The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-09-24

only One-tenth of tina number evel
suffered the death penalty for murder
ing the white settlers of that section
of the state of Minnesota. The re.
mainder OF them were kept in prison
in Davenport. Iowa, until after the
war was over. when they were taken
to Dakota territory and turned loose
to go where they wished.
| After scouting around the camp for
a day or two and finding only one In
dian left the whole expedition moved
back to Yellow Medicine and went in
to camp for several days. during which
| time military court or commission
was organized to try the Indians for
their crimes. There were twenty or
more half breeds who were also held
as witnesses. for they knew all that
the prisoners had done. The Indians
We're tried one by one. and nearly If
not all of them were found guilty of
murder and condemned to be hanged.
The papers were made out and sent
to President Lincoln for ratification,
and his signature. He refused to sane
tion what he called wholesale hang
ing. but finally consented to allow
the authorities to hang forty of the
worst ones.
Another court was held which was
model of brevity. In the short space
of three or four days 1t tried. convict
ed and condemned all the forty In
dians to be hanged. There was no
red tape by that court An Indian
would be brought into the old. tumble
down house which was used as a
court room. his name would be asked
through the interpreter, and then one
OF the half breeds would be ques-
toned as to the record of the fellow.
If he had been member of a band
that had ravaged the country the evil
dence was deemed amply sufficient
to hang him. Then he was told
through his interpreter that he was
to be hung and the only response
that nine-tenths of them made was a
low. sullen grunt.
When the day of execution arrived
there We're thousands of people on
hand to see the spectacle. The Sixth
Minnesota regulars under Colonel
Miller had been detailed to carry on.
the orders. During the winter there
had been sort of conspiracy formed
by nearly all the settlers in that part
of the state to kill all the remaining
Indians that were to be left in the
stockade. They were pretty wen in
censed at President Lincolns desire
to let them live after they had killed
SO many settlers. This massacre of
the Indians was to take place the
same day that the forty condemned
ones were publicly hanged.
The military authorities had been
informed of this plot and Immediately
took steps to see that it wasn't carried
out. A company of men. commanded
by myself was ordered to scour the
roads around the town to thwart any
efforts on the part of the settlers to
Kill the remaining Indians. No at
tempt was made to kill the Indians
for thesettlers seem to have given
up the idea when they learned the
military authorities had learned of
their Intentions. The Indians were
to be executed at - o'clock noon,
and when the time drew near we
We're ordered to take our places near
the gallows, which was made of tim
Ders in the form of a square, suspend
ed by ropes from the four corners to
a large pole in the center, and over
the suspended platform, which was
raised from the ground eight or ten
feet, was another frame work to tie
the ends of the rope to. Everything
being in readiness the Indians were
marched in single file from the prison
and as they passed close to where |
stood | had an excellent chance to
look at them. They walked with a
nrm, unfaltering step up to the plat
form, which they mounted with no
apparent dread. They stood ten on a
SIDE and formed a square, except one
felloW who had died in prison the
night before. The hangman COM
menced to adjust the ropes about their
necks, and to the frame above them.
while this was going on the Indians
were singing their death songs which
an interpreter said consisted of shout
ing, Great Spirit, am coming, see
me, for l am coming"
The ropes from the four corners
were attached to one that ran down
TO the foot of the pole and was fas-
tened there. There was quite rivalry
among the men for the privilege of
cutting the rope which let the whole
suspended platform with the Indians
down at once, and put them into
eternity. When the signal was given,
Wnlcn was the firing of cannon, a
man, whose name I have forgotten,
nut whose wife and children were
murdered by the Indians. stepped for
ward with an axe and cut the rome
which hanged the thirty-nine Indians.
The bodies all went down with one
terrible crash and strange and ter
rible sight 1t was to behold, and far
from pleasant to see, although we
all knew they more than merited all
they hal received A great shout
went up from the crowd assembled.
which had witnessed the execution.
and the friends of the murdered set
tiers felt that at last the Indians
crimes had In part been avenged.
After allowing them to hang fifteen
or twenty minutes we took the bodies
down, threw them into carts and car
rled them to an island in the river
nearly opposite and buried them in
the sand. That night their bodies
were taken up and carried away 10
different medical colleges where thew
were disected. These Indians were
physical beauties. They were stall
wart fellows, averaging six feet tall,
straight as an arrow and splendid
specimens Of animal manhood.
The only mourners, apparently,
were the 300 remaining Indians who
were In the stockade, who, on hear
Ing the signal Of death, set up an aw-
ful death wall which those who heard
1t said was weird and touching.