ng place between tribes of
Indians near to the confines, no war should take place in consequence:
that is to say, that should any Indians of one tribe attack or kill any
Indians belonging to another, that instead of the tribes going to war,
they should apply for and receive redress from the American Government.
Some time back, a party of Chippeways came down to a trader's house,
about half a mile from Port Snelling. Being almost hereditary enemies
of the Sioux, they were fired at, at night, by some of the young men of
the Sioux village close by, and two of the Chippeways were wounded. In
conformity with the intimation received, and the law laid down by the
American Government, and promulgated by the Indian agent, the Chippeways
applied for redress. It was granted--four Sioux were taken and shot.
This summary justice was expected to produce the best effects, and, had
it been followed up, it might have prevented bloodshed: but, since the
above occurrence, some Chippeways came down, and meeting a party of
Sioux, were received kindly into their lodges; they returned this
hospitality by treacherously murdering eleven of the Sioux, while they
were asleep. This time the Sioux brought forward their complaint. "You
tell us not to go to war; we will not; you shot four of our people for
wounding two Chippeways; now do us justice against the Chippeways, who
have murdered eleven of our Sioux." As yet no justice has been done to
the Sioux. The fact is, that the Chippeways live a long way off; and
there are not sufficient men to garrison the fort, still less to send a
party out to capture the Chippeways; and the Sioux are, as may well be
supposed, indignant at this partial proceeding.

I was at the council, and heard all the speeches made by the Sioux
chiefs on the occasion. They were some of them very eloquent, and
occasionally very severe; and the reply of the Indian agent must have
rendered the American Government very contemptible in the eyes of the
Indians--not that the agent was so much in fault as was the American
Government, which, by not taking proper measures to put their promises
and agreements into force, had left their officer in such a position.
First, the Indian agent said, that the wounding of the two Chippeways
took place close to the fort, and that it was on account of the insult
offered to the _American flag_ that it was so promptly punished--a very
different explanation, and quite at variance with the princi