Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1857-05-21
Correspondence of The st. Paul Times.
A Truthful Account of the Indi.
an Difficulties.

A Truthful Account of the Indi-
an Difficulties.
TRAvERsE DEs Sioux, April %, 1857.
Friend Newson:I write to tell you some
thing ofthe Siox who have committed the
recent murders on tho white settlers near
Spirit Lake. The leader of the party is
called Ink-pa-duta (Red Enid. The whole
number of men and boys able to carry a
gun belonging to his party is seventeen,
which is the number reported TO have been
engaged in the first murders. A Sioux
now in the neighborhood of the agency.
called Smoky Day, and two brothers, Jo-
seph and Louis Coursoix, half-breeds, who
saw and conversed with them in the neigh
borhood where they killed two brothers
named Wood, who were trading not far
from the Head of the Des Moincs river, say
there were only twelve men and a boy aged
probably about Is years, from which it
seems probable that four or five of the orig
inal party had left, not liking the business
in which they were engaged. I~nk-pa-duta
and his peoplear Wah-peh-kutas, and spo-
ken of by the leading men near Paju-ta-
zee and the Siox Agency as renegades,
who, in consequence of murders committed
on their own people many years ago, had
to flee from Cannon River to the Missouri.
Whether they were present at the treaty
Mt Mendoza in 1851, | have their claims TO
the lands coded in that treaty as good as
that of any of those who signed it.
A part, if not all of them. were present
atthe time of the payment last Summer or
Fall, and it is said expressed much dissat-
i~sfaction because they were not allowed to
share in the annuities. The agent refused
to give them a share, because they had not
planted on the Reserve. They have told
some of those who have conversed with
them that as they were passing a house
not far from the Little Siox river, in Iowa,
a dog came out and bit one of them, who
then shot the dog. Soon after this a com
pany of white men came upon them, and
took from them all their guns, and then
beat them with sticks or whips, and so
drove them off. Having no means of OBJ
tanning a subsistence without guns, after
suffering some time, they determined to
supply themselves by taking guns wherever
they could find them. After they had OBJ
tanned a partial supply a man from whose
house they had taken a gun came out and
shot at them without, however, hurting
them. They then shot him down, and
from that time proceeded to murder such
families as they met with. The report
among the Dokotas at Pajutazee, more
han a week ago, was that they had killed
between thirty and forty white persons,
and had among them four female prison
ers three women and a girl. Some of the
military men who have been in the regions
where the murders were committed, and
returned to Fort Ridgely, say that forty
sac dead bodies hare been found, and as
many asttfty may hare been kiuid.
Soon after the news of the first murders
Pajutazee, an intelligent gentle
man of that n%eighborhood with whom l
was ~conversing, told me that Iuk-pa-duta
and his party. having supplied themselves
with horses, ammunition, DC, would go up
the Sioux River, to near the head of it, and
up the James Jacques River, to join
to the northern Shank-ton-wan;
and this is highly probable, as when last
heard from, about the 18th inst, they were
not far 'front.' the Red Pipestone quarry. 1t
is not probable that they will again ap-
proach the white settlements for some
mouths, as plumber seems to have been q
principle object in what they have done,
and they are said to be a~buudantly sup
piled.
The Sioux who receive annuities, are more
disposed to take part with the whites than
with these renegades of their own people;
and say they would not feelat all aggrieved
if the Americans would kill Ink-pa-duta
and his whole party. Those of US who
have u families among the Indians do
not apprehend danger from them unless
some of them are wantonly murdered by
some of our countrvmcn. Of this there
and still is danger in the excited state
Of feeling on the frontier. Some of them
have been chased and badly used, and if
had not been more prudent and for
than civilized men usually are,
much blood would have been shed. Ma
ior Flandrau has been exerting himself to
prevent anything of the kind, and we hope
he will succeed in preventing q further eff
fusion of blood.
Some will suppose that soldiers ought to
20 Immediately in pursuit of the murderers.
is but fair to suppose that the officers of
the army understand Their own business
much better than civilians do. Those of
US whose families are most exposed will
feel much safer if this business is conduct
ed by the officers of the regular army than
if militia are employed. From the unusu-
al GOODNESS of this Spring we cannot expect
sufficient grass on the prairies to subsist
team and dragoon horses much before the
first of June. Til this is the case it is
not probable that any soldiers sent in pur-
suit of Ink-pa-duta will overtake him.
1t is very desirable that immediate
be taken 10 recover the prisoners.
The most likely means of accomplishing
this would be to send a party of friendly
Sioux to get them, as it is not improbable
they would be murdered if their captors
should see a party of white men approach
NC. l have been told that Little Crow
expressed u willingness to lead a party to
,ring them in. If he should undertake to
10 it, he will most certainly succeed. But
t is unreasonable to expect him to go I'M
ess literally furnished with means to pur-
,hase the captive if they can BIO purchased,
md TO hire n sufficient number of warriors
o 90 with him to take by force if their
-oE,.o 70 coll thnm Tn IL fhi,