The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1857-05-06
IFrom the Fort Dodge sentinaL1
FULL PARTICULARS OF
THE ATE
INDIAN MASSACRE
AT SPIRIT LATE.
81 White Settlers Murdered and
20 Taken Prisoners.
March of ReliefPart From Fort Dodge and
Webster CITY.
AT SPIRIT LATE

Webster City.
-o-o-
The records ofIpdian warfare, though
at all times marked with deeds of vio-
Ience,-n where present such atrocious
acts as havc recently been enacted by
the Sioux, in the north, western portions
of ourIState and southern MiDnesots, and
rarely, if ever, have we witnessed such
patient endurance, such courage and no
bic daring as were shown by the suffer
ers. In time of profound peace, the In
dams kindly received. the hunting
grounds laid open to them, with no
cause of proyocation, no threats to ex-
cite, no wrongs to avepge in the depth
of winter, among a thinly settled and
defenseless people, they commence their
fendish work, each the prelude of great
er acts Of violence, desisting only when
nothing remained to be accomplished.
The cry of innocent blood has ascend
ed to Heaven, calling for vengeance.-
The day of ~retribution has arrived, when
the warrior who gluts DER his conquest
of blood shall fall beneath the arm Of
the avenger, and the demon hordes of
the forests shall pass away forever. BE
it our painful duty to chronicle the facts,
10 preserve the history of the sufferers
and their wrongs, worthy imitation and
remembrance, aud for the. sake Of con-
tinuily, will here refer to some of the
incidents contained in our former re-
marks on the subject.
In the latter part of last February,
reports reached US from the Little Sioux
river distance from sixty to seventy
miles from this place. to the effect that
a party of Sioux Indians, about seventy
in number, Including from twenty five to
thirty warriors, had invaded the settle
ments in BueDa Vista and Clay coun-
ties, violating their women, destroying
their cattle, horses and provisions, and
committing other acts of violence, almost
without number. These reports, follow
ed By others of a similar character, dis
PEELED every doubt in the mind of the
most incredulous, and the project to az
ford relief vas, approved by all
The attempt however, failed. The
severity of the season, the track!ess
waste with the almost impossible snow
drifts lying between, the want of habisa-
lions on the way-these, and other nc
less weighty considerations, forbid the
enterprise, and the project, though at
tempted, was reluctantly Abandoned
Recently, we have seen and coaversed
with eight of the ten heads Of families
comprising this settlement. These were
Ambrose s.. Mead, Leroy T. Frinch
George N. and wheeler S. Gillett, James
Bicknell, Abner Bell, James W. Viii
lians and John a. Kirchner. This set
Element, embracing the choicest timber
land along the river, extended srm'
twenty-four miles, the dwellings, being
from ono and one half to twelve miles
distant from each other. The Indians
it seems, passed down this stream las
spring from Minnesota, indicating II
acts of violence in their march. In th'
winter they returned by the same route
and N the twenty first of February at
tackled the first settlement. This bein;
sudden and unexpected and the near
est house, occupied by the Gilletts, dis
tant twelves miles, Abner Bell, the &C
cupant of the first, and his family, wer
compelled to submit, from inability t
defend themselves or procure assis
lance.
Ga the 24tb, the house occupied b
the Gilletts was suddenly entered BY te
armed warriors ; the two families item
porarily under the one roof consisted Q
five small children aud the heads OF eacI
family. After enduring outrages to
horrible to relate, they managed at mid
night, on the 9th, to escape, and it wa
not until late in the evening Of the mex
day that they reached the residence o
Mr. Bell, poorly clad and without foo;
from the morning before.
Those. who have travelled on foot, vel
fed and clothed for an hour or two, oTa
the drifting SHOWS Of the prairie at tina
season of the year, can form somo ide
of the tolls, the sufferings of that fear
full journey. In this manner the Who'll
settlement was visited, destroyed, an
finally abandoned. Enough to say
that every kind of property was take
away or broken up aud the cabins of tn
settlers left in an uuinhabitable condi
tion and their inmates expelled, afte
enduring hardships to which death itsel
would have been preferable. After tn
lapse of a few weeks, reports reached u
that the same party Of Indians had arriy
ed at the settlement on lake Ocobogee
connecting with Spirit Lake, in Dickiu
son county, and in addition to the cru
elites committed below, that of nurde
was added. This report, being couse
quently verified, by three returned EN-
grants, induced our citizens to form
relief party, consisting of about one hur
drcd, who left here OH the Gath ult, wei
armed and provisioned, under the com
maud of Major Williams. This party
with one or two exceptions, have nowrc
turned.
On reaching the northern limits {
the State, having on the way been ad
vising the Indians intended to attack III
inhabitants of Springfield, a small vi,
lage in Minnesota, u party met som
four men with eighteen wonderland chi.
dren, who had escaped from Springfield
o few days before, and were endeavorin
to gain the Irish settlement on The Yves
Fork of the Des Moines, i'll Palo Alt
county. Many of this party havin
been wounded, all poorly clad and Will
out food for several days, would hav
persisted, had not relief been extended
The sceno at meeting was indesc:ibabl
affecting. From thence, our part
learned that q hand of Sioux, who ha
been wintering in the neighborhood, Q
yet u-nconnccted with those before de.
cribed, on Thursday, the goth of Marcel
suddenly attacked the residence of
Mr.. Stewart, killed him, his wife, an
two daughters. One only Of the Stew