St. Paul daily globe., 1889-06-17
TAKEN FROM Yesterdays GLoBEl
CRUEL WAR IS over.
The Troops Arrive at Mile
Lacs and Will Now March
Back Again.
A Terrible Experience in the
Trackless Forests Of the
North.
All to Ascertain That a
Drunken Indian Had Shot
at a White HAN.
Capt. Hannay Holds a Council
With the Chiefs and Learns
Nothing.


Special to the Globe.
MILE Laos LAKE, June 15.-After
twenty-three miles of the most terrible
travelling that troops ever underwent IN
this state Capt. Hannay and Lieut.. Free
land, with their detachment OF thirteen
soldiers, reached this point at $3.50 FIJI
day night, ten hours and half out from
Mora. The journey was made by a literal
hand-to-hand fight with wilderness OF
pine stulnpage, mudholes, windfallS and
trail only opened this spring. AT tlmeSlt
was necessary to hew path through
the forest, or "all hands" turn i'll and
rescue supply wagons and horses from
depthess abysses of mud. A heavy
fall of rain for two hours added to the
discomfort and fatigue made doubly
burdensome by swarmS of hungry gnatS.
The old troopers, who have done service
in Montana and Dakota, agreed that
the march was over the worst territory
they ever got into. Now that the
center of the Indian trouble has
been reached and people can be found
whose word is to be relied upon, 1t ap-
pears that the trouble has not been ser-
Gus enough to warrant the presence of
troops. Tue 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 OF about 1862 the general
government agreed to pay the Chippe-
was upon the Mile Lacs reservation
and in twenty-three annual payments,
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
an Indians outbreak, and until
the Indians could be moved.
Since then, owing to the fail
ure Of cOngre SIS to act, the reservation
has remained closed, while the Indians
and whites confronted each other
claiming
THE COVETED LAND.
In 1882 there was over 60,000.000 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. H. Wilder are
said to have scripped $4,000 of the 81 900
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 OF 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
blood 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. 5 one of
them attempted to kill r. p. Briggs, but
was prevented by his squaw. On May
25 Joseph II. 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 medicine
dance gave the Indians occasion for
drunk. Conspicuous in the spree was
all Indian, Wadena, tough and bully.
Sunday last Wadena was stabbed by an
old chief in a 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
Cdllcu Hill W Ills uOOT. dIlu DIS lie 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
nusson fell at his own door, but man.
aged to crawl to the house of Andrew
Berg and tell his story. Berg warned the
Briggs brothers and so the alarm came.
On Thursday Magnusson was taken
across the lake to Brainerd for treat
ment. Saturday morning Capt. Hannay
made Mosomoni point, where the In
dians called council to receive him.
Te-Cum- Me-Gersen, Wamp Tia, Keg
Wedoshe and other chiefs were
IN THE COUNCIL
Henry Vinnet acted as Interpreter.
Reg Wedoshe did the most talking. He
is the father of the murderer Wadena.
He denied the bad actions of the Indi-
ans, claimed ill treatment from the
whites and said the murder was caused
by whisky furnished by white men. He
said that Wadena had not in
tended to kill Maguasson, but that he
was drunk and mistook him for
a man whom he had a grudge against.