OCR Text |
Show REPORT OF THE COMMIY8IONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. 131 AGENCIES PLACED UNDER MILITABP SURVEILLANCE. On January 6,1891, military officers were assigned to the five Sioux agencies, under the following telegraphio instructions of that date to General Miles from Major.Geuera1 Schofield: You are hereby enthoriaed under existing orders of the President to aasign Capt. E. P.Ewer8, Capt. J. M. Lee, Capt. C. A. Earneat, and Capt.F.E. Pierce to thecharge of the Indians of the several Sioux and Cheyenne agenoias, to exeroim over those I Indians such military supervision and oootrol as in your jud~rnent ia necessary, with-out interfering unueceasarily with the adminiatratition of the agents of the Indian .Boreen nuder the regulations sod instruotiona recei~ed by them from the Interior Department. It is not deemed sdriasble to detail two captains from the First In- - fantry. You will, therefore, plaeae reoommeqd another offiher in the pleoe of Cap-tain Dougherty. Also, if you need other officers in addition to those, named recom- . mend snob as yon think best qualified for that service. END OF DISTURBANCES. A few skirmishes with the Indians followed the Wounded Knee &air, but by the end of January the Indians had come into the agencies and d l serious troubles were practically ended. Soon afterward a delegation of Sioux representing the different agen-cies and fqctions visited this city, had full conference with the Secre-tary of the Interior and the Oommissioner of Indian Affairs relative to their rights and grievances, and were given an audience by the Presi-dent. It is worthy of note that theahristian Indians among the Sioux, those who had accepted the teachings of missionaries, were almost universally loyal, and in fact that the large body of the Sioux had no participation in the disturbances except to suffer from the consequences. Undonbt-edly the large number among them in the bad lands who had aban-doned their homes againsttheir own desire, and were unwilling followers of their leaders, contributed in no small degree to bringing all hostilities to an end. While the damagedone to the property of white settlers is slight, many friendly, progressive Indiaus suffered severely in the de-struction of houses, stock, and other property, a loss from which it will take them long to recover. On several occasions the office has been informed that the Sioux. oontemplated a renewal of hostilities, and very recently information was reoeived,from a source deemed reliable, that they were endeav-oring'to induce other tribes to join them in a contemplated outbreak; hut these reports prove, upon investigation, to bave but little foun-dation in fact, Although some factions among the Indians are, un-doubtedly, sullen and dissatisfied, and idle and vicious Indians have indulged in incendiary utterances, yet good feeling and satisfaction prevail almost universally on the Sioux reservations, and I do not con-sider that there are reasonable grounds for belief that any portion of the Sioux Nation of sufficient strength to be dangerous oontemplates any overt act against the Government or the settlers. |