The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1853-03-26
THE MINI ESOTIAN
saiut Yaul, sataraag, Nurtb 81, 1853.
The Conclusion of the Whole Matter--The Con-
spirators convicted by their own Witnesses!

Robertson, editor of the Democrat of this place,
acting in concert with Mr.. Sweetscr, and
along with sundry hungry and small politi-
clans of st. Paul charged an honorable pubic
officer of Cav. Ramsey character and stand
ing, with taking the money rightfully peiohs-
ing to the Sioux Indians, and fraudulcntiy pay
ing it out, without their consent, to their trad
ers, principally to the Hon. II. Ii. Sibley;
whom they likewise charged with abetting the
alleged fraud and receiving and retaining the
money which they said he knew did not belong
to him. And when. in answer to these allega-
tions. we stated, among other things that be-
fore being paid, every trader had proved his ac-
count by making oath thereto, the allied gang
replied through the Democrat by imputing
perjury to honorable men, such as Sibley,
Dousman, Steele, Mckenzie, Martin Mcleod
and others, whose integrity was endorsed
by every previous action of their lives.
With the subsequent discussions, growing
out of the Democrat crusade against the rcpu-
tatioR of Gov. Ramsey and Delegate II. II.
Sibley, our readers must be quite familiar. In
these discussions. they have no doubt noticed,
as we have, that when the documentary evidence
compelled an abandonment or modification
Of feature after feature and count after count Of
the original infamous charges, their few street
partizans and their own press. had nothing to
bolster up their desperate case, except hint
that they had testimony, laid before the nation
nj government for its action and decision, that
was overwhelming in its proofs.-unanswcrablc
in its facts.
1t will here be recollcctcd, how frequently
this paper dared the conspirators to produce
all their testimony, such as it was-inviting
them to spread before the public eye their
whole record, and not a few of its garblcd pa
ges. Had love for abstract justice and truth.
as they pretended, actuated them, instead of
manifest sinister motives, they would have
kept nothing back-nothing secrct-nothing
hidden. But entire publicity did not suit
these two petty knaves, Robertson and Sweet
ser. The motives actuating the latter are well
known; and as for Robertson, he was too uny
ious to prejudice the mind of the incoming adj
ministration against Gov. r. to secure an early
vacancy in the Office, which events have since
proved he greedily coveted-and too anxious
to destroy Mr.. Sibley as a probable and formid-
able competitor,-to forego the advantages of
letting his precious testimony-his fraudulent
stock in trade-see daylight at less distance
than 1000 miles from the place of its origin, at
which, if known, it might so easily be counter
acted and overthrow, instanter.
For these reasons, therefore, the getting up
of certain papers here, by Robertson & Co., in
December last, and their exact nature, were
carefully kept profoundly secret from all save
the initiated-until the movements of Mr.. Sib-
ley, at Washington, to induce the Senate to in
vestigate the circumstances attending the Sioux
payments, led to their being printed; while the
Department of Indian Affairs, in its usual course
ofproceedure, sent copies of these secret papers.
as filed in that office, to sustain the allegations of
fraud, DC. to Gov. Ramsey, accompanied with
letter containing the information that the copies
were forwarded so that he Gov. R) could make
such explanation of them as he might desire"
These papers are first, the copy of docu-
ment, OF no account, obtained by Swectser from
few Indians at Traverse DIES SiOux-thc same
formerly published in the Democrat. The
principal, and important portion of the batch,
however, is the heretofore reserved and con-
ceaied " testimony" on which Robertson and
his associates appear to have relied to make
out their case. This testimony, such as it il.
and bad and disgraceful as it is for those who
lnstigated and got it up we now propose to Law
before our readers. 1t consists of fyo SETS nj
ahidavits, each set signed by three persons, O,
SIX IN all. One set, OF a form. is sworn to Inv
Louis finger, Petal Boyer or Borva," and
Peter RouiVard or 'Ruyer," and the otbe,
set or form is deposed to by George and .yo
'eph LIE Blanc. and alexander r. .NcLeod-
the hrst three, Canadian Frenchmcn, the next
TWO haIf-breeds, and the last, also, a native q
Canada but OF Scotch descent, Judging from
his nance and for the past ten or twelve wear.
resident of this part of the country. lilo i.
the only one of the six who writes b;s o,,,
name; the others :! mark merely.
AS specimen of the character of the frs,
form OF afdavits, we now give the J,,os;,;o,
Of LOUIS finger, from which those of Bower and
Rouillard vary but little:
lFRRlToRY OF MINNESOTA
County OF Ramsey. s.
Louis Anger, being duly sworn accord,o :,
law, doth deposc and say, that he is a half
breed, OF the Sioux notion of Indians: that n,
ne is informed and verify believes, Alexandc,
ramsey, Governor of the Territory of Minneso
"a. and ex-offcio superintendent of Indian af
.alIs, received from the government of the l-ni.
yea states the sum of six hundred thousand
u t, (s6oo,oOO,) or thereabouts. that bcino
inc amount due to the Sioux Indians undcr the
Ii. made with them at Traverse des Stony in
Th:y.' !eol, and at Mendoza in August, ISL
INA. unat the Indians, to whom said money Wa.
mus que: requested the said Alexander Ram
sey to distribute equally among all the hale
1reeds OF the tribe the sum of sixty thousand
SV ar out of the said money That
claiming from said Indians for debts dnn ;"
long standing of said Indians, forty thousan,
dollars (S4O,OO0) was allotted out Of said mon
ey, to be paid to the halfbreeds of the said
tribe. That a large portion of said halfbreed
have not received any of the said money, but
70 the extent of One-half of them, or there