we were f{™ the garrison, in the centre of the wild Indian country, with ‘our backs to civilization and our faces turned toward the too free and, seemingly, never-ending West. Professor Parish was let down at the house of the Indian agent, Friend Lawrie Tatum, and was im- Fitna ds in bed and tenderly cared for by Mrs, Tatum. e professor suffered more than any of tne party in the joarney across the Plains, and was quite sick, AS write he is still confined to his bed with fever. After parting with the professor we drove to the post traders, from whence, after unpacking our campaigning traps, we walked to the Cache River and enjoyed a elicious bath. The breakfast pro- vided afterwards by Mr. Evans, the trader, was ex- cellent, and Vahyitd us for the ennuf incident to Sunday on the frontier. The commanding officer of the post, Major Schofield (brother of General Schofleld) was out on an expedition, and Major and Brevet Brigadier General McKib- ben was temperarily in command. ‘his gentleman sought us out and was exceedingly kind and attentive. He, in common with all the other officers | have conversed with, agrees with gallant Phil Sheridan's views as to the prone treatment of the insolent Indians who continue to defy the gov- ernment. He sent scouts out to notify Major Scho- fleld of our arrival, and that officer returned with his party at nightfall and conferred with the Com- missioners. Major Schofield is a gentleman of cul- ture; enjoys the reputation of being an excellent off- cer and is most agreeable in manner. These gentle- men and the officers of the garrison afforded your commissioner every facility lor acquiring the infor- mation he poke oe and their kindness, together with his persistent interviewing of parties cognizant of the existing state of affairs among the irreclaim- able Indians, enables him to furnish you with what he believes to be an accurate statement of facta, briefly told. Later letters will supply any omis- sions fn this. A NOTABLE MISHAP. This morning Ten Bear (Comanche tribe) and his band, with squaws and papooses, to the number of twenty-five or thirty, rode into the fort for their rations, and, of course, I was present at the pre- liminary powwow. While talking with one of the chiefs, through Interpreter Jones, some noble red man stole my notebook, which was pretty full of interesting facts and statistics concerning the wild Indians; and I am, therefore, compelled to rely solely upon memory for much that was carefully noted down in writing. If the noble sneak thief is able to decipher my hteroglyphics he will be “Big Medicine” while he lives. FORT SILL is a comparatively new post, but. like Gibson, it is not a fortification, but a collection of bulidings. It deserves a paragraph of description. Situated on a high, round overlooking the Caché and Medicine Blutf Rivers, or creeks rather, the post commands a fine view ‘of the surrounding country and the adjacent mountains, on the top of each of which is @ signal station. The officers’ quarters and the barracks for the troops form a wide square large enough for the evolutions of aregiment. The for- mer are of stone, quarried from a hill halfa mile distant, and the latter are also of the same sub- stantial material. There are some houses in the square, however, of wood, airy, roomy and com- fortable, and these are mostly occupied by families of married officers. Outside this square are the commissary’s and quartermaster’s buildings, the stables, warehouses, sawmill and the yet incom- lete hospital building. The traders’ build- ings are on one side of the square, a quarter of a wile distant, and on _ the opposite side, half a mile away, is the Indian agency. The site was selected by General Grier- son, Captain Alvord, the present special Indian Commissioner, and another officer. Three years ago the stakes were put in where the fagstaf now stands, in the centre of the post, by Captain Al- vord, and now the wd has the appearance of a town built to last. When Uncle Sam undertakes a work of this kind he does it thoroughly. THE COLORED CAVALRY. The eight companies of the Tenth colored cavalry here are skeletons of what they were a few months since. The time of the majority of the men has expired, and the others are being discharged every day. I saw one ona parade to-day with five men. There are just 160 men for duty, 100 of whom are now out on a scout. Ina week from this date there will be more officers than soldiers present for duty. Sambo has had quite bas of marching and counter-marching and_ fight with In- dians, who despise not his wool roved beyond cavil that the is race can produce good soldiers, ig satisfied, Very few re-enlist, and