St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1863-04-02

nis. services 20 introduce me to the audi-
enee before whom I lec.ured here, a cere.
nony 70 which I submittedsunder protect,
i'and who joined 10 thescrowd who oongr,t-
uluted me i the, oloss Of the lectursb has
siace been getting up public meetings 10
company With OLD father Bees@, h,aa.
swer my "tirade against the Itdiaus, the
President aud the Missionaries" He
represents, on the authority of Lawye,
Demmon, Of St. Anthony, that the trial
Of these condemned Indians was a. dis.
graceful farce conducted by men Who were
drunk on thebsneh and Who drdeted some
of the prisoners out Of their presence, with
oaths, setting them down as convicted
without having heard any evidence what.
ever. While in most cases the psrties
were condemned on their own admission
Of guilt, proceeding against which Mr.
Day protests as especially unjust and lille.
gal. 49,,
When our own people, or those who
profess to be Of Us, are publicly taking
sides with tho Indian and denouncing the
white settlers of Minnesota as the agrees.
ors, how can you expect Eastern people
to decide in our favor?
| The long and short of it is, that the peo-
pie Of our State must redress their own
grievances, and if they lot those murder
ers escape; the world will simply denounce
them as pusillanimous towards, or totally
disbelieye the story of the outrages CON-
mitted. People cannot and will not be-
lieve it possible that any set Of savages
committed the outrages we say they did
on the people cfa civilized State, and that
the men Of that State let them go unpun-
ished, unless they are set Of towards
whose lives would be neither worth saw
ing nor avenging. .
l am glad to see that the Senate has
refused to confirm the nomination of Sib-
ley for Brigadier General. I thought af-
ter he recovered the captives that his
course had been dictated by wish to pro-
tect the whites; but the event shows that
he has complicated tho whole matter so as
to make protection next to impossible ;
and my fear now is that Governor Ram
sey may adopt the conciliate- my -foe-at-
the cost-of.my-friend policy, which has so
nearly proved fatal to President Lincoln s
administration; and use his large infu-
ence to push that confirmation through
If he does be will only confer upon his en-
envy an increased power of injuring him
while he will greatly lessen the wish of
many friend to aid him.
Since leaving home l have talked with
half dozen men who took. part in that
last battle with the Indians, when they
were 50 badly worsted that Little Grow
retired to Dacota, while the more coward
ly portion Of the band came to claim Sib-
ley's protection, and they all agree that
that battle was wholly and solely brought
on and fought out by the Third Mime
sofa boys acting against orders
For several days it had been known in
Sibley's camp, that the Indians were camp
ed three miles from them, and all were
strictly forbidden to go out in that dircc--
ton.
The Third boys stood it as long as they
could and then concluded they must
have some potatoes which grew very near
the Indian camp. Thirty Of them took
their guns, spades and three wagons and
started for potatoes, the others protesting
against the move as contrary to orders and
sure to- bring trouble. When the thirty
had got out about two miles, they were
fired upon by large body Of Indians, and
instantly each man sprang to such cover
as he could find and returned the fire as
fast as they could load and take aim -
They had no commander. Each man was
on an individual mission of shooting In
dams, aud shot. The first fire was expect
ed and heard in camp, when every man Of
the Third seized his gun and cartridge
box and ran to the aid of his COM
panions, Lieut.. Welsh running with the
rest and being recognized as commander.
A messenger went to Sibley asking leave
to reinforce the men engaged as from the
heavy firing it was evident they were tire.
mendously outuumbered, and .sibley SEM
ont an aid ordered the Third to retreat.
They sent him orders to 60 to - and
continued the battle two hours, each man
on his own responsibility, some lying down
sDme behind small elevations on the ground