New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1915-03-17
w as There Ever
Such an Indian
DOUBT AGAIN EXPRESSED OF
THE EXISTENCE OF THE OLD
INDIAN.
OLD TIMERS DECLARE THAT THE
FORT RIDGELY MONUMENT
is A FARCE.

Others than DR.. Daniels, formerfY
OF st. Peter, seem to be of the opinier
that a big mistake was made in the
erection at Fl Ridgely last sunmez
OF a monument to MOO ZOO mauneer.
supposedly Chippewa Indian Chief,
who brought one hundred Indians to
help the whites following an attack
on TT. Ridgely by the Sioux tribe
These doubling Thomases'' maintain
that there never was such an INDIAN
chief, and if there was that his Indian.
never helped the settlers" Last week
o. H. Clarke of Duluth and Frank J..
Randall, addressed communications to
the Duluth Herald asking that an
investigation be made at once and the
mistake corrected for the sake of history.
They also asked that the state provide
funds for the preservation of the fort
which they state is in deplorable con-
dition.
Mr.. Clarke lived at Fl. Ridgely from
1861 to 1873. Frank L. Randall was
born there. Mr.. Clarke in his letter
to the Duluth Herald says in part az
follows: During the month of August
last, the Sind anniversary of the battles
between the Sioux Indians and the
whites at Fl. Ridgely was observed
with ceremonies suitable and fitting
save and except the ceremonies attendant
upon the dedication of monument
purchased and erected by the State of
Minnesota concentrating the life of
a Chippewa Chief, said to have been
named Moo-Zoo-M aunee, and according
to the newspaper report said to have
appeared at Fl. Ridgely with one
hundred braves and offered his services
to Capt. Francis Hall, then in command
OF the forces stationed at Fl. Ridgely.
The celebration took place on the
site OF the old fort and large crowd
was in attendance. We are not in a
position to say whether there ever was
such a Chippewa Chief or not, but we
are in position to say that we never
heard of Moo-Zoo-Maunee and that
Moo-Zoo-Maunee never came to 1T.
Rldgely. nor was there ever such az
officer as Capt. Francis Hall or any
other officer by the name of Hall ia
command of Fl. Ridgely at that or
any other time.
The Moo-Zoo-M aunee monument
has no business in the cemetery of TT.
Ridgely because it creates false i'm
preston and depreciates the honor Of
those who defended the fort and whose
bodies have found their last resting
place within the limits of the same
cemetery. 1t is not just, it is not right.
it is fraud, pure and simple and it
should be removed without DELAY.
1t destroys history because the story
the monument stands for is false.
Il can prove all that 1 have said
in this letter as to the falsity of the
story published in some of the news
papers relative to Moo-Zoo- Maunee
and his services during the massacre.
AS l said before, there may have beer
such an Indian,t known as Moo-Zoe
Maunee, but he is not known to us.
We however heard of Hole-in-the-Day
very often. He was the head chief al
the Chippewas who took no part in
the Sioux War either for or against
the Whites. He and his tribe remained
neutral. There is no reason on earth
for the erection of a monument for
Moo-Zoo- Maunee or any other Indian
Chief at Fl. Ridgely or anywhere else
within the confines of the State Of
Minnesota, and I trust that proper
steps to correct the mistake made
may be taken by those who are re-
sponsible for it.
In his letter Frank Randall states
that he had occasion several times to
talk about the attack on Fl. Ridpely
with people who were thoroughly COR
versant with the subject and that at
no time did any one ever tell him Of
the friendship Of the Chippewas to the
Whites at that time, except to the
extent that they RETAINED from taking
part in the war that the Sioux waged.
According to the belief of Mr.. Ran.
dali, this much is clearly true, viz: that
no Chippewa came to the relief of It.
Ridgely OF any other place, and that
The Chippewas took no part in any
activities Of any kind either hostile
or friendly in any part Of the Sioux
territory. What they may have done
Continued On last Iaes.9