Sioux City register. [volume] (Sioux City, Iowa) 1858-1871, 1864-08-20
LETTER FROM MRS. sHIPMAN.

geant Stevens, who vas sent down to in.
ves'igate the late difficulty between Nj.
shipman and the Winnebago indians, r..
turned to Sioux City and made statements
like the following" Thas hr. Shipnsa
had hired Indians to work for him--and
when they wanted pay told them to 20 to
h-ll; and also in the ARRAY that happen.
ed on the 18th Of July. that Mr.. 8. did
the frat shooting; and that he did not
know but Mra Shipmsn meant to tell the
truth about it, but he did not think she
did; that tho distance from the house to
the spot where the Indians were was II
miles, and no person could see so far
That the sheep were not frightened by
Indians at all, but that a certain Mr..
Hammors was out there and scared them
by swinging bis hat at them"
Will you permit me TO give to the PEG.
pie, through the columns of the Register
plain and truthful statement Of the case,
which, il l hear correctly, has been most
grossly naisrepresented.
Last Spring the Winnebago Indians
came down to the Omaha Reserve, aud
have been roaming through the country
on the Iowa side, just As they please, ever
since. Our home was only Few rods
from the timber, and nearly opposite the
Reserve, some six miles from neighbors.
The Indians would come there, from two
to twenty in day. begging for powder,
shot, caps, food, &C. Sometimes | fed
them-at other times l could not; and
when they could not get what they want.
ed they would 60 GU. doors aud yell as
only Indians can. At last they begged for
work. and Mr.. s. thinking he could not
afford to feed the tribe for nothing, gave u
few Of them work. They split 400 rails
for him, for which he agreed to pay them
1925 per hundred. While they were
working furnished them cooking uten.
s'ls, and weighed out to them such pro.
visions Us they called for, a: the same
prices as Mr.. s. paid for them. When
their work was done he paid them the re.
mainder in money, and they were appar-
emily satisfied, all but one Indian. Their
interpreter said that Indian had got oil
that he was promised, but wanted more
because the work was hard. Mr.. S. has
told them repeatedly that he did not want
them to come about the house-that there
were bad Indians in the country, aud be
could not tell one from another, and want.
ed them to stay away-but always talked
to them pleasantly.
On the 18th of July Mr.. S. was gone
with q gentleman who was a. that time
stopping At our house with his family
They were at work on house the gentIe.
man was building at II miles frog our
place over On the read. Some time in
the afternoon, | should think about S
o'clock, l was looking GU. and saw "a In.
dian running across the prairie les, than
half mile from the house. lie was run.
ming towards the sheep. spoke 10 the
lady who was with me, saying, there is an
Indian, pointing him out to her. and we
both watched him until be came quite
near the sheep, when he disappeared Il
suppose skulked in the grass. Ia a very
few minutes the sheep came rushing
towards the house as if very much lrisht>
ened, and did not stop until they reached
the yard where they were kept at night
Directly we saw the Indian goiog away
| ran to little cabin q few steps from the
door and called the said liam mons who
had been there lying on his bed. Told
him what we had seen, and asked him to
20 over and see if they had not killed q
sheep. He got up-I pointed out the
Indian to him he loaded rife, took it
and started. Went part way, and turned
back. In the mean time the Indian had
gone out to where there were one or two
other Indians and stopped. Soon Mr. S.
came in sight, aud Mr.. Hammons turned
off to meet him and told him abou, it,
Mr.. s. came directly to the house. told
him what we had seen-poin,ed out to
him, as nearly as could. the spot where
| last saw the Indian. We could not see
them then. He started l took a spy.
glass and went up stairs so that could
see plainly. saw nothing of the Indians
until Mr. 8. had gone nearly to where
last saw them, when two Indians jumped
up and one or both Of them fired If both
they must have cred at the same instant,
for l heard but one report. saw the
smoke distinctly l then saw Mr.. s. re.
turn the fire, wheel his poney and start on
a run-and as he left the Indian fired on
him again. The lady tina. wa- with me
was down stairs aud could sec Mr.. s. with
tho naked eye.
We have plat Of the country, and As
nearly AZ the distance can be calculated
from it, it is less than three .fourths OF a
mile from the house to where the shooting
was done. Mr.. S. came to the house,
himself and pony badly wounded. We
sent Immediately for aid, and removed
Mr.. s. to Woodbury..
Sergeant Stevens was sent down, aud it
seems rs If he is more ready to take the
heresay statements Of Indian sym athiz-
ers than the truth from white men and
women. l told him the circum stances.
and he said in my presence, on his return
from the Indian camp, that he behered
from the heR hc could learn that eo,na RI