The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1926-05-29
EXERCISES TO
Be GRAVE0F
DR.. VIM. WEISER
kidder County 70 Have One of
Most Impressive Serv-
ices Ever Held

~ AAssRA S6OAvS 0CA
j ices Ever Held
4 Happen. N. D., May 29-tN-Prc-
sparations have been completed here
lfor one Of the most impressive Mem.
sOral Day exercises ever held in Kid
ldcr county.
n One Of the features of the pre-.
gram will be the formal dedicatio Of
the grave of Dr. William Weiser,
killed at Big Mound, north Of here,
during General Sibley's campaign
against the Sioux Indians in 1863,
and an address by William Johnson,
veteran of the Siblcy forces who saw
the" physician killed during an At
tempt to induce the Indians to sur.
render. Mr.. Johnson is making the
"trip from Minnesota to deliver the
address and aid in dedicating the
grave Of his comradc Of 63 years ago.
Kitchen To Speak
Other addresses will be given by
Joseph A. Kitchen. commissioner of
agriculture and labor, and Major Dana
Wright, representing the state hist0ri-
/ cal society. Mass singing by the audi.
Acnce will be feature, school chill
Nlrcn will strcw flowers on the long
NEGLECTED grave of the soldier doctor,
fax be sounded and q sunset gun
ssvrN close the ceremony.
Is The committee in charge If the
,FTrOgram consists of G. A. Gross,
sgtDawson: Miss Ethel hutchinson,
Steele. apd Dayc, Mckay Of this city.
Historical! material bearing on DR..
Wciser's death has been collected by
Major Wright.
According to Major Wright DR..
i Wciscr's body was not buried on the
site of the battlefield but was removed
two or three miles to the southeast
land buried ut a place called Camp
Whitney, near small lake. Many
years later some of his comrades re-
visited the battlefield. located the
grave, and placed simple marker on
A previous attempt by the Doctors
brother to locate the grave had fail
cd.
The Sibley Expedition
The following account of the Sib-
ley expedition. in which DR.. Weiser
was killed, has been prepared by Ma
jor Dana Wright:
On June 18th the Sibley Indian
Expedition left the vicinity Of Red
wood Falls, Minnesota for the DakO
tn plains. where they expected to
meet the hostile Sioux who had TAX
en- part in the Minnesota massacre Of
the year before. This expedition was
probably the largest Mat ever opcr-
ated In Dakota and consisted of near
~ four thousand men. This army
moved up the valley Of the Minneso-
ia river to Big Stone Lake and over
land to the Sheyennc in northwest
erly course, and on up that stream
toward Devils Lake. On July 18th
they made camp q few miles from
Lake Jessie in Griggs County. The
the Indians had moved from Devils
Lake to the coteau toward the Miss
our and on July goth Siblcy started
southwest after them. On the even
ing Of July 23d he camped few
miles northwest Of whats rs y now
Woodwork in Stutsman county and
ut 4 a. M. of the gath started on to
the southwest again, passing Round
Lake. the three cottonwood trees
south Of Pettibonc and coming in
sight of Kunkle Lake about noon
Here he came in. sight Ct the Sioux
warriors watching his coming from
on Big Mound and the other high
ground near by. Siblcy turned his
wagons down to the south shore of
the lake and had his men dig
trenches around the camp; while this
was going on his scouts went out to-
ward the warriors and met few Of
them about quarter Of q mile
away. DR.. Josiah S. Weber of the
First Minnesota Mounted Rangers
went out also and talked with some
Of the Indians that he had known
personally at Shakapc, Minnesota and
they expressed desire for peaces
The Doctor went back to the camp
and told Sibley Of this and again
vice Of Sibley On this second visit,
as he was distributing tobacco and
hard bread to some Of the Indians.
young warrior from Inkpadutas band.
slipped behind and shot him through
the body and killed him instantly.
His body fell from his horse and his
negro servant who was with him
rushed back to camp with the news
but the incident had been plainly
seen by many in the camp and the
soldiers hurried out and recovered
the body unmutilated.
Indians Driven Away
It is probable that this act was
not approved by the other Indians
and that they regretted that II oc-
Cured Cor theytlwere Immediately
fired orr by the soldiers and driven
away and the battle Of Big Mound
immediately followed. The Indians
were driven south along the west
side end over the top Of Big Mound
and then south and west toward their
caihps which were at the foot Of the
hills near the springs and lake to-
ward Herman Heiden's vicinity. The
camp was broken and the Indians
fled toward Dead Buffalo Lake near
Dawson with the soldiers pressing
them closely; much Indian property
was captured and destroyed and many
81. their people, killed. The whites
lost DR.. Weiser, Lieut.. Ambrose Free
man, and privates Stark and MUIR
phy. The last three were buried at
the camp near Kunkle Lake and
years later their bodies were taken
up and moved to Minnesota. For
some unknown reason Dr.. Weiser' 5
body was not buried with the others
but taken over to Sweetwater Lake
three miles southeast when the camp
was moved the day after the battle.
This camp of the 26th was known as
Camp Whitney for one Of the off
GERS. All the graves were disguised
md covered by trenches. some Of