The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1869-07-08
HOW A TRIBE OF INDIANS CAUGHT THE
SMALL POX
From the journal of j. }. Aukobon.l

From the Journal of j. j. Aukobon.
Early in the spring of 1887 the steamer As
,iniboin arrived at Fort Clark with several
cases of small poX on board. There an In
dian stole blanket belonging to Waterman
on the boat who was then at the point of death
and took it away to SOW the seeds of this dis
ease among his tribe, which caused his own
death and the death of thousands Of his nation.
When it was known that he had taken it.
benevolent person on the boat went to one OF
the chiefs. told him the fatal consequences
which would follow, and offered a new blank
ct and reward besides, if he would have it
rcllrncd but suspicion. fear or shame pre-
vented the man from giving it up, and the
pe-tilence broke out and began to spread a
mnno the Mandans at first, to which nation the
lhicf belonged. Most Of the Indians were
distant eighty miles at the time killing bufa
hoes and preparing their winter food; and the
whites sent an express. begging them not re-
tuln TO their villages, and telling them what
would hc the fatal consequences The In
.lian~ sent back word that their corn was
suffering to be worked, and that they would
return and face the danger, which they
thought was fabulous. Word was again sent
Them that certain destruction would attend
their return But ii was all in vain; come
back they would, and come back they did,
and the plague began in its most malignant
form, their habits and improper food making
lhem ready prey. and a few hours some
lmc, terminating the loathsome disease by
death The Mandans were enraged because
Al FIRST il was confined to them, and they sup
posed the whites had caused it, and saved
themselves and the Ricarees from the pest!
fence, and they threatened the lives of all the
former, supposing they had medicine to pre-
vent ii. which they would not give them; ;
Nv nd Inv icon w
thc disease Increasing in malignity hundreds
died daily and the bodies thrown beneath the
Lhf1I. created an intolerable stencil which
added TO lis fatality Men shot each other
when they found themselves attacked. One
man Killed his wife and children, and then
loaded his gun, and placing the muzzle in
his mouth touched the trigger with his toe.
and blew out his own brains. One young
chief made his friends dig a grave for him,
and putting on his war robes, he tottered out
to it, singing his death song, and jumping in,
rut lis body nearly in two with his knife,
and was buried there; and others committed
uicidc after they were attacked, rather than
die of loathsomc disease. The annals of pes
thence do not furnish another such example
of horrors. or where mortality was great in
proportion to the population once powerful
lribc of Mandans only twenty persons
remained, and l50. 900 of the persons per-
iShcd, and the details are too horrible to
relate. Added to this the few whites were
alarmed lest the Indians should massacre
them rs the cause OF the evil One influential
chief attempted to instigate the Indians to
Kill all the whites, but he was himself eiz ed
and died before his plans were matured; but
in his last moments he confessed his wicked
ness, and expressed sorrow for it, and beg
gcd that his body might be laid before the
gate Of the fort until it was buried, with the
~upcrSlitiou> belief that if this were done the
white man would always think of him and
forgive his meditatcd crime.