St. Cloud Democrat., 1863-08-27

result OF the weak policy OF our Government
of its culpable refusal to punish the crimi.
nails who fell into lis hands-and if the Indi.
ans are to be left to the anger of their Great
Father here. as administered by Gen. Sibley
and his military expeditions, our borders will
be the scenes of Indian massacres to the end
of the next generation.
Some people regard me as blood thirsty
monster, for saying that these butchers should
be hunted as wild beasts; but with me it is
only choice as to whether the white man or
the Indian shall be the hunted and scalped
party in the hunt which will surely 80 on un-
til our or the other raceis completely conquer
cd. prefer that the white man shall do the
killing, and the scalping, too, if it be essen
tial to the determination of the monsters. 1t
must be loathesoue task to touch one Of
their nasty carcasses, but how shall the State
ed? Those who are agreed to the killing need
not faint at the scalping, inasmuch as it can
infict no pain and appears necessary as
proof of the killing. One cannot expect men
Oh their own cost, to go ON this business, and
the only just way to pay men for service of
this kind is by the rule of efficiency, and this
can on:y be measured by the number they
kill. AS their lives arc forfeited by all laws
human and divine, there can be no crime in
taking them by whatever means the State au-
,horitics may decide. Dy the laws of the State
they arc murderers and deserving Of capital
punishment and there is no fixed rule, in
the jurisprudence of the civilized world, or
! the laws OF Revelation, deciding that GRIM
inal must be executed in any particular form.
There is nothing in the law of ethics or civil
codes forbidding the executor of the law to
shoot criminal as he runs. The man charg-
cd with crime who resists the officers Of the
law and refuses to surrender himself for trial
may be shot in any of our city streets. The
officer so shooting him is released from all fur
ther oblisAti to arrest him. but if the street
were forest or desolatc prairie, in or on
which lie could find no Witnesses to satisfy
| justice that the criminal was dead, the obi
CATION to arrest remains in full force. In the
lack Of Hving witnesses he is justified in taking
dead ones, and as it must be very inconvenient
to take the entire dead Indian from the remote
frontier in to St. Paul, it is simply case of
necessity that he should tlkc some portion of
the body to prove the death. As an Indians
scalp is about the only portion Of his body
which lie would not cut off and sell to some
one, it is the only part which could furnish
reasonable proof that lie had suffered the ex-
treme penalty Of the law lie has violated
This hunting and scalping process is certain
| ly the only mode by which our State can be
kept rid of them, as nothing less than an as
sured loss Of life and scalp will prevent their
returning from any part Of our Western terri
tories to which they may be carried and
bloody and cruel as it may look on first sight,
it will bring peace with tenth part Of the
bloodshed, that must prccede quiet by follow
ing up the absurd policy Of civilized warfare
with savagcs, which is simply "war on peace
principles .#E3-.
JANE G.. SWlSSHELM.