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

We nese Han, f0f several weeks past, sruuBO
: tof tsrnings Of sessieuenis and inaarderingss
settlers IL sAorthern and y Aorth- western Iowa.
the iadiAss, ssafEnothiag sdefniiet sad srsiiab
has con'e before the pabFc. until the fcIlo win
oHcisl' communication from .Xaipr wilIisris /
6osernor Grimes, which we are psrmit.ed /
copy. u viii be seen that accounts airead
published have fallen short Of the reality, whic
ssf the most startling character Somethin
should be done for the protection OF frontie
settlements from future depredations and sbes
say.ges should be chastised for this terribi
4 fofas 5@s' sss SO - =
6s u Yox- DoDaE, Iowa,
I. l. erast <. st& $50 April, IL, ST. s.
: To HyvEscr1trxcr, q .esss9s l1stss q issi q
d "a AES w GRLKEs. 81. s,.'., - 5..j 49,
Goreynor of the State of Ioro. al i
STA - @ ga
Being called upon BY the frontier settler
. for Md in nchecking the horrible oa,rages com
nitting upon the citizens living on the Little
Sioux River, In Clay County, ID the Spirit Lake
. Settlements, and in Emmet County, by the Sioux
Iadians, BY authority you vested in me, raised
aud organized aud armed three companies Of %
men each, which were as We proceeded increas.
ed to over 80 men each. We took up our line
of march on the 25sh Of March, and proceeded
up the west branch of the Des Moines River TO
intercept the sayages, who. report said, were
about to sweep MI the settlements on that river.
i BY forced Inarchesthtough snow banks from | 8
TO 70 feet deep, and swollen streams, we forced
our way up to the State line, where We learned
4 the Indians were embodied 2 or. 800 strong at
Spirit Lake and Big Island groves. Never was
harder service rendered by any body of men
than by. those llO men under my command.
We,had to ford streams breast deep every few
miles, and at all snow banks or drifts had TO
shovel roads and draw our wagons through by
hand with tug ropes, also the oxen and horses,
All were wet all day up to the middle at least,
nd lay out on the open prairies at night with.
out tents or other covering than a blanket or
| Buffalo robe. ~ ztsgs5s - =
About SO miles up we met those WHO had es-
capped the massacre at Springfield, composed of
three men unhurt, two wounded, and one fe-
male wounded and several women and children,
| in allnanibering some / 5 or 90 persons They
had escaped in the n:ght, carrying nothiEg with
| them but what they had on when they were at
| tacked-had nothing to cat for two days and one
night They were about exhausted and the In.
dans on their trail pursuing them. Had not our
scouts discovered them aud reported, there can
| be no doubt but that they all would have been
| murdered that night. Wcfound them in mis-
cradle condition, destitute ofevery ching like 4
clio hing and food, three Of them badly wound-a
ed and several Of the women without bonnets Or
shoes. They had nothing on them but what
| shey had the night they fed. The poor wome
wading breast deep through snow and water and
carrying their crying children. III ---- s,;z go.
| We halted at small Lake that furnished sui.
fcient timber to make fires and warm them
furnished them with provisions and gave them
blankets to shield them from the severe wealth.
| or, and gave them all the relief iii our power.
| Our surgeon dressed the wounds of the wound
cd, whose wounds were in a bad condition. We
encamped there with them that night, posting
sentinels and pckets, expecting to be attacked.
Next morning we sent them on with our scout
to what is known as the Irish settlement, to re-
| main until we returned, the settlers above that
| point having abandoned their homes and embod.
| led themselves at that place where they were
engaged in building Block House. We pro-
ceeded on our march, throwing out in advance
some 80 scouts reconnoitering and examining
| every point where the enemy might possibly be
found-evcry point of timber, lake and stream
| was closely examined, and found very fresh ira.
| ccs of the Indians throughout the day. From
! these tracks and trails they had all taken their
course for Spirit Lake, or in that direction. BY
forced marches VIC reached the State line, near
| Springfield, and encamped about shutdown ON
| the margin of . groye--detaied so men, armed
with rifles and six-shooters, with orders to cook
their suppers and supply themselves with cold
| rations, each company their own, and be ready
10 march all night, in two divisions of SO men
| zach, and surprise the Indians before daylight
lext morning. Furnished them with guides
| rs the information we had just received was
that the Indians were embodied at or near the
trading house of a halt-breed by the name of
Caboo sE,
/ We proceeded with grea. hopes Of oyertakins
aud giving good account of them; but, to our
great modification, We found they had all fled
upon the approach Of 90 regulars from Fl. Ridge.
! ley. Woods Caboo traders, gave them the
Information that the troops were coming, and
whose movements they sent their runners to
watch. Had they not sent to Rdgeley for
tcoops we would most certainly have overtaken
them. -sao s@s AuG
The conduct Of the troops from Fort Ridgeley
Is hard to be accounted for. On Thursday, the
a7th Of March, the Indians attacked Springfield
and neighborhood, The citizens defended them
selves as well as they could The battle and
pillaging lasted until nightiall, when the Indians
withdrew. On Friday in the afternoon the troops
from Rdssly arrived all well mounted on mules
Those troops lay at Springfield all day Saturday,
and assisted in burying some of the dead. Their
! officers counselled with the halt-breed, Caboo,
who was the only one left unharined, and known
to be acting with and identified with the indians
and whose squaw Che 10 married to a squaw) was.
at that time wearing the shawl Of Mrs. Church,
L
oficers lay over from Friday evening till Sunday
morning without pursuing or making any effort
: Ito overtake the Indians, who, they must have
d known, had taken off four white women as prise,
Il - NsSe- faft& 9sst{fSer fasgfss SWst2EA asEi
On Sunday morning he set out on their trail
and followed them half ths day, finding thei'
, cAmp-6res-overtaking three or four straggiins
squaws, let them go--and finding all kinds o.
/ goods thrown aud strewed along their trail te
!. tighten their loads and expedite their fight
J. When he could not have been over half . day'
L march of them, he stopped and returned thu
: : same evening Sunday to Sprins field. Whel
he ordered the men 10, return they expressed l
,e wish TO follow ON, and said they would put "
y with half rations il he would allow Of it. Hi