The Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1849-1855, 1851-01-16

from this city, went up the Sound, last week,
upon short hunting and fishing excursion. Ar
irving about clock one evening, at Little Neck
Bay, they looked about for some one to take
charge of their boat. Chance threw in their way
an elderly gentleman of color, whom they re-
quested IN the politest manner possible, to secure
the boat The ''darkie'' hesitated a moment,
and after a careful survey of the party whose ap-
pearance certainly was rather suspicious, and
strongly suggestive Of kidnapping, he scratched
his wool, and said, ''Cuess massa, nell hab
nothing o do wild dat ere boat"
(Commuacaitedf for the Minnesota Pioneer.l
General Fletcher and the Winnie bag 0
Agency.
Mn. GooDHUE, SiR:-- Your neighbor ofthe
Chronicle and Register, in recent number
Ously into error, in his remarks concerning
General Fletcher, the Agent for the Win
nebago Nation of Indians. He is most
grossly, (but would fain believe, unwit-
tingly) unjust towards that public officer;
and he totally msconceives Gen. F.'s char
acter as man, and his standing as an Agent
Of the government.
| am not the political friend of Mr..
Fletcher, and was not even acquainted with
him until quite recently; and let me confess
here, before l go farther, that the clamor
raised about hini, by its steady aud long
repetition, notwithstanding it was totally
unaccompaned by particle of evidence,
had Influenced not little even, my own
feelings to Judge harshly ofhim, rather than
in his favor. Circumstances, however, with
in few weeks past, threw me into posi-
tiun to observe his actions with my own
eyes, to Judge Of his past conduct by per-
sonal observation, to form a pretty accurate
estimate of the motives which governed him
in his management Of the Office, and to be
able to collect, also, the opinions of people
in tf1i. upper country, foes as well as
friends, who for two or three years have
had constant opportunities of watching his
operations and mode of doing business.
Passing along from St. Paul to Fort
Gaines, through Benton county, frequent
iy heard the Winnebago Agency appoint
ment mooted; and the probability of the ru-
nored change, discussed. | heard many
people express their sentiments about Gen.
Fletcher; and sought for my own satisfac-
ton, to draw them out, so as il possible, to
obtain the truth regarding him, before
went to Long Prairie, where | designed
spending few weeks. Among those whom
heard speak about Gen. Fletcher, were
some Of his most determined enemies-who
for interested reasons were nervously anx-
ious for his removal And what think you
was the cause of this anxiety? Because,
they said, s'Geu. Fletcher was too good an
gent for the Indians; and no white man
could make much money off them, while
he was in the country" Others alleged.
that "FIetcher was TOO hard in his contracts
and would not allow fair compensation
for work done;" and others again said that
''the General would fight harder for Indi-
ans, and 60 further to defend them in any
thing, than he would for whites" And to
this tenor was the general cry. To my
questions, whether they thought, or sus-
pected even, that Gen. F. was guilty of
anything like speculation off the Indians
himself, or indirectly permitted Others to do
it, | did not meet with n single response
that was no. decidedly in the negative
The General was evidently regarded, uni
yersally, as being like Casar's wife, above
even suspicion on that score, nevertheless,
| saw that the Agent was quite "unpopu
lar" and that many wished him removed,
and that he was in particular bad odour with
the whiskey traders.
began now-to use a familiar phrase
'fto smell the rat, and to imagine that Gen
IS ''proceedings" were not so very ''bad"
after ali, when the only sins which ap-
peared to make him unpopular, were doing
his duty by his Indians, protecting them
against fraud, or fav oritsm in contracts,
and acting truly as their Guardian and
"Father," as he was appointed to be.
Iproceeded OH to Long Prairie. had
letter to the Agent on business, and so made
his acquaintance. Few handsomer spots
than the Agency location, have 1"@":: tall
en- under my eye. But though / admired
what Nature's hand had done, was not sur
prised at this new evidence of her liberality
to our northern cline. But will tell you
what dad fill me with the deepest but most
pleasurab!e astonishment, especially, after
all the camor | heard, and half believ a
bout the miserable condition as we'll as mis-
erablc country ef the Winnebagoes; it was,
that though in its winter dress, and covered
with snow, there lay before me the largest
and best improved farm in the Territory
of Minnesota; and that wonderful amount
of labor had been affected in very short
space of time, (655 acres under fence, besides
the unenclosed hay lmeadows,) taking into
view that all the Improvements have been
made since August. 104S, when the first
blow was struck into what was then the
wilderness, difficult TO penetrate, nay, al
most inaccessible. | looked around for the
lodges and wigwams of the Indians, but |
beheld few or none except those of Chippe-
wa straggers instead, saw scattered over
the plain, about fifty log houses-uot hu,s
nor swine houses in size and workmanship
but neat, substantial structures; a story
and a half high, with two, three and four
rooms, Zone house, the chief, Little SKIS
with six rooms, besides out houses each
located with FIVE or ten acre lot around it,
some with stables and wood houses; with
wells scattered about at convenient inter-
walls. These, was told, were the Indian
dnellings,- the houses in which the Win
nebagoes lived, or which saw they were
anxious to live in, 10y their daily application
to the Agent, in my presence, 10 have then,
built or finished for them. Every dwelling
too, found on examination, was furnished
with a cooking store, as good as any person
uses in St. Paul, and underneath, root Gel
lars held their winters stock of potatoes of
their own raising, some having as high as
100 bushels, besides other vegetables
Nearly every family or house. owns either
one or two horse sled, which the Agent
has caused to be made. besides furnishing
them with harness; and the men, instead OF
the women packing it, are thus enabled TO
. L