The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-05-15

Mrs. De Camp-sWeet' gaze upon their painted
faces knowing them to be the faces of'b bitter
foes, to hear their terrible warwhOOp when
il meant death to all her friends, and TO
listen nightly for nearly three weeks to
their campfire councils when the subject Of
their angry debate was whether she her.
self should be allowed 10 live or condemned
to torture and death. "Tell you my expert
e?" she said in answer to an inquiry.
II would not dare tell half that l expert
enced during that fearful time, for no one
would believe it.
1t all happened during the terrible
Sioux massacre of 1925. 1t is ma.-
ter of history how. when nearly
every able bodied man in the North
hsd enlisted to participate in the
great struggle that was TO decide the fate Of
the Union, the Indians in Minnesota rose
against the whites and went upon that
awfu!est war trail that has ever been
known in the history of this country.
Mrs. j. Is. Sweet the heroine of this mar
native, was at that time Mrs. de Camp,
who with her husband and children had
settled about year previously al one or the
trading stations Of the lower Sioux reser-
walton, about II miles from Fort Rid 5ey.
Mr.. de Camp had charge of the mills on the
reservation. and they expected, at the time
of their settlement, to make their home
there for the succeeding four years.
1t was almost exactly one year from that
time Mrs Sweet said 10 the writer, when
l lett the place under circumstances so
awful that even at this time and distance
from the scene l can scarcely bear to recall
them
Oar settlement was merely dozen or so
of small houses, in which lived the employees
OF the Government, few stores kept by
Indian traders. warehouse for Indian sup
plies, the mills. and church In process OF
construction. We were on the west side OF
the Minnesota River, ii miles from the fort,
to reach which we crossed the river by
means OF ferry. About 80 miles above
us was the Yellow Medicine Agency, on tile
Yellow Medicine River This Was usually
called simply the upper agency, rs ours
was the lower. i remember well the
day OF our arrival, when. looking
around over the settlement, | had ex-
claimed to my husband upon the insanity
of coming there TO live among savages, who
outuumbered the white settlers % To l. His
reply had been 70 assure me OF the entire
safety of the situation, and the fact that the
Indians were not only friendly TO the whites,
but were fully aware that it would be eX-
ceedingly bad policy on their part To show
any hostility toward them. We lived all
that year In our fancied security. l learned
the language, aud from time to time, as OPP
pOrtunity offered, managed to make good
many friends among the Indian women, who
frequented the station almost as much as
did their husbands. | was able 10 do them
many friendly turn, of which some after
ward showed their a probation.
But such trouble as we little dreamed OF
was brewing. the country was in the
midst of the great war; nearly ali men who
could bear arms had gone to the front, and
there were few at home but old men, women
and children.
The trouble among the Indians was dis
satisfaction over the way the Government
met its obligations under the treaties by
which the savages had transferred to the
United States large tracts Of land for the
reservations allotted them, and certain sums
of money that were paid them annually in
gold 1t was the failure Of the Govern
menI, caused by the eXigencies OF war, TO
meet promptly the payment due III the
summer Of 1862 that preeipitated the tnun-
derclap that had been gathering for years.
When the clap came, it was as out Of clear
sky
The winter previous, our first winter
there was a bitter one. The Indians are
nOiedly improvident. and like children had
had no forethought to provide for the cold
weather. There was great want among