The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-06-11
A Short Frontier Story
Which Shows That the Savage Element IN Man Is MOI
Wholly Cured by Civilization.
BIZ JUDGE cHAs. E. FLANDRAU.

was told by a gentleman at my club
the other day that he had read in some
magazine that the British army had
upper Africa. and had mutilated his
body, cutting off the head and sending
it to England in kerosene can. I could
hardly believe the story. but he vouched
for having read it in a reputable publ
cation, and being a strong hater of the
English, affirmed his unqualified faith
In the statement. Notwithstanding his
position, it seemed to me Incredible that
such an act of barbarism could be per-
petrated by the disciplined soldiery of
civilized nation in the nineteenth CEN
fury. The conversation so impressed me
that 1 could not drive 1t out of my mind,
and kept revolving it and making COM
parsons with events In my own expert
ence, until 1 concluded that it is more
than probable that it took place as re-
lated. and have since learned that it
actually occurred.
have seen a good deal of ferocity and
savageism, and it was not at all con-
fined to people acknowledged to be bar
barians. I remember an instance where
scheme. the brutality of which would
have made the mutilation of the dead
mahdi commendable in. comparison, but
fortunately my better nature and sec
ond thought overcame my passions and
l was spared the preparation of the aw-
full crime. the remembrance of which,
had it been committed, would undoubt-
edly have haunted me through life.
Many of the older settlers of Mime
sofa will remember the horrors of the
Indian massacre and war of 1862, when
the Sioux attacked our exposed from
tiers, and in a day and half massacred
quite thousand people. They spared
neither age nor sex. 1t was like all such
savage outbreaks, war against the
race and the blood. These atrocities ex-
tended over a large and sparsely in
habited area of country, and were usu-
ally perpetrated at the houses of the
settlers by the slaughter of the entire
family, sometimes varied by the seizure
of the women, and carrying them off
into captivity, which. in most instances,
was worse than death. Every character
OF mutilation and outrage that could be
suggested by the inffamed passions of
savage were resorted to, and so horrible
were they that it would shock and dis
gust the reader should 1 attempt to de-
L
was no surprise to me, because it was to
be expected from savages, but the more
we saw of it, the more eXasperated and
angered we became. and the more we
vowed vengeance should the opportunity
come.
I resided on the frontier at the time
the outbreak. occurred, and murders were
committed within eight miles of my home
before I heard of it. which was on the
morning of the second day. I, of course,
Immediately after disposing of my i'm
pedimenta in the shape of women and
children, took the field against the en-.
envy, and by 9 o'clock in the evening .of
the same day that I heard of the trouble,
1 found myself at the io.-n of New tim,
a German settlement on the frontier, the
extreme outpost of civilization, in COM
mand Of over 100 men, armed and ready
for battle. We had raised and equipped
the company and travelled thirty-two
miles since the morning.
When we entered the town it wa3 being
attacked by a squad OF Indians about
100 strong, who had already burned quite
| a number of houses and were firing upon
the inhabitants, having already killed
several. We soon dislodged the enemy,
put out the fires and settled down to
await events This was ON Tuesday, the
18th of August. Weo strengthened the
barricades about the town and did all We