The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-11-18
STORY TOLD COMMISSIONER OAR
HALL ABOUT THE KILLING
OF @WETSEL.
THEY MAKE 1T SEEF=DEFENSE.
SAY THE DEAD WARDEN TOOK
THEIR GUNS AND SOME OF
THEIR FURS.
WHEN THEY MADE a PROTEST,
Their Story Is That Wetsel Opened
Fire and the Indians Were
Driven to Fight Back.

Information received from Indian
Commissioner Oar Hall shows that
there is another side to the story of
the killing of Deputy Game Warden
Wetzel by Chippewa Indians several
days ago. The story told by Mr.. Hall,
as was related to him by the Indians,
is as follows:
A party of four Indians was encamp
ed on an island at the mouth of Turtle
lake. The party included an old chief,
his son, the latter,s wife and young
child. On the eventful morning they
were engaged in camp labors, sitting
near their Wigwam; the old Indian
was scraping the skin of a mink, his
son was skinning a muskrat the
squaw was cooking a stew Of musk
rats and ducks. and the child was
playing about the fire Wetzel passed
down by their camp in a canoe, and
after proceeding some distance far
Their, he turned around and padded
back to the island. Bleaching his craft
he walked up to the camp, and draw
ing a revolver called upon the Indians
to give up their guns and skins, at
the same time flashing his star as evil
dance of his authority. The Indians
offered no resistance, and Wetzel at
once took possession of their two guns.
He then commenced to strip off a lot
of skins they had hung up to dry, pill
ing them on top of the guns to be
loaded into his canoe.
There still remained a small bunch
of skins near the wigWam, and the
deputy started to get them also, when
the aged worriOr demonstrated saying
that if all were taken nothing would be
left for them to obtain food and other
necessities with. He partially arose 10
his feet as he said this, and Wetzel,
turning around, fired at him, the bull
let taking effect in his groin. The
officer then shot and wounded the
younger Indian and the sQuaW, and
picking up an ak was about to strike
the squaw on the head with it. In
the affair." the child had escaped to the
brush.
The old Indian, seeing the imminent
danger that the woman was in, stag
gered to his feet, sorely wounded rs
he was and attacked the officer with
the knife he had been scraping the
skin with, stabbing him repeatedly in
the back He also called upon the
squaw to come to his as and she
succeeded in getting to her feet, and
Selling the pole from which the camp
kettle was suspended, dealt the g9'
warden a blow on the head ,tb -
crushing the skull. The 50" diad .
short time later and II renort comes
that the other two indians we're badly
wounded.
That Is me story as told to Commits
Sloi-5r Hall, and he expresses a strong
De lief in it's faithfulness, pointing out
+ that it is not likely that the Indians
would have attacked the game warden
with no other weapons than those they
used had they not been in a critical
! plight. He says that the Indians all
| around that section of the country
aver that Wetzel merely used his au-
thority as deputy warden as an eX-
cuse to take their furs and guns.
Commissioner Hall left last evening
for Deer river, where he will be en-
gagged in alloting lands to the White
Oak Point and Sandy Lake tribes of
Chippewa Indians; from there he will
go to the Red river country, and he
expects to finish up his work in about
a year at the farthest.