The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1906-04-20

had been the lSSantl (Santee1 hunting
grounds were being converted into
farms; the chase was being superseded
by agriculture, and by 1862 the Santees
were occupying their diminished reserva
ton on the south side of the Minnesota
river. But they We're like Gagged eagles
Their annuities We're not paid them
They had not and have not yet been
paid for their lands; not one penny OF
the $4,000, the proceeds of the sale OF
| the 100000 acres north of the Minnesota
| river was ever paid to them, though tins
| money had been placed to their credit
on the books of the Indian office at the
| date of the outbreak in 1862. balance
| of S53 662 and the further sum of about
| 100000 i'm the hands of the superintend
| nnt of Indian affairs, which was snbse
| luently refunded by him and credited
10 the Santees, making about $4,000
to the credit of the Santees. But none!
| 70 the credit of the Santees and avail
lble for distribution was not satisfactory
the things it would procure for them
and they could neither get the money
nor the things it meant to them.
| The conditions Immediately preceding
| The outbreak are thus stated by I. II
| Kirk in History of Minnesota:
To crown all, after an unsuccessful
! hunt in the winter of 1861 2 gaunt fam
| me and the Sioux stood face to face
| through many bleak and weary day
No wonder they looked back with long
ing hearts to the plenteous days o.
English and French alliances. If sprin:
N any measure appeased their hunger
t did not allay their passions and wher
June came. and the annuities whicl
,hould have been paid were not forth
.oming. these passions waxed stronge'
md stronger The traders refused ths
further credit. Even government off
ials tainted them in cruel manne!
when they. sought aid or redress.
Mr. Breckenridge in his address before
he senate. committee said: 4
1t is to be borne in mind that in l86:
hese Indians were no nearer civiliza
ion than were the British islanders I'm
Ter Roman rule. The white settlers OF
Minnesota had at least 1000 years tn.
start of the Santees in the inheritance
IF history traditions, culture and al
hat makes a civilized man out of a say
lge. A keen observer of the Indian il
his natural state has noticed that unit
he last few years he has gained nothing
but an assortment of vices by contact
with the paleface.
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-s
misunderstanding and then hell.
Robert Hakewaste, Santee Sioux o.
advanced years now living at the San
tee agency in Knox county, after givins
, brief history of the treaties with tho
Indians and the tardy payments of an
nuities, which Appropriated $40 per an
um gives this version of the outbreak:
I was living at Redwood Falls, MINI.
before the outbreak of 1862. According
to the best of my belief it was caused b..
'our young men of the Sioux tribe, Zone
of whom was a relative of Hakewate.
Eleven young men started out to tral
,bout the lake regions in Minnesota. A
they were going along they came to {;
farm house where by roadside a hel
was setting One of the young men sale
he was going to take the hen and egg
to eat, which another of the young meI
lid not think was right, as there wa
not very friendly feeling between thu
indians and the whites. Then the youn
men got to quarreling and called eac'
other towards, and they were final,
lvided into two companies. They part
ID calling each other towards and lief
Zach other. The party of four came t.
farm and sat down by the road t.
smoke While they were smoking the.
heard rapid firing in the direction il
which the other party had gone, and thu
four thinking they were towards, an(
hat the others were fighting, one of th'
boys thought they were fighting will
white men, and just as the shootin
'eased there were two white men com
ng out of the woods, each with an axe
on his shoulder. The white men greet
ID them kindly and passed on when on'
If the four Indian boys took his gun an
shot one of the white men dead ans
mother shot the other as he started t.
,un, then all started toward the barr
md took some horses and rode then
home by midnight. The story of th'
Iilling of the white men got out yer,
FAST, and by the morning of August Is
1862, the outbreak was in full blast
which lasted about seven weeks, / wa
me of the few who did not participant
n the trouble. but tried by best to pre-
+ vent the outbreak.