The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1913-01-03
GENERAL ]. /. BAKER
TELLS TALE OF HANGING
From thursdays Daily.

From thursdays Daily.
i Notwithstanding the lapse of fifty
years since the hanging of the thir
.Ity-eight Sioux Indians, General James
Heaton Baker today gave an inter
testing and, VIVID narrative OF the
extraordinary event.
Fifty years! 1t doesn't seem pos
Sible it was SO long ago. / have
seen MankatO grow from a frontier
settlement to modern city. It's
here the generals eyes twinkled
genially, ''it's atmosphere is a bit
more secure, there is more domes.
| tieity in the air, now than in those
days.
4 was wintering i'm LeSueur with
my regiment, the Tenth Minnesota.
he continued, when we received or.
ders from General II. III. Sibley to
proceed TO MankatO to participate
] in the Indian execution. We march.
ed down-it was beautiful winter
weather, just such as we have been
having the past few days. Camp.
ing at Kasota Christmas night, we
marched to Mankato early the next
morning and reported to Colonel
Miller of the Sixth Minnesota, who
was In command of this CITY, Lieu
tenant Keysor, now Captain Keyser
of this city, arrived shortly before
us with his men, who had been sta
toned near what is now Judson.
when we arrived, we found all
Uh hod
refuge at the Winnebago agency.
collected 10 witness the event They
wanted to be sure that the Indians
were hung, they said.
Came With Ok Teams.
quite an event? Yes, there were
not many missing. They came with
OK teams, some of them, and brought
their families and baskets of lunch.
IT. was 4 case of being on hand TO
exercise the recall, you know. J,
guess the work of the boys salts.
fed them-I heard no complaints.
Colonel Miller's men had erected
the scaffoldins and had the thirty
eight who had not been pardonet
by President Lincoln under guard.
An old building near Mr.. kron'e
store, between that and Higgins
hall. was uesd as a guard house.
Higgins hall, you know, was the
scene of most of our dances and
social events in an early d~v.S
well, part of Company I, which
mad been badly depleted at New
Uim and was later commanded nv
the gallant Judge NJ. j. Severance,
was detailed for picket duty, All
this part of the city was then heay.
lily wooded. Clark street up here,
the present site of the normal
school, all this was then forest.
There was some fear of an attack
by the Indians and we didn't want
to be interrupted at our task.
Shortly after the regiments ar.
rival. Colonel Miller ordered the
execution. The Tenth then Al.
bered about four hundred and fifty
men. These took up position on
the north and east sides of the
scaffOld and rar' ~ the Seventh
keysor's men, think, med" M ~ |
square. Part of Company +. under
CAPTAIN White were mounted for al
patrol gnard.
Between Two Lines of Soldiers.
We'll, the Indians were marched |
out between two lines of soldier
to the scaffold. Even in their !;
hour OF death, their iron nerve did |
not fail them and out they came,
their head high and harghty, sing.
ing their. death chant They march |
ed up onto the scaffold and took
their places as if it were a play or
spectacal instead of hanging. Then :
a detail under sergeant adjusted
he nooses. 4
Eyes. they all dronned at once"
continued General Baker. 81, had
been arranged so that
pie held all and man, DIley was
his name, cut it. with an axe. Du.
ey's family had been killed ard bic
wife outraged by the brutes and he
begged for the. privilege OF sending
ne. entire number TO their death.
There wasn't much opposition to
lis wishes" the general remarked
fryly. I'VE were. glad to grant him
he privilege as he called il.
Hanged? They hoggeo hard TO
De shot. According to Indian
standards. it was a great humilia,
Ion to-. be hanged. you know. al
' u''o 'iiah . uestlH lHey Called Ii.
But. they all hung. One, old Chief
Cut Nose, broke his rope; but he
broke. his neck at the same time.
lie was heavy weight, very. heayyi
or an Indian.
Yes, we buried them. The bow
buried the first ten or fifteen well.
'ut our doctors dug them ND an
he rest didn't get much in the wa,
If burial.
There Was No Cheering.
No, there was no cheering. Ill
wasn't that kind of an event. Be. !,
sides, we didn't cheer for every.
hing in those days like the bows
10 now. No, no school yells g
'ah-rahs. This was hnsiness-and
10 trimmings.
u have the mallet," here the old
handmade maui was produced, with
which Colonel Miller's men built
he scaffold. 1t was furnished by
!ohn B. Mayer, Charles X. Mayors
ather, if ! recall correctly. I,
Yes, Judge Cray, Mr.. Fowler.
low register of deeds, Captain Key.
'or were present Mrs. o. O.
'itcher was present, believe" /