The Goodhue volunteer., 1862-12-24
= :. :" Ia. F.-.FrT VI R.s%' ~, ~ U "
The Case of the Minnesota Indians.

( / E
y The following is the protest against Presi-
dental clemency in the case Of the three hum
dred Indians convicted Of participating in the
Minnesota outrages, signed, by. Senator Viii,
kinson and Representatives Aldrich aud VIM
dom, which was laid before the President, and
of which We have heretofore given tele-
graphic synopsis: g.. #,..s- ~
WASHINGTON, Dec. 3, 1862.
To the President of tine United States:
Sir: We have learned, indirectly, that
you intend to pardon or reprieve7a large ma
iority of the Indians in Minnesota, who have
been formally condemned for their particpa-
ton in the brutal massacre Of our people in
the months of August and September last
If this be your purpose, as Representatives
from that State, we beg leave emostrespectful-
ly to protest against it, and We do so for the
following reasons:
These Indians were condemned, most of
them, upon the testimony Of women whom
they had carried into captivity, after having
murdered their fathers, husbands and broth
ers. and who were treated by these Indians
with brutality never known before in this
country, nor equalled in the practices of the
most tarbarous nations. There were nearly
ninety female captivcs. They were the wives
and daughters Of our neighbors and friends.
They were intelligent and virtuous women
Some of them were wives and mothers; 9TH
ers were young and interesting girls.
These savages, to whom you propose to ex-
tend your Executive clemency, when the
whole country was quiet and the farmers were
busily angaged in gathering their crops, arose
with fearful violence and travelling from one
farm house to another, indiscriminately mur-
dered all the men, boys, and little children
they came to; and, although they sometimes
tcrs, they did so only to take them into cap
tivity which was infinitely worse that death.
Mr.. President, let us relate to you some
facts with which we fear you have not here
toforc been made acquainted.
Those Indians whom (as we un!erstand)
you propose to pardon and set free, have
murdered in cold blood nearly or quite one
thousand Of our people ravaged our frontier
for distance Of more than one hundred and
fifty miles, north and south; burned the
houses Of our settlers, and driven from thei,
homes more than ten thousand Of our people
They seized and carried into captivity more
than one hundred women and girls, and r
nearly every instance, treated them with the
most fiendish brutality.
To show you, sir, the cnormity of these
outrages, we beg leave to state few f,ct:
which are we'll known to onr people, but deli
cacy forbids that we should mention tho
names Of the parties to whom we refer.
In one instance some ten or twelve Of these
Indians visited the house Of a worthy farmer
who, at the time, was engaged with his sons
in stacking wheat. They stealthi'y approach
cd the place where the honest farmer was al
work, and, scizing their opportunity, shot tn
father and his two sons at the stack. They
then went to the house. killed two little chill
dren in the presence of their mother who wa:
quite i'll with consumption, and then they
! took the sick mother and beautiful LITTLE
daughter, thirteen years Of age, into captivity
But this is not ALL nor is it the most appallin,
feature Of this awful tragedy. It's horrors j
yet to be revealed Afterremoving these TN
happy prisoners to lodge which was som
miles away, these fiends incarnate, after plac
ling guard over the body Of the weary, AM
exhausted mother, took her little cue outsid
the lodge, removed all her clothes, and fas
tened her upon her back On the ground
They then commenced their work Of brutal
ty upon the body of this young girl. One b
one they violated her person, unmoved b
her cries and unchecked by the evident sign
of her approaching dissolution. This wor
was continued until her Heavenly Father RI
liesed her from suffering. They left her dea
upon the ground. This outrage was con
= mitted within few feet Of sick and dyin
T,%sI @GsF&&fzEt fEz@SfE5 ~ s*5 = 5z 5&E 2*t&
mother. raagzc5 fs.z 7z..ss zig
There is another instance of girl eigbtee
:, years of age. We knew her well before an
: at the time Of her capture. She was as r
:. fined and beautiful a girl as we had in II
: State. None had more or better friends \
one was more worthy Of them than she. ST
was taken esptiye by these Indians; she y:
taken, her arms were tied behind Ter, an
: she was tied fast to the ground and ravishs
Iby some eight or ten Of these conyicts befo
y the cords we're uuloosed from her limbs. III
: Isirl for: r:unate,y lived to testify against u
II wre.cbcs who had thus violated her Wit
being more specific we. viii state that ,
Tor nearly all the women who we're captur'
Iwere violated IN this way. b
II Again. there vas = little boy brought TOT
IPasL, (uhsse father and mother had be
q murdered,, j, whose life WAS spared, As witne