Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1874-01-26
JUSTICE IN MINNESOTA.
The Difference Betlceea Stealing
Hundred thousand heres and Taking
q Feac Sucks from Public Lands.

a Feso Sacks from Public Lands.
Eleven poor struggling Swedes, set
tied upon the prairies some two hundred
miles from st. Paul. were recently drag
ged from their homes for the enormous
alleged offence, Of cutting few brush
on public lands. to keep their families
from perishing Of cold. On examination
they were discharged. and turned penui-
less into the streets to make their way
home as best they could, without even
apology-mueh less repatriation. A few
days preyiCus to this grand spasm of Of
fetal virtue, d pine land ring, involving
hundreds of thousands of aeres which
belonged to Indians. went through the
farce Of investigating themselves. The
guilty operators, after whitewashing each
other, were feasted. toasted, dned and
Wined, and finally went off with flying
eolors at public expense, 1t is shock
ing crime for a few wretched and suffer-
ing pioneers to cut little wool to keep
from freezing. but the sum of virtue to
swindle the State and its Indian tribes
out Of countless millions of feet of forest
timber.-S. Paul Pioneer.
The more the outrage is Investigated
the more diabolical becomes the offence
perpetrated by the gallant Gen MeLa-
ren in his mad search for fees. The elev-
en- poor victims were found away from
home, some of them without their coats.
Their teams were left standing Ia their
tracks they were not allowed to return
home to notify their families or obtain
I clothing, but were fastened of to St.
Paul and lodged in jail, to be discharged
/ after the gallant General McLaren had
secured his fees. These poor men left
their sod caves in the morning to secure
a little ire-Wood to save the lives of
/ themselves and families. Some of them
left their little ones mortally i'll. and
none of them left their caves supplied
with the necessaries of life Imagine the
agony Of those women and children in
living tombs when night came on and
no husband and father appeared. How
this agony was increased as day after
day wore on, and still no tidings of the
missing ones, and no means of susie
nance at hand. These poor people, ig-
norant Of our language, had come to a
supposed land of freedom to earn live
llhood- When emigration books and
circulars were given them in their na-
tive tongues, there was no mention made
OF fees for the gallant General McLaren,
otherwise these sufferers in their sod
caves might have surmised what had be-
come Of their protectors. This suddenly
enforced absence was If over a week
duration, and it is doubtful whether
they will reach home before Tomorrow
evening And the gallant General Nc
Laren latter the Dispatch expose con.
tr1buted ttces,ty dollars out of his fees to
aid them on the way, leaving them to
walk serenity miles. What a ..merry
Christina" it must have been in those
sod caves, with the agony Of suspense
relative to what had befallen the absent
loved ones Death may have invaded
their desolate caves, and certainly pinch.
ing cold and hunger had been with
them But, amid all this desolation,
they could have merry Christmas
In the consoling reflection that the gal
liant General McLaren had secured his
fees-.I. Pam.