New-York daily tribune., 1857-04-27

out bounes or ,hoes. They had nothing them bu1
uhn, they had the night they hed. The poor women
wadn breast deep through snow and water anu car
Tyirg their crying children
We halted at smGll lake that furnished sufficient
tiu ber to make tres ind warm hem-furnrhed them
with PROV sions gave them blankets 10 shield them
from tie severe weather, and gave them all the rebel
in power Our surgeon dressed the wounds OF the
wounded whose wounds were in bad condition.
We ereamped there with them that night, post
ing eeLiinels and pickets, expecting 10 be attacked
Next morning sent them with our scout 70 what
j. known the Irish settlement, 10 remain until We
returned, the settlers Gboye that point having aban
don.d tbeir bones and embodied Themselves at that
place where thew were engaged in building block
UoUse. We proceeded On our march, throwing Out IN
advance some thirty scouts reconnoitenng ana eN-
an ming every point where the enemy might
pC = IDLY be fOund-every point OF timber. lake
and stream was closely examined, and found very
fresh traces of the Indians throughout the day From
these tracks ard trails they had ell taken their course
for SpiIit Lake, in that direction. BY forced
marches we reached the State line near Sprin fed and
eToamped about rundown on the margin OF grove
detailed 20 men, armed with rhes and siIshooters,
with orders 70 cook their suppers and supply them,
selves with cold aOns each company their own, ana
lie ready to march all night, in two divisions OF 50
me each and surprise the Indians before daylight
next morning Furnished them with guides, as the In
formation We had ust received was that the Indians
were embodied at or the trading house OF half
breed by the name Of Cabso
We proceeded with great hopes Of overaking and
giving good account of them but TO our great NOR
ID,
pioGeh Of 80 regulars from Fort Ridgeley. Woods and
Taboo traders, gave them the information that the
trucI coming, and whose movements they sent
their runners to watch Had they not sent to Rdg!ey
for troops We would most certainly nave oVer'aken
them. -
Tie conduct of the troops from Fort Ridgeley is
hard to be accounted for. On Thursday, March -,
The Indians attacked Springfield and neighborhood.
| The citizens defended themselves as well "a they
could The battle and pillagng lasted until nighttal'
when the Indians Withdrew. On Friday, in the after.
| noon the troops from Ridgeley arrived all well
mounted on mules. Those troops lay at Springfield all
Gny Saturday and assisted in burying some of the
| dead Their officers counseled with the hatoreed
CaboO. who was the only one unhauned and known
"a be acting with and identified with the Indians, and
whose squaw he is married 10 a squaw was, at that
time wearing the shawl OF Mrs Church, with other
articles taken from the citizens. Said officers lay over
| from Friday evening til Sunday morning without prr-
suing or msking any effort 10 oyertake the Indians,
who they must have known, had taken of four white
women ~ prisoners.
! On SUNDAY morning he set out their trail, aud
followed them half the day, finding their camp hres,
| overtakng three or four struggling squawr let them
60 ard finding all kinds of goods thrown aud streamed
| along their trail to tighten their load and expedite
their fight When he could not have been over halt
| a days march Of them he stopped and returned the
| sane evening Sunday to Springfield When he or
dered the to return they expressed wish TO fol-
| low on and raid they would put up with half raions
| if he would allow it, His reply was that he had no
| orders to follow them.
ON Monday he set out to Spirit Lake TO bury the
dead Sc He went to the first house, that OF Mr. Ma
pes found ore deed body, buried IT, and returned to
Sprnefeld Tis certain such troops, rather such
officers will afford protection TO frontier set;lrs
Such men are not tit to protect our frontiers. Think OF
his conduct his men all well mounted. turning back
when he was not half days march oil them; they
londed down with plnnder, and horses and mules, and
carving off with them four respectable women a.
prisoners. The Indians were known to have some -
or 80 head of horses and eight ten mules taken from
| the settlers These Indians commenced low down
Little Sioux River near the southwest corner OF Buena
Vista County, aud proceed TO break up and destroy al
the settlements in that county, Clay Dickinson and
Enntt Counties then intended coming down the " est
Branch as far as they dare Throughout their whole
course they have completely demolished every settle
ment, killed all the cattle. rdr'shed the women aud
mot sceadalouslv abused them They stood over the
men with their guns cooked while they engaged
in their helsh Ou.rages. Along that river they ap
preached and got into the houses through professions
| Of friendship and with rush seized the men and
0nS taking the people by surprise, attacking IN such
| a way that family could not help the other; all
attacked simultaneously robbed them of every thing,
ard lett them helpless in the midst of cold weather aud
de sep SHOWS. They did not commence 10 XII. the set
tiers until they hadreached Dickinson county. There,
at Spirit Lake il appears that the settlers had pre-
pared defend Themselves well IA they could, and
| fiCm all appearances they Tough: bravey for their
| families 1he settlers at Spirit Lake numbered over
forty souls ana not OF whom is left to tell the tale
Finding that the troops from Fort Ridgely had not
buried the dead detailed - men to proceed II miles
10 The Lake and reconnoitre that district and If no n
dans discovered TO inter the dead, an act OF
| humanity. Guides procured, and they set out
under the command of Caft. Johnston and Lieut..
MGXwill Of Company {. They could find no Indians,
but found their encaInpment and dreadful de-truc
ton Cf property. They performed the sad duty OF in
teI1ing ihe dead far they could find any. They
found and buried 29 bodiesfouEd the skulls and bones
Of those who were burned in the ruins of house,
which with the buried BY the troops from Ridge
w. made in all - dead found at Spirit Lake; killed
at Springfield and II missing az the lakes, certainly
killed II is supposed they are lying on at distance,
killed in attempting to escape: some two or three were
found who had tn shot IN attempting 10 Gscap' GGr
wounded.
NAV surn up as follows: In all, IL killed l. miss
rg 70 doubt killed; badly wounded, two fear
mo.taly women prisoners, beside several men from
Boone River and the counties east of this who cro:Ssd
the Des Moipes River with view OF going TO Dlckin-
son County and the Lakes have yet been heard
frou!-suppotcd 20 be killed on the way.
From all appearances the Sioux Indians have deter
mined 90 wage Of determination on our frontiers,
as everything goes to show 1t at every poir on the
utper Des Ncin,s, Big Island Grove, Spirit Lake,
ard al points where We found traces of them. They
hnd lett TIE mos: threatening signs, stakes set up and
painted rcd trees baked and painted, representing
men pierced with arrows &c. Al every point they
bCke up aud destroyed al furniture, burnt the houses,
ard killed the catto-over 100 head OF fine cattle were
four d shot down and untouched in any way but
kpo, king of the hornsI suppose TO make powder
hons. Their whole course goes to show that they
intend to break up and stop the settlement OF that north
and northwest country.
Too much prai-. caunot be bestowed on the men |
have had under M command on this occasion. OFF
cen and men. without exception, have done their
duty; they endure the greatest prvatons and fatigue
without mumur-ior seventeen days they pressed
forward their march, waded rivers and creeks
breast deep and tuggng wagons through snow bank,
sleeping the praIies frequently IN theT wet cotes,
expecting every mile after reaching 30 miles, to meet
the Indians a. their threat was al Sioux River, that