The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-10-06
A BATTLE.
Soldiers Fired
Upon
BY THE INDIANS.
Reported That -Four of Gen.
Bacon's Men are Killed.

Minneapolis. Mimi. Oct. 5.-A special
to the Journal from Walker, Mimi,
says:
"A terrible battle was fought at Ii
o'clock this morning, 80 miles from
Walker. at g-Ah-Me-Ge-S hirks
Point, close to Bear Island.
'One hundred men, under Gen. Ba-
con, landed on the point shortly after
8 o'clock The landing was effected
with considerable difficulty owing toI
a high sea. After landing, the soldiers
searched the thick underground care
fully and with every precaution taken
against ambush. No indians were
seen.
Shortly before IL o'clock the men
were ordered to line up in an open
space near the lake shore, and prepara-
lions were about to be made for dinner.
The soldiers were standing in column
formation, when shot was fired from
Bog Me Ge-Shirk' S. house, The ball
struck Ed. Harris, ex-marsha1 of Wal
ker, a half-bre His arm was broken.
Immediately the fire became general
from all directions. 1t seemed that a
shot came from every bush. Three of
Gen. Bacon's men dropped. They were
carried to the rear. When the first
shot was heard every man in the com
llld4Q SplduS lOI CONGT,
Gen. Bacon stood straight up and,
supported by Maj. Wilkinson, looked
right into the eye of the foe. Steady,
men!" he called; keep cool. now; keep
COOL" Again there came a volley from
the Indians, and then the Kraeg -Jor-
gensens opened UP with q frightful
rattle just as the pillagers made q ter
rife rush. Half a dozen of them
dropped and the rest fell back, yelling
like fineds. There must have been $50
or 200 Indians Lieut.. Morrison, with
| 20 men, made a rush to prevent the
| recapture of old Mah-Quod and Bap-
| Dway-We-Dung. Lieut.. Morrison had
never been under fire before, but he
was steady The men behaved SPLEEN
didly.
"The marshals had these men under
arrest. Lieut. Morrisons squad scat
| tered the Indians, who tried to rescue
| the prisoners. The Indians later fired
in a desultory way and the order was
| given the troops to charge. The SOL
diers ran, ducking and dropping like
grasshoppers They made the most of
| their opportunity. Suddenly q volley
was fired by the Indians at the steam
tug Flora, which lay off shore.
A score of bullets went through the
fral woodwork Of the boat, and every
| man, except the pilot, sought cover.
Some blazed away in return with revol-
Vers, but the range was too long A
volley was then fired at the tug Chief
of Duluth. Inspector tinker was shot
through the leg and his coat sleeves
were torn to ribbons by another ball.
The Flora steamed for the agency I'M
der orders from Marshal O'Conn0r to
get the 20 men under Lieut.. Humph-
rey, who had been left there. O'Connor
escaped death by a miracle. The In
dian5 fired a volley directly at him.
pf1
and also Beaton, fought bravely with
revoiverS.
The steersman of the tug Flora was
shot through the arm with a Winches-
ter ball He is badly hurt. The In
dams gave the tug volley as she pull
ed out. Rev. Mr.. Chandler of Ovation
ma, Mimi, was in the boat, and had a
when she started for reinforcements
were Marshal O'Conner, Deputy Morri-
son, Indian Agent Sutherland and the
Indian prisoners. guard Of two
men, under Corporal Nettokoven. was
sent with the Flora She will return
at once with rattons and ammunition.
Lieut.. Humphrey was white with rage
when the news reached him. His men
have already started for the front. The
fire Of the Kraeg-J orgensens, 20 miles
distant, has been distinctly audible
from this point. They have been bang
ing away all the afternoon. A man
just in says that we have lost four
killed and nine wounded I'D to date.
The wounded city marshal of Walker
was brought home under a Red Cross
flag aboard the Flora. He will recov-
err but his life is not worth a pinch of
snuff so long as there are any Bear
Island Indians remaining in the coun-
ty Marshal O'Connor and Deputy
Marshal Sheehan behaved with the ut
most bravery.
All families are being removed from
the agency. Gen. Bacon is beyond
telegraph communication, and no boat
can reach him for three hours.
40 p. m.-The firing seems to have
ceased.
The pillager and other neighboring
Indians Of the White Earth reservation
claim to have many reasons for the
outbreak, although the direct trouble
with the Pillagers comes over attempts
to bring In some Of the Indians to the
United States court at Duluth in con-
nection with liquor selling cases. Their
grievances go back through many
years and there has been Legislative and
other attempts, one Of the latest being
the Nelson law regarding the sale of
the timber on Indian lands. However
the Indians claimed that the method of
disposing of this was both cumbersome
and expensive and that they We're the
sufferers.
In regard to serving as witnesses in
illegal liquor selling cases they claim
that the deputy n1arshals 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 trouble with the
Pillagers is an old warrior, Bog-Ah-
Nab -Shig. He alleged Ill treatment
in being turned adrift penniless in Du-
luth 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 reds have
been stilled up to such a pitch that
trouble apparently became unavoidable
Washington, Oct 5.-Secretary Bliss
received telegram tonight from In
dian Inspector Tinket. announcing a
fight with the Pillager Indians In Min
nesota, today. Marshal O'Connor wired
Attorney General Griggs that general
Indian uprising was imminent. On re-
ceipt of this advice, Secretary A1ger or
dered achievements to be sent to the
scene at once, on special train If nee
essary, and with Calling gun i'll
needed.