Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-01-23
SETTLING THE INDIANS.
An Old Freighter Tells OF How It Was
Done Forty Years Ago.


An old Freiehter Tells OF How It Was
Done Forty Years Ago.
John Campbell, formerly a freighter to
the Indian country and an upper Missouri
river boatman. says he has witnessed sew
eral incidents wherein savage barbarity
was pitted against the white mans strate-
gy In each instance the savages were
paid bsck in a more than decimally in
creasH ratio for the damage done.
One case occurred in the vicinity of old
Fort Boise Indians had done great injury
to a man named James Beckwith. They
gloatsd over what they had done. They
were large in number, the whites were
small, and for business and other reasons
1t was deemed impossible to wage open
warfare. The situation, however, was
such that it was deemed best to curtail the
power of the Indians, as they were inso-
lent md threatening.
Bee kwith went down the Missouri river
to place where smallpox existed He OBJ
taineo smallpox virus in form that could
be easily transported One story was that
he carried the poison in an air tight CAMS
ter like arrangement. When he reached
his destination he infected some clothing,
which was Immediately put in possession
of the Indians, so that the poisonous germs
of the smallpox, which are short lived,
| would not lose their efficacy. The result
was that the epidemic broke out and in
creased to pestilence. In more than 50
per cent of the cases the disease assumed the
continent and the hemorrhagic forms. and
| the. fat atty was not far from 100 per cent
In their delirium scores ran to the river,
| and death was thus accelerated in its ap-
proach. The white men shut themselves
up in what was called the old fort, large
abandoned structure, large part of which
was made of frame. Here the Indians, pesti-
lence stricken, flocked. They humbly came
| to the white man, whom they had so re-
Gently abused and exulted over in their
brutal, savage way.
After the abandoned old fort had been
converted from laZar house to charnel
| house 10y the action of disease the means
! of egress were barred, and in order to stamp
/ out the contagion fire was applied. Scores
| of dead bodies were consumed The con-
| tagion vas thus stamped out, the power of
| the Indians was broken without the loss
| of sngle white man and the insults
! avenged. This occurred between forty and
| fifty years ago.
On another occasion a young German
who was employed in a mental capacity in
a private fort of A. NJ. Harvey, in ignorance
| VI OOAci =" iot, gwen
| him, and on a certain occasion when there
was dan ger strayed from the fort about a
| quarter of mile. He was killed by In
dams and cut into small pieces
The N Initiated remains were then left as
warning to the whites OF the Indians
| proves Just as in the smallpox case, the
| whites did not appear to notice the in
| dignity, and also as in the smallpox case
| the Indians regarded this as an indication
| OF cowardice. The Indians, however, kept
| away for short time after the murder &c
| see what would be done. Then they came
, around to trade This fort had an alley.
like entrance, guarded by door or gatelike
| arrangements at each extremity. The sides
were walled or boarded high. The white
, men mallaSo3 to get the alley full of In
| dians.
| They had previously allowed Indians in
here after the murder in order to disarn
suspicion. The whites opened the outside
barriers, but placed behind n thin inside
barrier a masked cannon. This was heav
| lily loaded with iron slugs, parts of black
smith shop refuse and material of thai
nature. Without warning this was dis
charged into the packed mass of savages
A moment later the narrow way was filled
with dead and mangled Indians The out
er way was shut and others were killed
For long time after this the Indians wer,
well behaved
! Frontiersmen say that if eastern senti
mentality did not prevail 10 the extent o
interference with the army movement
and with the action of men who thorough
ly understand the Indian character at ev
cry turn the Indian problem would sool
be solved and to this problem there is gu
one solU;ioa.-hansas City Star