Evening star., 1898-10-06
EIGHT MEN KILLED
Fierce Fight Between Pillager Indians
and Regular Troops.
MAJOR WILKINSON AMONG THE DEAD
Col. Sheehan Slightly Wounded
Troops are Well Entrenched.
REINFORCEMENTS FOR BACON

MINNEAPOLIS, Mimi, October GA
special to the Journal from Walker Mimi,
says: Major Wilkinson, six privates and
one Indian policeman dead.
Col. Sheehan is slightly wounded.
Thirty Indians dead.
The Journal dispatch boat has Just re-
turned from the battle ground. There has
been desperate fighting all the morning
The journal boat brought out H. S. Tai
man, deputy marshal, and Col. Sheehan
who is not badly wounded. He is shot in
the abdomen.
| While the boat was transferring wound
ed men she was fired on from the brush
| This was the signal for an immediate re-
| opening OF hoStiEtieS. The troops opened
on the Indians, and in a second there was
as fierce fight in progress as that of yes
| terday.
Beaulieu narrowly escaped with his life.
| he had his shoulder bored clear through.
| we handled provisions and medicines. The
| hrlng became 80 hot We were compelled 10
weigh anchor and steam out into the lake
The Indians appear to be in force.
Bacon's Command Too Small
| Bacon's command is too small to take the
| aggressive. The detachment is entrenched
| III a good position and can hold out so long
as ammunition lasts. The steamer Chief
was met by my boat eight miles out and
has arrived ere this She carries posse CT
| armed men.
Maj. Wilkinson was shot and killed while
| walking up and down admonshing the men
| to keep their heads low
| NO Drawer man or better officer ever lived
Inc men In his command are crazed with
| rage When Ieinforcements arrive they
| VII! Wreak vengeance on the Pillagers in
their own way. The fight is not half over
yet; the biggest battle remains to be
| fought.
Another special to the Journal from
| Walker, Mimi, says: The third expedition
| to the Point has just started. There are
| nfteen rifiemen on board-picked men. The
| BOAT carries coffee and provisions The
| detail is under the direction of Dr. CamD
| OF Brainerd, an old Indian fighter. and a
man Wfo never knew the name of fear
me troops have had nothing to eat since
yesterday at noon. They have not even
mad drink of whisky to sustain vitality
Night FearfuIIy Cold.
| The night was fearfully cold Men with
out blankets must have suffered fearfully.
| Reinforcements have been wired for re-
| peatedly, but there is no assurance here
| that they will have any today. The sitCa-
| ton is desperate to a degree. Every man
| in this town slept all night with a Win
| chester across his arm. The gang thai
| came UP from Brainard under Dr. Camp
| L
| some OF them are on the present expedi-
| ton and they are going to kill Indians. 7
! expect Gus. Beaulfeu back with my dis
| patch Loaf every minute. There is eoino
| to be an Indian exodus here as sure as .he
sun rose this morning. The temper of the
| soldiers left here and at the agency is some
| tnlng 10 make gasp.
Lieut.. Humphrey is counting the minutes
| untli re1nforcements arrive. This command
| Will probably be relieved when the fresh
| troops come and be given a chance at the
"
| the headlands about this town ali night
| what 1t was about 1 could not dfscoTer
| thlnk the Indians were signaling in this
| manner There were 300 men under arms
| here.
| Saloons All Closed.
Mayor Rinkle very wisely closed the ga
| looms at O'Clock. Drunken rowdies, shoot
| ing In the street were promptly arrested
! NOBODY was hurt, owing to the precau-
| lions taken. L have been to the agency on
| my way back here. The Indians swear
| mat they are friendly. They may be tell
| ing the truth. but l would not believe a
| redskin under oath after what I have
| learned of him. AT the same time the In
| dians are not to blame for their attitude.
| l hardly know whether l blame them for
| fighting. 0
| Arthur L. Pegler. the staff correspondent
| oi the journal, wires at $50 this morning
| from Walker, Mimi: The force of eighty
men, under Gen. Bacon, have been annihi-
| lated. l do not know whether INSPECTOR
| Tinker has more Information than 1 have.
| but he sent word to the War Department
| last night that the Sd Infantry detachment
| lad been wiped out. ! got in very late
| from an expedition on the Flora.
| we started out to carry supplies and ra-
| tions to the troops. 1t was very dark off
| the shore and we signaled for an hour
Corporal Nettlekoven used the code in use
| at Santiago. Either the troops have been
| driven inland or there is not a man of
| them left No answering signal of any sort
| was received, although we lay off and on
| the whole length of the headland.
Alarming Early Report.
To land was al impossibility in the dark,
| as the reinforcements from Brafnerd have
| not arrived, and there was only one old
| Winchester rifle on the boat. Reddy Laz-
| ard, captain of the Flora is lead game
| man, and he would have landed There
| vas no possible doubt that the small force
on the boat would have been annihilated
| II this had been done. There wee men
| aboard who preferred to die in an effort at
1escue, however futile it might have been
We had our blankets and rations for the
bluecoats, if any of them survive; they
slept last night in the open. A heavy frost
prevailed there. There Is not SO much as
| coffee bean to divide between the whole
command this morning. At later date I
am going to tell the whole truth about
| thls expedition. l never knew of such
gross mismangement or witnessed such
| criminal obstinacy as has been exhibited
mere The men of Bacon's command were
taken out under conditions that would dis
grace militia sergeant, were he RESPONSE
| BILE for them. Every life that has been lost
here is useless sacrifice
1t broke my heart to see the poor fel-
| lows dropping. Had a proper force been
| sent here In the first place not a shot would
nave been fired. l have hopes that Bacon
| may have intrenched himself and that the
ta1lure to answer signals last night was
| due to his determination not to betray his
locatlon. The men had 100 rounds of am
munftion each. 1 hardly think they have
exhausted their supply. The newspaper
correspondents, Brill, Beaton and Knappen
are still with the troops
l went with the force, determined to save
them, If possible but 1t was impossible to |
locate them. Immediately on my return |
from Bear Island l sent my chartered |
steamer with Gus Boulieu, friend of the |
Chippewas. and a man who has Chippewa |
blood in his veins, to pick the newspaper |
men up II there is any such thing. He is |
now on that mission, and as he is abso-
| iuteiy fearless have strong hopes.