New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1909-02-10
RECORD OF INDIAN TRIAL
Valuable Papers, Missing Since
1862, Located by DR.. Folwell
in Washington.
Many Disputed Points Regarding
Indian Massacre Expected to
be Cleared up by the
Discovery.

cOVeFy VI ldcGS VALUABLE TO Inc re-
cord of Minnesota's history of its
struggle with the Indians in 1862, are
the results of a search which has been
conducted for two weeks in Washing
ton by DR.. W. W. Folwell of Minnea-
polls.
DR.. Folwell has found, in the file
room of the United States senate, the
complete record of the proceedings and
testimony in the trials of BOB Sioux
Indians who were convicted of parti-
cipation in the historic Sioux mas
sacre of 1862, in the vicinity of Month
video and New Ulm.
From these records he has already
secured extensive data as to the actu-
al details of the great Indian outrages,
the story of which has been only i'm
partially written in Minnesota his
tory.
DR.. Folwell will remain in Wash
ington until April, and will complete
the transcribing of the more impor-
tant parts of the Sioux records.
Much OF the material will be worked
up subsequently, into an historical
treatise upon the Sioux massacre: and
the data now at hand will influence
the rewriting of a portion of DR.. Fol-
wells history of Minnesota, which is
to be subsequently, published.
The burying of the Minnesota re-
cords for nearly half century came
about through the fact that President
Lincoln sent the original documents
to the senate in 1862, when that body
wanted the full details as to the con-
viction of the BOB men who were con-
demned to death in Minnesota. The
records were properly part of the
war department, as it was military
commission which passed sentence
upon the Indians.
No trace of them had ever been
found through the war department
records; and Minnesota historians
have keenly felt the need of more de-
tailed information as to the events
which preceded and occurred during
the terrible raids in Brown county in
the early days Of the Civil war period.
1T has always been a mystery as
to what became of the records of the
trials of the Sioux Indians captured
by General Sibley, or who surrender
ed to him at Camp Release, near Mon
tivideo, in the spring of 1892 said
DR.. Folwell.
"About 400 of these prisoners were
tried by military commission APP
pointed by General Sibley, of which
Col. William Crookes and Col. Will
liam r. Marshall we're members. The
recorder of this military court was
Lieut.. L. V. D. Heard, we'll known tc
all old residents of the Twin Cities.
"Of the total number of prisoners
32l were found guilty, and sos were
recommended for execution by hang
ing. General Pope desired President
Lincoln to authorize him by telegraph
to have them executed. The citizens
of St. Paul, in a great mass meeting
warned President Lincoln that if they
were not hung the citizens would TAX.
the matter Of justice into their owl
% hands. Governor Ramsey also mott
; fed the president that he great,
feared public action unless the con
victed men were properly dealt with
President Lincoln ordered Genera
Pope to send him the records of tn,
: trials, and these were dispatched te
Washington Immediately. TIL,
records made a bundle of document:
which more than fill a peck measure
st has been the popular belief tina
Mr.. Lincoln read this whole mass O
testimony and proceedings personally
The fact was that he placed them II
the hands of two men whom he trust
& ed, George G. Whiting and Francis
. Fl. Ruggles, with instructions 10 Sc
lect out the prisoners convicted OF
outrages on women.
: contrary TO expectations, they
! found but two such cases. The presi
dent then directed his commissioners
to make further examination ane
select out those who had participated
in massacres, as distinguished from
those who participated in battles
Forty Of this class were found, in,
Guiding the two convicted of outrages
One OF the forty, Godfrey, a mulatto
had his sentence COMMITTED to II
! years Imprisonment. because OF valu
: able testimony which he gave in the
trials. One convict died, and the re
i naming 3S, as is we'll known. we're ex
/ ecuted at Mankato, from a single
scaffold. Dec. g, 1862.