The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1862-12-14
The Indian War in Minnesota
Memorial Against the Reprieve
ofAny Of the Murderers.

We have learned incidentally that
you intend TO pardon or reprievea large
majority Of the Indians who have been
formally condemned for their participa-
ton in The brutal massacre of our peo-
/ pie in the months Of August aud Sep
TENDER last. n this be your purpose, as
representatives of thai State we beg leave
most respectfully 10 proteSt against IL I;
and we do so for the following reasons
These Indians are condemned, most Of
them upon abe testimony Of women whom
they had carried into captivity, after
having murdered their fathers, husbands
and brothers, and who were treated by
these Indians with brutality never
known before in this country, nor equal
led in the practices of the most barbarous
! nations There were nearly ninety fe-
MAZE captives. They were the wives and
daughters of our neighbors and friends.
They were intelligent and virtuous wo-
men--some OF them were wives and
mothers, others were young and inter-
csting girls
/ These sayages TO whom you propoes
10 extend your Executive clemency,
when the whole country was quiet and
the farmers were busily engaged iu
gathering their crops, arose with fearful
violence, and travelling from one farm
house TO another, Unfortunately MUIR
dered all the men, boys and little chill
dren they came TO, and although they
sometimes spared the mothers and
daughters, they did SO only to take them
into captivity which was infinitely worse
than death. 1928
Mr.. President, let us relate to you some
facts with which we fear you have not
heretofore been made acquainted. These
Indians whom Gas we understand) you
propose TO pardon and set free, have
murdered in cold blood nearly or quite
one thousand of our people, ravaged our
frontiers for distance of over $50 miles,
north and south, burned the homes of
more than ten thousand of our people
They seized and carried into captivity
nearly one hundred women and young
girls, and in nearly every instance treated
them with the most fiendish brutality
TO show you, sir, the enorrnity of their
outrages, we beg leave TO state few
facts, which were well known TO our
people, but delicacy forbids that we
should mention the names of the parties
to whom we refer. In one instance ten
or twelve of these Indians visited the
house of a worthy farmer, who, at the
time, was engaged with his sons in stack
ing wheat. They stealthily approached
the place where this honest farmer was
at work, and, seizing their opportunity,
shot the father and his two sons at the
stacks. They then went TO the house
killed two little chill dren in the presence
of their mother, who was quite i'll of
consumption, and then took the sick mo-
Their and beautiful daughter, thirteen
years of age, into captivity. But this is
not al nor is it the most appalling por-
tion of the awful tragedy. It's horror is
yet to be revealed. After removing these
unhappy persons TO lodge which was
some miles away, these flends incarnate,
placing a guard over the body of the |
weary and exhausted mother, took her
little girl outside of the lodge, removed |
all her clothes, and fastened her upon |
her back upon the ground. Then they |
commenced the work of brutality upon |
the body Of this young girl. One by one
they violated her person, unmoved by her |
cries, aud mistaken by the evident signs |
Of her dissolution. This work was con-
tinued until her Heavenly Father relieved |
her from her suiIerings. They left her
dead upon the ground. This outrage
was committed within few feet OF a
sick and dying mother.
There is another instance of girl, |
eighteen years of age. We knew her
well before and at the time of her cap
ture. She was as refined and beautiful |
girl as we have in the State none had |
more or better friends; no one was more |
worthy of them than she. She was taxi |
en- captive by the Indians. She was talk
en-, her arms tied behind her; she was
made fast TO the ground, and ravished by |
some eight or ten of these convicts, be- |
fore the cords were Embossed from her
hands. This girl, fortunately, lives, 70
testify against the wretches who had |
thus violated her.
Without being more specific, we will |
state that all, or nearly all The women
who were captured were treated in this
way,
Again, there was little boy brought
to 50. Paul, whose father and mother had
been murdered, whose life was spared as
a witness OF the hOrrid nature of the
massacre. His right eye was cut COM
pleiely out; it had fallen from its socket
and had persisted on his cheek. His two
little sisters, aged respectively six and
four years, were also saved, but in an
awfully mutilated condition their ten
der arms had been mangled with the
savages' knives aud otherwise tearfully
wounded aud left on the ground for
dead. 8!s.,r Inl,
Mr. President, there was no jusiifca-
top or pretext even for these bru!alities.
We state what we know, when We say
that the Sioux Agent Major Gailbraith,
has behaved faithfully and efficiently for
the welfare Of these Indians. sTE