The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1897-10-14


But the inheritance of ancient wars
forbade that the two tribes should ever
remain long at peace, and there had
been peace in the border land but
few winters when the war club was
again torn from the earth. The old
feeling of bitterness and prejudice was
first awakened by dispute between
Dakota brave and an Ojibway brave
over woman of the Dakotas who pre-
ferred the Ojibway lover. His rival
killed him, and when the news of his
fate came to the Chippewas it re-
minded thenl~that the Dakotas had
once been their enemies. The murder
of the young warrior was not enough
to arouse the war wrath, but a suf-
tcient cause was soon Forthcoming.
At the Fond du Lac of lake Superior,
which had then become an important
village of the Chippewas, there lived
an old man who was blessed with four
stalwart sons. In the time of peace
they fell into the custom, did these
sons, of visiting the Dakota villages
each winter. They were we'll liked by
the Dakota maidens, and when they
returned to their father they never
failed to bring with them many pres
ents from the foreign land. ...
Soon after the Chippewa lover had
met death in the Dakota village the
four sons set out for the great Sioux
town of Mile Laos, which was but two
days journey from Fond du Lac. Dur
ing this visit one of the brothers was
treacherously murdered. The old man
did not even complain when he learned
that the old enemies Of his tribe had
sent one Of his sons to travel the spirit
road. When the three surviving sons
asked his permission to journey again
to the lodges of the Dakotas he gave
it. "For," he said, ''probably they
have taken the life of my son through
mistake.'' On this visit two more of
the sons were treacherously murdered.
When the remaining son returned to
his father, even then the old man did
not weep, though he BACKED his face
in mourning and hung his head in sor-
row. ..,e
Then the sole, surviving l. son re-
quested his fathers permission that he
might go and look upon the graves OF
his brothers. The sorrow-stricken
parents said to him: Go, my son; for
fprobably they have killed your broth.
ers through mistake" A full moon
passed and the son did not return.
Then the old man, convinced that the
Dakotas had killed his last son, went
for the first time and moaned bitterly
for his lost sons. It is a saying that an
Ojibway warrior never throws away
his tears. For two years the father
busted himself in preparing for re-
venge. He collected ammunition and
war material for a large war party
and sent his tobacco and war club tc
the remotest villages of his people,
telling them of his wrong, and inviting
them to join him at Fond du Lac on q
certain day and go with him tin search
of his lost children.' Nearly all the
warriors on the shore of the great lake
accepted the invitation, being eager to
use the rusty scalping knives. Having
invoked the aid of the Master of Life,
the warriors took the trail to the large
villages on the shore of Mile Laos,
where the blood of the Chippewas had
been split, and which were considered
the Sioux. One of the villages was on
Cormorant point, one was at the mouth
of the river, and there was third on
a smaller lake a few miles down the
Rum river. These villages were made
up of earthen wigwams.
The vanguard of the Ojibways
fell on the village at Cor
morant Point with such de-
stroying ferocity that before the rear
had arrived the inhabitants were al
most exterminated. Those who es-
capped fed in their canoes to the vii
lage at the source of Rum river, which
was in it's turn soon attacked by the
powerful war party. After a brave
defense with their bows and arrows,
which did not avail them much against
French powder and ball, the Dakota
warriors shut themselves up in their
earthen lodges, where they were safe
until the Chippewas began to throw
through the apertures in the tops bun
dies or bags of powder, which, ignit-
ing in the fire, carried death and dis
. may to the wretched Sioux. A small
remnant of the Dakotas fled to the lit
tie village down the Rum river, and
here, after another fight on the next
day, they forever abandoned the lands
of Mile Laos, the Lake sBuade of
Father Hennepin.
The remains Of their earthern wig
vans may still be seen in large mounds
on the shores of Mile Laos lake, which