The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1865-02-03
Capt. Risk's Rep0rt.-.The Indian
Poisoning Business.

As severe denunciations have been
poured upon Capt. FISK in the eastern
journals on account of his alleged COM
plicity in the poisoning of large number
of Indians on the plains beyond the Mis-
souri, last summer, while they were beseig-
ing his expedition, that officer has allowed
US to print his own version of the affair
as rendered officially to the War Depart
ment. In bis report to the Adjutant Gen
eral the incident is detailed as follows:
THE sTRYCHNINH AFFAIR.
: This afternoon (Sept. 9Th, Mr.. Lamar and
others who had been out grazing their ami
mails, reported to me they had found quite a
number of fresh carcasses Of human bodies with
the flesh mostly knawed off by wolves.
These were supposed to be some Of the ma
ny who persisted from the effects of strych-
nine, which, it seems, had been put into a
box of water-soaked and broken bareback the
camp ground with an end on the fire. and
which was eagerly pounced upon by the sava-
ges the moment we had left the ground, and
devoured, as vultures seize their carrion prey.
It would seem that other offals of the camp
were alike infected. Now, the night before
this deed was done, several of my corps, of the
cavalry and of the leading emigrants as well,
suggested to me that in view of the loss
of ammunition, the furious and barbarous
character of the enemy that it might be our
salvation to resort to poison, which they
thought might be successfully dealt out. did
not for a moment entertain this proposition,
but dismissed it with emphatic reasons why,
In my judgment, it should not be done. When
those carcasses we're discovered about our
camp, where we had been obliged to entrench,
and soon after learning that the Indians them
"they had lost most half their band by bad
bread and bullets" could see how that deep
hate and justly warrantable spirit of revenge
which rankles in the hearts of Minuesotians,
auickened st that time by surrounding perils,
hsd done its work. #asr 'l"s .
This incident becoming generally known,
has been the choice bit of food for the minds
of insatiate or monomaniac hunanitarians
throughout the country, and over which they
have vented their seething gall IN terms
of obloquy and eternal infamy upon my head,
not forgetting 10 lug in the general govern.
ment as party to the crime! p. r~ ..aa
But for myself, have no apologies nor flu.
tier explanations to make in the premises,
simply rejoining that cannot say but that the
use of that unwarllke means OF destruction
was the salvation of my weak and beleaguered
party; and finding after it was done that II
'cas done. I ,oas glad fssds WELL done!
The fearless frankness with which Capt.
FISK deals with this subject, in his
own peculiarly blunt language, together
with an appreciation of the trying circum-
stances in which the expedition was placed
by the deadly hostility Of the hordes Of
savages surrounding it, win go far to dis
arm unfnendly criticism upon the manner
OF their stalking Off" It is very easy for
those whose estimate of Indian character
is based on romance alone, to turn the
current OF their sympathiss in q wrong de
rec.ion; but the men of the West, who
have more accurate knowledge, will not be
apt to denounce their own race for exesr-
cising the instincts of self.preservation
effectually against bloodthirstY, remorse-
less foes, who never practice, and cannot
be made to understand, the theory Of civ
ilized warfare. ' p T7,.'' -