Democratic Sentinel, Volume 14, Number 41, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 November 1890 — AN AWFUL SLAUGHTER. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

AN AWFUL SLAUGHTER.

one; of the bloodiest pictures IN THE BOOK OF TIME.

The Most Tragic Cliap'e’ tn the History of the Northwest —The Minnesota Indian Massacre of 1863. an.l the Swift Punishineat of the Guilty Indians—Causes of the Uprising-Awful Scenes Enacted A Memorable Trial-Conviction of the Culprits—A Wholesale Execution—Death of Little trow.

N the month of August, 1862, the Indians of Minnesota initiated a massacre i which will live in ' the pages of history as one of the bloodiest scenes in all the mighty conflicts that marked the advance of the white race across our continent. Occurring, as it did, in the midst of the great civil war, at a time when vast armies were contending on sanguinary

battle-fields, and President Lincoln was calling for “six hundred thousand more,” what wonder that the uprising of the Sioux in the then far Northwest attracted, outside the localities that suffered or were menaced, but a passing notice? The events of those dreadful days

have not lacked careful historians, yet few of the present generation know much, if anything, of one of the “Bloodiest pictures on the book of Time,” as the awful slaughter of the whites and the subsequent defeat and punishment of the fiends may properly be termed.

The subject is not a pleasing one, nor has it lost much of Its hideousness by the lapse of nearly, three decades, yet--11 s consideration cannot fail to Interest all readers, ind cause them to rejoice that the long-discussed Indian question” is at

last well-nigh settled, and that similar dreadful scenes are not likely to again occur in our land. It would be pleasing to be able to re-

cord that too savages were solely responsible for that blood-curdling tragedy. But what use to write, unless to tell the truth? Seldom has the white man—never, perhaps, except in isolated cases—treated the red man in a fair and equitable manner. Minnesota was organized as a territory in 1849, and the emigration rapidly settling upon the eastern side of the Mississippi River began to encroach upon the fertile country opposite. So, in 1851, the Indians were induced to sign treaties by which they transferred to the United States over 30,000,000 of acres,

embracing all their lands in lowa, Dakota and Minnesota, except a tract along the Upper Minnesota, which they reserved for their future home. This tract began below Fort Ridgely and extended 150 miles to Lake Traverse, with a width of ten miles on both sides of the river. The treaty contained a provision by which this reservation was also to be ceded and the Indians located where the President might appoint. By a treaty made in 1858 they ceded to the Government all that portion nortn of the river, retaining the remainder.. It is the custom of the traders who know that the Indians will ultimately sell their lands, to give them credit for supplies, holding a claim against the proceeds of the sale. This was done largely in the present instance, and the traders, by means of many false representations as to the vast wealth the Indians would receive, and also by refusing them further credit unless they voted to

sell, were largely fnstrupiental tn bringing about the transfer. In this way a large amount of fraudulent claims were established, and just ones multiplied In amount. Of the money due the Indians under the

treaties of 1851 and 1852, $400,000 were paid the traders on old accounts. Besides, many of the stipulations as to establishing schools and furnishing farming implements were never carried out. Under the treaty of 1858 they were to be paid $166,000, but of this amount they

never received a penny until four years afterward, when $15,000 worth of goods were sent the Sioux, and these wore deducted out of money due them under former treaties. Thus a long series of wrongs, coupled with want amounting almost to starvation, had rendered the Indians desperate. and on Sunday, the 17th of August, 1862, the work of murder began. Four Indians killed as many whites, and then made haste to join their band. Little Crow, an influential chief who-Jiad been several times in Washington in the interests of the Sioux, was at once consulted. He knew the vast strength of the whites, and would, no doubt, have advised the surrender of the murderers were it not that he had been accused of acting in the interests of the whites against his people, and had thereby lost much of his influence. He now saw a chance to regain his lost power, and as, in common with all Indians, he hated the whites, he advised a general massacre. “Trouble with the whites is inevitable, sooner or later,” ho said. “It may as well come now. lam with you. Let us go to the ageriey. kill the traders, and tike their goods,” This advice was at once acted upon; runners wore S'nt out to call in the bfaves, and an awful slaughter was begun which extended along both sides of the Minnesota River to within six miles of the town of New Ulin. Many were put to death, and that by the most cruel methods that the ingenuity of demons could devise. Children were nailed alive to doors and used as targets at which to throw tomahawks: many were burned alive in houses; while,if possible,still more inhuman and unnatural crimes were perpetrated by these veritable fiends. That week an attack was made upon New Ulm and ( Fort Ridgely, but the Indians were driven off with considerable loss on both sides, Little Crow being wounded. The uprising had now become general and extended through the whole western frontier of Minnesota, and into lowa and Dakota. During the first week not less than 700 people perished, while 209 more were carried away as captives. In the meantime, the excitement cannot be described. AU who could hurried toward the largo towns, numbers falling on the -way. While the awful panic developed not a little selfishness and cowardice, it furnished many instances of devotion and endurance,

