The Portage County Democrat. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1863-07-22
indian TROUBLES.


assuming formidable shape. The blood
thirsty Sioux are committing murders and
others desperate Deeds and deserve extermi-
nation, The Sioux are family of the Daco-
tabs. Their range is throughout. the Daco-
tab region from the Mississippi to the Rocky
Mountains. They are desperate tribe, un-
civilized and warlike. Formerly they were
numerically strong, being about 30,0Q0-70Oo
of these warriors Now their numbers are re-
duced to 5000 or 10000, with perhaps not
more than 1000 warriors. From the st.
Paul Press we quote statement of some of
their recent outrages:
From the persons who found and buried the
members of the Dustin family, whose MUIR
der we chronieled in Friday Press, we learn
some particulars of the scene, which shows
the barbarities of last summer are being re-
enacted. The family were travelling in an
open lumber box wagon, and were attacked
on Monday, the 29th ult. 1t was not until
the Wednesday following, that they were
found, and the sight of their decomposed and
mangled bodies was truly awful.
Amos Dustin, the father, was sitting in the
front part of the wagon, dead, with an arrow
breast, probably made by a tomahawk or war
club. His left hand had been cut off, and
carried away by the Indians.
Beneath his seat, crouched little child of
six years, who had concealed herself there
when the attack was made. The life blood of
her father had streamed down, covering her
face and clothes, and her shoes were literally
filled with the blood that had trickled from
the manged body. She says that the 1ndi-
ans saw her. and looked quite sharply at her,
but did not offer violence. Il is probable that
she is mistaken about this as she is the only
member of the family uninjured, and from
the displays we have had of savage ferocity
we should not infer that they would know
ingly spare victim in their power
In another part of the wagon lay the corpse
| of Mrs Dustin, the grandmother of the chill
! dren. An arrow was in her body also, and
her head was banging over the side of the
| wagon, her long hair dishevelled and stream
| ing in the air, filled with the clotted blood
! that had flowed from her wounds !
1 The mother and a child twelve years Of
age were in the wagon, still alive, but sc
badly wounded that no hopes are entertained
of their recovery. For two days they haG
lain and suffered beside the dead bodies o.
their friends, unable to procure sustenance OF
assistance.
Indian camp fires were seen in several pla
ces in Hennepiu county last week, and on Fri
day pa ty of seven Indians were discovered
at Madison Lac, eight miles from Mnneapo
/ lis. They were first seen by farmer and hi
son, and as soon as they saw they were dis
covered, they dropped in the brush and con
cealed themselves. The farmer fed, and col
lected twelve of his neighbors, they returned
to the place where the Indians had been seen
and followed their trail, which led around th
lake, until within six miles of Minneapolis
where, losing the trail, search was abandoned
We have not learned whether it was after
wards resumed.
Previous to these late murders and discov
cries, Adjutant General Malmros had sent GU
Gen. Munich, who started on the 18th of Ma,
to inspect the frontier counties and ascertain
their wants. As the result of this tour. tn
militia companies were armed and supplie
with ammunition in the western part of Fa
ribaplt county in the whole of Blue Earth
in the western township of Nicollet in tn
whole of Brown, in part of Sibley, in tn
whole of Mcleod, in the western compan
>districts of Carver and Wright. in the Who'll
ofMeeker, in nearly all of Stearns. and il
the toSql of Sauk Rapids, in Benton count
forming line of defenses from Sauk ap
ids to the Iowa line.