The Mankato free press., 1902-06-30

1902
THE QUEEN CITY OF
SOUTHERN MINNESOTA.

COunGIy Gudt Guoy SuOulo, OAOAAPhiJ |
ing the proverb ga rolling stone gath
ers no moss, while those who re-
mained found that the experience of
those few years, though dearly bought,
was we'll worth to them all it had
cost. 1t was another proof of The doc
trire of "the survival of the fittest "
Scarcely had good times begun to
dawn again when the third draw back
came with the suddenness of lorna
do. In August 1862 occurred the Sioux
massacre, by which the whole country |
west of Mankato was depopulated. The |
town of New Ulm was destroyed,
farms abandoned, the crops left to the
devastation of cattle, and houses and
their contents to the mercy of thieves
and savages. The roads were strewn
with articles of furniture, clothing
and other household goods, dropped
by the people in their hasty flight.
Mankato was filled with crowd OF
refugees. Hospitals were improvised
| for the sick and wounded. A famine
threatened the town, and parties were
organized to scour the country for
provisions to feed the hungry multi
tude. Volunteer companies were rails
ed for the defense of Mankato from
the expected invasion. Log forts were
! built; one at the foot Of Jackson
street, one near the residence of q.
Paddock, on Broad street, and others
along the sides of the bluffs, forming
line of rude Notifications around the
town. Women and children were
gathered into the two stone buildings
at night for protection Business was
suspended, property decreased in value
till improved farms were offered for
800 The faint hearted fled again as
before in the hard times, only now
with more alacrity, and although
guards were stationed around the
town 10 prevent men and guns from
leaving, many succeeded in escaping.
After the surrender of the Sioux to
Gen. Sibley, several hundreds of the
savages were brought to Mankato as
prisoners Sibley's camp was frs4
located on the bottom land in West
Mankato. Afterwards at the approach
of winter, the Seventh regiment Min
nesota infantry, under Col. Miller. was
stationed at Mankato, and the Indians
we're confined in Leech's stone build
ing opposite the levee. and in long log
sheds built along the south side of the
building, and on Front street nearly
to the corner of Main street.
On the 26th of December, 1862,
; thirty eight of these Indians were
hung on one gallows, erected on the
levee directly opposite the buildings
] in which they had been confined. The
execution was witnessed by great
crowd of people, comprising nearly the
whole population of Mankato and the
neighbcripg towns, and large force
of infantry and cavalry. Although
400 Indians had been tried and con-
demned, only 3S were hung. The rest
were taken to Rock Island, and after
having been kept there several
months were finally removed to the
I Missouri river and set at liberty.
President Lincoln's report to congress
of this transaction is one If the curl
! osities of literature. He says it was his
opinion that the whole four hundred
1 should have been kept as prisoners o.
|. war. But to quiet the clamor OF the
{ people in Minnesota he found it woulc
be necessary to sacrifice certain
3 number of them, and by some un
. known method of calculation he con
cluded that about forty ought to o'
B enough to satisfy the citizens 80 NJ
4 determined that ali those who hao
been convicted Of certain degree ol
B crime should be the doomed ones; bu'
3 on going through the list he found NJ
had not enough, go he was forced tc
modify his classification, making the
necessary amount of guilt little less,
and ON the second trial found he mao
!, tbirty-nine, which number he thougnt
would do, and accordingly ordered
them to be executed. One of them
was pardoned through the influence
of friends before the day appointed.
The "clamor of the people, was not
vet ouieUed, however, for they resolved
to take advantage of the present op-
portunity to have all the Indians ex-
PEELED from the state, aware, that il
the excitement should be allowed to
subside, the Winnebagoes might be
fastened upon them for an indefinite
period. The government was accord
ingly earnestly solicited to order their
removal A secret association was
formed called Knights of the Forest, =
whose sole object was the removal OF
the Indians, either peaceably or forci-
bly. and the election to Office only OF
those who were pledged to favor their
removal. The association contained
within its ranks many OF the most
prominent men Of Mankato and other
towns in Blue Earth and the adjoining
counties. The "clamor of the people
finally became too great for the gov
ernment to Withstand, and new
reservation was selected for the Win.
nebagoes on the banks of the Missouri
river, to which they were removed in
Nav 1858. They celebrated their de-
parture by a grand scalp dance on the
grounds now occupied by the Winona
freight depots. Since then Indians
bouo haon vary seldom seen in Man