Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1873-05-01
FRONTIER EXPERIENCES.
The Minnesota Massaeres-H0rrible
CrueIiles and Treacheries
Of the Indians.
Rewards Of Merit by the Government
for Grimes and FiendishnesS-
Why Not Keep it up!

Letter to the New Ork 1rlDuue-l
In the spring Of 1852, when the Sioux
sat in council to consider the question of
exterminating the ''pale-faces" of Min
nesota, the exterminators urged the
policy of embracing that opportunity OF
Kidding themselves of their hated neigh
bors and taking possession OF their much
coveted goods, because recent call for
troops must drain the State Of her de-
Tenders. The general government hav-
ing all it could do to crush the rebellion,
could not interfere. That was the
time, Then or never. But the more
timid feared the consequences and
held back, until Little Crow, who was a
wise old bird, and had studied the In
dian policy of the nation, assured them
there was no danger. "White man. u he
said, ''not like Indian; white mans
heart soft; white man kill Indian. In
dian catch him, scalp him, kill him;
Indian kill white man; white man
catch Indian, feed him, give him blan-
ketsw On this hint they acted, and
with full expectation of being rewarded
with food and blankets. The worst
came. They murdered nearly or quite
one thousandpeople, principally women
and children. Babies they shut up in
the ovens of cook-stOves, built fires in
the fire chambers, and roasted them.
Some they tied two and two, by one
wrist, hung them across fence, and
left them to die. In one place they
hung eight in a row. They collected
small children and shut them up in
rooms to starve; then MANNED the pa
rents and bound them to trees, where
they might hear their cries without be-
-, L, -, 70 TNfAr fEla
feet of several little boys, unjOinting
them cunningly, and leaving the suffer-
ers to die. They violated the persons of
women and girls less than nine years of
age, in presence of husbands, fathers and
mothers. They committed every enOr-
nifty possible, many utterly incOn-
ceivable in any but Indians. The par
ties first attacked were generally
those with whom they had been on. the
most friendly terms. Houses in which
they had been most Hospitality enter
tanned were sacked among the earliest.
The ChippaYas, who had intended to
Join them, were deferred by the nOn-ar-
rival of their ammunition and the pre-
cipitancy of their allies, who were hur-
ried on to the decisive blow by the
drunken zeal of two of their number,
who murdered a family before the ap-
pointed time.
REPRIsALS BY THE WHITES.
Two days after the main massacre,
two companies of new recruits marched
out of st. Cloud to join the regiment at
Fort Schnelling, leaving with their
wives such arms as they could spare.
They had waited until the last
moment, hoping for an order coun-
termanding that which required
them to move, and so had not
time to walk. Their departure
nearly drained the town of means of
transportation as well as men. Those wo-
men and children who wanted to go with
them were left behind for lack of
wagons and horses. Next day, Hole
in-the-Day sent us word that he would
retain his young warriors certain num-
Der of days, waiting for Commissioner
Dole. Ifhe did not arrive at Chippewa
headquarters by that time, he would no
longer be answerable for them. The
st. Cloud men intercepted wagon-load
of ammunition on its way to his young
warriors, and got ready to give them a
warm welcome.
They therefore postponed their visit.
Next year he went to Washington, got
tel luOuSduu OOAldIS IL u reward IOI
merit, took a seventh wife, and came
home in a blaze of glory. Minnesota
men and volunteers from other States
went after the Sioux, captured four or
five hundred warriors, and brought them
in as prisoners. They organized a court,
tried them, found three hundred guilty
of murder in the first degree, and SEN
fenced them to be hanged. The general
government interfered, and would not
permit the execution of any but those
found guilty of murder and rape. As
they had left few witnesses alive, only
thirty-nine were convicted of this double
charge. These were hanged, while the
others were paid, got their blankets, ac-
eording to the Little Crow plan, and
were turned loose, well-armed and
equipped for more masSacres.
In the heat of public indignation, just
now, General Sherman talks of exter-
minating the ModOes. Two weeks will
probably modify the order, and in about
two months public sentiment will de-
mand, no doubt, that these noble red
men of the forest shall get their food
and their blankets, and government will
add Spencer rife apiece, and Richard
will be himself again.
Why not? Are the lives of General
Candy and the two peace commission
ers of more importance than those of
the thousands Of good and true men and
women who have gone to carry eiviliza-
ton to the far west, and who have fallen
victims to the treachery and cruelty of
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