St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-03-10
HORRORS OF HUNGER.
A Fearful State of Affairs
Among the Turtle Noun
tain Indians.
Bishop Stanley, of North Da-
kota, Tells Of Personal
Investigations.
John Boyle O'Reilly's Lecture
on the Poetry and Music
of Ireland.
The Journal Catches a $25, 900
Libel Suit--Yesterday's
Services.

There has been terrible suffering and
privation among the Indians and half
breeds of the Turtle Mountain reserva-
ton during the past winter. Some
time last February Bishop Stanley, OF
North Dakota, received word from the
branch of the Catholic bureau at Rolla,
advising him that if something was not
done at once starvation would be the
lot of many of the people. Word was
at once sent to Father Stephan. director
Of the Catholic Indian bureau at Wash
ington, and Bishop Stanley set out at
once from his home in James
town to see for himself if the
state of affairs had been as
bad as reported. Meantime Father
Stephan had communicated the case to
Edward Morel and his wife, formerly
Miss Louise DreXel, sister of Catherine
Drexel, all of whom have been more
than liberal in all such cases, who i'm
mediatelY sent word to eXpend any
amount of money they might deem fit,
to provide for the sufferers. Bishop
Shanly arrived in the city Saturday,
and purchased what was sufficient pro-
visions to last for a month. The ship
ment was made at once. and the goods
will arrive at their destination to-day.
Yesterday morning Bishop Stanley
preached an eloquent sermon at the
Church of the Immaculate Conception,
in which he described his visit to FUR
tie Mountain reservation, and the ter
rIble condition of the suffering Indians.
He said that according to the official
books of the agents there were Ais fam
lilies, numbering in all 1880 souls, who
had little, if any, means OF support, and
of whom only 500 have been receiving
aid from the government. These are
given ten pounds OF -four and three
pounds of fat pork each once in two
months, according to the judg-
ment of the agents. or the quantity of
the supply OH hand.
When he reached there some had been
without food for three days. and others
had seen six days pass without food.
Some managed to get little provisions
by the only means of support given
them. that is cutting the scorched logs,
which the government allows them to
do. For this work they receive rs cents
per cord, and as the timber that has
passed through fire is as hard as flint,
but small amount can be split in day.
Nor do they receive money for this.
They are obliged tOtrade it out at the
stores, and ultimately receive about 20
cents worth of provisions for their labor.
The reservation, he says, covers two
townships, and is composed OF bad TIM
Der land, swamps, lakes, and stony soil.
Only about One-half is at all adaptable
to cultivation, and even should they
wish the Indians have been without i'm
plements for that purpose. Lately
twenty four breaking plOWS and twenty
four stubble ploWs have been sent in,
and the Catholic bureau has also supplied
them with number of hoes.
The investigators visited every shanty
on the reservation, and the preachers
description was graphic portrayal of
the height of misery and suffering. He
said that they lived in miserable little
huts, some of which sheltered twelve
and fifteen people. and il was so cold in
them that even in their furs the visitors
were chilled to the bone. The women
calico wrapper and pair of worn
clothing to protect them from the cold,
which at that time registered from 80 to
40 below zero.
The children, he said, were even in a
more pitiable condition, some of them
having a few rags to cover their ema-
ciated and bony little forms, but the
majority of them were as devoid of any
attempt at clothing as when they were
first brought into the world. These
poor little sufferers gathered in front of
the fire, and, pulling the ashes from be-
meath the fire with charred stick, they
would lay at full length upon the warm
bed of ashes thus made and thaw
out their frozen forms. The old man of
eighty they found lying upon the cold
dirt floor, his Wrinkled body only half
covered, the sharp bones showing
through the dark skin. He was in the
last stages of consumption, and starva-
ton was fast finishing the work that
disease had begun.
Two had died from lack OF proper
nourlshment before the visitors arrived.
and when their neighbors were asked
why they did not assist them, the can
did reply came that they did nothing
for themselves. Matters had come to
such pass that it was the opinion of
the relief party that had they not ar
rived in time, from 200 to 800 people
must have persisted in few days.
The records of the Catholic parish,
he said, showed that from June, 1888, to
Jan. /, 1890, there had been over 100
deaths among the enrolment Cf but
1900 of the Indians, that being the
number coming under the jurisdiction
of the church. The majority of these
deaths, he claims, was due to the lack
of food and proper clothing. The agents
al i'm hok nf TIM InAionc
reservation came from the Canadian
side, but he claimed that that was no
excuse for the starvation of the 1880
enrolled on the books of the agency.
He eXonerated the agents from all
blame, and said that as far as he could
find out, they did what they could to
alleviate suffering. The government
simply did not provide for its charges.
He spoke highly of Maj. Cramsie, the
local agent, and said that he had done
much personally to help in many eases.
The shipment that will arrive to-day,
he says, consists of 10000 pounds of
-four, 5000 pounds of bacon, 5000
pounds of rice, 400 pounds of tea, four
barrels of sugar, and 600 Hoolen blank
cts. Aside from this he says that the
sufferers are in need of clothes, and
urged speedy contributions of all kinds
of wearing apparel. He stated that
these donations might be sent to him
self at Jamestown, OAK, or to Sister
Genevieve, at Rolla, n. ID.
The sermon was touching one, and
it's eloquent pleading moved many to
tears. Yesterday afternoon Bishop
Stanley stated that donations had al
ready begun to come in, and he hoped
to see the sufferers cared for in a short
time. He said that he could not himself
believe that such degree of suffering
could be found outside the tortures of
the eyiIes of Siberia, and had to see 1t
with his own eyes to be convinced that
such things could exist in the United
States.