The Arkansas advocate., 1833-02-20

liE saiilC tiilits t5IeiltSliiy nulliStluleHtA ircase ofrefnsal. In the spring of 77se9 the Indians saw fit to comply with this request; and deputation from the band visited Mackinac, with quantity of itifs, witch they considered as an e qlnivalent fer the goods which had been taken. The dePulation was received with politeness by the directors of the company, and the difficulties readily ad- justed. When this was effected, a cask of liquor, and n flag closely rolled, were presented to the Indians as a token of | liriendslip. They were at the same time strictly enjoincd neither 10 break the seal of the oask, nor to nnroiI the flag, antiI they had reached tue heart oftheir own country. This they promised to observe, but whiie returning, and after having travelled many days. the chiefof the deputation made feast Tor tic h. diaas of tie band, al Fond du Lac, Lake Superior; upon whiclloccasion, he .un- sealed the cask ard unrolIed the flag, for the gr,stiaeatiaa Of his guests. The In dians drank oI the liquor. and remained in a state of incbriatIon during several days. The rioting WAS over, and they when several Of the. party were seized uitb violent pain. This was attributed 10 the liqnor they had drank; but, the the raiu increasing, they were induced h lriuk deeper of the poisonous drug, and, in ihis inebriated state, several u the party died, before tie req! sss:..:.s uspected. Other like cases occur rcd, aud t was not long before one of Ilhe War party which had visited Mon- treal in I50, and who had narrowly cs-
 capped with his life, recognised inc dis
 case as the same which had attacked Their raft5 at that time. It proved to he so; and Of those Indians then at
 Fond dn Lac, {abont three hundred m number) nearly tho whole were swept of by 1t. Nor did t stop here, for nnmbers.of those at Fond du Lac, at l he lime tie disease ,as.tits it's appear anee, look refuge among the nclgflbor- ing b;4,,ds; and although t did not ex- lend easterly on Lake Superior, it Is be- l5eved that not q single band ol Chippe-
 was, noIth or west from Foud du Lac, escaped ils ravages. Of large band then resident at Cass Lake, near the sonrcelofth Mississippi river, only one
 person, | child, escaped. The others having been attacked by the disease, d.
 ed before any opportunity for dispensing
 was offered. The Indians, al this day,
 arc firmly Of the opinion that the small
 pox was, ;it this time, communicated through the articles presented 10 their brethrenby tho agent Of the fur compa- ny at hIackinac; and that it was done for the purpose of punisi,ing them more severely for their offences.
 "'phe most western bands of Chippe-
 was relats q singular allegory of the in- tFoductiowof tie small pox ir,to their country, by a war party returning ilon. l the piains of the Missouri, as peasly as Information will euable me to judgr, in the year I7ss. It does not appear that
 at this time, the disease extended to the
 bands cast of Fond du Lac; but 1t Is lrepresented 10 have been extremely ia-
 sssl s those bsaass north iia est there. ..la 1892 or 2, inc small pox made its lappearance among the Indians residing at the Sault Ste. Marie, but didnot ex- tend to the bands west from that place. i The disease was introduced ny d yoy- ager, in the employ of the Northwest Fur Company, who had just returned from Montreal; and although all com mnnieation with him was pronibised, an Indian iaprndentl having made him q visit, was infected with, and transmitted lthe disease, 10 others of the band.
 When once communicated, it ragged with great violence, and ofa largo band, scarcely one of those tiien at the village. survived; and the unbaried bones still lrenaain, marking theeituation they oc- Icupied. From this band, the infection was communicated to band residing
 npoa sI. Joseph's island, and many died |of if; but the surgeon of the military post Then there, succeeded, y jadicious and early measures, in checking it be- fore the infection became general.
 eln 1891, the small pox again made its appearance among the Indians al the ISnult Sic. Marie. It wns communi- ] leateel hy n poYaper to Indians ,lDon Drnmmo:::::s.. E E ;;slansl, Lake Huron, and through them several families at Sauit Ste. Marie became infected, Ofthose