Many lost their lives in trying to save their friends, while not a few suffered martyrdom rather than abandon wounded and dying loved ones. Mrs Estlick’s son Barton, not ten years old, and his brother, aged five, having been separated from their mother, arrived at the settlements several days afterward. Barton alternately led and carried his little brother a distance of eighty miles. Such an act of heroism and devotion on the part ofumeof such tender years deserves to be keptugreen in our memories. Threeeorripanies of the Fifth Minnesota Infantry, just organized for service in the Union army, were rendezvoused at Fort Snelling to draw supplies to fit them for service at the front, when news of the uprising arrived. The first courier who galloped into the fort, wellnigh exhausted from his hard ride and the attendant excitement, was unable to give an intelligible account of what had transpired, and whs taken in charge ao

either drunker tnsare. Within an hear, hour, however, a second courier arrived with confirmation of the first awful account The Governor of the State, Alexander Ramsey, selected ex-Governor Henry H. Sibley to take command of an expedition against the Indians. He was well qualified for the perilous mission, having spent many years among the Sioux as a trader, speaking their language and knowing what could be expected of them. One week after the first outbreak. Col. Sibley was at St. Peter with 1,400 mien. This seemed a large force, and would have been so regarded were it not for the uncertainty of the whereabouts of the red enemy and their peculiar mode of warfare. On Sunday, the 31st day of August, Col. Siblev started out from Fort Ridgely a burial and scouting party under the command of Major Joseph R. Brown, whose family had been made captives by the Indians. The expedition numbered 153 men all told, of whom a considerable number were teamsters, with ninety-six horses, and a good supply of camp equipage and provisions. The first day about fifty murdered citizens were discovered and buried. Early the next morning they came upon the lifeless and scalped bodies of Captain Marsh and about thirty men who had been sent out on a relief expedition a few days before. They seem to have been surprised and fired upon from all sides'. They were buried by their comrades in one long grave, which was marked by a large wooden cross. On the night of the Ist of September, “Old Joe,” as Major Brown was affectionately called, ordered his command to go into camp in a gorge near the now thriving village of Birch Coolie, about sixteen miles from Fort Ridgely. Major Brown, who had great knowledge of the Indians, believed that all was well, and the men, with the exception of the guards, went to sleep. Slqmber is heaviest just before daybreak, and it is then that Indians generally make an attack. The guard well understood this, and were on the alert. Suddenly, about four o’clock, a watchful sentinel saw and fired upon a moving object. In an instant the camp was aroused. All sprung to their feet, and received a deadly cross-fire from not less than 300 rifles, mostly double-barreled, in the hands of their stealthy, fiendish enemies, the Sioux. Soon all who had not been killed or disabled by the first fire, broke for the wagons, from the doubtful shelter of which a brisk fire was returned. Almost immediately a discovery was made which sent a thrill of dismay through the hearts of the bravest of the “raw recruits. ” A mistake had been made in the ammunition; the cartridges were all of too large a caliber for the muskets, and not more than twenty rounds of the proper size remained for each man. The men fell to work whittling down the bullets with their knivo-, in the mean time firing occasionally to keep up a show of fighting. Only one shovel and one pick could be found, and these, together with knives, spoons, and bayonets, were used to dig intrenchments. A strong but losing fight was maintained, and by 10 o’clock sixty men were killed or wounded, and ninety-five out of the ninety-six horses were dead. The latter no doubt saved the command from annihilation, since their bodies were used as a barricade. For twenty-four hours longer the

