Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Iowa) 1861-1864, 1863-05-14
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The Minnesota Indians.

. 3
On Saturday morning the steamer
Favorite, arrived at East Davenport,
with the condemned Minnesota In
dians. They were in charge of Com
pany C, of the 7th Minnesota rcgi-
ment, Capt. Burt commanding. These
Indians, numbering in all a92, left
Mankato, MINI, on Wednesday, and
arrived here as above stated. Major
Brown, an old Indian trader, who has
been with these Indians since 1918,
accompanied them on their journey.
There are Of the Indians 27S males,
l6 females and children. Of the
men 263 are sentenced to be hung,
and f9 to be imprisoned for terms va
rying from one to ten years. The
women accompanying them for the
purpose of cooking, washing and at
tending to the sick-l0 Of them at
tend to the culinary department, 4 to
the washing and 2 to the sick. They
are quartered in four different bar.
racks, three Of which are occupied by
the men, while the fourth is divided
into hospital for the sisk, and a
room for the females and children.
Judging from theircxternal appear
ance, one could hardly believe that
these redskins could have ever COM
mitted the monstrous atrocities of
which they have been found guilty.
They seem rather intelligent and pro-
fess Christianity, some Of them being
Presbyterians and others Catholics.
They have books, printed in their own
language, and states whereupon they
learn to write. '''
On Saturday they held q prayer
meeting which seemed very impress.
sive, and in which thoyi all participa.
ted. The interpreters accompanying
them assert that their leaders were
mostly to blame for their Internal
deeds. When coming from Mankato
to this place they passed Fort Smelling
where their wives and children, 1000
in number, are incarcerated. They
were not permitted to stop and see
them, but knowing them to be there,
and uncertain as To where and what
fate they we're being led to, they plain
ly evinced deep emotions qf SORROW
The majority of these Indians vol
UNFAIRLY surrendered themselves to
Col Sibley. They all. with one ex-
ception, belong to the Sioux tribe the
other is a Winnebago. There are
four among them who speak English.
The first, a half-breed, named, David
Farribeau, writes a splendid hand and
is an excellent English scholar. The
second is also half-breed, named An.
toine Provoselli. The third is q hall
Indian and half African-a regular
cut-throat villain, named Joseph God.
frey--who turned States evidence
against his accomplices in order to
save himself from the gallows: he so
richly deserves. He has been scDten-
ced to ten years imprisonment. The
fourth is quiet and neat looking in
dividual, who has but little to say.
These Indians are all large and
muscular, and their long black hair
shines luxuriously. Their average
age is twenty-eight years. Previous
to their transportation to this place
they had been incarcerated in small
log houses and so closely confined that
twenty Of them died. There are but
few SICK among them and those are
convalescent. They are much pleas.
ed with their new quarters and feel
grateful for the humane treatment they
receive. They will be Supplied with
bread, fresh meat and shelled corn.
Salt meat they do not eat. The squaws
prepare the food. There is. sufficient
room provided for the prisoners to lie
and stretch themselves outside the
barracks. The more desperate ones
are ironed singly, while the others
are manacled in pairs.-Dareaport Ga
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