learn that not many recruits can be obtaimed North or South, The colored ti have actually heat nobly, but they don’t hanker after the excite- ment of campaigning smong. the Indians any more. This state of affairs is not at all encouraging. There are no white troops in the Territory, or nearer tous than New Mexico, and the warlike tribes of Indians ran off cattle, burn ranches and scalp citizens with impnnity. The sa stand the state of ira perfectly wel boastfal and insol accordl » In this con- nection it may be well to ask what the Seventh United States cavalry (white) are di in the Southern States, with headquarters at Ky. While the savage Kiowas amd Comanches are desolating Texas, and in conjunction with thieving Mexicans making whole districts barren wastes, would it not be well to withdraw ser- viceable and much needed troops from the South, where they are not wanted, and send them here forthwith ? ‘There is not much time to be lost. ‘The palpable weakness of the government encour- ages the young men of the tribes to deeds of vio- and although there is no danger of an Indian War onan extended scale this season, continued outrages may be apprehended, RETURN OF TWO CAPTIVE GIRLS. The nature of these outrages, which are of con- stant occurrence, is illustrated in the case of two young girls brought in here last week by the Kio- was. I withhold their names for obvious reasons. In June last they were part of 8 happy family in Texas. One night their house was suddenly sur- rounded by the Kiowas—the villains who draw ra- tions from the government here once a month, talk soft sawder vo juakers and sneer at the sol- diers—and a dreadful massacre ensued. The father and mother of the family were shot and hacked to leces, The elder girl of the two to whom I refer in her face, but was spared » Her sister, twelve years brother of six were set aside the person of the eldest if the popes and streaming parents, house was then put tothe flames and the infernal flends danced about the ashes of its owners. The two girls and the boy were carried off to the Kiowa nation (not far from this post), the girls condemned to infa- mous treatment, and the boy to afford the brutes amusement in their leisure hours. Mrs. Tatum, the excellent wife of Friend Tatum, has the girls now in chi . The youngest is, 1am informed, very il; which, though hor: iyi to reflect on, is not to be wondered at, The little boy ts still with the savages, and it is hard to tell whether they will surrender him or not. Lone Wolf, who sent the rls in, expected a large ransom; but did not get cent, i am happy to say. Hels, therefore, likely to Keep the child. e present commissioners have, however, determined not to issue to him or his tribe any mere rations until the little captive is brought in, and this may bring him to terma. W this course was not taken long since is to me per- fectiy inexplicable. INSOLENCE OF THE KIOWAS, That the Kiowas have no fear of the milita peteety, evident At the council held near Fort Jobb two weeks since, at which Lone Wolf, White Horse, Kicking Bird and other chiefs of the Kiowas met Superintendent Enoch Hoag, Friend Lowrie Tatum, Agent Mills and Interpreter Jones, the “young men” openly boasted of their triumph over the girls already mentioned, and in high glee gave particulars of their outrages, which were even too revolting to be hearkened to. More than that. It seems that the Kiowas held a council ag to the pro- priety of killing Friend Tatum, the other agents and Interpreter Jones, there and then, For- vunately the matter was “laid over for considera- tion,” and the confab was continued to the end. It is whispered though that never did Quakers ride #0 fast and hard for shelter as did Friend Tatum and his men when the council adjourned. DISGUST OF THE QUAKER AGENTS. Superintendent Hoag and Friend Tatum are dis- ited with the lowas, and are ready to ack Sheridan, They confess that there 1s only one way to bring the savages to terms, and that is the military way. After patting them on the back, feeding them with delicacies and pro- ae them with clothing for three years, they at Jength acknowledge the hopelessness of their mis- sion. The wild Indian recognizes no authority but force, and cannot comprehend why, when he mur- ders’ our citizens and destroys their property, broad-brimmed and benevolent gentlemen should come all the way from the Great Father to present him with beads and blankets, furnish him with food and make a hero of him. It is utterly incon- sistent with his ideas, and the only way he can account for it is that we are afraid of him. A MODEST PROPOSITION. At the council alluded to Lone Wolf, speaking for the entire