St. Paul daily globe., 1889-06-16
HON: II. NJ. RICE.

been reached and people can be found
whose word is to be relied upon. it ap-
pears that the trouble has not been seri-
Gus enough to warrant the presence of
troops. The relations between the
squatters and the Indians are so
strained that encounters have been fire.
quent, and eliminated on Wednesday
in the murder of an inOffensive Swede,
the driving of settlers from the re-
serve, and the threat from the
Indians that they intended to
drive away or kill all whites
upon the reservation. To 90 back to the
beginning of the trouble on this reser-
vation. In or about 1862 the general
government agreed to pay the Chippe-
was upon the Mile -Lacs reservation,
and in twenty-three annual payments,
a compensation sum for their lands,
something over three townships, or
about 81 900 acres. The Indians accepted
this, and in 1885 received their last pay
ment. and the reservation was declared
open for settlement. Afterwards it was
closed again, owing to the fear of
az Indians outbreak, and until
the Indians could be moved.
Since then, owing to the fail
ufe of congre IS to act, the reservation
has remained closed, while the Indians
and whites confronted each other,
claiming
THE COVETED LAND.
In 1882 there was over 6O,O0O.OOO feet
of pine on the reserve and the soil when
free from stumps, made excellent farm
land. As soon as the Indians had been
paid their last annual payment the
whites began their struggle for entrance.
Ex-senator Sabin and A. II. Wilder are
said to have scripped $4,000 of the $1,000
acres. Sabin afterwards sold his pOr-
ton to Weyerhauser. Squatters poured
in and the Indians were crowded out. At
the same time the whiskey trader and
others seeking to dupe or use the abo-
rigines poured in the liquor. Further,
the Indians holding that they still pos
sessed the land, gave powers of agent
and attorney to JOhnathan Simmons
and Nathan Richardson. of Little Falls.
to protect their interests. 1t is claimed
here that these last two have persist
emily urged the Indians to drive the
whites out. Thus bad whiskey and
a clouded title to land has given
the Chippewas two seemingly very
sore grievances. This spring their bad
bleod has been most manifest against
the squatters upon the reserve. The
bucks have had unlimited liquor from
Aitkin, Brainerd and Mora, and armed
with good Winchesters, have terrorized
their opponents. On Jan. one of
them attempted to kill r. P. Briggs, but
was prevented by his squaw. On May
% Joseph H. Deweg narrowly escaped
with his life. The bucks all the time
kept warning the whites to move or
they would be killed. During the last
fortnight preparations for a medicine
dance gave the Indians occasion for a
drunk. Conspicuous in the spree was
an Indian, Wadena, tough and bully.
Sunday last Wadena was stabbed by an
old chief in quarrel. Monday and
Tuesday he was drunk and conversing
with a wild crowd of followers.
Wednesday night they went to the resi-
dence of Sven Magnusson, who lived
at Mosomoni point, the summer grounds
of the Indians. Magnusson had done
Wadena numberless kind acts, never
less. with whoops and howls, they
called him to his door, and as he came
out Wadena shot him twice in the face.
They then went on to three families,
who had been on the reserve but day,
and drove them out. 1t is certainly
known that they have not killed
several persons in that neighbor-
hood who were first reported mas
sacred. The whites here have been too
scared to venture out and inspect. Mag
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