The Ely miner., 1933-09-01

soldiers triumphantly carried back to Denver
more than 100 Indian scaps.
AS for the tragedy at Wounded Knee during
the Ghost Dance excitement among the Sioux in
1S90-91, these the conclusions reached by
James Mooney of the Bureau of American Eth
nology in his book "The Ghost Dance Religion
and the Sioux Outbreak of 1S90": when the sun
rose on the fatal morning of December %, $780,
no trouble anticipated or premeditated by
either Indians or troops; that the Indians (Bg
Foot's band of Miniconjou Sioux In good faith
desired to surrender and be at peace, and that
the officers (of the Seventh cavalry, commanded
by Col ]. w. Forsyth) in the same good faith
had made preparations to receive their surrender
and escort them quietly to the reservation that
In spite of the pacific intent of Big Foot and his
band, the medicine man. Yellow Bird, at the criti-
cal moment urged the warriors to resistance and
gave the signal for attack that the first shot
fired by an Indian, and that the Indians were
sponsibe for the engagement; that the answer
ing voley and attack by the troops was right and
justifable, but that the wholesale slaughter of
women and children was unnecessary and mex
cusabe." That slaughter took toll of more than
100 Indian women and children slain.
To return now to the massacre at Fort Minis
1T will be seen from the foregoing that the
toll of death there was greater than that at any
other massacre" of whites by the Indians, espe-
cially If that term is limited to the killing of
non-combatants Another factor which makes
the tragedy at Fort Minis unique is the fact
that the Indian leader" in this massacre had
more white blood in his veins than did the two
'white leaders" in command of the defenders
of the fort!
That Indian leader was William Weatherford,
son of Charles Weatherford Scotch trader,
who had married half-sister of Alexander
McGillivray, the principal chief of the Creeks
who had been British colonel during the Rev
olution and later became brigadier general
in the United States army. This Alexander Nc
Gllivray was the son of Lachlan McGillivray,
another Scotch trader, who had married Sehoy
Marchand, who in turn was the daughter of
French captain named Marchand and Creek
Indian woman. SO in the veins of William Wealth
erford ran Scotch French and Creek Indian
blood and genealogical experts have figured out
that he was seven-eighths white and one-eighth
Indian.
But that oneeighth was enough to give him
the name of "Red Eagle" or "Red Warrior"
among the Creeks. whose war chief he became
when the "Red Sticks" or war party among the
Creeks cast their fortunes with the confed-
eracy of the great Shawnee chief Tecumseh,
and rallied to the cause of the British at the
outbreak of the War of 1872
For many years there had lived near Lake
Tensaw In Alabama a wealthy man named Sam
uel Minis. half-Creek and half-white. His house
was a large and substantial wooden building OF
one story, with several outbuildings. Around
these was built stockade enclosing about an
acre. On the southwest corner block-house
was begun but never completed and there were
two large gates in the center of the east and
the west sides of the stockade.
Such was Fort Minis into which settlers from
the surrounding country began to gather when
the Creeks, under Weatherford. went on the war
path early in 1913. At first Fort Minis had gar
rison of 16 soldiers, commanded by Lieutenant
Osborne, and some 20 militia commanded by
Capt. Dixon Bailey. half breed To aid in their
defense Gen. F. L. Claiborne. the United States
military commander of the territory. sent 115
volunteers, commanded by Maj. Daniel Beasey,
another half-breed. who assumed the position OF
commandant
Soon afterwards General Claiborne visited the
post and ordered Beasley to complete the block