Arizona sun., 1947-08-08

were CdOLuIGO dI1O AAAOAS ~4oA WV
were sentenced to hang. Interven-
ton of President Lincoln spared the
lives of the great majority of these,
but 38 eventually died in the great
est mass hanging America ever has
recorded.
There are different versions
of the incident that touched off
the trouble, conceded to have
been one of the most serious OF
all American Indian uprisings.
Accepted by many is the story
that it was provoked by the
craving of a renegade Indian,
named One Who Kills Ghosts,
for a mess of eggs for break
fast.
The story has it that one of his
companions ordered One Who Kills
Ghosts to put down the eggs to avoid
starting trouble. One Who Kills
Ghosts thereupon accused the other
of being a coward and afraid of
the white man.
Muster for War.
That, allegedly, set off the spark.
In the quarrel that followed, the
young bucks decided to prove their
valor and went to a nearby settlers
home and shot up members OF the
family. Indians throughout the Min
nesota river valley Immediately be-
gan, mastering for war and the
very next day whites at the lower
agency were attacked. The Indians
spread out over the country on both
sides of the river, despoiling every
settlement by torch, tomahawk and
terror.
Terrified settlers hurried their
families to New Ulm as the Indians
massed for attack. Milford, rural
settlement seven miles west of New
Ulm, was attacked and many of
it's inhabitants killed on August 18.
The following day force of war
riors hit at New Uln, killing sew
eral persons and burning number
of buildings. The defense held, how
ever, and after some spirited fight
ing, the savages withdrew.
During the battle reinforcements
arrived from st. Peter, Mankato,
lie Sueur and other neighboring
settlements, bringing the defense
forces to around 800. Maj. Charles
E. Flandrau,' a former Indian
agent, was placed in command and
defenses of the town were strength
ened.
Path of Destruction.
Four days later, on August %, the
Indians attacked New Uln in great
er number. Fighting continued un-
til noon of the following day, when
the attackers withdrew. OF the
New Ulm defenders. "a had been
killed, go wounded. Nearly 200
buildings had been destroyed.
During the same time the Indians
also laid siege to Fort Ridgley, a
United States military post estab-
ished in 1853, Is miles up the river
from New Ulm During the nine
day siege, two formidable assaults
were made and repulsed. The In
dians then retreated into the Da-
kotas, taking with them many
captives.
Whatever it was that started
the uprising, historians are
agreed that it wasn't a mere
sudden whim. The Indians were
well prepared when they
launched their attack. Their
leaders knew well what they
were doing when they chose
Fort Ridgely and the settlement
of New Ulm as their main OBJ
jectives.
It is felt that the underlying cause
goes back to 1851, before the state
of Minnesota was founded, when
treaties were negotiated with the
upper and lower branches of the
Sioux nation for the transfer of most
nesota and in Iowa to the govern
ment in return for specified pay
ments. The Indians were to make
their homes on a reservation con-
sisting of a 10-mile strip on both
sides of the Minnesota river, near
Fort Ridgely.
The treaty was unpopular with
many of the Indians. for they had
exchanged a big empire for a nar-
row strip of not very suitable land.
and payments were not as large
as they had expected. Other fac
tors, too, contributed to the. hostile
feeling which was becoming more
pronounced at time when able
bodied men were being sent out of
the state to fight in the Civil war
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