New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-05-16
INDIAN TROUBLES IN IOWA.

Correspondence Of The ". Y Tribune.
KENNEBEC MOnOna Co., Iowa, May 2 1884,
The people Of this vicinity are having terrible
fright about Indiana. and as the excitement con-
tnues unabated I will give you the particulars.
Last Winter band Of Indians belonging to the
Three Fingered Sioux" rOyed up and down the
Little Sioux Valley, stealing stray articles and
obIipine settlers on one or two occasions to feed
them. They were in a half starved condition.
Some Of the people Of Smithland, village eleven
miles above here on the Little Sioux took their
guns away, fifteen in all, and whipped them out Of
town. The Indians threatened retaliation, and
heard many settlers strongly condemn this proceed
lug. A few weeks ago man came down the val
ley who had escaped the massacre Of Spirit Lake.
His account Of the terrible slaughter CAUSED much
citement. Last Tuesday night we were aroused
from our slumbers by DelghbOr, who reported that
a band Of 400 Sioux warriors were coming down the
valley, driving all the settlers before Them and were
To attack Smlthland That night We all arose, kept
watch till morning, and made preparations TO take
the women to Ashton as soon as it was light Eight
or ten families had already fed to Ashton, besides
many more on the road Atsunrise started for Smith.
land, and was not long finding out that the settlers
were more scared than hurt. Not band Of Indians
had been seen this side of the head waters Of the Des
NOnes. The fears Of the people had been exercised
so much previous to this that only slight shock
was needed TO create this furious stampede. The
rumor started with party of surveyors from Sar-
geant's Bluffs who were selecting members for the
land sale The valley was quite thickly settled.
The Massachusetts, settlement in Cherokee County,
comprising some twenty families, is entirely aban-
dOned They left nearly all their effects, cows,
&C., behind them. They say they will not occupy
their farms again. though very valuable, unless
Government sends them protection Many of the
settlers left everything and run. A party of vOun-
teeTs went up from Ashton the same day did, and
staid over night but, finding all quiet, returned
home. The idea among the people generally is that
the rumOr WAS started by spectators, for wicked
purposes of their own. The excitement was well
duicted down. when, Friday and to-day, the
few settlers who lived above Smithland, and
said they wouldn't move till they Sa0 H.
dams, started down, seven Indians were
seen skulkng about. A man named Pearson
came in and said he had shot one and thrown the
BODY in the river That sounds too much like an
" Out West" story. The country is in n ferrnent.
All work is stopped, provisions are scarce and money
scarcer. The women are frightened out OF their
senses They are building block house i'll Smith
land. the women and children all being crowded into
two houses now The only two Indian dogs III the
settlement have been poisoned this week. The set
tiers on Maple Valley have all crossed the prairie %
miles to MasOn's Grove, on the Boyer River. ms
is A deplorabe state of affairs. At the most impOr
tant season of the year to the settler all work
is stopped The severity Of the past Winter re-
duced to the lowest extremity the means of many an
emigrant.
There is not a more beautiful and promising por-
ton of the West than Western Iowa, and TO see the
emigration (Which svery large) and industry checked
is to say the least, lamentabe. l suspect the
whole matter is q fright without cause, and hope it
will soon blow over. The Government should either
feed the Indians give security to settlers, for the
present, at least. No one suspected the least
trouble from Indians in Iowa until recently
Yours respectfully, +. J. p ID.