The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1863-11-20
The Sioux War and Massacres OF
1923.

The most attractive book, IN the sCyie
of its composition and printing, and the
good taste and accuracy of its illustrations,
which has been published about Minnesota,
is that entitled the History OF the Sioux
War. and Massacres of 1862 and 1868 :
and of which our townsman, ISAAC V. D.
HEARD. ESQ, is author. AS he states in
his preface, Mr.. HEARD was a member OF
Gen. SIBLEY's expedition against the Sioux
in 1862, from it's arrival at ST. Peter in
Augu.t until the close of the campaign in
November, and acted as Recorder of the
Military Commission which tried the saw
ages captured during that campaign. The
facilities given him during that experience,
added to his acquaintance with the char
acter and condition Of the Sioux nation,
acquired during some twelve years resi-
dence in Minnesota, have enabled him to
present an accurate and thrilling narrative.
He has an easy, unpretentious, but vigo-
rous, style of writing, which he has en-
ployed to give charm to his History, SO
far as any charm can be lent by manner
to the treatment of subject in itself so
horrible.
The illustrations of the History number
thirty-three: and comprise portraits OF
most of the prominent actors. civilized and
savage, connected with the frontier TRACE
dy, and scenes of the places rendered MEM
orable by Indian atrocity and the white
mans retribution. Among the portraits,
that of OLD BETz is the most truthful, that
of It. Col. MARSHALL the next best, Judge
FLANDRAUis fair to middling, and General
SIBLEY's positively bad; as if the artist
had purposely arranged the style of exc
cution inversely according to rank and po-
sition. The scenic illustrations are, most
of them, excellent; some particularly fine;
and all engraved with artistic skill. In
deed, the makeup of the book, in respect
to its printing and illustrations, is all that
could be desired.
We cannot otherwise give SO fair an idea
of the literary merit of the History, as by
making an extract from the book itself.
For this purpose we take the third chap
ter, one Of the shortest, which is headed
A SPARK OF FIRE.
On the 10th of August, a party of twenty
Indians from the Lower Reservation went to
~l,~D IL, E%rn Ntftyfs fh.Av
pose of hunting deer and obtaining a wagon
which the chief Max -yah-we-tah, one of
their number. had left the previous autumn
with Captain Whitcomb as security for the pur-
chase-money of sleigh. This chief, and four
Others of the party, separated from their com
panOns and went to WhitcOmbs. The re-
manning fifteen fingered in the neighbOrhood
of Acton. Four OF these were Upper Indians
by birth but had intermarried with the Mde-
wakantons. and were living with Shakopees
band at the mouth of Rice Creek This band
was the worst disposed upon the reservation,
and the most violent in its complaints against
the whites The others resided around the
Lower Agency.
On Sunday, the 18th of August, when within
about six miles of Acton, one of the latter
picked up some hers eggs on the prairie, and
proposed to eat them. mo" said one of the
tour, 'they are eggs of tame fowl; they are
the property of white man. You must not
touch them" Nonsense" replied the first
speaker; ''they are worth nothing, and we are
hungry and might as well eat Them No."
still insisted the other; "they are not ours. 1t
is wrong to take EN-, and we will get into
trouble with the whites if we do So" 'Oh u
angrily retOrted the first. you are putting on
talk great deal against the whites, and yet
you dare not take few paltry eggs: am not
afraid of the miserable foOls.' Don't abuse
the white man, said the other; ''be is absent.
Abuse me. am here, and am not frightened
at your loud talk" ITO the devil with you
and the eggs" exclaimed the ilIst and ne
dashed them to the ground. That's very
bold act" said the other sneeringly, Ito destroy
few hens eggs! You are a coward"
The dispute waxed hotter and hotter us they
proceeded on their way. Presently they saw
an OK and the one who had broken the eggs,
cried out 81 am a coward, am /? am SO
brave, and so little afraid of the whites as to
dare to kin one of their oxen. There" and
he drew up his gun and shot the OK. " You
call that brave too do your" said his former
disputant; Il call it the act of a coward. You
break eggs and kill an OK. You are woman.
l am brave man, and know what is brave l
have been on war parties against Chippewas,
and have taken scalps"
And so the quarrel progressed in bitterness
and the whole party became embrOied in it,
the four Rice Creek Indians being arrayed in
opposition 20 the Others and each side accus-
ing the other OF cOwardice. The difficulty bid
fair to result i'll blows, when the larger mum
Der said, ''Since we can't agree we will take
different trails, and you will find out whether
we are brave or not, for we are going to kill
white man." And SO they left the four to them
selves.
Some little time afterward the four heard the
others firing off their guns, and enormously
supposed they were killing whites, as they had
threatened, and two insisted they must do the
same, or they would be charged with being
towards. The other two reasoned against it..
and so debating they continued on their way
to Acton. .....
The first house they came to was untenanted.
The next was that of Mr.. Robinson Jones.
whom they found at home with his wife and q
young lady, a Miss Cara d. Wilson. This
house they reached about eleven O'Clock in the
morning. Here they got into contention with
Jones about his refusal to give them liquor
and about the failure of one of them to return
gun which he had borrowed Of Jones the
| previous winter, in consequence of which Jones
compelled them to leave the house.
From there they went to Mr.. Howard Ba
ker's, quarter of a mile distant, where they
found Mr.. Baker, and Mr.. Webster and his
wife. Baker was son of Mrs. Jones by 6
former husband. Webster and his wife were
emigrants from Michigan, and had just arrived
that day. They intended going to difteren
part of the country, but had on the road faller
in with Baker, and were by him induced tt
tn Acton.