St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-03-13
.isseton and Wahpeton In
dians Send a Couple Of
Trusty Agents to Town
TO Protest Against the Appor-
tionment Of a Bounty for
War Services
Rendered by These Indians
During the Horrible Mas
saeres OF the SOS.
Chief Gabriel Renville Relates
Some Interesting Stories
About Gen. Sibley.

and Nahpeton Indians, and Samuel j.
Brown, eX-Scout and son of Mayor
Brown, one of the most prominently
known officers of the period covered by
the massacre. came TO St Paul yeSter-
day and are staying at the International
hotel. The purpose OF their visit is to
secure the support of ali the old settlers
resident in St. Paul, who are familiar
with the details of the Indian massacre,
from its outbreak to lis close, in their
effort to remedy what is regarded as
a serious defect in the wording of the
act recently approved. which provides
for the payment of S3T6.573.37, and all
annuity OF S2lS. 400 to certain members
of the SisSeton and Wahpeton nation,
who served as soldiers and scouts in the
United States army during the inSurrec-
ton. By the wording of the act the
above sum of money, which is granted
as arrears of annuity under the terms of
the treaty ratified July %, 1851, is to be
distributed per capita among the In
dams on the reservation at this time.
The report submitted by the commission
sent to negotiate with the Indians
year ago, for the settlement of their
claim against the government, cited
wish of the Indians that
the annuity of SIS, 400 to be paid to them
under the terms of the treaty until July
|, 1901, together with the amount due
for arrears, should be paid per capita to
the tribes, rather than to scouts and
their descendants. The reasons for this,
said the commission, were the long
lapse Of time since the suppression OF
the revolt, the loose marriage relations
prevailing with the Indians. and the
utter impoSSibility of ascertaining who
were the legitimate descendants of the
friendlies. This report is characterized
by Chief RenyiIle and eX-Scout Brown
as grossly false in ali essential particu-
lars, and an evident effort to divert the
money from the channel it was intended
by congress to follow. They assert that
a large percentage Of the present occu-
pany Of the reservation is made up of
Indians who were
Actively Hostile
to the government during the trouble,
and others who are not legitimate resi-
dents of the reservation, in that they do
not belong to the classes designated as
eligible for residence thereon in the
original treaty of 1897. The number of
Indians now on the reservation is about
LAST, all of whom will be beneliciaries
if the annuity is distributed per capita
The NUMBER of Indians actually entitled
to money out of the annuity is about
1850, all told, these comprising the
members of the tribes and their de-
ScendantS, who were actively friendly
to the government. 1t is sug-
geSted that the report of the commission
Intentionally mlsrepreSented the con-
dition of sentiment among the Indians
interested III the annuity, for political
purposes. The act provides for the sep
arate payment of Indians off the res
| ervatiOn who, during the war, served as
| scouts and soldiers. but in dealing with
| those on the reservation the per capita
| clause is the only provision. The dis
| tributiOn OF the money under the law
as it now stands will be the preparation
of gross injustice to those Indians who
| fought against the hostileS. 1t gives
equal benefits to hostile and friendly
! alike. The former forfeited their right
to the annuity by taking arms
against the government, while the
latter are entitled to the full
| provisions of the original treaty, having
violated none of them. An additional
| evil that will result from such a method
of distribution as that provided for. will
be that Indians of no title to residence
in the reservation or to the possession
OF land thereon under the Severalty act,
will thrOng in as soon as it becomes
| known that the government makes no
distinction between friend and foe.
These representatives of the govern
ment adherents at the time of the mas
Sacre, do not assert that all the Indians
included under the act ware hostile, but
that many of them were, and many
others are not legal members of the
tribes. Chief Renville, who has already
personally laid the
Case as Ii Stands
before the secretary of the Interior, is
now engaged with the cooperation OF
eX-scout Brown, to enlist the efforts OF
the people of the state of Minnesota
towards establishing the separate rights
of the eX-Scouts and soldiers, and re-
ceiviDg their designation as benefici-
aries apart from other residents on the
| reservation.
Sobielle Renville, the aged chief now
in the city, was chief of scouts under
| Gen. Sibley, receiving his appointment
| Oct. 10, 1868. The county of Rem
vile was named after him. He is now
in possession of interesting documents
| war orders, ETC., signed in the well
| known hand of the now deceased
soldier. He is still as erect as young
man and is apparently no less active
| than when in the saddle on behalf oil
| the government he did yotman'
service. When the massacre broke Out
| in 1862, ten inStallmentS had been paid
the Indians under the terms of the
treaty granting them $4,000 annually il
| consideration of the ceSSlOn of the west
ern half of Minnesota to the government
When the trouble began, and a thou
sand women and children were massa
cred, the worst massacre in Indian his
tory, the SiSsetons as people refused
to join the hOStileS, though some of them
did so. In February, 1868, law was
passed confScating everything possessed
by the Indians, friend and foe being
treated alike. When it was SpreaC
abroad that Sibley and his army were
on the warpath, the Indians fed in {
body, but prior to the opening of battle
the friendly members of the tribe:
broke away from the main body anC
joined Sibley. being subsequently en-
rolled as scouts under Chief Renville
Indians of both the upper and lower
Sioux nations fought against their OWL
tribes during the entire four years war
The massacre was inaugurated by thu
lower Sioux, occupying the reservation
adjoining that of the upper Sioux. Thu
upper reservation was at Yellow Medi
cine and the lower at Redwood Falls
The Wahpeton branch Of the Sisseton
was equally guilty in causing the trou
BILE with. the lower Sioux. The follow
ing letter
From Gen. Sibley
to Chief Renville shows the confidenc,
reposed in him by the commandment
chief of the Union forces.
Headquarters, District of Minnesota
DEPARTMENT OF NORTHWEST, ST. PAUL