The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1876-07-27
The Savage Sioux


wild Indians to whom the brave Custer
and his command fell victims. He says -
The attention OF the country is drawn
by bloody event to the Gland of the
Dakota" for the Sioux and the Dakota
are the same. In that most original Of
American poems, ''Hiawatha, which Mr..
Longfelow compiled from Mr.. School
craft, the historic origin of the Dakotas is
told. Hiawatha was among the Chippe-
ways, or properly the Ojibeways, on Lake
Superior, who had expelled the Dakotas
to the west bank of the Mississippi by the
aid of firearms obtained from the French
tie resolved to get q bride, Minnehaha
among the Chippeways enemies:
Still dissuading, said Nokomse
Bring not to my lodge stranger
From the land of the Dacotahs
Very fierce are the Dacotals;
Often is there war between us;
There arc feudS yet unforgotten.
Wounds that ache and still may open.
Then departed Hiawatha
TO the land of the Dacotahs,
70 the land of handsome women.
Almost at the moment Penn was pul.-
chasing the site of Philadelphia French
priest, llennepin, was being cordially re-
ceived by the Sioux or Dakotas at the
Falls OF St, Anthony. He had ascended
the Mississippi in boat, and there he
met the trader, Duluth, who had ascend
ed Lake Superior to the site OF Jay Cookies
city Of the same name. In 69j the French
builta fort On the Mississippi to keep the
Sioux and Chippeways from fighting As
late as 1870 the Sioux matched through
the streets of st. Paul-then few from
tier shantles-to ayenge themselves ON
Hole-intheDay, who had scalped one Of
their nation,
THE sioUN AT A BIRD 's-EYE VIEW.
Alexander Ramsey, Of PENNSYLVANIA
became the first Governor OF Minnesota
Territory in lS49 the Sioux ceded to the
United States, by treaty with Ramsey and
others, the States of Wisconsin, Minnesota
and Iowa. They We're then put on Il res
ervation in tho western part Of Minnesota,
and Il vast annuity fund OF three million
dollars was promised to them The first
Sioux visited Washington City in 1888,
and were again shorn Of half Of their res
ervation. Land in severalty was to be
given to them instead OF land in common,
rs they immemorially had held it. and q
part OF their fund wa set aside to educate
and civilze them. This they resented, as
we'll rs the rapid intrusion oil white set
tiers. They accused Ramsey and Others
OF stealing and divertlug their money and
denounced the whole scheme of apprentice
ing them to civilization. Finally. in lS62
the Minnesota Sioux arose, lust in the
period If national gloom following Me
Clellans and Popes defeats, and muir
dered 1000 people, oyerran eighteen
counties, put $4,000 settlers to flight and
destroyed $500, 600 of improvements.
The radical moving cause Of the out
break" wrote Major Galbraith, lis the in
grained and fixed hostility Of the savage
barbarian to reform, change and ciyiliza-
ton" Colonel Sibley marched on the
murderers, who were commanded by Lit
tie Grow; bis volunteer troops fought two
pitched battles, rrt0ok 269 prisoners.
many Of whom had been violated and he
hanged thirty eight Sioux ont oI 315 CON
dcmred Iheil treaties were annuiled
the whole nation was removed to the Up
per Missouri, whore the wild Sioux had
long roamed at large, and in 1868, under
General John Popc's direction. Generals
Sibley, of Minnesota. aud Alfred SuI!y,
son Of the Philadelphia artist, with two
columns of six thousand men, attacked
the embattied nation On the plains oi Da-
llota, and drove but did not dcmoralile
them. Although not a great leader in the
Minnesota massacre, Sitting Bull COM
menced his bloody career at that time
BY this resume you viii see what the
present war is The Sioux, who are sup
posed to have originally Clwrt between
.,i- ,pI Ijll (,,
came hardy and strong in that cold, brac-
ing climate, were pushed westward about
two hundred years ago by a branch OF the
great Algonquin family, the Chippeways
who had the advantage of tirc-arns We
found them, twenty years ago, occupying
the transMississippi region and living on
the high plains from Wisconsin to the
Rocky Mountains, covering five times as
much ground rs the State ofpennsylyania,
with / 900 lodges, 30 600 inmates and
5000 warriors \ hen Sibley fought
them in 1868 at Stony Lake, he wrote
No such concentration of force has ever
been made by the savAges Of the Amer-
can continent. The remnant of the
Minnesota band had Joined the Dakotas
ot The plains and formed iii enormous
camp Of 10000 souls
TIE SIOUN A5 A MAN.
a man can study, in the adaptation OF
the Sioux 10 his destiny, something recent
ly DarW iuian He used to eat fish, corn,
beans aud meal when he lived Eastward
He padded 4 canoe, shot OHly bows and
arrows, and went a-fout. Driven to the
plains within the past century, he now eats
game, reptiles, elk meat, wolf and bear
n. III ~, .lD,
pony, handles IL rifle or :; revolver, adopts
tactics, fights infantry and has become a
worse demon than ever. In reality, the
Sioux is the only great Indian since the
decay Of the lroquois. lie has more nat
urai intelligence than any wild nation We
know of, but it is branded with wicked
ness. II he ever had any moral nature it
is extinct, lie is u humoriSt and /; trilier,
vet i tiend He combines the nature of
the ape, the wolf aud the hyena. and
laughs and assassinates, prowls anil is
good-natured, eats Carrlon and braves sol
diery His life is Il monstrOus ioXineSs. A
ball-player and licentious, he loves mur-
der as an enjoyment. When Goethe drew
the merry demon in Mephistophcles he
drew the Sioux raised in development.
the scholastic Dakota No worse creation
roams the EARTH in jungle or desert. He
has no affection for his wife and whips
her with an amiahe and sweet ferocity.
Hardly ever in earnest, hc will fight and
kill Though treacherous as Il snake, he
does not lose his audacity and cool BRAY
cry. With every noble motive destroyed
his whole animality is heroic, and he
teaches his SON to scalp and be cruel with
kindling raillery that is yet scarcely at
lection. He does uot respect authority and
has no institutions, not even chiefs. Per-
petual revolution goes on in the Dakota
Contederacy against the head men, but
the Dakotas are always banded together;
their nationality is like q Mexcan's para
mount, yet its domestic operation is treach-
cry and revolt. Their property is some
thing to move WITH entirely ponies of
which each man has half dozen or more.
Their ponies are transportation, currency,
capital, independence, the price Of matri-
mony, the gifts of chivalry, their cradle
and their graves. When great Sioux
dies he kills his horses. He buys wives