Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1838-03-21
SMALL Pox AMONG THE INDIANS, Ez-
Iraef from letter from MAJOR Pitcher,

y
dated St. Louis, Feb. 27.' 1888.
Sir:-Haying received authentic in
formation from the remote region of the
Upper Missouri. of a highly important
character, deem it my duty to commu-
nlcate it without delay, though not entire
Ely applicable to my own agency, having,
as conceive it does, bearing upon Mr..
Harrls's letter of the 1 th ultino. g..
II appears that the effects of lie SMALL
pox among most of the Indian tribes of
the Upper Missouri surpass all former
scourges, and that the country through
which it has passed is literally depopulat-
ed, and converted into one great grGre-
gard. The Mandans, consisting of L.
600 souls, had been reduced by the LIST of
October last, to thirty-one persons. The
eros Ventres, or Minetarees, a tribe about
1000 strong, took thedisease month lat
er than their neighbors, the Mandans.
One-half had persisted, and the disease
was still raging. They, no doubt, shar-
ed the same fate with the Mandans. The
Ricaras, who bad recently Joined the last
named tribes, and numbered about three
thousand, were most of them out on a
hunting excursion when the disease broke
out among the Mandans, and consequent
Iy received it something later. One half
of them had fallen, and the disease was
raging with undated fury, not more than
one out of fifty recovering from it.
Most of those that survived subsequent
ly committed suicide, despairing. l sup
pose, at the loss of friends, and the chang
es wrought by the disease in their per-
sons-some by shooting, others by stab
bling, and some by throwing themselves
from the high precipices along the Mis-
souri,. The great band of Assinneboins,
say 10000 strong, and the Crees, num-
bering about 5000, have been almost an
INITIATED and, notwithstanding all the
precaution used by the gentlemen engag-
ed in the trade of that remote region to
Blackfeet of the Rocky Mountains a
band of 1000 lodges had been swept off,
and the disease was rapidly spreading
among the different bands of that great
tribe, numbering, / think, about 10000
souls. / have no doubt bat the predic.
lions contained in my letter of the 9th
uItimo will be fully realized and all the
Indians on the Columbia river, as far as
the Pacific ocean, will share the fate Of
those before alluded 10.
GEN WILLIAM CLARK,
Superintendent Indian Affairs.
This is a melancholy statement We
!. take from the red men their fertile lands
and give them in exchange rum and the
: small -pox-the two most abhorrent scour
q ges of The human race. That it was BY
e the agency of white men the Indians re
Z ceived the disease, is shown by the follow
r ing statement, from the St. Louis Com
4 mercial Bulletin.-N. Y. Spec.
The circumstances under which tn
r disease was introduced are these In TIT
, latter part Of April last, Messrs. Pratte
b Chouteau g. Co. started their steamboat
8; the ST. Peters, with supplies for their va
5 rious trading posts on the Upper Nilsson
Z! about 1000 miles above St. Louis, having
on board, at the same time. the annuit,
goods due from the Government to
e number Of tribes on that river. Whel
g the boat arrived at the Black Snake Hills
e trading post sixty miles above For
Il Leavenworth, and about 500 miles abov
l. 81. Louis, there was mulatto man Oh
d board, who became affected with wha
d was then supposed to be the measles, bu
}; by the time the boat reached the agencv
at for Council Bluffs, where the annuitie
l. for several tribes were deliverable, it wa
n ascer,ained to be a case Of small pox, and
:, as matter of course, had been commu
n nicated to others on board, though the
j. had not vet experienced its effects.
The boat was then far advanced int
l. the Indian country, had passed severe
'r tribes, with whom it was not practicable
" under the circumstances, to prevent a
a intercourse, some of whom had no doul
lie taken the disease; and it must be obviou
N to every individual at all acquainted wit
the situation and wandering habits of a
to the Indians in that region, that no huma
OF efforts could have checked the progress
ne the disease or prevent it from being con
d, municated to the different bands, whe
e. once introduced among single tribe.
~ We learn from the Harrisburgh paper
al that the "Bank Bill" as it is terme
as finally passed the lower House of ii
Legislature Of Pennsylvania on Frida
he by a vote Of Sc to 40. The bill maxi
nd the stockholders Of banks. etc. personal
10 liable to an amount equal to their stock
he compels all the banks in the State to r
ceive each others notes at par; proVd
tor the resumption Of specie payments
on the 10th of May; prohibits the circu!
OIL ton of small notes under severe psnaIti
of fines and Imprisonment; enacts that
ty, notes shall be issued or circulated lie