, 1870-11-20
INDIAN HISTORY.


4A4AAA LID AVhx.
A IIeminiscencc OF Fert Smelling.
BF MES. CHARLOTTE B. VAN cLxvE-
We copy from paper just Issued By The
aiure sofa State Historical Societ !. the fol!on-
lug account Of the exee7tioa Al Fort saelliug.
in 1886 OF four Daketas, who had killed some
Chirpexas. by the ret1'ires Ct tho lattar.
Mrs Van Gevo, tho authoress, vas little
girl, and probably the and her mother Asa
the only living Witnesses Of the even:.l
Like The old man IN Di,kens' 81 Child's Sto~
mr. mIer with mo.
! close my eyes aud reclls an evening eoma
foiss-:wo years ago, when, in one Of the stone
houses Lear Fort Smelling, which was our
hnuss at thAt time, 4 pleasant company OF
ufhe-1a rud their families were spending tho
oDcu, tcr tie weather vas warm, ana oae OF
tic officers, Captain C1uger, wAs wLkius on
the ri.zzs. when We we're sil startled by the
seurd of rlpid firing very near 1a- The Cap
tain 1ushed into the house, rlr:h ssltAted, e1-
claiming i hat bullet almsst tiIazsd my earl"
What ecua i nesn; ws1o tha Indians sar-
eoon the loud ye!ls and khsieks fron the
Indian canp near our house made it evi-
dent that the treaty Of peace, nsde th4.
afternoon between the sioux and Chiope-
wss, lad ended. Al all ness treaties did, in
OF tho t~o .,a.ionA had met II tue 1ndi4a
Agency, and, III the presence Of Major Talia-
fe1ro, their '' White father" Ea6 nade sol-
enn treaty OF pence. In the evening. A& the
wigVAm Of the Chippe.a Chiaf, they had rati-
fei this treaty hs smoking the plps OF peace
enblematic p1ps had cleared away the treash-
e1ous Sioux had gons out and deliberately
fired into the ~igxam, killing aad Eounlins
several Of tbs unsusleetlug iunates. The
chippewas, Of co1rse, returned the ire, aud
thus was what had startled LII all, and broken
up the present Little gathering at MY fathers
bouse.
The Chippewts sought refuge and protso-
ton with lAeif wounded within tho wAlIs Of
the fost. commanded at that time By Colonel
Josiah Smelling, for ~hcm it WAS namsd, They
were Kindly cs1s! fol, md the wounded we're
GisI, daughter Of the Chief, excited much sym
patty, and I cannot forget The interest felt
in her, for she Was but a year OF two older
than myself, aud it seemed to me 80 cruel To
rushlets1y put ont her young LIE. remem-
ber The ladies' Of tho for. we're very kind and
tender to her, and aiuce have had little girls
Of my Own, know why. The fingered but
few days, In great agony, and then God took
her cut Of her pain 10 that land where the
poor little, wandering and wounded child
should know tiu or suffering no mora.
Meanwhile our Colonel, prompt and eifi-
| de1ers, and in very feT days, : body OF Sioux
were econ advancing toward the fort, ~ was
supposed, to deliver up tho criminals. Two
companies OF soldiers we're sent to meet them
aud 1eceiyo the r1utlarers 1t their lAuls.
| StsanGe 10 Say, although they had Tho mon,
they fefueed 10 riye them up. Our interpre-
ter, I cannot recall his name, stepped out from
among our soldlers, and said:
= II you do not yield up these men pesca-
ably. then, ~ many leaves as there are On
theee trees, aud as many blades Of grass al
you see beneath your feet, 20 many white men
will come upon sou, burn your villages, and
destroy yout natlou.''
A few moments consideration, faw hur-
ried wotds ct consultation. and the guilty n,eu
were handed over to our troops. Tho tribe
fello"et So they were taken into tho fort, aud,
1nukins small ire within tho walls, the con.
dcmne't 1assrhcd round and round ii, s,ngne
their death songs, aid then ware given up to
be put in ircEs and held in custody nEtil tins
should determine how many lives sioull nay
the forfeit, for it ID well known that Indian
resepge Is literally 4 life for 1ifc, and the
Colenel had declntd TO give them into the
they would.
Sctue weeks passed, and It was found thnt
i've lives were to be paid for in kind. A Couu
Gil Of Chirpewas decided that the five selected
from. tho rriso1ere should run the gauntlet
=: d the decision Was approved.
] :
pase. and eeem to be child agaln. standing
Leside my only brother, at the back door O
} my fathers house.
