Mower County transcript., 1903-09-16

and two big wolf dogs at his heels. He
had with him, two French Canadians
and a number Of kegs Of powder and
other goods on carts, to sell to the Indi-
ans and hold claim to the furs and skins
WHICH the hunt should produce. z=s Pa
On his advice, the Indians built here,
a stockade. Posts with crotch on their
tops were set firmly into the ground.
Poles were laid on top from post to post.
Then other posts, ten feet or more in
length were set, one end on the ground
and the other leaning against the poles.
Brush and the tops of trees were cut and
piled by the squaws with great industry,
outside against the line of posts until it
was impossible for an enemy to break
through without consuming a good deal
Of time, all the while exposed to the fire,
through loop holes, of the good marks
Eman within. This was the first structure
Of any kind built in what is now Mower
| county. Sibley and the Indians alike.
put small trust in the treaty Of amity
concluded at Prairie du Chene They
we'll knew that such treaties between In
dians usually end in treachery and
)bloodshed. Now that they were on the
border Of their own country and about to
hunt over the Neutral Ground, where in
fact they had no right, they deemed it
ltexpedient TO build this stockade as a
| safeguard. y There was great abund-
anceiof game on this Neutral Ground, as
tshad not been hunted over since it's re-
| |linquishment eleven years before, to the
United States, by the treaty Of July Is,
1890. s$.a TO G. nv Z
One day Sib1ey went out early with
In his absence Little Crow, ALWAYS Ieck-
less and daring. went off south, down to-
ward the forks of the Cedar, near where
Charles City now stands, fora three days
hunt on the border or even over the line
in.the enemies country. He took with
him nearly all the young men Of the
camp. When Sibley returned at sunset,
the squaws told him of Little Crows abb
Esence and that s.. 4 hostile Indian SPY had
Ibeen. seen lurking in the Vicinity..ss He
llfy the report There was no mistake,
for in the light snow on the ground he
saw the moccasin tracks of the spy. He
armed the old men and boys remaining
in the camp, assigned to each his place
and awaited the expected attack. About
three o'clock in the morning, the Indian
dogs outside began to bark furiously.
1 The women screamed and the, old men
sang their death songs. Sibley ordered
silence and directed that every pistol
and gun be shot off as rapidly as posi-
bic and reloaded. He himself fired five
shots from his gun and pistols. The en-
envy were thereby deceived as to the
number of fighting men in camp and
made no attack. After sunrise next
morning the ground was examined and
it was apparent that at least fifty hostile
warriors had tied their horses to trees in
a grove at some distance away. An In
dian boy was sent with all speed to Lit
tile Crows camp down the river. to tell
the news and order him to return with
out delay. About midnight the hunters
returned and Sibley's tense nervous
anxiety abated. s.. s.. f
At the close Of each day. when the In
dians came in,3 the ten, called soldiers,
would announce the. direction and limits
of the next days hunt. This limit would
be about ten miles away, indicated by "a
stream or slough or grove or by some
other natuoal object. Early next morn
ing somesof these soldiers would 90 for
ward and station themselves along the
limit line, to detect and punish anyone
who should attempt to pass and freight
away the game beyond. The penalty
for violation of the rules was in the dis
cretion Of these ten so called soldiers.
lin aggravated cases they would slit
/ down and cut up the offenders lodge.