Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-04-15

had Just and valid right to the reserva-
tons described and that they be allowed 30
cents per acre for the lands contained In
that portion north Of the Minnesota river,
exclusive Of the cost Of survey and sale OF
any contingent expense that may accrue
whatever, which. by the treaties Of June
1853 they have relinquished and given up
to the United States. BY this arrangement
the santees were left the undisputed own
ers Of the remainder Of the land which
contained $4,000 acres.
Coming of the white Man,
In 1876 Iowa was admitted to the union
as a state, and Minnesota in 1855. A rapid
transformation scene was In progress; the
prairies which for years had been the
Issanu (Santee) hunting grounds were be-
ing converted into farms; the chase was be-
ing superseded by agriculture, and by 1852
the Santees we're occupying their dimin-
ished reservation on the south side Of the
Minnesota river. But they were like Gagged
eagles. Their annuities were not paid
them. They had not and have not yet
been paid for their lands not one penny OF
the S96 Co., the proceeds of the sale Of the
$4,000 acres north of the Minnesota river
was ever paid to them. though this money
had been placed to their credit on the
+ books of the Indian office at the date OF
the outbreak in 1862, a balance Of t53662,
and the further sum Of about 10000 in the
hands Of the superintendent of Indian af-
fairs, which was subsequently refunded by
him and credited TO the santees, making
about $4,000 to the credit of the santees.
But money to the credit Of the santees and
available for distribution was not salts
factory to them. They did not have it,
nor the things II would procure for them.
and they could neither get the money nor
the things II meant TO them.
Indians Face Famine.
The conditions Immediately preceding the
outbreak are thus stated by T. H. Kirk in
a History Of Minnesota:
To crown all. after an unsuccessful hunt
| in the winter of 1872 gaunt famine and the
sioux stood face 20 lace through many
! looked back with longing hearts 10 the
| plenteOus days of kngilsh and French
peased their hSRsef, il did ID not f aiIay their
passions and when June came, and the
annuiues which should have been pald
were not forthcoming, these passions waNed
| stronger and stronger. The traders re-
fused the further credit Even government
| officials tainted them in cruel manner
when they sought aid or redress
Mr.. Breckenridge in his address before
the senate committee said:
| 1t is to be borne in mind that in 1862
! these Indians were no nearer civilization
than were the British islanders under
| Roman rule. The white settlers of MIN
| nesota had at least 1900 years the start
| of the Santees In the inheritance OF history,
| traditions, culture and all that makes
| observer of the Indian in his natural state
| has noticed that until the last few years
/ ne has gained nothing but an assortment
i OF vices by contact with the paletace.
Cause of the Minnesota Outbreak.
The immediate cause OF the outbreak
was a mere trihe-a quarrel between
| few boys over the world-old subject as to
which OF them were the bravest-a mis-
understanding and then hell.
Robert Hakewaste, Santee Sioux of
advanced years now living at the Santee
| agency in Knox county, after giving a
| brief history of the treaties with the In
dams and the tardy payments of annuities,
which Appropriated so per annum gives
this version of the outbreak.
was living at Redwood Falls, Mimi,
! before the outbreak of 1852. According to
the best of my belief it was caused by four
young men of the Sioux tribe, Zone of
whom was relative of Hakewate.l
| the lake regions in Minnesota. As they
! were going along they came to farm
house where by the roadside hen was
was going to take the hen and eggs to
| eat, which another of the young men did
| not think was right, as there was not
and the whites Then the young men got
| to quarreling and called each other towards
and they were finally divided into two COM
panies. They parted calling each other
! towards and left each other. The party
the road to smoke While they were smok-
| ing they heard rapid firing In the direction
/ in which the other party had gone, and
/ the four thinking they were towards, and
| that the others were fighting, one Of the
| boys thought they were lighting with
white men, and just as the shooting ceased
! w "a mi
| the woods, each with an axe on his Shout
der. The white men greeted them kindly
| boys took his gun and shot one of the
white men dead, and another shot the other
! as he started to run, and then all started
toward the barn and took some horses
and rode them home by midnight. The
stroy Of the killing of the white men got
S Sugu mery is ss the oStbreak Was IN full
! blast, which lasted about seven weeks. 1
| was one of the few who did not participate
| in the trouble, but tried my best to prevent
! the outbreak.
Surrender and Peace.
Then the soldiers came and we were
forced along the, Minnesota river. and
their tents and sent two mixed bloods
| Thomas Robinson and Thomas A. Robert
birth, to make peace with the United States
! officers. When 1t was accomplished we
! gave ourselves up into the hands of Cen
| knowledge none of the Sissetons and
| Wahpetonwans were in our midst to make
peace. As we were in the hands OF General
| Sibley we were brought back to Mankato,
Mimi, and thirty-eight men were SEN
fenced to death there. And remember
I that there were some WahpetonWans
/ among those who were hung, but do not
/ remember just how many, and all those
/ who were not condemned 70 death were
| sentenced to imprisonment at Davenport
/ Ia. for term of four years. There were
/ 400 persons imprisoned and many were Sis
/ setons and WahpetonWans. After the term
/ of Imprisonment had expired the prisoners
! returned to their agencies. To the best OF
my knowledge there are now only about
| twenty men who participated in the mas
! sacre of 1862 or were eye witnesses TO the
| outbreak, living at the Santee agency.
What the Bill IL for.
The bill in question is simply to restore
! the annuities of the Santee Indians, now
resident of Nebraska, who were not par
| Elephants in the Minnesota massaGes,
though these Santees we're included in the
! forfeitures of annuties to the Sioux be-
cause OF the participation Of that tribe
| and some OF it's branches in the massacre.
These Indians were subsequently removed
/ 10 Nebraska and to Flandrau, s. D., where
they still reside The bill states that under
the treaty Of 1887, which gave the Santees