Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1862-12-05
INK CASH OF TAk~AlSHkSOTA IN
nyAVH

TIA sollovtnR protsst aSaast fTeSidHndS |
rlsmsncv in the ca-e OF tn. three hundred In |
DIAN, con ytcted Of participating in Minne%ota |
outrsg-s signed ty S-rstof Wlkinson and /
,ativrs Aldrich and " indon, was scu: !
20 rbs President yesterday: sr4
WARRINGTON, December Cd, 1862,
r, tie President Of ire Csitej MATES
SIR: VIZ have learned, indirectly, that you
ai@ M TO pardon or repYieva a large majority
Of the Indians In n iIrn-sota, who have been
formally condemned for their participation ii
ia orutSf MASSACRE OF our people in the months
D! August and September LAST. II this be your
pIrposr, Reprrse tati from that Stat', va
Fog leave most respectfully 10 protest against
it: and W do 50 for the follow ing reasons.
There Indians were condemned most OF them
spcr he testimony OF yc1,er, whom they had
carried into captivity, att-r aayirS murdered
their fathers, husbands and brothers, and who
Were treated BIZ there Indians with u brutality
nsrlr Known be: FORE in this country, nor Iualcd
in tha practices Of the most bsr5arous nations.
There were nearly ninety female captives. They
were the wives and daughters CT our neigh ors
Gus women. Some 81 them were wives and
mothers; Others were young and interesting
sIls.
There ssysges, To- whom You propose TO ex-
ten6 yoor EIecu re clemrncy, w hen the whole
country vas quiet and tina FAR fiers were Susiiy
engaged In gathering their crops, arose with
fearful violence, and travelling from one tar!n
hcuse 10 aEothrr, iHdiscrimiratriy murdered
all the men, boys, and littie children they came
TO: and although they Sometimes spared the
lives Of the mothers and daughters, they did
sc only 10 taxa them into a captivity which
war infinitely worse than death.
Mr.. Presiden, let us relate ID you some facts
with which We fear you have not heretofore
leen made acquainted
These Indiana whom (as we usderstandl
you propose 10 pardon and set fire., have muir
Gered in cold blood nearly or quite 600 Of our
people, rayarsd our frontier for a distance of
more than $50 miles, north and south; bu-nsd
The houses OF the settlers, and driven from
their houses more than ten thousand OF our
people They seized and carried into captivity
nearly one hundred women and girls, and in
p1arly every instance treated them with the
most Eendrh brutality.
To show you, sir, the enormity OF these ont
ra9es, we beg leave to state fe facts, which
sre we'll known TO our people, bnt deicacy
fortids that we should mention the names OF
the parties to whom we refer.
In instance some ten or tweive OF these
Indians visited the house OF a worthy farmer,
"a he, at The Lime, was engaged with his sons in
stacking wheat They steaithily approached
Inc place where this honest farmer was 1t
work, and, seizing their opportunity, shot the
father and his two sons 1T the stack. They then
y ent to the house, killed two little children in
the presence of their mother, who quite i'll
OF consumption, and then They took the sick
mother and Il beautiful little daughter thirteen
years Of age, into captivity. But this is not all,
nor is IL the most appalling feature of this ayE-
FIJI tragedy. It's horror is yet to r. revealed
After removing these unhappy prisoners 10 q
lodge which was some miles away, these feDds
incsrnate, placing guard over The body Of the
weary and exhausted mother, took her little
girl on sde of the lodge we'd Ill her clothes
and fastened her upon her back on the ground.
They then commenced their work of brutality
U7Cn the body of this yoUDg girl. One by one
they violated her person, unnovad by her cries
or unchecked by the evident signs of her ap-
proaCh hing dissolution. This work was con-
tinued until her Heavenly Father relieved her
from suffering T1fy Isftksr dead upon TIE ground.
This outrage was committed within a few feet
of a sick and dying mother.
There is another instance Of a girl Is years Of
age. We knew her we'll before and at the time
OF her capture. She " IA As refined and beauti-
fui girl W. had in the State. None had
more or better friends; no one was more uorthy
of them than she. She was taken captive by
these Indians; she was taken, her arms were
tied behind her, and she was made fast 10 the
ground and ravIshed by sonne eight or ten of
tIsso conv icis before the cords were Embossed
from her limbs. This girl fortunately lived to
testify against the wretchcs who had thus vio-
lated her. without ben" more specific
will state that all or nearly all the women who
were captured were violated in this way.
AGAIN, there was n little boy brought 70 ST
Paul, (whOsp. father and mother had been
n urd: red, whose life was spared, Us 4 Hitness
OF the horrid nature OF this massacre. His
right eye was cut completely out; it Rad fallen
from it, socket and persisted on his cheek. His
Nv lille sisters, aged res pPctiyey and years
were also saved, bct in aws fully mutilatnd
condjtit11. Their t'Ddrr arms had been mang,ed
with the "a wages kniYes, and other wise fear
fully wounded, and left on the ground for
dead.
BIZ. Presidsni, there was no justification or
precxt eyS fiFs fSitYfyy
and efficiently for the welfare OF these Ind;anS
he Government, rs you know, has built q
mouse and opened = farm for every one OF thesa
IhdIans who would reside upon and cultivate
II. Missionaries, as our worthy UisJ,on c,n
testify, have larOrfd Zcaiously among them for
tnf T spiritual " elfarS. There has been Daidro
h' m yeariy the interest upon s2,GOOGJo. Farm
ing implements have been purchased, and
farmers have been employed by the Govern.
ment to improve and cultivate their lands.
1bese Indians ara called by some prisoners
OF war. There was no war about it, II was
wbolcsale ROBBERY, rope, and murder These
Indians Were not a. war with their murdered
victims.
The people OF Minncsota, cir. President. have
STOOD Ill IN by You, and by your Administration
lH'y nave given both you ana IL their cordial
support. They have not violated in,y, Thev
nave torne these suilerngs with a patience
SUCH as hut f w people ever exhibited under
suCh extreme trial. These Indians are now at
thcir mercy; but our people have not risen up
TO slaughter them, because they believed that
their President would deal with them iustIv
We are told, Mr.. President that n Committee
from PcnEsy iyaDia, whose families ara living
happily In their pleas ant homes in that STATE
rave caiied upon you, and p":itioncd you to
Iaroon these Indians. We have high respect
lCr the religious sentiments of your petitioners.
Dtl we submit that II is bad taste, indeed, that
y IL entirety unbe coming them, 10 interfere in
matters with which they are 80 little acuuaint
d, and which relate to the security of our own
people.
We protest against The pardon of these Indians;
because, II 1t is done, the Indians viii become
more insclent and cruel than they ever were
before, beievfng-as they certainly Will be-
ie'e-ihat their great father 1t Washingto
,ither Justfles their acts or is afraid to punish
hem for their crimes.
We protest against IL, because, If the President :
Toes not permit these executions to take pIace
under the forms Of law, the outraged people of
minnesota will dispose OF these wretches with
PUT law. These two peoples cannot live to-
ycther. ,
We do not wish To sec mob law inaugurated
n Minnesota, as II certainly will be, if you
orce the people TO IL. We trembl- at the ap-
proach OF such a condition OF things in our
state.
You can give US peace, or you can give us
aw less violence We pray you. sir, in view !;
u all that we have suffered, and Of the danger I:
men snli awaits US, let the AW be ezecpted-l.t
Rsfiee be done people
" I'm nigh respect, We arc your obt servants |
nj. ). WILKINSON,
CYRUS ALDRICH,