The Indians of the Pike's Peak Region: Including an Account of the Battle of Sand Creek, and of Occurrences in El Paso County, Colorado, during the War with the Cheyennes and Arapahoes, in 1864 and 1868Howbert, Irving
History
The Indians of the Pike's Peak Region: Including an Account of the Battle of Sand Creek, and of Occurrences in El Paso County, Colorado, during the War with the Cheyennes and Arapahoes, in 1864 and 1868
Howbert, Irving
El Paso County, Colo. -- History; Indians of North America -- Colorado; Sand Creek Massacre, Colo., 1864
As showing their contempt for the army, I saw upon more than one of the
Indian tents that we captured at Sand Creek rude paintings portraying
their fights with the soldiers of the United States Army. In every case
the soldiers were running at the top of their speed, pursued by Indians
who were firing at them and scalping those who had been killed. The
Indians knew no law, nor did the Government attempt to teach them any.
From the first they were permitted to go on year by year educating their
young in savagery, while at the same time the agents of the Government
were dealing dishonestly with them; and in every case it was the frontier
settler who had to pay the penalty.
The savages soon found out that they could kill the whites, steal or
destroy their property throughout the summer, and then upon their
professing penitence, the Government would permit them to remain
unmolested during the winter and at other times would make a treaty of
peace with them and give them large quantities of annuities. After this,
they could rest in security until their ponies were in condition to start
upon the war-path again the following spring. Was there ever anything
in the history of the dealings of any nation with its savage neighbors
more absurd or more disreputable? The period I have referred to was
certainly a "Century of Dishonor," not only because of the attitude of
the Government in its dealings with the Indians, but in the treatment of
those of its own people who were opening up frontier lands for settlement.
The Indians could have been easily handled had the Government studied
their nature and formulated a system of laws for their control, compelling
them to regard the rights of the whites as well as of their neighboring
tribes, and had at the same time protected them from wrongs perpetrated
upon them by thieving and disreputable white men; in short, have treated
them with justice in all things, and have required the same from them in
their dealing with the whites. Had this policy been pursued, it would
have been of infinite benefit to the Indians, and would have saved
the lives of thousands of white men along the frontier settlements. In
this connection, I assert, from my personal knowledge, that more than
ninety-five per cent. of the frontier settlers treated the Indians with
the utmost fairness and used every possible endeavor to avoid difficulties
with them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
The Indians of the Pike's Peak Region: Including an Account of the Battle of Sand Creek, and of Occurrences in El Paso County, Colorado, during the War with the Cheyennes and Arapahoes, in 1864 and 1868 — John Shaqi
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