brave men fought on, but with less loss now. At 10 o’clock on the morning of September 3 the gleam of rifles was seen in the distance, and the savages sullenly withdrew before the advance of a relief party which had been sent from Fort Ridgely, where the firing, thanks to the favorable direction of the wind, had been heard. Taking into account the small number engaged, the battle of Birch Coolie was one of the hottest fought during the period of the civil war. Of the 153 whites, twenty-three were killed and forty-five severely wounded, while very few escaped altogether uninjured. When relieved they had been thirty-one hours without either food or water, and were almost exhausted. There were many'wonderful escapes from death. A. P. Connolly, Adjutant of the Sixth Minnesota Infantry, who was present, mentions the case of a woman, the only one of a party who had escaped with her life, though badly wounded with buckshot. She had been twelve days without food, other than berries, when she was found by Maj. Brown’s expedition. During the awful thirty-six hours of the seige she remained in the wagon where she had been placed, praying for her deliverers. The wagon was riddled with bullets, but, strange to say, she was struck by none of them. She ultimately entirely recovered. On the 18th of September the camp at Fort Ridgely was broken up, and the expedition, disgusted with its long inactivity, started on its march after the foe. On the morning of Sept. 23 the enemy were encountered at Wood Lake. The Indians were sanguine of success, but were badly beaten, the white loss being four killed and about forty wounded. Colonel Sibley sent out word to the Indians that if they would come in, no innocent, man would be harmed; and in a short time all except Little Crow and his most desperate followers were within reach and encamped near Lac qui Parle. Colonel Sibley encamped with his forces about half a mile from the Indians, at Camp Release, so called because 'the captives were released there. These, to the number of about two hundred and fifty were at once set free. A large number of Indians wore made prisoners and a commission appointed io try them. The remainder were sent down to Yellow Medicine Agency. An inquiry developed the fact that almost the entire nation had been involved in tho outbreak, and the bravos at the Agency wore quietly discovered and made prisoners. A number of half-breeds were among tho accused, and one negro, or mulatto, named Godfrey or Gussa, to whom the Indians had given he name

of Otaklfl, 1. e., “he who kills many.” He was the-first one tried. He was sentenced to death, but upon the recommendation of the commission, his sentence was commuted by President Lincoln to imprisonment l for ten years. He rendered the prosecuttom great service upon many of the trials, testifying in a number of cases, He is said to be still living on a Missouri reservation - . Over four hundred prisoners oi all ages, from 15 to 80, were tried, and of these three hundred and three were convicted. Their sentences varied from death down to one year’s imprisonment. Finally, after considerable thirtyeight of them were ordered to be executed at Mankato, on the 26th day of February, 1863. A few of the condemned Indians acknowledged their guilt, but for the most part they maintained their innocence. Clergymen, both Protestant and Catholic, labored with them and succeeded in converting and baptising quite a number. They were allowed to send for some of their relatives, with whom their parting was quite affecting. On the morning of the fatal day their irons were removad and their arms bound with cords, their elbows behind and their wrists In front. Then, long white muslin caps were placed on their heads, but left rolled up so as to show their painted faces. During this operation, which consumed over an hour, several exciting death songs were’Sung. At exactly 10 o’clock the condemned men wore formed into a procession and marched into the street and directly across from the jail, between files of soldiers, to the long scaffold which had been erected there. As they commenced the as?ent of the scaffold, they started the death song again, and made a perfectly hideous noise, which had a wonderful effect in keeping up their courage. Then the white caps were drawn down, the nooses adjusted, and, in the presence of a vast concourse of people, Major Brown gave a drum three distinct taps, a rope was cut, and the thirty-eight redhanded murderers shot simultaneously downward to a most righteous doom. As the platform fell, a long though not loud cheer went up from soldiers and citizens, and silence reigned over the awful scene. Another such wholesale hanging has never taken place in America, and perhaps not in the civilized world. The next summer Gen. Sibley drove the hostile Sioux from the State, killing over one hundred of them in the process. The number of whites killed in 1862 was 737, of whom 644 were citizens, massacred. Little Crow continued his depredations, killing a good many whites the next spring, actually venturing within twelve miles of St. Paul. July 3, 1863, while picking berries near the town of Hutchinson, ho was shot and killed by two men named Sampson, father and son. Little Crow was one of the brightest and bravest of all the Sioux. His name had become a synonym for terror in Minnesota, and news of his death wasreceived amid universal rejoicing.

DWIGHT BALDWIN.

GRAVE OF THE VICTIMS OF THE SLAUGHTER.

BATTLE OF BIRCH COOLIE.

COL. SIBLEY.

LITTLE CROW.

WHOLESALE INDIAN EXECUTION.

INTERIOR OF INDIAN JAIL.