Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1891-01-16
SETTLING THE INDIANS.
An old Freighter Tells of How 1t Was
Done Forty Years Ago.

Done Forty Years Ago.
John Campbell, formerly freighter to
the Indian country and an upper Missouri
river boatmau, says he has witnessed sew
eral incidents wherein savage barbaritv
WAS pitted against the white mans strate-
w In each instance the savages were
paid back in more than decmally in
creased ratio for the damage done
One case occurred in the vicinity of old
Fort Boise Indians had done great injury
to man named James Beckwith. They
gloated over what they had done, They
were large in number, the whites were
small. and for business and other reasons
it was deemed impossible to wage open
warfare. The situation, however, was
sucn that it was deemed best to curtail the
power of the Indians, as they were inso-
lent and threatening.
Beckwith we,.t down the Missouri river
to place where smallpox existed lie oh
tanned smallpox virus in "a form that could
be easily transported. One story was that
he carried the poison il: an air tight CAMS
ter like arrangement Wher l.. 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
creased to a pestilence. In more than 80
per cent. of the cases the disease assumed the
continent and the hemorrhagic forms, and
the fatality was not far from 100 per cent.
In their delirium scores ran to the river
and death was thus accelerated in its APP
proach. The white men shut themselves
up in what was called the old fort, IA large
abandoned structure, a large part of which
was made of frame. Here the Indians, pest-
lence stricken, hocked. 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 Il lazGr house to a charnel
house by the action of disease the means
of egress were barred, and in order to stamp
out the contIgion fire was applied. Scores
of dead bodies were consumed. The con
| tagion was thus stamped out, the power of
the Indians was broken without the loss
of a single white man and the insults
avenged This occurred between forty and
J fifty years ago
On another occasion young German
who was employed in a mental capacity in
a private fort of A. NJ. Harvey, in ignorance
or otherwise, disregarded instructions given
| him, and on a certain occasion when there
was danger strayed from the fort about a
quarter of mile. He was killed by In
dams and cut into small pieces.
The mutilated remains were then left as
| a warning to the whites of the Indians
prowess. just as in the smallpox case, the
whites did not appear to notice the in
dignity, and also rs in the smallpox case
the Indians regarded this as an indication
of cowardice. The Indians, however. kept
away for a short time after the murder to
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 managed to get the alley full of In
dians.
They had previously allowed Indians in
here after the murder in order to disarm
suspicion. The whites opened the outside
barriers, but placed behind a thin inside
barrier IA masked cannon. This was heav-
lily loaded with iron slugs, parts of black
smith shop refuse and material of that
nature. Without warning this was dis
charged into the packed mass of savages
\ moment later the narrow way was filled
with dead and mangled Indians. The out
er way was shut and others were killed
For II long time after this the Indians were
well behaved
Frontiersmen say that if eastern senti-
mentality did not prevail TO the extent OF
interference with the army movements
and with the action of men who thorough
ly understand the Indian character at ev-
cry turn the Indian problem would soon
be solved, and to this problem there is but
one solution.-kansas City Star.