Scrapbook of newspaper clippings, 1863-1864

[PAGE HEADER] THE SAINT PAUL PRESS, TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 1868.

[LEFT COLUMN] Communication from J. Le May. ----------------------------- The Sioux War Not Yet Ended. ---- Editors of the Press:

Availing myself of your polite invitation, I hereby submit such facts as were considered undisputable in the vicinity of Pembina, on the Red river of the North, when I left that settlement on the 16th of last month.

At that time between four and five thousand Sioux were encamped in the immediate vicinity of Devil's Lake. Of this force, about two thousand were warriors, and divided into three corps; the others, women and children. Little Crow was there with a portion of the encampment was made up from the Missouri bands of that tribe. The very great disproportion between the numbers of warriors and that of the women and children was regarded as an evidence of comtemplated hostility, even if there were no other or stronger indications.

These facts and others which follow were ascertained by half breeds from St. Joseph, who have actually visited the encampment at Devil's Lake, and gained the information both through their own observation and conversations held with the Sioux at that point. These visits were made under pretence of trading for hoses, and in this they were very successful, obtaining large farm horses, of which the settlers had undoubtedly been plundered, in exchange for Indian ponies.

While at Devil's Lake these half-breeds saw two white women and a number of children belonging to the same race who were held as prisoners. One of the children was the son of that poor woman, whose name I have not learned, but who was left for dead by the Sioux at the "old crossing" of the Otter Tail River about the 1st of September last, and afterwards crawled fifteen miles to Breckenridge, where she was recovered by a squad of troops from Fort Abercrombie. They found the Sioux to be possessed of large numbers of cattle and horses, and an abundance of g [obscured] com, all of which was admitted to the fruits of the rapine comm[blanked out] in the white settlements. The savages at the Lake were sporting ear rings, fashioned out of ten and twenty dollar gold pieces, and their horses' ears were garnished with rings made from the brass wheels of clocks. One of Messrs. Burbanks' stage coaches was seen at the same point, drawn by yokes of oxen.

About three weeks before I left, a message was sent from the Devil's Lake encampment to Gov. Dallas. at Fort Garry, in which their English Fathers (as they were termed) were informed, that some five or six hundred of their Sioux children [ripped] about to pay them a visit, in order [ripped] rocure a supply of ammunition with which to continue the war with their enemies, the Americans, in the Spring. The good Governor, Bishop Tache, and other distinguished gentlemen of that settlement, returned and requested them not to come, that no ammunition could be furnished them for the purpose intended, as their acts already committed were highly disapproved of by them, and that at most they could not afford protection to more than five or six of their number at a time. The halfbreeds at St. Joseph likewise sent them a message requesting them not to come in such large numbers, as it would be impossible to supply them with provisions without reducing the settlement to a state of starvation. To these requests they made reply that they had an abundance of cattle and could [italics] upply their own [/italics] provisions, and that hey would make the journey to Fort Garry even if it should cost them their ives, In pursuance of this declaration hey were expected to arrive at St. Joseph on their way to Fort Garry. The ext day after my departyre from Pemina the people were in a state of tettot and alarm. It was not however, anticipated that any acts of hostility would be committed by the party while on their march(?) to the Fort but it was the universal opinion of the settlement that both Pembina and St. Joseph would be plundered and reduced to ashes on their return.

A Chippewa half-breed who is married a Sioux woman and who has been with his wife's tribe [illegible] thirty years and is still remaining with them, told Father Andre of St. Joseph that he felt almost certain that such would be the course pursued and such the result. He stated that the Sioux had all the time confidently expected to be able to continue to traffic and trade with those in the British Possessions and to procure all the ammunition desired from that quarter. He gave it as his opinion, therefore, that as soon as it becomes proven to them that they cannot procure supplies in this way, they will immediately attempt to take by force what they cannot obtain by trade, and will wreak vengeance upon all the settlements within the scope of their power. Such is the opinion of this man who should be well acquainted with the feelings and characteristics of their tribe, and it agrees in every particular with the universal belief of the Settlement.

Devil's Lake is within four days' travel of St. Joseph with ox teams, and about one hundred and ten miles southwardly from Pembina. From two to four Sioux have arrived at St. Joseph nearly every day for several weeks previous to my leaving Pembina.

They frequently stated that the Americans or whites at that point would soon get cleaned out. The few American traders at that place had consequently packed all their goods and were ready to move down to Fort Garry in order to get under the shielding wing of Queen Victoria. One of these men has a keg of powder placed by his bedside, and

[column two] is determined in case so that no means of escape should be left, to apply a match to the powder and thus end his own life and as many of his enemies as possible. The population of St. Joseph and Pembina aggregate, is between fifteen and seventeen hundred.