body of Kiowas and their confederates, haughilly declared that he would entertain no proposition of peace untill Satanta and Big Tree were released from custody. He also demanded that the entire country from the Mississippi to the Rio Grande be given over to him, promising if that were pea to return the captives—three in num- ber—all the Set stock now in their posses- sion and to shake hands across the bloody chasm. Of course the agents would not ente: the modest proposition, and the council consequently ended in smoke, as it began. These Indians have always regarded Texas as legitimate thievin, ground, and affect to believe it no harm to rob ay murder in that State. The Kiowas themselves are numerically weak, not being able to put more than two or three hundred warriors into the fleld; but they exercise a vast influence over the Comanches, ea eta | fwho have never recognized the au- I worse | fat a old, and a little is jority of the government) and the numerous bands ving on the reservations with them. Their voice in the councils and pow-wows of the tribes is always for war, and while many of the more experienced chiefs fear that the ; romnieltt filed one any yun} seyerely, and, therefore, counse: RotePadaie ene Young men cannot be restrained. When Satanta and Big Tree, two of the chiefs of the Kiowas—the former the acknowledged . head of the tribe—were arrested here by General Sherman, on their own confession of murder and robbery, a heavy blow was struck at the Kiowas, which, if sharply followed w) by. the military, would have done much toward effecting a permanent peace with all the savages on the border. Unfortunately, however, wn: — py sieba win Mie THE QUAKER POLICY prevailed, and we now see the consequences, Kick- Bird, a chief who Re eae friendship for the whites, was appointed by Sherman Chief pf tbe Kiowas, in place of Santanta; but, while ackhoWl- edged as such by the braves, he really has no re- straining influence. Lone Wolf and White Horse are the actual leaders, and these are the represent- atives or the “young men.” The tribe remember with gratitude the services of Satantain the mat- ter of murder and theft, and would do almost any- thing—or rather promise Fey ting to have him released. Lone Wolf and White Horse, on the part of the savages, are persistent in their appeals to the government agents for his release; but they are not sincere, for with the release of Satanta would come the end of their power. As for Kickin; Bird, he can have no desire to see the ex-chie! again in power, knowing full well that his first act would be to scalp his enemies in the tribe, THE PRESENT SIfUATION. This, then, is the present situation in the Indian Territory:—The Kiowas, with their allies, the Co- manches, Qua-ha-das and affiliated Indians, are murdering and robbing at will in Eastern Texas, ravishing women, killing stray soldiers, stealing mules and cattle, even from government corrals, Kidnapping children and spreading terror and dis- may through the settlements. They acknowledge all this and boast of it, and defy the government. One determined onslaught on the fiends by a proper force of cavalry would Pind an end, for a time, at least, to this state of affairs; but the let- us-have-peace Quakers in the States have influence enough at Washington to prevent a move- ment against them, and s0 rations, blan- kets and cotton stuffs are still distrib- uted to the Comanches, for the use of the “young men” on their raids into Texas. The law of the Territory is very strict in its application to whiskey traders, but the Indians laugh at law. They get all the whiskey they want from the Mexi- cans in exchange for Texan cattle. In like manner they provide themselves with breechloading and repeating rifles and revolvers of the finest quality. Indeed, it is said that they are better armed than the United States troops. OUR CAVALRY AND THE INDIANS, They are certainly better mounted. We know what chance a diay horse would have in a race with “Harry Bassett; the United States cavalry horses now inservice are but dray horses in comparison with the fleet coursers of the Plains, The last con- tract for horses for the cavalry was as low as $104 for each animal, whereas in former Pell the price ‘was $170 and more. Every man I have spoken to here on this subject assures me that good horses cannot be bought for $104 or $150, It would be far more economical on the part of the government to purchase fast horses, at the cost of £300 each, than to continue purchasing animals that are periectly useless for the purpose intended. And I must here remark that the army officers are not at all anxious for an Indian war, ae impatient to have