The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1875-09-10
THE MASSACRE OF CHICAGO.

SiXty-three years ago to-day, says the
Chicago Times of August 10, and at
about the hour Mt which the worshipers
in the go churches of Chicago will as
semble for morning service, a bloody
battle was in progress i'll the low sand
hills, near what is now the intersection
of Indiana avenue and Twenty-first
street On that fatal morning the pio-
neers who heralded the magnificent city
of to-day marched slowly out of their
Notifications, with their wives and chill
dren, and proceeded down the lake
shore. No church going bells pealed
forth sweet and solemn notes of invita-
tion as they will to-day. Nothing broke
the terrible calm until the sharp crack
of the murderous rifle and the wild war;
whoop of the Pottawattamies Inaugural
ted the dance of death. 1t was the day
of treacherous and bloody massacre of
1912. The best history of the tragic
event is contained in Mrs. John II. Kin
zie's book entitled Wau-Bun, the Early
Day III the Northwest" For Il full un-
derstanding of the causes which led to
the massacre, it will be necessary to go
back some four months previous to the
events, and sketch the situation Mt that
time. In 1904 Mai. John Whistler built
the first fort at Chicago, or "Chica-
gorlx, rs it was then spelled It was on
the south side Of the river, near its
mouth, and on the site latterly occupied
by Fort Dearborn. It had two block
houses on the southern side, and on the
northern a sally-port, or subterranean
passage from the parade ground to the
river, designed to facilitate escape in
case of emergency, and as means of
supplying the garrison with water during
a siege. In 1912 the officers in the fort
were Capt. Heald, commanding; Lieut..
Helm, son-in-law OF John Kinzie: En-
sign Roman, and the Surgeon, DIR. Van
Voorhees,. Helm and Roman were quite
young men. The entire command num-
bered Is men, very few OF whom were
effective. Directly opposite the fort, on
the north side of the river, stood the
dwelling house and trading establish
ment of John Kinzie. -Four miles from
the mouth of the river, and on the west
side of the south branch, at what has
since been known as Hardscrabble,
stood farmhouse known as Lees place,
and occupied by Mr.. White and three
persons employed by him as farm hands.
For a long time constant and friend
" intercourse had been maintained be-
tween the soldiers and Indians. Mr..
Kinzie and his family were especially be-
loved by the red men, as subsequent
events will show. There were numerous
bands in the vicinity, chief among which
were the Pottawattamies. The battle Of
Tippecanoe had been fought in Novem-
Der of the previous year, and many of
the Pottawattamies, Winnebagoes, Otta-
was, and Shawnees had been engaged in
it, but still they kept up a show of
friendly feeling toward the troops here,
and up to April, 1912, no interruption of
the existing harmony was anticipated.
On the afternoon of April z, party of
n dozen Indians, dressed and painted,
arrived at Whites house, and according
to the custom among savages, entered
and seated themselves without ceremony.
A discharged soldier, suspecting that
they meant mischief, slipped out of the
house, taking q boy with him, and on
pretense of going to fodder some cattle
on the opposite side, they jumped into
canoes, crossed the river, and as soon as
possible took TO the woods and started
for the fort. As soon as they reported,
the commanding officer ordered cannon
to be fred as a signal of warning. The
next morning party of citizens and sol
diers volunteered TO go to Lees place to
learn the fate of White and his compan-
ion. Their lifeless bodies were found
pierced with balls, and the only sign oi
life on the premises was faithful dog
keeping watch and ward over one of the
corpses. The remains were brought tc
the fort for intcrment. The murderers
were Winnebagoes who were out on 6
scalping expedition. The inhabitants
outside the fort, consisting of a few dis
charged soldiers and some families o.
half breeds, now intrenched Themselves
in the agency house, about twenty rods
west of the fort, and awaited develop
ments. Several hostile demonstration
We're made by the savages at variou
times but il was not until August that TIN
crisis came.
On Aug. Z, Winnemeg, n friendl.
Pottawattamie chief, arrived at the for
with dispatches from Gen. Hull an
nouncing the declaration of war betwee