The daily Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1855, 1854-05-02
The Suffering Chippewas.

the Superintendent of Indian Affairs in this Terrific
ry, that the Small Pox among the Chippeways,
residing upon the Upper ST. Crox and towards Lake
Superior.
The Governor nstigated nc less by his desire to
alleviate the suferings of that poor and destitute
people, than by of public duty, promptly APP
pointed DR.. T. 7. Mann, to s'vist and inquire into |
the condition Of, and vaccnate those Indians.' DR..
Mann, however, not being prepared to leave town at
the time, dcpucd DIR. J. II. Day 10 perform this i'm |
portant duty, and in company with Paul Beaulieu,
Esq, the U. s. Interpreter for the Superintendency,
he immediately departed for the Indian camps. They
were some three weeks absent, during which time
they endured much hardship and privation but they
performed the duty assigned them, and the following
report from Dr. Mann to Gov German details the
condition in which DIR. Day found the Indians, his
exertons in their behalf, well the suffering
dured by them, subsequent to the appearance Of The
disease among them.
The promlttudc with which such means as were
within the control Of this SUPPLEMENTARY
erted for the relief Of those Indians reflects much
credit upon Gov. German who authorized and DIR.
Day. who undertook at iha, Indictment season. the re-
in consequence of the malady with which they were
afflicted The gratitude exhibited by the Indians,
for the interest which Gov. German had taken in
their welfare is by no the least important part
of the report. 1t demonstrates that although savage
in their nature, the most amiabie trait which civ-
cation can boast, is strong within them.
ST. PAUL, Minn. Ter,
April 10th, 1854 {
To has Encolcncy Wills 4. Gorman Governor and
Superintendent Of Indian A6airs
DEAR SR:--In compliance with instructions
from your Exccllency Of March 24th 1854 for
visiting, inquirng into the condition of, and vac
chatting the Chippewa Indians upon the river st.
Croix and vicinites-all within reach of white set
Elements, and report upon the same, would re-
specially submit the following special report, the
result of that inquiry;
On the morning of the 25th of March, }. II. Day,
NJ. d., with Mr. Paul Beaulieu, Government Inter
prefer left ST. Paul in two horse conveyance,
proyisioned with an outfit tur a long, hard service
On the morning of the 9th, they were compelled,
from the flooded and broken state Of the country,
o abandon the team, and taking into service two.
"Courcurs dcs Dois to assist IL carrying their cook
ny utensils, bedding and provisions, continued the
Journey OF foot.
Some distance above the Falls of st. Croix, the
party fell III with, and vaccnated a small band of
II Indians These poor creatures were in state
of painful apprehension from the approach Of small
poX; bad sad stories to relate Of the terrible effects
Of the scoutge that had visited then people further
Gp the country, and were very protuse In express
SONS of gratitude for the aid and security thus
cxpocicdly conferred upon them by the Superin-
! cndcrt.
Gidcd by reports, as to the present most prob
able habitat Of other bands, Iarty after great
difficulty and danger account Of floating ice,
! crossed the river, and Tell In with the mail
carrier from La l'ointe, who had ira, ersed great
part of the Indian country. From him they had
the qualification to learn that the La F0i'te coun-
" funds had been used III procuring the Indians
IL that vicinity vaccinatcd and carrying mi" effect
uch ether sanitary measures a became necessary
50 arrest the pestilencc Out of this little isolated
community tweity-seven pcrshed and the re-
nlaiudcl represented to be In very destitute
cntecbled and needy condition..
Again the party fell in with Mr. Ryan, who
had witnessed to some extent the ravages of the
disease. lie SAYS, the cncampmeuts are all broken
up and deserted: the bands scattered in detached
families, crept away III the most secluded, least
freQuenteu, and least accessible hooks of the forest
The Indian has become 50 frantic from dread of
the contagloil tat So the maady makes
It's APPEARANCE in lodge, the doomed victim Is
instantly abandoned t. his fate the terror stricken
antilles making the mos prec. plate flight without
waiting to identify the disease, frequently throw
ing away their blankets and refusing to touch,
take with them anything belong ny to the camp.
This haety indiscrction has caused much suffer
Ing. and doubtless did much To swell the bills OF
mortality. The sick were left alone in the wilder
ness. il the terrible conflict for life The husband
abandoned his wife, the mother her helpless off
spring the son his aged parents. regardless in the
superstition, fear that fell upon them, of all the
promptings of natural affection, and the obliga-
tons of duty i'll their wild disorderlv retreat.
On the 30th, our party operated upon forty
and The next morning, few others receiving the
grateful intelligence of relief at hand followed and
were vaccinaed. The mortality in this vicinity
had been very great Some distance further. to-
ward evening, our party saw, near a numbering
camp, squalid old woman, who had crept from the
thicket if III the last extreme to seek assistance
from any whites that mi ght I've passing. She was
the wretched remnant and only survivor of large
family Crouched upon her launches, by the
smouldering embers of a deserted camp fire, coy
cred with filthy rags her face hideously
marked her disordered hair hanging i'll knotted
ropes about her shoulders, she sat notionless,
stcadf;stlv gazing upon the vacancy before her.
lie family all lay dead, most of them yet upon the
surface She had hidden beneath dried leaves
and grass, corpse after corpse, till her strength
failed from disease, want of sustenance and assist
ance and she could bury more Even the
stimulus Of hope had died out. Abandoned by all
her relatives Connexions. and friends, she was left
alone in the dreary solitude of the forest with no
companion but death.
All that humanity could dictate and sympath-
sing hearts prompt to arouse her to sense of her
existence and call off her mind from its sad brood
ings the picture about her done, but to
no purpose. She looked ut no not the move
mcnt of an eve, the motion Of a muscle, nor change
of position indicated n consciousness of the ap-
proach of strangers The last tie that bound Eer
to life had broken; her heart crushed, and she sal
an almost nanlmatc monument of dlspair