Weekly hawk-eye and telegraph. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1855-1857, 1857-04-29

Aiaaeu al tHc Cattie, fdtssNsd the wofue
i and most scahdSiouasy abused them. The
81 stood over tie men With ssl,eir gnss cockes
. Wills they were engaged IN their hellish on
Il reges. Along s.hat RIVER they approached, an
j got into the houses; Trough professions 4
3 friendsIip and twitG 1 rash seized the ames an
6 arms, taking y The people by surprise, assackin
b "a ssch Nay ithat one family could not he'll
the o;hes;aall attacked simultaneously, robbie,
them Of every thing, and left them helpless ii
b the niidst OF cold weather and deep SHOWS
They did mot commence 10 kill the settlers mn j,
t til they reached Dickinson county. There q
Spirit Lake it appears that the settlers had pre-
E pared to, defend themselves. as wen as the,
could, and from all appearances they Tough
4 brayey for their families The settlers at Spiri
Lake numbered over forty souls, not one soi
whom is left 70 tell the tale. Finding that the
troops from Fort Ridgely had not buried the
5 dead, ! detailed rs men to proceed IL miles to
i the Lake, aud reconnoitre that district and II
no Indians were discovered, to inter the dead
I -! an act of humanity, Guides were procured,
g and they set cut endersth command of Capt.
Johnston and Lieut.. Maxwell, Of Company c.
They could find no Indians, found their encamr.
ment, and a dreadful destruction of property.
They performed the sad duty Of interring the
dead SO far as they could End any. They found
and buried 90 bodies--found the skulls. and
bones of two who were burned in the ruins Of
q house, which, with the one buried BY the
troopsfrom Ridgely, made in all 50 dead found
at Spirit lake. killed at Springfield, and ! 2
missing at the Lakes, certainly killed-it is
supposed they are lying off at distance, killed
in attempting to escape-some two or three
were found who had been shotin attempting to
escape, four of their women taken off as pris-
oners, and three badly wounded.
may sum up as follows ~. ii ..s.2ys
/ In all Al killed; II missing, no doubt killed;
3 badly wounded, two fear mortality; women
| prisoners, besides several men from Boon River
and counties east of this, who crossed the Des
Moines river with aview of going to Dickinson
county and the Lakes-have never yet been
heard from, supposed to be Killed on their way.
From all appearances the Sioux Indians have
determined to wagea war of determination on
our frontiers, as every thing goes to show it at
every point the upper Des Moines, Big Is
land Grove, Spirit Lake, and all points where we
found traces of them. They had left the most
threatening signs, stakes set up and painted red,
trees barked and painted, representing men
pierced with arrows, &C., SC. At every point
they broke up and destroyed all furniture, burnt
the houses, and killed thecattle-over 100 head
Of fine cattle were found shot down and un-
touched in any way but knocking off the horns,
| suppose to make, powder horns; their whole
course goes to show that, they intend to break
| up and stop the settlement of that north and
northwest country. a
Too much praise cannot be bestowed on the
men have had under my command on this oc-
casion. Officers and men, without exception,
have done their duty; they endured the great
| est privations and fatigue without inurmur-s
for seventeen days they pressed forward on
! their march, waded rivers and creeks breast Deep
aud tugged wagons through snow banks, Sleep
| ing, on the prairies frequently in their wet
clothes, expecting every mile after reaching 80
miles, to meet the Indians, as their threat was
! az AoiouAt fSSi, tuoe stuSy WOuAu sweep Vic LES
| Moines river settlements. Our men suffered
very much, owing to the severe change and
snow, storms. We have IA men very badly fro
zen and two lost, Capt. Johnston of Webster
city, and Mr. Burkholder OF this place, both fro
zen to death in show storm-they were sep
arated in returning from the Lake. From the
state of tho men who succeeded in getting back
/ to camp, both of these men must be dead: eve.
ry search has been made for them, but no dis
/ covery as yet So severe was the weather that
those who were picked up and did get in, were
SO much frozen and exhausted that they were
! crawling on their hands and knees when found,
und three or four Of them had lost their minds,
becoming perfectly deranged for time, knew
no one. z., ,,,rs s...,...,s3 -. H..
4 As near as Icould ascertain, the Indian force
was from so to 2eO WARRIORS judging from their
encampments, &C.; the number of Indians must
be from Is to 20 killed end wounded. From
the number seen to fall killed, and Judging from
the bloody cloths and clots Of blood in their
encampments, the Struggle at the Lakes must
have been very severe, particularly the one at
the house OF Esq. Mattocks. Eleven dead bodies
were found at this house, together with several
4 broken guns-they appear to have fought hand
: to hand. - .@9..
/ have to inform your excelIency that we have
driven out Of the north part of the State every
Indian, and can say that at present there are
no Sioux in the State, unless it be in that part
near the mouth of Big Sioux. The whole body
n
ling the Big Sioux. ! shall not be surprised to
hear eff an attack OH Sioux City. am satisfied
that the greater number of these Indians were
from the Missouri, as they were strangers to the
settlers where they appeared, and a portion of
them were halfbreeds. Never in the history of
our country has SO outrageous acts been COM
a mitted on any people. We have no account Of
Indians committing such outrages on females
as they have done-no doubt committed by the
i half breeds. 1t is to be feared that they will
. repeat their depredations, if some measure are
not taken to prevent it. They are well armed
and well supplied with ammunition. They took
II kegs of powder with buckshot and lead from
Woods, at Springfield, burnt his store, and kill
ed him, &c.adWea have host; of destitute and
, wounded persons thrown upon us to provide for
II both from Little Sioux River and the Upper
4 Des Moines river as well as our own frozen and
|, disabled men, si5%s s
+ forward this hasty and somewhat confused
. trepors; will give another soon, more in detail.
+ instructed Capt. Richards, Mr.. Morrison and
! Others, to forward to you the afidavits. &C., tc
/ apprize you of our marching to relieve the from
/. tiers, &c.s. is Very respectfully yours, &c. Il
slasqa sism sssrga<43 ae5g W.WILLIAMs.
Il There is q difference Of opinion among the
o ultra Southern journals d to the effect of thu
: bred Scott decision. The Charleston Mercur,
s denounces with much sarcasm and bitterness
e the Southern politicians who assume that th'
y question is settled, and utters the followin.
a gloomy forebodings: Sass Gag sd, asa aa
Ip "The victory We have won may indeed be slo
is rous, more glorious because of the disaster o
/ the engagement. But it is victory more fatal