Mineral Point tribune. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1854-1858, 1855-03-14
From the Milwaukee Sentinel, March s..
AN INDIAN TALK.
rur nESonosErs rLrAp1se THEIR CAUSE

selves. After being shown through the Sentinel
office and looking with considerable interest, at
the different portraits and pictures which adorn the
walls of the Editors Room-a fine likeness of
Gen. Scott especially arresting their attention,
the portrait OF one whom they remembered having
seen in the Black Hawk Wharf.-The Chiefs intima.
ted tina; they desired to tell the editor the story of
their wrongs, and through him, the public. Ac-
cordingly, select and attentive audience made up
principally of the men and boys about the Sentinel
office, with two or three friends who CHANGED to
drop H. listened to the following talk from Osh
kosh Head Chief of the Menomonees, done into
English by MIR. Robert Grignon and Mr.. john
son -
We have called upon you and shaken hands
with YOU. with good heart We have come to
ask your aid. We want you to publish what we
saw You see that | am growing gray | am an
old man | have many years.
| was quite young man when the Americans
came to my place at Green Bay. 1t was in 1916
They shook hands with and told US they had
come to live among us, and make us happy, and
that if we followed their counsel we should have
no trouble.
AT Council held in 1927, at Little Butte
des NJ 1rts. Gen. Cass told us the same thng-that
the Americans were our friends, and if we follow
ed their advice we should always be happy
Again in 1886, at Cedar Point, we met Governor
Dodge who came from the General Government
to treat with u.s. and told that whatever he
promised, our Great Father, the President, would
perform Our Great Father, he said was very
glad that we had submitted to his wishes and made
"a treaty to cede part of our LANDS. And he
promised that our Great Father, the President
would always protect us like his own children
and would always hold our hands in his
Gov. Dodge told us that Great Father was
very strong and owned all the country, and thai
no one would dare TO trouble US, or do wrong,
as he would protect He told US, too, that
whenever we got into difficulty, or anything hap
pened we did not like, to call our Great Father
and he would have justice done. And now we
come TO you to remind our Great Father through
your paper, of his promise, and to ask him to full
fill it.
We always thought much of Gov. Dodge as an
honest man, and we thought more of him when he
came to us, on the part of the Government We
believed all that he told US. We have done what
we agreed to do. We have been always friendly
with the whites, and have even taken up arms for
them against our Indian brothers. If any of our
young men were foolish the Chiefs were the first
to rebuke them and TO give them good advice
We have respected our white neighbors And
now want their help.
1t at the Payment, at Lake Pauwaygan,
made by Col. Jones' that this boy was born.
then lived on the Wisconsin River and was mott
fed TO come TO the Payment with my tribe The
roll had all been made up and the payment was
to be made the next day. During the night the
boy was born. l was told of it in the morning.
and asked Col Jones to put his name on the roll
The Colonel said this could not be, but if the
chiefs all willing the child should have his
share. They all willing--the boys share
was given TO me and gave it to his mother. 1t
this same child--the now taken
from 1t is the truth am telling.
And now want your help to get back the
child We still hope to find him. We cannot
give him up. We want you TO satisfy the public
that the child is ours. We hoped to take him
home with US this time. We come from great
distance Once before the child carried off
by force. after the law had decided in our favor
and now he is again carried away We are grev-
ed and disappointed. This is why we ask your
help
Oshkosh, having concluded what he had to say.
again shook hands with us (the opening and clos
ing ceremony of each speech) and gave way to
Souligny, the Head War Chief, who, though 20
years old. has ali the fire and energy of in
the prime of life. After hearty shake of the
hands, Souligny squared himself and spoke as fol-
lows:
Now, my friend, listen to me- The one who
spoke first is eur Head Chief. What he says is
so. You see me, another old man, standing before
you. / can remember my old Chiefs They used
to own this soil Green Bay was our principal
village There we lived when the Americans land
ed on the east side OF Fox River. and crossed and
came to our huts. They asked leave to live among
take the Menomonees under their wings and shell
ter them from all harm. They told u.s. too, that
their Great Father had very long arm, and that
whenever any one did an injury or took ANYTHING
away from US. he would stretch out that arm and
bring it back no matter how far off. And now
we have lost something. We lost it at Waupaca
Falls. 1t is piece of our flesh And to think
after all our Great Father promised, that this
should have been taken from US by some of his
children, the whites, and they should claim it as
thei: own
l cannot think my friend, the white man. did
this willully Those who took child must be
asleep dreaming that it is theirs. We had
heard tiat the child had been placed in safety in
the White Mans Court, where all the wisdom and
all the laws were, and felt satisfied that Justice
would be done and child given back to u.s. /
and the chiefs called as witnesses was
asked if | knew the nature of oath. | said |
did, that knew there was God above who would
punish me if did not speak true. And was not
afraid to kiss the book, because | told the truth.
said the child was But after proving it
ours and the decision given in favor the child
stolen from in defiance OF law
We next heard of the child in Illinois, and all
the Chiefs authorized DR. Huebschmau,, our new
Superintendent, to go and get the child back if he
could And he promised to do SO. They gave
the Doctor full power to act for them and q take
the child wherever he could find him 1t was their
unanimous request, and they selected DR. Heutsch-
mann, because he was the Agent of our Great Fa-
Their. We were very glad TO hear that the Doctor
had found the child. We thought him safe in the
Jail, in the OF the officers: that none could
get the child away from there, unless the law gave
them the right. We cannot but think it must
have been an Evil Spirit that got into the Jail and
took away our child. We thought the white
mans law strong, and are sorry to find it so
weak
I shake hands with you, as writer 7 shake
L., l. n e.
those who make the laws. | appeal to them 10
return Us our lost child. When get him again
shall educate him like the whites But
let US have child back. Write strong my
TREND !"
With this closing admonition, Soulignv shook
hands and closed his talk. Our readers are famil-
lar with the wrong of which the Menomonees
complain 1t is the of the boy claimed both
by an Indian and a white mother The case was
fairly tried two years ago before COMMISSIONS
Buttrick. at Oshkosh The Commissioner. after
patient hearing decided in favor of the Indian
claimants. and directed the sheriff 10 give n h. |