The Sioux have declared their intention to destroy all the mail facilities enjoyed in that region, supposing that if there was no mail communication the American troops would not become aware of the locality of their camp of instruction, and would not be aware of their intentions until another great blow should be struck. As the post office was kept in the same building occupied by me, I felt that I was running a double risk - one from the fact that I was an American citizen and the other from my propinquity to the post office. Before leaving I took my family to Fort Garry for safety, removed from my house books, papers, records, and had them sent to a place of safety to be kept during my absence. I intend to return as soon as my business at this place can be transacted, and I will be agreeably surprised, indeed, if I find my house still standing. If the Government does not intend that its fifteen hundred subjects at this point should be mercilessly put to death, and their settlement revert to a wilderness condition, something must be done speedily - immediately if possible. It is comparitively easy to perform great acts when it is too late to meet with opposition, or to be beneficial in consequence. It will probably be easy to send an imposing army into that region at some time next summer, after everything there valuable has been destroyed and the enemy has made his escape to some other point of the frontier. If it is intended merely to send out an imposing funeral procession to follow Little Crow and bury his dead, this will be sufficient; but if our own people are to be protected against him and his band of murderers, more speedy measures must be adopted. I cam to this place by the Crow Wing road, and on the journey, I conversed with the traders at Red Lake and Leech Lake, and I found them all firmly in the belief that the Chippewas were making preparation for joining the Sioux in the Spring, or to make an attack upon the settlement in conjunction with them. They, and the settlers, expressed themselves as feeling so certain of this that they were going to leave the country as soon as the snow would melt from the ground. The Chippewas have all summer tried to obstruct the free navigation of the Red River, and the steamer International was scarcely ever permitted to land at Pembina without being stoned and having its windows broken. Thousands of dollar's worth of goods have been forcibly taken by members of the same tribe, while our communication with the rest of the world was cut off by the Sioux demons; and by these several means three-fourths of the British traders are left without their winter supplies. It is frequently asked, is a post necessary at Pembina? In my judgement, it is indispensable to the safety of our people and the protection of our interests at that place and vivinity, and there should have been a miltary post established in that region of country a long time since. It is situated not only upon the extreme fronteir, but really beyond it, being cut off from every other portion of our people by a wilderness inhabited only by wild beasts and savage men. It is the rendezvous and summer abode of great numbers of Indians from the diffferent tribes of the Assinboines, Crees, Chippewas , &c., who collect in consequence of the great abundance of fish afforded by the waters in the vicinity, and are constantly begging of the settlers, and taking by force what is denied them. Scarcely a summer passes without two or three battles being fought between the Half Breeds of the settlements and the Sioux. Such excessive and impudent beggars have they become, that if you inform them that [illegible] article demanded, they will immediately tell you that you lie. A post is necessary to encourage the Half Breeds to till their farms, for they do not feel inclined (and who would,) to expend their time and labor to raise products which they must either give away or have taken from them by force. A post is necessary for the protection of citizens - their commerce - the navigation of the river, and the execution of the revenue laws, as well as those regulating the traffic in ardent spirits with the Indian tribes. As matters now are, and have been, whatever the protection is received by our people at that point, is from the British Government, and Governor Dallas has already taken means to have a force of four hundred British soldiers sent to that point, fearing that promp action would not be taken by our Government. I have heard some half breeds laughing and saying that the Sioux told them the Americans were so stupid that the Sioux did not need either guns or ammunition to kill them - that a stick was sufficient. My blood boiled within me at hearing the sufferings of our murdered, butchered friends this spoken of derisively, but I will feel doubly chagrined and vexed, if these 400 soldiers should arrive from England, pass through St. Paul and beyond our lines and offer us safety under the banner of St. George, before an attempt has been made by our own authorities to relieve us. God grant that I may not have to submit to so great a humiliation! I will not say, "Lo! the poor Indian," for that is played out, except in some parts of New England, and with that class of persons whose sympathies are

[column three] always more enlisted in favor of great criminals than their own fellow citizens who suffer without a crime; but I will say, "Lo! poor Minnesota! She has lost many of her noblest sons on the battlefield in a glorious cause. It is necessary that such should be, and although we mourn, we are content. But she is losing and will lose other thousands of her noblest citizens, in such a manner as leaves us no consolation for their loss. She will lose her immigration for years to come, and instead of being the terminus of immigration she has become its starting point. She will lose her commerce with our British neighbors, as the legtter of Bishop Tache, herewith transmitted will show. If these things are to be counteracted, the war against the Sioux must be conducted in such a manner that that tribe will not again think of using the scalping knife as long as one the tribe lives. No better opportunity for crushing their power can be expected than will be presented during this winter. Let that big nest of devils at Devil's Lake be attacked and cleared out. It will not be a holiday excursion, I admit, but the advantages to [line illegible] for the attempt. The Indians are there with their winter's provisions, and many of their families. With these incumbrances, it would be impossible for them to fly. They must either fight or abandon their stores; and as the latter would be death, at this season of the year, they will prefer to fight or surrender. They are now all together,