the Kiowas punished. t 1s A SEVERE, THANKLESS DUTY they are engaged in; for whether successful or un- successful, they are equally blamed. Ifin vee out the orders of their superiors they attack an kill a number of the savages, they are abused by the philanthropists and Quakers of the North for butchering “the poor defenceless Indians ;” if they fail, with their limited number of troopers, in maintaining quiet on the border and in the reservations, they are accused of in- capacity. I have no doubt that they would iniinitely prefer to let the Texans themselves deal with the Kiowas, and this would undoubtedly be the best yee to pursue under existing circum- stances, But the “peace policy” is against it. The State of Texas is eager and ready to raise a force of mounted men to protect it from the ak In- dians, but the government will not permit {t to arm acompany. Itis no wonder that the Texans are hostile to the present administration, but it is wondertul that they don’t rise as one man in open revolt. Instead of protecting them the govern- ment, through its peace policy, gives them over to the tender mercies of the sav: and counte- hances and encourages the dally and hourly ont- rages committed. These people, it must be remem- bered, are not rebels or outlaws, but peaceful, law- abiding American citizens, who have settled in Texas, and they have as much tage to the protec- tion of the government as the citizens of New York or Massachusetts. A CHANGE OF POLICY DEMANDED. There will have to be a change in the Washington policy toward the Indians, and that soon. The fowas are rapidly bringing over all the nomadic tribes to their view of the situation, and if they are not put down with a strong hand now the govern- ment will find itself confronted next Spring by a larger force of savages than it ever had to en- counter‘on the Southern plains, The reason is ob- vious, If the Kiowas are not punished for murder and theft, but, on the contrary, have presents sent them and benevolent commissioners plenipoten- tary from the Great Father to fatter them and feed their vanity, all the other tribes, now nomin- ay eee will be quick enough to see that, in- thetr interest coin the hapey Klewes ‘iad go into e hay low! an into the business of rapine and murder wholesaler. What the instructions of the Commissioners now ere are Ihave not been informed, but I suspect that they meditate o serious blunder. Itis their seas "ua shad ei 10) . with umber of the Wolt 4 ing White Hore, the moet indvendai, because the’ efontget monster of the lot, with the tribe. Should th succeed in this Lone Wolf will have full sway, ani beyond all doubt will poo the warpath in dead earnest. The Com: loners have arranged for A GRAND COUNCIL OF ALL THE WILD TRIBES this day week, the 2d of September, at a point near Fort Cobb, 120 miles from this post. We will leave yw days. Whether they will succeed in making peace” or not remains to be seen. My impression ts that they will not. Friend Lawrie Tatum—the most experienced, efficient and honest agent ever sent out here, I am told, says that a peace patched up now, no matter on what terms, would not last longer than next Spring. ‘This opinion of the venerable Quaker is shared in by every perece here who understands the Indian character. However, whether a peace will be made or not, the counct) will be @ most important one, and | shall take care to send you a full decount it REBELLION IN THE CREEK NATION. Faction Fight for the Chieftaincy—Seven India: Killed—A Full-Blooded Negro the Cause of the Troub! Sr, Louis, Mo., Sept. 7, 1872, Major Gunther, 9 revenue agent, has arrived here from Arkansas by the way of the Indian Ter- ritory, and reports that when at Muskogee he heard that the two factions of Creek Indians had fight recently in which seven per-- sons were killed and @ number wounded. He could not learn, however, when or where the fight occurred, but it was stated that the trouble grew out of the election of a full-blooded megro to the Chieftaincy of the Creek Nation, by the opposition to the Chicote faction, which had been in power for some time, and to which there had been much hos- tility on the part of the Sands faction. INDIAN COUNCIL IN UTAH. Hopes of Peace—Curious Memento of the Mountain Mcadow Massacre Sar LaxE Crry, Sept. 6, 1872, General Morrow telegraphs to Superintendent Dodge from Spring City, that a number of Indian Chiets and their people have agreed to meet nim in council. He say! to hope that my _ campal in driving out the hostile giving indians ace to this sorely distressed valley.” The Indian Agent represents to General Morrow and in that if the Indians will syrrender the stolen proj erty