Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1898-10-13
BUT LEIGH LAKE DISTRICT SET
TIERS UNEASY.
GEN. BACON IN WALKER
Brings His Troops Back from Bear
Island-Six Whites Killed-Num-
Der of Indians Dead Is Not Yet
known-Savages Consider They
Won Victory.

with the Leech Lake Indians. Enough
has happened, however, to cause the
| northwestern settlers to feel some
what unsettled for some time to come.
! There is something of a panic in some
Of the small settlements near Walker,
! that being the center of the Leech
| Lake district, and the men in the lum-
Der camps in that vicinity have quit
work and started to Walker. Teachers
| of Indian schools and others about the
agency have also thought it well to
! change their location for the present.
There were some sensational stories
| from that region Friday, but they do
not seem to be well founded.
There was certainly no battle Fri
day, because the troops are all known
! to be resting in Walker. If there
| have been any more deaths it has been
among the settlers, many of whom are
scattered through that section of the
state. Gen. Bacon returned to Walker
Friday, bringing with him all of the
first detachment of troops, the dead
and injured having been sent in first
and brought down to Fort Smelling
Friday evening.
There was no difficulty in embark
ing the men at Sugar Point and Gen.
BILE is over, as he has whipped the
Indians badly.
That the Indians have been made to
suffer, many being killed, and that
they have been dispersed generally is
admitted. But those who have had
experience with the redman say that
only when he has been taken prisoner
or killed is the Indian beyond doing
harm. Many of those Bear islanders
are outlaws from their tribes and from
the government, and are desperate. So
long as they are still at large, the peo-
pie in the vicinity of Leech Lake insist
that their lives and properly are in
danger, and ask for protection to a
greater extent than has been given.
The residents of Cass Lake and towns
to the north Of the lake have called on
Gov. Clough for protection against pos
sibIe danger and a battalion of artil-
lery of the national guard is under Or
ders to go up there in the course of the
next few hours. All arrangements
have been made for a quick transfer Of
the 18th and 14th Minnesota regiments
in case Of emergency.
A Walker dispatch says that Bacon
thinks one of the Indians killed by the
sharpshooters was Chief Bug-Ah-G &C.
Shing, who was the cause of the whole
trouble. The general says they have
completely whipped the Indians.
Lieut.. Col. S. D. Sturgis, assistant
adjutant general, received a telegram
from Gen. Bacon, giving a report of
fight with a list Of casualties and an
nouncing the arrival Of Bacon at
Walker, who will hold his own and
Col Harbach's troops there for the
present. The dead are:
Maj Melville Wilkinson.
Sergt. William Butler.
Priyates Edward Lowe. John Ohm
stead, John Swallenstocker, Alfred
Zebell
The wounded soldiers are:
E.. E. Antonello, shot in leg; Levy
Ayers, sergeant, shot in neck; Rich
ard Boucher, shot through the Shout
der; Edward Brown, shot in face;
John DAILY, shot in thigh; Charles
Francis; Godfrey, private, shot
through the shoulder; Charles Jelson;
Albert Schuyler; Charles Turner, shot
through the shoulder; George Wicker,
shot in leg.
The wounded civilians are:
Edward Harris, city marshal CT
Walker; Joseph Oscar, pilot of steam
CT Jennie; T. J. Sheehan, deputy Unit
ed States marshal; Tinker, Indian in
spector; Henry Walters, engineer of
! tug Jennie.
1he homecoming Of the dead and
wounded OF co. +. to Fort Smelling
was very solemn affair, though very
simple. The 3rd regiment saw hard
service III Santiago, but its loss was
| scarcely greater than in this one days
skirmish with the Indians. The sold
lers feel the loss deeply as the dead
were all much beloved. Wilkinson
especially was we'll known and there
| is general mourning in the twin cities.
Funeral services over the dead heroes
will be held probably tomorrow at the
fort
A reporter of the Associated Press
at Cass Lake says: The people of
this place have just received word by
beat from Walker to leave at once for
places OF safety. Parties arriving on
the same launch say there has been a
heavy battle near Bear island. One
man says he saw seven dead soldiers.
] his place will be vacant in few
hours"
Gen. Bacon at Walker.
Walker, Mimi, Oct. Seen. Bacon
and his detachment of regulars re-
turned to Walker from Bear island
Friday noon. The Indians were bad
ly whipped and left the country ad-
Jacent to the fight. En- route here
other Chippewa bands displayed the
white feather along the lake shore. !
There is much talk here Of a general |
Indian outbreak. Col Harbach is
here with 200 men Of the Sd infantry.
Gen. Bacon will remain here and keep
the troops here awaiting develop
ments. Gen. Bacon speaks in the
highest terms of praise of the conduct
Of his men. mo soldiers ever put up
a gamer fight" he said, ''and consid-
ering that four-flfths Of the men are
recruits, their showing was one OF
which any soldier might fell proud"
Gus. H. Beaulie, well-known Chip
peWa Indian who has transacted con-
siderable business for that band in
washington saws that 00r mora fhop