Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1901-09-06
IMPORTANT INVESTIGATION

IMPORTANT INVESTIGATION
At Fort Totten That May Result in
! the Indians Being Awarded
s3,OOO,OOO.
The week just past has been a
busy one at the Fort and il the
testimony taken there proves the
Indians claims, they will have
more money in a short time than
many of their pale faced brothers.
Way back in the SOS the United
States government purchased
from certain tribes Of the Sioux
| Indians large tracts of land west
of st. Paul in Minnesota and paid
! the copper colored gentlemen a
large sum of money, the balance
to be paid in annuities. For up
} wards of nine years the Indians
received their yearly remittances
in accordance with the provisions
of the agreement or treaty as it is
called, but in '63 feeling that their
) rights had been abused by the
whites. thousands of savages
swept down on the whites at New
Ulm, and in the portion of Mime
sofa near that city and massacred
a large number of people, for
which crime 26 Indians were hung
at Mankato in one day. This
massacre, the defense of the
whites, costs of trials and other
incidental expenses caused Uncle
Sam to spend great amount of
; money and later Congress confs-
Gated the Indian annuities of all
} the Sioux Indians, sparing none,
; to pay these expenses resulting
from the massacre. In the years
} that have gone by poor Lo feared
, the awful crimes committed al
that massacre when all the north.
west was alarmed, were too fresh
, in the minds of the white man
and no action in regard to the sus
pended annuities was taken, bu
the Cockburn bridge, the Devils
! Lake Chautauqua and other like
educational advantages have
opened the eyes of our friend,
across the lake and they have EN-
! ployed Chase & Maxwell. vel
j known Washington attorneys, tt
} take action regarding their sus
] pended annuities. Mr.. Chase o
] this firm, looking after the Indians
] case and Attorney Anderson TO
j the government, with specia
] agent of the department of tn,
] interior, Gen. F. G. Armstrong
= both of Washington and Steno
I grapher Bishop, of the same plac'
have been at the Fort all of tn,
3 past week taking testimony in tn,
3 matter which will be laid before
. the government officials of tht
! interior and claims departments
! The attorneys for the Indians arr
! confident they will win, while the
; government is as fully satisfied
: the Indians have no case. II
order to recover the sum, which
now am cunts to some $3,OOO,OOO
the Indians must prove that as {
tribe, they were not participants
in the massacre of '63. It is no
disputed that some of the Sissetor
and Wahpeton tribes who witt
the Cutheads comprise the Indians
at Totten, took part in the
massacre, however the Indiana
feel that they have proof to sub
stantiate the claim that the Sisse.
tons and Wahpetons did not al
tribes take part in the troubles o.
1863. The leaders in the massacre
: were the Santee tribe who are nov
u in q reservation BY themselves in
: Nebraska. II the sissetons and
3 Wahpetons were not engaged in
B the trouble, they should certainly
be paid Their Just dues as thu
: government certainly received the
) fnll amount paid the poor Indians
Ffor those valuable }; Minnesota
tracts.