J The day ia beautiful, the sun il 70 bright
tie grass 80 green, all nature 10 smiling. It i
hard to sealize what i going on oIer yonde
J women. For there are gathered together Q
{ the Chippewae, old and young men, wome
aud.childten, who have come out to wit1cs
OF take part In this kct Of rctributive justice
. There ale blue coats, too, and various badge
: OF our United States uniform, for it is neces
a eary to throw some restraint around these re
o men, or there may be wholesale murder; AMI
!, horne on the shoulders Of h1s young men, " q se
: tho form Of the wounded, dyiug chief, regaet
: ing al with calm satisfaction, and no dou}
happy IN the thought that Ills death, so ne.
4 will not 80 unavehged. And there ttand tt
: exeeusionere; their rifles arc losded, II
i locke carefully cxauanined, and all Ii resi-
o when tie Nord sh.il 10 given.
j. 1htru too, under gna1d, arc tho fivc me
d Who nre to pay the forfeit for tho lives take
c go wantonly and freacherouslv.
: Away OF, c2npot tell how tnaoy rods, bl
:, eeens 10 Us children I long run. arc stA,io,
!. ed The Sioux tribe. and that il tho goal I,
d Which the Wretched men must run for the
a lives.
p And now all eeems ready: aad We etand
J, tiptoc, bile the balls and chains arc kuockt
l
+ one OF tho doomed men starts, the rifles vi
5 nne1ring aim ara fired, and under ooyer
+ the smoke man falls dead. They reloa
q | tho word is given. another stas3s with bous
Q for home; hut aht the ain Of those clss
!. sighted. tleod-s1lirsty red men Is too deadl
q down.
- And then the ldet, "Littlo Six" who
IA At that distance, wo children readily re
a oeuize.. from bis commanding height a,
h graceful form; be il our friend. and '
+, hope hc will get. home. He esarts, tn
:. running;, We clap our hands aud .
!, "he will get homes" but another vo1l
r. and cur eayorite. almost at the so
Il sFTrGs into the Air and comes down-deA
.n ! cover my face and shed tesrs Ct real sorrt
" for our fEieEd. A now follows scene til
y and limp, are dragged to tho brow Of the hi
Men. who at the sight Of blood become
most fends, tear OF tho rocking ecslps q
=, =, tand them to the chief, who hapss tht
" around his neck: Women and children, vi
~ toHahaEks and kniTcs, cut deep Gashes in I
POOR dead bodica, aCd ecoopin5 up the
y, blood with tlci1 hands, eagerly drink it; tht
= grown frantic, they dance and sing their b,
:, rid rca!p tcDEs. recou0tfng deeds Of valof
y tie ra.l " their brave men, and telling Of t
;, SiGu1 scali's taken in different battles, nt
=, tired and astisted at last with thcir hor
l
- terirg in the sun.
~ At nigltfall they a:e thrown over t
as ~ b!uf Into the river, and nay brother sol n
" u. stl', asc-et1uck aod quiet, trace their bidea
&c yossEe down the Mississippi to the Gulf
't Mexico. Ne lie awake that night talking
y. 10 tEitk what The people n New Orleans '
=. think when they zee those CHASTITY uptu1u
~ faces; and We We talk, with qaivetirg Ii
~ ~ and fearful eyes, OF little Six" and Of I
e many kind things ha has done for us, {
a. bows and a7o.s, tho 1nocaaka Of sugar, /.
~ ~ and We wish, oh ! We wish, be could ha
~. run fastes, or that the Chippewa riles b
~ missed fire. And no sleep md dream
- n tcalps, and rifles. and w1r whoops, aud frig
y ~ full yella, and Wakc, Wishing it hAs been
:. drram.
o. Next day the dying Chief sat IN In b,
y. We painted himself for desth. sang bis de-:
4, song, and with those i've fresh, bloody sea
~ about h!s neck, lay down 1cd died, calmly q
=. reseefolly, in the cqmfottAbls Ia hope,
a. a. doubt, Of \ welcome home in thoea Il hsr
spirit ,e1 III those sRo fnaians VIZ e .rs 1s tath
10 ne TO their friends, a1d avenge themselves ny
T. thei1 foes
sa 4 fes years sso / told tLis story to anot
~ ~ Little Si1,~ ,~"0 Ola Shakopee,- as he lay, a
~ fos, Smelling, .swait,ng execution, for atm
r. numbesless ld-bloodea murders. pe;peha
ua during the dreadful MASSACRE Of 1852. He
~ membered il all, and his wicked oA f1ee liz
~ cd up with Joy Is be told me that he WAS
~ son Of that Little St1" who made 20 bras
A. run f,r his life; and he showed - much d
70. and pleasure in listening to the recital Of
'i9 fathers treacherous conduct ~ the child
ee' Of our great Generals will do soIae dav Is I
p. read or hear Of deeds Of bravery or d.,
ug that their fstherr have done.
0rt ST. ANTHONY, 15Sa.
lie,
=
a13- LteFAtn2e una AT In Fnftss
md rur;s Correspondence London AtAea1nx,.
isr It il announced bv the Government tina
ldy the CictuTe9x hnaAtfr And Sfhar trntEa of