Morris tribune., 1917-07-20
SOME INDIAN MASSACRE
HISTORY CLEARED UP
Toqua Lakes Scene of Last Battle
Between Sioux and Chippewa
Sam Brown Loyal
(From Browns Valley Trfbune)

(FrOm Browns valley Ir1bune)
During the last session of the leg
islature, when GraceviIle was asking
for an appropriation for a state park
at Toqua Lakes, one of the argu-
ments advanced in favor of it was
that Toqua Lakes was the scene of
the last battle between the Sioux
and Chippewa Indians. This state
ment was disputed by a man named
Pfefferlie, residing at New Ulm, who,
in an article in the New Ulm Review,
claimed that the last battle between
these two tribes of Indians was
fought at Shakopee in 1858. Know
ing that Samuel J. Brown was an
authority on early Minnesota history,
he was appealed to by Hon. r. A.
Costello, of Graceville, and Mr..
Brown furnished him a statement to
the effect that battle between the
Sioux and Chippewas took place at
TOqua Lakes in 1869, in which a
number of Sioux were killed and
some Of their sQuaws taken captives
and carried away. In the issue of
the New UIm Review of June 27,
Mr. Pfefferlie has a communication
in which he contends that the ToQua
Lakes affair could not be termed a
battle. This statement on the part
of Mr.. Pfefferlie is of little cOnse-
quence, but he was evidently very
much disturbed by Mr.. Browns S
statement in connection with the
matter, for the reason that further
along in his communication to the
New Ulm paper he casts a most Un-
called for, untruthful and most
slanderous insinuation regarding Mr..
Browns conduct during the Mime
sofa Indian massacre, in the follow
ing statement:
"On one occasion a member Of the
Minnesota Historical Society visited
New Ulm for the purpose of viewing
the points of historical interest in
this city. During his visit we were
standing near the Indian monument.
Pointing toward the court house, he
said: Right over there must have
been where Sam Brown ate his
IUnch," intimating that Sam was a
member of the Sioux army of Indian
warriors who attacked the town in
| those memorable days of August
1852"
If there ever was a man who was
| friendly to the whites in the mass
acre of 1852, that man was Samuel
]. Brown, and the Inter-Lake Tri-
bune wishes to brand this insinuat-
! ing attack on his good name and
character as malicious and cowardly.
Mr.. Brown, together with his mother
and brothers and sisters, at the very
time of the attack on New Ulm, was
a prisoner of the hostile Sioux. Mr..
Brown, then a boy of 18, with other
members Of his family, were sur
priced and captured by band of
| Indians led by Chiefs Cut Nose and
| Shakopee, while attempting to reach
| Ft. Ridgely from their home in an
| OK team. They were taken prisoners
on August 19 and held until their de-
| livery at Camp Release on Sept. 26,
during which period the New Ulm
| massacre took place. When the In
dians first came upon them they
were about to kill them, when one
of the warriors recognized Mrs.
/ Brown, mother of Sam, Sioux, who
had befriended him a year or two
| before by giving him clothing and
food, and this warrior intervened in
| behalf of her and her family. The
family was then taken to Lower
Agency and held for time as prison
ers in Little Crows house, later being
moved further west and north until
they were delivered up to Gen. Sibley
at Camp Release, as stated above.
Following the Indian massacre,
and as Mr.. Brown became older, he
was placed in the responsible posi-
tion Of Inspector of Scouts by the
military authorities, and it was in
| the performance Of these duties that
he met with physical disabilities
that caused him to remain an invalid
during the greater part of his life.
He was located at Ft. Wadsworth,
| later known as Ft. Sisseton, when on
the afternoon of April 10, 1866, word
came to him that there were indica-
tions in the vicinity of where the
| citv Of Jamestown is now located