and go upon the Uintah reservation he w subsist them for ion @ “lariat,” or rope used for tethering horses, made from the hair of the women slaughtered at Mountain Meadows. An effort will be made by citizens to get possession of it. MURDER AS A FINE ART. How to Cheat the Gallows—Taking Advantage of a Plea of Insanity to Avoid Hanging, and then Attempting to Escape from the Luna- tic Asylum on the Ground of Present Sanity—The Decision of the Court To Be Rendered on Monday Next. The Court records teem almost every day with cases of extreme instances, but few have created greater comment than the case of James Barns, tried last April for the unprovoked murder of James Halloran, in the Gotham drinking saloon in the Bowery. There seemed to be no defence of provocation, anger excited through previous con- flict or sudden rage from insult for the murder; but on the trialin the Court of, General Sessions prisoners counsel, William F. Howe, had prepared fog him an ingenious insanity defence, which suc- ceeded so well that a verdict of not guilty was rendered, on the ground that Burns was insane at the time of the shooting. Recorder Hackett did not, however, let the prisoner escape, but imme- diately upon the rendition of the verdict com- mitted the insane murderer to the State Lu- natic Asylum at Utica, Since then Burns has become very restless, and accordingly evinced his desire of again breathing the pure air of freedom by requesting that steps should be taken to secure his release. His counsel, Mr. Howe, by writ of habeas corpus, brought him be- fore the Supreme Court, Chambers, yesterday morning, where an expectant crowd was collected to listen to the proceedings, which were of more than ordinary importance. a The prisoner, whose appearance has changed considerably for the better since his trial, watched the moyementg and listened to the remarks of his counsel (Mr. Howe) with deep and engrossed at- tention. By his side was seated a very neatly. attired lady, apparently of American birt We Hg pesr@agee + looked imploringly at Justice Leonard, hér fei resenting an almost Cone hue. This urns’ wife, and she looks many his § junior, — while fangting’ on his knee was a flaxen-haired oy of about four years trying to divert his father’s attention from the speeches of counsel to his childish pran| 4 and prattie, Ex-Judge Sutherland occupied t bench with Justice Leonard, and as leading ¢otn- sel, associated with District Attorney GarVin, was ex-Judge Bacon, of the Supreme Court, an eminent jurist and eloquent pleader. The proceedings were tommenced be pe and calling His Honor’s attention to the tact that he represented the relator, who had been brought into Court by the authorities from the Utica Insane Asylum, whither he had been sent by the Court of General Session. In June last Burns had been tried for murder in the first degree. He was then acquitted on the ground that at the time of the unfortunate occurrence, which resulted in the death of a man whom Burns had killed, Burns was laboring under a fit of temporary delirium, brought about by too much indulgence in spirituous liquors. Since his trial it had, however, pleased an all.wise Providence to restore the shattered reason of the risoner, and he was now as sane as any person in ‘he court room. Under these circumstances he was entitled to his discharge. Judge Bacon, in reply, contended that Justice Leonard had no jurisdiction in the premises, and that the return proved that Burns had been com- mitted by the Court of General Sessions, a Court of competent criminal jurisdiction, and that, there- fore, this Court had not the power to go behind the return, ana the writ should thus be dismissed, District Attorney Garvin next rose, and claimed that the prisoner was entitled to “no mercy,” and that no false sympathy for him should obtrude itself, The evidence upon the trial of Burns’ case developed a cold-blooded, heartless murder, which years Mr. Howe should have sent the wicked perpetrator of the | dastardly deed tothe scaffold, instead of permit- ting him to seck, through the ingenuity of counsel, @ release, because he is sane, when scarcely two months since, within sound of my voice, it was urged that this unfortunate man, as he was then termed, was insane and not responsible for his acts. The jury in that instance believed the de- fence and acquitted him; but the statute, luckily, protects this community from these dangerous lu- natics, and #0, by order of a competent Court of Record, Burns was committed to the Utica Asylum. Apart from this a question of law presents itself to Your Honor’s consideration, and the proper place for the writ of habeas corpus to have issued