The Somerset reporter., 1889-04-11
SELECTED.
DESPERATE ESCAPE.

SELECI ED.
DESPERATE ESCAPE.
The dreadful Indian massacre of '62
depupnlatcd whole counties of newly set
tied territory in a single day-the 18th of
August-and drove from the Minnesota
frontiers thousands of people in u few
days time.
During this eventful period there were
many thrilling and desperate adventures
and hairbreadth escapes. The local his
| torlaus, who published narratives gather
ed a. haphuzard at the time. did all they
could to cover the ground of incident.
The main facts and causes of the bloody
uprising have been complied and prescr-
served in several volumes published at St
Peter and ST. Paul
| IN one OF these, several paragraphs are
devoted to the murder of the men in
charge OF the stories at the isolated trad
lng post on the eastern shore of Big
Stone lake This account briefly relates
the desperate escape of French and
Indian boy, Baptiste or Bat Guneau-
as this common name among the Canadi-
an French Is frequently abbreviated
In the Minnesota massacre it was Little
Crows ruthless policy to exterminate all
the whites west of the Mississippi. Every
one with white blood in his vein, who
could not or would not take part against
the settlers was to be killed Contrary to
The usual rule in Indian wars the fur trad
er, from the very circumstance that he
fancied he was safe, fell IL swift and easy
victim to the rifle and Ratchet of the
Sioux.
All TIM emplnvos nf the four stnres and
ware houses at Biz Stone, Myrick :
Forbes Roberts, Pratt 4 Co : were eith-
rr trenec labitantS or half and qaartcr
bloods of that extraction, Among those
OF mixed blood was the ware house
boy Bat Gubcau.
! On the 2l>t of Angus four of Roberts
men, Bat and three Canad ms. Painpdc,
Laundre and Pachettc, were cutting hay
IN marsh near the lake shore below the
post. They were Mt work in their loose
>hrls and leggings, moving with scythc,
pne following the other Without see
pnd's warning IA party of blanket
Sioux came up out of the tail grass few
rods distant and began firing upon them
Patnode, Pachette and Laundre, who
we're ahead of Bat and most exposed to
the Indian fire, were killed almost at the
lrSt shot.
Young Gubeau saved his life from their
fire by quick wittcdly throwing himself
forward upon his face as though shot,
| lying across the swath and blade of his
scythe.
The Indian scalpcd his comrades and
stripped them of their hats and shoes ;
then several of them Cane to him and
turned him over He knew his captOrs
well and could understand their language
almost As well as the patois of his Canadi-
an parents.
Don't kill me- said he "Why did
you shoot those men? they were always
| your friends"
We killed them" one replied, with
black looks, "because ell whites and fur
men have always cheated and lied to the
Indians, and we'll kill you because You
are dog of IA mixed blood. We shall
Kill you when the sun goes down, after Il
seal dance and after the squaws have
burned the Indian blood out of your body
with brands from their fires"
This is, in effect, what the savages said
rs near as Bapt>tc could interpret it in
broken English
The speaker was a Wapekutu medicine
man well known at the trading post AS a
malignant Halter of the white men and IA
constant fomenter of bad feeling among
mis- own people.
While two of the Indians were tying
Bats hand behind him with strips of
'uCkskin, and medicine man began pranc-
lng around and telling, in boastful
| chant, the murders which had been com
nittcd upon the white settlers at the
Lever Agency, at Beaver Creek and
| Birch Coulie. lie sang boastfully that
mt two suns more would pass before
very white man west of Minnchaha
would die. The Sioux nation. possessed
# the guns and ammunition to take from
the dead settlers and soldiers, could hold
its country and beat back the white pco-
pie always Then he warmed up and be-
gan recouniing, after the whooping. sing
song fashion of his kind, the exploits of
himself and others with him
| The possession of a prisoner who
could understand their peculiar chants
and the braggings in which they SO like
to indulge was unusual good fortune.
| rhe vauntngs of the medicine man seem
| ed to act upon the SavageS like the bane-
ful charm some reptiles are said to en-
ercise. One by one they threw aside
their weapons and joined the medicine
man in his weird leaps and Chautngs
about the prisoner.
Shrewd ewes watching for A chance Ia
hrn.t ,hr1nyh tho ring and nscann II.
was str,no 1.-THE anJ n syift runner and
a ,1,n of ac,ion soon cam, IA him ia
| felt that If yos dasneratn anoprh I'm, If
was his only chance
A haven 1r narroyv bav ran IN from the
lake into the marsh mon which he and
his comnanions had been cnttino hav and
the head Of IT was distant M, morr tban
a ton minutcs' RIM This strin nf yyatrr
vas crown tbirkly ahnnt with rn.bes and
vas from four tn six feet dozen
If he conld break away r.cane his nnr.
,uers. shots and ontrun th.m he thoupht
he mioh, lind a biIino nlare among fhs
rnshos until niylt shnuld como IN
Ihnut ibn linz ha had canvassed tho
chances Of This nlnn. The Indians about
him had hegnn to wind mn tbair dancipg
with a peculiar pryatipp movement
knn,v, amnno them as tho noon dance
In il Tho Dancer. wh,nl slowly .hout nov
leyueaIv ,.terino first mon one font and
thnn nnon tho other and swaving The
hodv from tho bins in a snake lilo move
ment The head is rolled in imitation of
n Iollino hear and the arms are worked
writhinplv while the wrigyling savour
sinos in a most lupuhrinns. prnntino
tone "E.vuuph. e-vungh Ili.yee hi-veri
E.vonyb e.vonoh =
~,