The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-10-07

no fight. These red blackguards re-
spect numbers. BacOn's men have
their blood up. The fighting Third has
seen it's dead. Bear island, as we'll as
it's dangerous vicinity, will be gutted.
A fatal mistake was made in falling
to send a Gatling and a Hotchkiss.
They could have been used with mag
nificent effect today, especially the
Gatling. The Indians had fired twenty
five shots before the troops returned
their fire.
I believe that General Bacon will
entrench himself tonight and await re-
Inducements. The wounded city mar
shall of Walker was brought home un-
der a Red Cross flag aboard the Flora.
He will recover, but his life is not
worth a pinch of snuff now, so long as
there are any Bear island Indians re-
naming in this country. They will
certainly murder him. Marshal O'Con-
nor and Deputy Marshal Sheehan be-
haved with the utmost bravery. The
latter an old man of so years, but the
hero of Fort Ridgeley, stood yelling at
the men to keep their heads down.
while he himself was standing erect
and bareheaded.
The young lieutenant, Morrison, is a
plucky one. He had never been un-
der fire before, but there he stood as
steady as a rock and cool as an ice
berg. The men behaved splendidly
O'COnnOr was put ashore in a hostile
country and he ran four miles over
thistles and through brush to reach the
Leech Lake agency.
All families are being removed from
the agency at this time. I am going
back to the point Immediately. The
army department in st. Paul should be
notified. General Bacon is beyond tele
graph communication and no boats
h i'm
4:10 D. nl.-The firing seems to have
ceased. Leave at once.
CAUSE OF THE OUTBREAK.
Walker, Mimi, October 5.-The Pill
lager and other neighboring Indians of
the White Earth reservation claim to
have many reasons for their present
outbreak although the direct trouble
with the Pillagers comes over at
tempts to bring in some of the Indians
to the United States court at Duluth
in connection with liquor selling cases.
Their grievances go back through
many years and there have been legis-
lative and other attempts to settle
them, one of the latest being the Nell
son law regarding the sale Of timber
on the Indian lands. However, the In
dianS claimed that the method of dis
posing of this was both cumbersome
and expensive and that they were the
sufferers. In regard to serving as
witnesses in illegal liquor selling cases
they claimed that the deputy mar
shals left them to find their own way
home from Duluth without having
paid them the proper mileage. This is
denied by the deputies. The leader in
the troubles with the Pillagers is an
old warrior, Bog All Me &c Shig, not a
chief, who recently returned from
court and was soon afterward sought
| again by the deputies. He alleged ILL
treatment in being turned adrift pen
niless in Duluth and aroused the other
Indians to protest against the way he
claimed to have been treated. The
United States marshal insists that the
| old mans story is unfounded, but the
Indians had been stirred up to such a
pitch that trouble apparently became
unavoidable in view of the deeply seat
| ed feeling of general ill-treatment in
| regard to their timber lands and their
| rights in general.
Minneapolis, October 5.-A special tc
| the Tribune from Walker Mimi, says
in regard to it's staff correspondent al
the scene of the Indian trouble: Have
| not heard of your man Beaton since
the fight began at 1870 o'clock a. m
| The last I heard of him he was among
the Indians with Brill and was run.
| ming and the Indians firing at him.
| ASoA III AilS safety, DIS we'll DIS lOT O6n-
eral Bacon and his men. The situa-
ton is very grave. There has been 6
| special train ordered here from Brain.
| erd by the county commissioners, with
| arms and ammunition. We have jus
| received information from Washington
| that more troops are on their way here
| Every one is very much excited, We
the situation is such as to warran
| it,
| Another special to The Tribune from
| Walker, Mimi, later, says: "Hav,
| heard nothing further from Mr.. Bea
| ton. We are expecting the specia
| from Brainerd every minute. Hav,
| just been advised that they will soo1
reach us with ,lirty armed men anC
! fifty extra rifles and ammunition"
| ANOTHER CUSTER AFFAIR.
| st. Paul, Mimi, October 5.-An un
confirmed rumor has reached here tha
the soldiers and General Bacon hav
been massacred by the Indians q
Leech Lake. A Brainerd operator say
this reported massacre is true.
| Minneapolis, Mimi, October s.
| telegram received at midnight from
| Walker, Mimi, says a fierce fight be
| tween the Indians and the troops Il
| still in progress. Marshal C'Connor re
| ports several fatalities among the sol
| diers but does not give the number. !
| special train is coming from Brainert
| with 1GV armed citizens.
i