should have been the county where the prisoner was con- ined. Mr. Howe—I applied to the Supreme Court for this writ, and that Court has jurisdiction over the entire State. Judge Bacon—The writ of habeas corpus is not the correct method to pursue in cases of this cha- racter. Iwill refer Your Honor to the first Ed- munds’ select cases, in the case of the People vs, Griffen, where @ mode of examination at Utica Is ointed ont, which, for convenience, should have been adopted in this instance, and the writ should, therefore, be dismissed upon that ground. Mr. Howe replied that in that case, in which in- sanity was Clearly proven at the trial, the accused regained his reason and was liberated by Judge Edmonds; out, aside from that, “convenience” Is @ secondary consideration. ‘The writ of habeas corpus is a “A WRIT OF RIGHT,” and no statute can rob a man of his constitutional Ng 4 of applying and re- ceiving all he nefits arising there- from. The question here before Your Honor is one of the gravest importance, for here we have a citizen who, through the inscrutable wisdom of the Almighty, has been visited with an affliction which temporarily deprived him of his reason, and, while at the time not legally responsibie, he com- mitted an act which, “in law,” waa not acrime, The heathen of old, it has been ‘told us, venerated the tree whtch had been struck with lightning, and should we, in this Christian age, be less cha: itable to a fellow man whom God, in His most mys- terious providence, has afflicted for @ time with a deprivation of reason? It is not denied that we have here @ sane citizen. suffering intense pintshmens—immnred in @ prison with lunatics as is companions—the horrors of Sing Sing would be @ boon to him—a sane father, taken from his wife and family, who ali look to Your Honor and demand of you the rignt of a sane man, to be released from thia madhouse. The law ig mot vindictive. A vist- tation of God should not be punished in the person of the unfortunate prisoner. His further a, gr ment—as the return concedes his sanity—t at cruelty, hardship and a hen upon society; and it is Your Honor's imperative duty to discharge the Prisoner and si ain the demurrer. At the conch yn of the argument Burns drew a jong 5 and seemed much relieved. Justice Leon eee and said he would care- fully investigate al! the authorities pertain: to the subject under discussion, and in meantime urns to the custody of the warden of the City Prison until ge | morning, when @ de- ceed be. rendered ‘this mooted aucstion THE ALLEGED NATHAN MURDERER, Billy Forrester, the Man with Many Aliases, Arrested in Washington. HIS REMARKS ABOUT THE MURDER. Says He Had Nothing to Do with It and Can Prove an Alibi. The “Put-Up Job” by New York Detectives. Washington Police Officials Highly Elated Over the Reward. The Confessions of the Real Na- than Murderers. , WASHINGTON, Sept. 7, 1872, Billy Forrester, alias Billy Marshall, alias Billy or Frank Campbell, alias Frank Harding, allas Frank Howard, the suspected murderer of Mr. Benjamin Nathan, the New York banker, who was assassinated in his own house in Twenty-third street, near Fifth avenue, on the night of July 19, 1870, was arrested in this city this morning. He acknowledges him- self to be Forrester, and he will be taken to New York inadayortwo. It is stated the rewards offered for this man amount to about sixteen thou- sand dollars outside of the Nathan murder, whic! he is suspected of. After his arrest he telegraphed to New Orleans for his baggage to be sent to Barney, Aaron, New York, and says he is lately from the South. At the interview had with him this even-| ing he declined to talk upon the subject of his! arrest, yet showed in his conversation much in-) formation concerning tne Nathan murder. He said: he was prepared to prove that i HE WAS NOT IN NEW YORK, at the time of the murder—a fact well known, h@, believed, to the New York officials; but for some reason they had “put up a job” on him, ana offered! a large reward for his arrest. He realizes that he} is in a tight place; in fact, he jokingly remarked that his quarters were rather too close; but 01 such @ warm day he did not know but what he wa: as comfortable in Heath Prison, as the cell at Police Headquarters is called, as if he was outside in the sweltering sun. Under his left eye is, apparently, « @ bruise, which he says Is only inflammation caused) by his scratching a mosquito bite. He was attired in dark pants and a checked shirt when he greeted! your correspondent, and remarked that the HERALD had said some very hard things against him, which in the main were unjust, but that it, had said what no other paper dare say, and