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Show 128 REPORT OF TEE COMMISSIOBER OF'INDIAB AFFAIRS. I the situation to him and ask his advice as to the wisdom of calling for troops. October 24,1890, this office recommended that the War Department be requested to cause Sitting Bull, Circling Hawk, Black Bird, and Cir- . , cling Bear to be confined in some military prison, and to instruct the - proper military authorities to be on the alert to discover any suspicious , movements of the Indians of the Sioux agencies. ! Early in November reports received from the agents at Pine Ridge, Rosebud, and Cheyenne River showed that the Indians of those agen- i ' . oies, especially Pine Ridge, ,were arming themselves and taking a 1 defiant att,itude towards the Government and its representatives, com-mitting depredations, and likely to go to other excesses, and Novem-ber 13 thisoffice recommended that the matter be submitted to the War Department, wit'h request that such prompt action be taken to avert an outbreak as the emergency might be found by them to demand. On that day the President of the United States addressed the follow-ing oommunication to the Secretary of the Interior: Replyiog to your several oolumunicrstians in regard to the aondition of the Indians at the Sioux and Cheyenne sgenoies, I beg to say that some days ago I directed the WmDspartmeut to sand an omcer of high rank to investigate tho situation and to report upon it from a military standpoint. General Roger. I understand, has been a-igoed to that duty, and is now probably at, or on his way to, those egenoies. I ham to-day directed the Secretary of War to assume a military responsibility for the suppression of any threatened outbreak, end to take suoh steps ss may be necessary . to that nnd. In the meantime, I suggest that you advise y o ~ a~gre nts to separate the well-disposed from the ill-rliilposed Indians, and while maintaining their oontrol and diseipliue so far as may bepossible, to avoid foraiog sny issue that will result in an outbreak, nuotil suitable military prepllrations can be made. November 15 Agent Royer sent to this office the following telegram from Pine Ridge : Indians are daneing in the suow and are wild and orssy. I have fully informed yon that employ6s and Government property at this agenoy have no protection and are at the mercy of these dancers. Why delay hg further investigcutioo 9 W e need proteo-tion, and we need it now. The leaders should be arrested and confined in some mili-tary post until the matter is quieled, and this should be done at once. ARRIVAL OF MILITARY. A military force under @en. John R. Brooke, consisting of five com-panies of iufautry, three troops of cavalry, and one Hotchkiss and one Gatliug gun, arrived at Pine Ridge November 20, 1890. Two t,roops of cavalry and six companies of infantry were stationed at Rosebud. Troops were ordered to other agencies until finally nearly half the infantry and cavalry of the U. S. Army were concentrated upon the Sionm reservations. When the troops reached Rosebud about 1,800 Indians-men, women, and childreu-stampeded toward Pine Ridge and the bad lands, destroying their own property before leaving and that of others en route. On December 1,1890, in accordance with Department instructions, the foll~wingo rder was sent to the Sioux agents: Doring the present Indian troubles you are instruated that while you shall oon- |