The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1855-12-20


MLsvAp .e,tus,, and woupaed several NOV, II
CO., sf as.irOwp psopie had sffess8 diem, end
if spy ~ !, sn s ',se,r pans MI xoeh
have Killed ria Lsss anil flg. cut APP .his. Isn't
and blankets, and broken his gun and kettles.
.gkss Ainyswouid. havs ssplIss-&xisi. hin. lily
this custom .<nes 'fhesd tAsnssskes in killing
hey killed. IT, animal o ,' Us AIR their
Eeturp, We supposJ tia, to b. only the bsgin
ming VI the. end Indeed, the young fellows
were aroypd, and IN our house, openly declaring
that more wsad b. killed. then wrote Ietsr
70 EAg,EHkLr, telling him that the young men
said they were killing oar cattle BY bis orders,
anil requesting him 10 command them " stop.
In his reply b. charged me With having eaasesl
thna DaIneles amount VI evil, Tor which, il lkl
not make pparatioD, must leave tLe country.
A Few days after BE- cane TO Nv W.. lie ives
ashamed, be saI, because they had been thwart.
81 ia !lqr psrpos, and all the Indians were
laughing at them, ~, ...,.t ,l,....5 ..,s.
We, Elt that We lord hal done all this. lie
airaseth the pride u man, We did not suppose
that our poor prayA had been ~ cficaeious D.
the Ipdiaps hal seemed 10 think but II they
bal been ot any avail in keeping them from
sIediipg blood, We were willing TO labor on In
the midst a such difficulties, trusting that the
Lord wMld bring good out Of evil, and gloriiy
bis Own great name. ...,', -. .....Aa - 49,.
= Something was gained by these events, The
faith 0f some IN their suIsrstitions was shaken.
The winter previous, the leader 81 The party d.
clnred that III believed oil the customs and pre-
tensions " the Dakotas, in ressrence 70 soell
things were false, except one-7that waa, the
ability TO TIL. by nnking rokop, when and where
enemies. &C, might b. found. That he b,
lievssi was true; anil be became quite angry
with Mr.. PosD Tor saying that be- lMr, r be-
lieycd they could by communication with the
spirit world, iaretelI nothing about SUCH things
Spaking u the same thing short tine before
they started out, EAGLE.liEIf asserted that b.
hal tried Il oftsn, and never failed, anil he could
DO il again, At the same time be- admitted
that few could DO Il. In reply, | told him that
however the devil had possessed him, and help
ed him in times past, ] id not believe be would
that he hal heard the gospel, and although be
bad not yielded hits heart 70 j. Influences, be
was bound to do i Immediately, This man has
not to my knowlclge been op a war party but
erce since and has, Of late PEARS spoken strongly
against the killing Of enemies, and the scalp
dance. ..-
This joctrine Of supernatural aid in finding
eRmies, may lie further Illustrated by o story
told me by Naypssyma:a lKoS CLopp. lie
IL one Of the Chiefs at lted Wings village
Formerly b. was white mar, he says, and
was then born an Indian. The evidence is
that before be- saw nelal, he dreamed that
the white people put one on his neck and
before any. cannon wen brought into this
country, be drean,ed that be saw two--one
white AMI the other red in bis drcums the
1akpo,raloa told him TO go TO war against the
Ojibwas. lie was shown a high hil, and u,
the foot Of the hill lake, and on the lake a
canoe. with two persons in it. lie was Ia
s,nite them, and bring home their scalps. The
vision was several times repeated to him. Al
last he went on, with great war party--6und
the hill and lake just as they had been repre-
sentcd to hipl Two men IN canoe they Also
saw come 10 land on the other side Of the lake
hut. when they sought for them, no traces Of
either men or canoe could be found. The 7akoo
pakqn deceived him. and he never went TO war
again. .... 4. .f'
Hut Ia return 10 the unsuccessful war party
They had killed our cattle, but that did not sat.
isly them, Urged Oh by shame they kept talk.
ing and threatening that II we did not ipake
reparafioD for the wrong done them, they would
kill NIL our oatte. and compel us to leave the
country, Conscious that we hod tried to do
them good aud not evil, told them once and
again that we should make no remnneratios,
whatever. Their logic was quite too refined.
They demanded enumeration fr their conduct
when angry. because they chose to get angry at
Me truth; at the same time acknowledging onr
right 10 demand pay cor the cattle they had
killed. But as We had committed the first Of
ehee ia making them angry. We must he the
first IN making ato'snacnt.
d. At the first thoy only wished ~ To make a
feast for thu war party. That we had no dis
position to do. Many OF them were very
Ing TO oanttbancc them 10 making war, or lend
them to suppose that what We said was wrong.
Finding that they could not succeed with us
on their first plan, they changed the form Of
their demand to pyw,hr and had, But we were
still so stupid as not 10 I've able TO see any reason
or justice in their demanding anything Of us,
untkT the circumstance We then made a
least for the principal men OF the village not II
the war party. thai We might ascertain what
were their views in regard to this matter, but
they were unwilling toexpress on opinion. The
next day received letter. signed by one Of
this chiefs. saying that they condemned us thai,
the anger Of the boys which we had causSi
would CEASE IL We would give them large keg
Of powder. and large bar ri leud This,
however. was u forgery.
II wins nov the Month Of September.
had made statement Of the case 10 the In
dian Agent at Fort Smelling. asking that
they might be made to pay for the cattle they
had destroyed. About this time. Mr.. NicoI-
LET Who was in the service OF the government,
exploring the country, arrived at fAequiparle
lie kindly proposed to the Indians here to rs
sist them In paying for the cattle. They said
they were poor. and wished him 10 pay the
whole; To which he consented, fixing his own
price Of Sl20
I have detailed the circumstances connected
with the unsuccessful war party more particu-
larly than otherwise should have thought Id
vsablc, because they present the workings Of
the Dakota mind, and their feelings In regard
TO right and wrong.
While the events above narrated were to
king place at lAcquiparle, bloody battle, OF
rather two Of them. were fought by the pako-
tas and Ojibwas on the east side OF the Missis-
sippi In the summer before, an Ojibwa had
been killed within sight Of Fort Smelling, and
buried in the soldiers burying ground. The
DakotAs, who killed him, were arrested. and
for some time kept in The guard housc. ut
finally released.
In the month OF June. 1889, more than .