Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, Transmitted to Congress, With the Annual Message of the President, December 4, 1883
No. 302.
Mr. West to Mr. Frelinghuysen.
Sir: I have the honor to forward herewith for your perusal copies of two reports of a committee of the privy council of Canada relative to Indian raids, which have been communicated to me by the Marquis of Lorne.
I have, &c.,
Report of a committee of the privy council for Canada, approved by the Governor-General on the 14th of June, 1883.
The committee of the privy council have had under consideration the following dispatches from Her Majesty’s minister at Washington: Dispatch No. 38, of the 19th of April, 1883; No. 41, of the 30th of April; No. 42, of the 2d May, and No. 43, of the 4th [Page 510] May, 1883, all having reference to the incursion of a hand of Canadian Cree Indians into United States territory.
The minister of the interior, to whom these dispatches were referred, states that the commissioner of the northwest mounted police has reported having recovered 25 of the stolen horses on the return of the Indians to Canada, and also having arrested, tried, and sentenced to live years’ imprisonment in the penitentiary four of the Cree Indians who were engaged in the raid upon ranchmen south of the international boundary line.
The committee advise that a copy of this minute, when approved, he transmitted to the British minister at Washington for the information of the United States Government.
Clerk Privy Council, Canada.
Report of a committee of the privy council for Canada, approved by the Governor-General on the 14th of June. 1883.
On a report dated 9th June, 1883, from the minister of the interior, transmitting a letter, under date 25th May last, from the commissioner of the northwest mounted police, together with inclosure from Superintendent A. Shurtleff, commanding the northwest mounted police at Fort Walsh, and Lieutenant-Colonel Ilges, commanding the United States troops at Fort Assinniboine, on the subject of an alleged threatened invasion of Montana by Canadian Cree Indians:
The committee recommend that your excellency be moved to transmit a copy of this minute, when approved, together with copies of the reports from the northwest mounted police to honorable Mr. Sackville West, Her Majesty’s minister at Washington, with the request that they will be forwarded to the United States Government.
Clerk Privy Council, Canada.
Colonel Irvine to Mr. White.
Regina, May 25, 1883.
Sir: I inclose herewith copy of a communication from the officer commanding United States troops at Fort Assinniboine, Montana, to Superintendent Shurtleff; also a copy of the last-named officer’s reply thereto. I further inclose copy of a communication from Superintendent Shurtleff relating to a raid made by our Indians on J. G. Baker & Co.’s herd in Montana.
I have, &c.,
Commissioner.
Major Shurtleff to Colonel Irvine.
Sir: I have the honor to inform you that on the morning of the 8th instant four men arrived here from Baker & Co.’s ranch in Montana and reported to me that a war party of Cree Indians had stolen from Baker & Co.’s cattle ranch thirty-one head of horses; that they had followed closely on their trail, and had seen ten of the war party with seventeen of the horses about ten miles south of this post. I at once sent out a party of ten men under Sergeant Patterson, with instructions to recover the horses and arrest the raiding party.
While on the way to the Cree camp, which is about thirty miles from this post, Sergeant Patterson overtook ten of the war party with twenty-three of the horses. He at once sent the Indians, under arrest, together with the horses, back to the fort. On arriving at the camp he found six more of the horses, making twenty-nine of the .thirty-one stolen. The other two the Indians said they had left on the way. The [Page 511] men were able to return the next morning with the twenty-nine head of horses, having been detained here only twenty-four hours.
I inclose a copy of a letter received from Colonel Ilges, commanding at Fort Assinniboine, concerning this and other raids, together with my answer to the same.
I have, &c.,
Superintendent, Commanding Post.
Colonel Ilges to Major Shurtleff.
Sir: I have the honor to invite your attention to the following reliable information which has reached me this a. m., and which has been forwarded by me to higher military authorities by telegram:
There are congregrated in camp at Lake Lougenine, near a small creek called Fish Creek, 22 miles east of Fort Walsh, 20 miles west of Frenchman’s Creek, 15 miles from Captain McDonald’s station in the Cypress Mountains, and within a long day’s ride from boundary line, three hundred lodges of Crees, under the leadership of Big Bear, Little Pine, and Lucky Man.
They indulge in nightly war speeches and war dances, and are urged on by these chiefs to cross the line into American territory and attack the Gros Ventres and Assinniboine Indians on Milk River, in revenge for the two Crees killed by Captain Norwood’s command on the 19th ultimo, near Wild Horse Lake. War parties are fitting out and starting daily from this camp, and a combined hostile movement of several hundred Crees is in contemplation.
My informant was in the Cree camp on the 1st and 2d of May, 1883, and heard all that was said, which he understood, he speaking the Cree language.
