Letter from W.G. Ewing to William Medill, May 19 1847: Sheet #12

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for having forced them to move from their fine hunting grounds into the miserable regions, where they now are. I will name the Pottawotomis Sacs & Foxes & Winnebagos, who I think have some of this feeling, then there are the Osages, the Kaws, Pawnees, Iowas, Delawares & Sioux & the Otoes & others, of the Western Tribes, who are practical free booters and now, that there is such a favourable opportunity for rolling & killing stragglers on the plains I fear you will learn of frequent outrages of this kind. Murders (by some unknown hands) occur very frequent now west of this state and I observe that a systematic land [illeg] is spoken of for the present season on the plains.

A Mr. Colburn a very worth citizen of this city was murdered recently near the state line, he was on his return from Santa Fe. His body has been found, he was shot through the Head.

I will here remark with all due deference to the better opinion of others, that in my judgement it will be injudicious, to destroy the influence of the Chief & head men in the way indicated in the late act for the "better management" of the tribes. It is alone through this controulling influence of the Head men, and the cooperation of the traders that your local agents & other offices manage & govern these Tribes. I distrust the expediency of destroying that influence by breaking and degradeing the chiefs & Headmen in their several nations.

If done I should not wonder if you have employment for some Dragoons on the Western Prairies. This however might [accelerate] the humane efforts of the