Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1862-11-28


An intercstina Bepcrt is eiven in the ST. Paul
Pioneer Of the traI "A those Indians who had
been arrested for hatinR participated in the muir
dcrous ailegks upon DE whites Four hundred
aud ninety oightcases have been disposed Of MS
many az erty cagra having sometimes been at
tended 70 b day.
The ptisoners wcFe brought IN, chained to-
gether 81 the feet, n pairs some cases eight at
4 time aud The charges which were preferred by
General Sibley, read 10 them through the inter.
prefer, Antoine Premier, and then, after being
exhorted 10 tell the truth and not equvocate,
each vas aslsed ast6 tlisefta,,t n hispartici-
patton in the ouirages, and, II necessary, wit
nesses were called against him. Then, II there
vas any doubt as 10 his guilt, or ss to his being
Z willing participant in the outrages, he was
allowed to call witnesses in his favor
About. twe-thinda Of the accused adnattei
that they fred at the whites but insisted that
no one teas liedthtreby. The letfrdiwh no
did not admit having fred stall, presented q
series Of ressons for not having done 4. which
would have done ereditto crowd wAltiug tobs
exempted from the draft. The old men had
been too weak 10 DO any fighting; the young
men had been too frightened. Some had been
hiding some eating; one slept through all the
atrucifies, and some Of the hardest old sinBets
had conscientious scruples because they were
members Of the church, 49,
The atrocities which were proven on the trial
q
been brutally murdered girls had been outraged
and the most fendisb cruelty manifested in
acts that would shame the devil Against one
sbrivcIled up old man, two boys testified, The
I, report says:
1.-THE old wretch was made to stand up look
/ ing cold and impossible, and as stold as stone
! the boys likewise standing opposite, gazing al
] each other for moment, when one Of the boys
4 said: i saw that man shoot man while hewa
1 on his knees at prayer and the other boy said
I I saw him shoot my mother.
1 There was a subject for painter. The be.
! holders could scarcely keep their hands from
the throat Of the mummy. ~ rer--v
| All ages have beeIi represented, from boyish
! fifteen up to old men, scarcely able to walk OF
speak, who we're fifty years old, to use the ex.
Pressioti u one, "a long time ago, and then they
1 stopped counting" Two of these old gentle
I men were brought in together, who were direc
| opposites in physiognomy-the face Of one run.
\ ming all to nose, which terminated sharply CIV.
i ing him pointed expression, while that Of ihi
other was perfectly fiat, and about two feet broad
and fully illustrated (what always considered
as fable) the fact of persons being in exis
/ tence who couldn't open and shut their eye'
1 and mouth at the same moment. T his specimen
! was apparently asleep the whole time with hii
lower Jaw dowp, and as closed eyes was his nor
NAL condition, he had to be punched up every
/ twominutes, when the president of the commits
!
look in his eyes, that his rat trap was kept il
| continual motion, eyes and mouth alternately
4 opening and shutting with jerk. =
sAnOther veazen faced, shaggy y-haired, lanl
specimen Of many winters, looked more liki
the devil than anything human should nav,
\ run from him in the night had he been "gooC
/ Indian" in times of peace, in a reasonable pro
4 liability that he was satanic--horns and tai
1 were all that were necessary to make the per
soRiication.' i1.iHa n fs -
/ "But the greatest case of ali was a negro VIII
i turned States evidence. He confessed to haE
i ing beep intEe fight, but sad hewas forced init
it. He had aswohderful memory and power o
! observation which were made use Of by tn
court. Not the least thing had escaped his ey,
or ear. Such an Indian had double-barrelet
gun, another a single barreled, another a loni
/ one, another a short one, another lance AM
another one nothing at all. One denied that h
was at the fort. Godfrey saw him there pre-
j pairing his sons for battle, and reeOllected tina
4 he painted the face of one red and drew strea
Of green OyeF hiseyes. Another denied thai b
made certain statement to Godfrey, which h
/ testified TO. @What,' said Godfrey, "dou't yo
rccollect you said it when you had your ham
upon my wagon, with your foot resting on th
wbeel7" To another whom he charged wit
) admitting that he had killed child by strikin
it with his war spear over the head, and VIII
denied it, he said: "DOn't you remember O
showing me the spear was broken, and sayin,
you had broken il in striking TIM childf T
another, he said he had lame arm a. New UlH
I and could not fire gun, and who bad such
bad gun that he could not have fired if he de
sired, he replied. "You say you could not FIR
and had a bad gun. Why don't you iell tn
court the troubled Isaw you GO to take the GU
of an Indian who was killed and fire two shots
/ and then you borrowed mine, and shotTith il
and then you made me reload it, and then yo
! fred again." Z. -, ~, -. Z =