New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1857-04-20
The Spirit Lake Massacre.

From letter in the Dubuque (Iowa} Express,
dated Fort Dodge, March 22 we extract further par
ticulars of the horrd oatrages recently committed BY
Indians in Southern Minnesota H., = G
= EARLY last spring band Of the Sioux, /,
sixty, twenty thirty of whom were
represented as warriors, and the remainder women r
and children, passed from Southern Minnesota by way
of Spirit Lake down the Little Sioux river, far
the town of Smithand, occupying their time in fish
ing and hunting. No outrages were threatened or
attempted on the settlers On the approach Of winter
they commenced return by the same route and the
first reportof their misdeeds reached US about the
middle of January ;these were to the effect that they
committed outrages upon the settlers IN Clay county
by violating the wonen seizing upon the provisions,
destroying the cattle stealing the horses and leaving
them in all respect entirely destitute and exposed to
the nclemencies Of the These reports at first
doubted or esteemed to be highly exaggerated, were
shortly afterward fully confirmed, and anxious as
were our citizens to afford them relief it was found
mpracticabe to do So the being of unusual
severity the whole country between this neghborhood
and the sufferers being without settlement, any effort
to reach them would only have resulted in the entire
destruction of the relief party and the attempt was
abandoned. Subsequently other reports reached us,
settlement of Spirit Lake. (head waters of the Little
Sioux and not only repeated the crimes committed
below, but superadded the horrible crime of murder.
This settlement consisted of five six families,
bering from forty to fftyve persons, but living at
intervals of from one-fourth of one to three miles
apart, afforded the savages favorable opportunity for
attack with little or no chance OF resistance on the
part of the settlers. On last evening MessT Orlando
c. Howe, Cyrus Snyder and Robert V. Wheeloek Of
Joseph county arrived in our town from the scene of
action having heretofore moved in that direction with
view to q settlement there.
Their report discloses the most lamentable condi-
ton of affairs. They found the entire settlement
broken up Leaving their team with provisions several
miles behind, and arriving after nghtfall on the
evening of the 18th nst at the house OF Joel Howe,
and from indications, fearing the presence OF the
Indians the npiUhbOrhOn0 they naSSed the NIGHT.
without lights fire, and upon the approach OF dawn
horred in behoding no less than the butchered
remains of seven persons, thrown in heap on the
middle of the floor, all OF whom were murdered in
the most harbarous They also visited other
cabins in the vicinity and found them desolate with
every mark of violence around, such as slaughtered
CATTLE broken DOORS scattering of BEDS clothing and
other property. Considerable settlements have been
made in Palo Alto county, on the west branch of
the Des Moines river, and reports of the outrages
having reached this settlement, occasional visits were
made to Spirit Lake, and but one or two of the ad
venturers having thus far returned, fears have been
entertained for their safety. One Morris Markham,
however, succeeded in returning in safety and his
statement coroborates in all particulars the report of
Mr.. Howe and his associates and among other addi-
tional items he reports having seen the dead bodies
of Mrs. Gardner and her four grown up daughters,
well as the remains of Mrs. Harvey Lace and her
two children, all of whom lying outside their
cabins Naked horribly mutilaed and partially eaten
by the wolves He also reports having visited several
other cabins and found them desoate with an occa-
sional dead body therein; the Indians were then in
the neighborhood and he narrowly escaped with his
life. From positive information thus far received, it
is apparent this settlement has been broken up, its
members either killed or held in bondage.
Numerous conjectures are formed as to the inten-
tions Of the savages of their numbers and combina
tions many support the theory that they are law
less band, cut of from the parent tribe, limited in
number and committing outrages at their own nsti-
CATION. Others incline to the opinion they are the
mere forerunners of large confederation of Indians
in Southern Minnesota, who are intent on general
work of destruction and protracted war.