Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-07-15
INDIAN BARBARITY.
Seven Years n Prisoner of the
BIackfeet Indians A Horrible
History
From the Milwaukee News.

seven ears n prisoner OF the
BIackfeet Indians A Horrible
History
From the Milwaukee News.
Last week French boy named Bouil-
Ion Wood, made prisoner by the Blackteet
at the st. Cloud massacre, in 1869, ar
rived at Mauistee, Mich, on his way to
his uncle at Grand Haven. At this point
he gained the first intelligence of his re-
latives. He tells the following story, and
from a rigid cross examination and the
fact that it is the true story of St. Cloud,
and MS being able to miuutely describe
his uncle, there can be no doubt of his
honesty. The red skins attacked his
fathers family, and killed all besides
himself and younger sister. His faith
er, Peter Wood, was scalped and .oma-
bawked. His mother was ripped open
alive, and her entrails taken out, and her
infant boy torn from her arms and i'm
paled on the pickets of the fence. His
two sisters, aged respectively twenty and
twenty-one, were nailed by the hands
and feet to the wall, scslped and after
ward tomahawked. The boy BoullioD,
then about twelve years old, was COM
PEELED to witness the dying agOnies of
bis mother, and tainted at the sight. On
recovering, he found himself and little
sister captives. The Backfeet carried
them to the western slope of the Rocky
Mountains, and on arriving cut off with 9
tomahswk the left arm of the boy, AID
with knife cut the girls ears off, leav-
ing them hanging. This they did to
mark their csptives. The boy was also
castrated. Here the children were sep
arated, and have never met since. He
remained under close surveillance until
the time of his escape, subsisting for
nearly seven years on raw meat and In
dian fare. At first, before he under
stood their language, they abused him
dreadfully, but after he acquired that to
some extent they treated him better. The
medicine.men tried hard to cure his arm.
but failed, and the boy suffered with
running sore until his escape. About
one year ago, while the camp was asleep,
he made his escape, travelling along
without gun or other means of secur-
ing game, Bnd subsisting on herbs, roots
aud Indian potatoes until he struck the
4
Here he was cared for and his arm ream-
putated by DR.. Bass, who took his histo-
~, and is writing his life for publication.
He made his way by slow stages, mostly
on foot, to this point passing railroads
and steamboats,, yet unable to get pas
sage, as none believed him. Here he
met with friends, and was taken charge
of by Dir. Charles Paggest, who ascer-
tanned the truth of his sorry, raised q
purse and purchased pass for him to
Grand Haven. The attention of Senator
Ferry will be brought to this case, and
he will be glad to make an effort to have
his little sister sought for by the Govern
ment. The boy is an honest, simple
Frenchman, and bears upon his person
the marks of his terrible tortures. He
wept when he desciiped the terrible muir
der of his people. Hundreds more will
have to suffer before the Government
gets the true idea of Indian hellishness
and cruelty, or learns to deal with them
as other wild beasts are dealt with.