The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1875-07-01
The Story Of q Missouri River Beat
tman.-H0w Cargoes Were Stolen.j
From the Allegheny (Pa.) Mail.1
BISMARCK, d., May 81, 1875.

BISMARCK, d., May 81, 1875.
EDITOR MAIL II have by chance be-
come the possessor Of copy Of your VAL
liable paper. Of November Goth, 1874, in
which reference is made to S. B. Coulson
having in june, 1871. stolen . cargo Of
Indian goods from Grand River. Base
and inhuman as the charge may seem to
be. propose to give an unbiased account
Of tie affair, which happened on the ID
day Of July, 1871. At that time was
mate of the steamer Miner. The little
craft was honestly blowing her way
through the turb.d waters OF the Old
Missouri and was nearing the bend, be-
low old Fort George Island. just as day
had begun to break, we sighted two
steamers coming down. The one in ad-
vance, the Ida Stockdale, passed us; the
other steamed down upon us, blew her
whistle as a hail; we answered, and she
rounded to. A loud voice from her hur-
ricane deck sung out, "What boat is
that" and was answered, 'the Miner"
when the other boat padded along side.
She was the Far West and the man on
deck was S. B. Coulson. He inquired for
Captain Hawley. and told him he was
asleep. ''Call him up; want to see him,
was his reply.
This having been done, quite long par
ley was gone through, at the conclusion
Of which the Pirate Master ordered his
mate to open up his matches and put that
freight on deck. Capt. Hawley came on
board his own boat. the Miner, and or
deaed me to put all the goods in the hold,
l said, Captain, there isnot ROOM" He
replied, 'sThen what you have left on
deck cover with tarpanlins. 'Aye, aye,
sir And SO the barrels, boxes and bags,
all marked J. G. O'Connor, Grand River
| Agency, commenced rolling aboard. There
was no account Of packages taken by our
clerk, nor any entries make for freight
bill. So here commenced system Of the
most damnable and bloody piracy prac-
| ticed in modern times.
Here the peace policy Of our kind and
good President was sealed, and the mon-
| ey wrung from the tax payers Of the nar
ton was turned into plumber for thieves,
and the prayers and supplications Of our
| philanthropists fell as Oh desert and
brought forth only evil fruit. Upon The
heads and souls of those thieves rests Tho
blood Of the murdered Louis Dent Adatr
and the MANNED and mutilated
Crosby tive valuable army ofiicers)
and Belden the White Chief,
who was the first victim cut down in re-
venge fer these robbcries. The poor In
dian, starving as he was, could spy out on
board the Miner what his Great Father
had sent, and he could not get it, conse-
quently he sworc and executed his re-
venge. The boat that had once made his
heart glad. by bringing to him the good
old greybeardcd Generals Harvey and
Hancock, had proved traitor to him now
when he was hungry. just year after.
wards the Miner was fired into and the
inestimablc Mrs. w. II. Gould was very
nearly killed. Last year the Western
was fired into, and the Far West has
been riddled by Indians once, while upon
the plains many valuable lives have been
lost. 1t has seemed no doubt to falter-
ing Christians that the peace policy is =
failure, but the Christian Quaker viii not
succumb. and the pen Of the Historian
will record no failure in the policy Of tho
President.
But must note down the names Of
the pirates who have frustrated the good
Intentions Of . nation toward = DOWN
trodden race. First. there is S. B. Coul-
son and company, then the Nellie Peek
Col. Peck. who is now said to be great
favorite with Belknap, was engaged in
the same business, and when the Miner
was returning we met the steamer Nellie
Peck at Milk River Shutc, with fourteen
hundred sacks Of -four, out on sand
bar. lighting on account Of low water,
and the clerk Was engaged with ! brush
and black paint painting over marks.
i Grant Marsh was then her captain, and
he is in the employ Of Coulson to-day, on
board the Josephine, which is said to b
the bride rendered to carry B1ndifi
Sheridan up the Yellowstone without
compensation
| Now, Mr.. Editor, have given nothing
but the truth, which many river men
can verify on oath, and whose characters
cannot Be iDpeached. Yours truly.
JAMS a. r,