OCR Text |
Show though no increase were made in the amount appropriated. The good already accomplished by the police, even with imperfect organization 1 and inadequate pay, shoilld be all the argument necessary to insure anoh legislation as will enable the office to establish it at every agency on a permanent basis. The practical workings of the system are clearly set forth in the fol-lowing extract from a report of Agent McGillycnddy, of the Pine Eidge Agency, Dakota: On assuming charge of tho agonoy in Maroh, 1870, I found that no foroe had been organized, the failwe to do so being out of deference to the feelings of Chief Ked Cloud and some of his ooar\jutors, both red and white. After severs1 n~outhsof the moat emphatic refwd on the part of the chief8 to allow the enlisting of their young men, and varied opposition on the part of ha,lf-breeds and "squaw-men," I succeeded in or-ganizing the force in the month of August. The lLsq~~aw-mehna"v e in the past exeroised a verv nowerful control over the Sionx Indians, and it can therefore be I ~ ~~ ~ ". easily nnderstaod why thoy 80 strongly opposed t l ~ ien troduotion of the Indian police svstem. as it laced in the hands of t,he government a deteotive and controlling agenos that tin easiiy thwart them in any plaGs they may form. The chiefs' opposition wms partly from the inatructions of these "squaw-men;" also becau~eth ey naturally dis-like any innovation, and because it put a pone? in the hands of the government and agent, indegendent of themselves, and over whioh they e o ~ ~nlodt exercise the slight-eat control. The Indian nolice force at this agency consists of fifty members, all Indians : one i - . captain, two lieutenants, ten nergeents and corporals, and the balance privaten. Tlre force is in charge of one of the white employ&, who also act8 as deputy United States 1 marshsl. There is a180 attached to the force one meeial deteot,ive and one specid iil-terpreter. The members- are all armed with the field ilnd harp's Annfoarbine, kindly loaned the agency by General Sheridan, U. 8. A. L The diseiplineof the foroe is excellent, failure to obey an order being follnved by immediate diamiasal. It is made upof the beat young men of the t.ribe, many of them being members of the native soldier organization. There are also enlisted two chiefs, White Bird and Lit,tle Bi-e Man.. the l atter being a Northern Indian, and havin-g taken a prominent part with Sitting Bmll in the Big Horn campaign of 1878, afterwards sur- , rendcring at the agenoy with Crazy Horse. A member of the force is on duty all night s t the coard-house. making the rollnds of tho government buildings at inintervals of M- - I teen or thirty minutes, which precludes the posribility of government supplies being surreptitiously mule way riith. The police force llrsve rentlrtred varied and very va1uable and important service dur-ing the past year. Over thirty white men have been arrested by them ; some rene-gndes from justice from other States and Territories, and who have been turned over to thn proper officida on their arrival for them; some for stealing Indian horses, in-troducing liquors on the reservation, trading for annuity-goods, lareeny, &a,, orimaa against the United States statutes, and who, after a hearing before Chief Clerk Alder, who is a United States commissioner, have been committed, and have mawered for their offenses before the United States court at Deadwood, Dak. St,ill others have been arrested for intoxication and minor offensee, infractions of agenoy regulations, and having beenoonvioted beforean improvised police oourt.,hhiwe been fined or impris-oned temporarily in the agency guard-house. In Bddition the polioe have rendered valuable general service in caring for govern-ment property, Indian stock, preventing introduotion of liquor, &c., and arresting re-turning "Sitting Bull" Indians, and preventing the departure north of smbitious young bnoks from the agenor, should they feel so inclined. Situated as the agenoy is, in close proximity to the ever-increasing white settlements, i t would he impracticable and almost impossible to coi~duott l~iaa genoy without t h i ~ 1 |