that was that hisarrest was . CONNIVED AT BY THE NEW YORK DETRCTIVES to cover up some of their shortcomings. He franklyf stated that he had read the HERALD every day since his departure from New York, in order to get! the latest intormation regarding the suspicions! cast against him. In reply to the remark that he had come to a bad city for safety he said he real- ized it now, but did not suppose when he arrived here, eight days ago, he would be watched or suspected. He answers the description sivon in the circular issued from the office of the Chief o! i Police in New York in February, 1871, and, in fact,| does not deny that he is the veritable ‘Billy’? Fors -rester, The detectives here are elated over the! prospect of getting the $2,500 reward offered by the New York authorities. The idea that he had anything to do or knowa anything about the Nathan murder is considered here in well-informed circles as absurd. He assumed a new alias for Washington, going under the name of Lewis Kearns, and was taken into cus« tody on the charge of being a suspicious character. Billy likes to talk about the cave in Indiana, whera the papers were found alleging to give an account of confessions discovered which had been left thera by the Nathan murderers. When asked why ha took’ #3 ‘inuch interest itt & matter that he had nothing to do with, he replied, because some |; ramus insists upon connecting his name with thé deed, “Why,” said Forrester, “the next thing they will charge against me is that I robbed the Balti+ More Bank,” He has nothing to “squeal” about af present, and maintains a decorous silencce. TROTTING AT FLEETWOOD PARK. Two trots came off at Fleetwood Park yesterday afternoon, the first being between horses that had never beaten 2:50, and the other was a sweepstaked for $600. Both races were mile heats, best three in five, in harness. There were eight entries for thd first event, seven of which came to the post. Thesd were bay stallion Dean's Hambletonian, bay ‘ing Lady Jane, gray gelding Gray Eagle, bay geldin; Fred, bay gelding Central Boy, gray mare Crazy, Jane and gray gelding Tom Wonder. Hambleto- nian was the favorite over the fleid at odds pre- vious to the start. He won the race very casily in three straight heats. ‘The sweepstakes was between chestnut gelding Teaser, Biddecome and Lady Goff. The latter was distanced the first heat. Teaser won the stake Four heats were trotted, Biddecome winning the first. The following is a ~ SUMMARY. FLEETWOOD PARK, Sept. 7.—Purse $100, for horse that have never beaten 2:50; $60 to the first, $30 the second, $10 to the third horse; mile heats, e in five, in harness, . Patterson’s b. 8. Dean's Hambletonian Owner's b. m. Lady Jane Joun Rogers’ g. g. Gray First heat Second hi Third heat. THE SECOND TROT. First Heat,.—Biddecome had the best of the star Teaser second, Lady Goff breaking up as soon at the word was given and falling of fifty yards fore sue recovered, Biddecome led throughout th heat, passing the quarter pole in forty-two seconds, | two lengths in front of Teaser. He was one lengt ahead of Teaser at the half-mile pole, in 1:24; abou the same distance in front at the three-quartet pole and came home a winner by three length: making the heat in 2:53. Lady Goff was distanced. Seer Heot.—As soon as the word was give Biddecome broke up and ran until he was fou} lengths ahead. At the quarter pole, after a succe: sion of breaks, he passed that point in forty-tw seconds, He broke again on the lower turn, an Teaser beat him a length to the half-mile pole in 1:23. Coming be the backstretch Teaser opened gap of four lengths, and, coming on, won the heat by ten lengths. Time, 2:53, Third Heat.—Biddecome had the best of the lead, but then broke several times, giving Teaser threa lengths the best of it to the quarter pole in forty. two seconds. Teaser was six iengths in front ai the half-mile pole in 1:21, and coming along stead! won the heat by half a dozen lengths in 2:50. Fourth Heat.—Biddecome broke up as soon as thi word was given, and Teaser went to the quarte pole two lengths in front in forty-two seconds. Bid- decome then cut loose into a rapid run and passe the half-mile pole six lengths ahead in 1:22, won caught him on the backstretch and beat him for lengthe in 2:53, ‘The following is SUMMA! SaME Day.—Sweepstakes $600, mile heats, best three in five, in harness. | M. McNama’s 8. g. Teaser. 11 B. Todd's b. g. Biddlecome. 1223 John Nelson's bik. m. Lady dis, First heat... Second heat.. Third heat.. Fourth heat. ANOTHER RAILROAD MURDER, Conntcan Parker, aged three years, residing 372 Tenth avenue, was accidentally ron over by Belt railroad car in Tenth avenue, between