I have also the honor to inform you that within the last two weeks many small raiding parties of Crees have entered this Territory, and stolen from different parties on the road of travel to settlements at Box Elder Station, at Twenty-four Mile Springs, at Coal Banks, at Eagle Creek, and on Marias, many horses. The last known successful raid was made by the Crees upon the ranch of J. G. Baker & Co., on the Marias, during the night of the 5th instant, when they stole thirty-three horses; trail leading towards Cypress.
I have sent out two troops of cavalry to intercept, but fear that I am too late. In behalf of the interests of the settlers of our Territory and our friendly Indians along Milk River, I respectfully and most earnestly request you to prevent, if possible, such raids, and to inform me by courier of the facts in the case according to your knowledge.
It is very desirable for the United States authorities to ascertain beyond any doubt whether these Crees have lately collected there, their temper and talk, and what their intentions are as to revenge for the killed. If these Indians intend a raid soon, they will be across the line long before anything would or could be done by your authorities as the result of communication through official sources in Washington and Ottawa. An appeal to you is all that I can do under these circumstances to have timely effect. It is unnecessary for me to point out to you the importance of reliable information from you regarding these Indians and their intentions. That they talk vengeance against the Indians on our side of the line is to be expected; and reports, besides the one above referred to, have been received here through persons recently from the north of the line, also through Indian Agent Young, of the Piegan tribe. If a raid in large force is contemplated, I should know it at the earliest possible moment, so that steps be taken to meet the same and protect life and property. I am sure that your past kindness and prompt action warrant me in expecting of you cordial co-operation to prevent these raids, and your strongest assistance in this particular emergency. I am satisfied that you can ascertain the facts without delay, and report them to me by the courier, who has instructions to await your answer to me at your post.
I am, &c.,
Lieutenant-Colonel Eighteenth Infantry, Commanding Post.
Major Shurtleff to Colonel Ilges.
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of the 7th instant, concerning Cree raids into Montana and the contemplated combined hostile movement of several hundred Crees against your Indians south of the line.
[Page 512]That several small war parties of Crees have done a great deal of mischief in Northern Montana, I am now aware, but that they have any particular hostile feeling and contemplate a combined movement against your Indians, I assure you is not the case. Were they disposed to move in a body, they have not the means, it being impossible for them to procure sufficient ammunition.
There is a large Cree camp about 25 miles east of this post. It has always been a favorite camping place for Indians at this season of the year, as they are able to catch a great number of fish and have good feed for their horses. I am in almost daily communication with this camp, and one might think that the departure of a war party would easily be known, but such is not the case. As you are probably aware, they do not leave in a body, but quietly at night, one at a time, and then meet at an appointed place. Many small parties leave camp in that way, with very few others knowing anything about it. This will account for my not being able to warn you in time to intercept these parties. This raiding is not confined to our Indians alone, as war parties of Sioux, Assinniboines, and South Piegans have been seen in these hills, but thanks to your kindness in sending a special messenger to warn me of the approach of a war party of Piegans, the settlers and railway contractors have been able to guard against any great loss of stock, although small numbers of horses have been stolen from this country and at diiferent points along the railway. No one regrets this state of affairs more than I do, and have done everything in my power to prevent these Crees raiding across the line, as I shall continue to do.
Our Government, to prevent future raids by these Crees, has decided to send them away from these hills.
Several hundred have already been sent east by rail, and the assistant Indian commissioner is here at the present time to arrange for transportation to move all that are here to the North Saskatchewan. The Indians, knowing that they were to go, have stolen all the horses they possibly could to take with them. Fortunately we have recovered nearly all of those stolen from white men in Montana that we have any information about. Your informant was in the Cree camp soon after they had received the news that two of their people had been killed, and about that time a war party returned from the Sweet Grass Hills with two scalps they had taken from Piegans; that would account for their loud talk, their war dance, and excitement at the time.
Colonel Irvine, determined to put a stop to these Cree raids, ordered the arrest of the Indians who were engaged in the theft of Kipp’s horses. I succeeded in finding four of them, whom the colonel sentenced to five years in the Manitoba penitentiary, and had them sent there at once.
Yesterday morning four of Baker & Co.’s men overtook, about ten miles from here, six of the war party who stole their horses, and recovered 17 head of them; then came and reported the matter to me. I immediately sent out a party under Sergeant Patterson to the Big Camp, and succeeded in recovering the balance of the horses, with the exception of four, which they left on the road, and captured ten of the war party, whom Colonel Irvine on his return will probably sentence to the same term of .imprisonment that he gave the other four. This severe lesson will, I believe, have the effect to check any more contemplated raids. I shall, however, watch them closely, and give you timely warning of the departure of any great number of Indians.
Very respectfully, &c.,
Superintendent, Commanding Post.