In 1825, the United States signed a treaty with several tribes, including the Ho-Chunk, at Prairie de Chien, Wisconsin. Despite the treaty, lead miners poured into the area, clashing with the Ho-Chunk, who tried to evict anyone trespassing on their land. Matters came to a head in March, 1826, when a French-Canadian man with the last name of Methode, his Native wife and children were harvesting maple syrup on their land. Two unknown Ho-Chunk attacked and killed the family. U.S. authorities demanded that the two culprits be turned over for trial. Two Ho-Chunk men were arrested and taken to Fort Crawford, but they soon escaped. The local commander seized two others as hostages, again demanding that the tribe turn over the actual murderers. In July, 1826, the Ho-Chunks turned over six men who weren't connected with the crime, but were intended to appease the Settlers and deflect responsibility from the tribe.
Eventually, the Ho-Chunk turned over the men responsible for the murders and they were indicted. The prisoners were then moved to Fort Snelling. Before they could be tried, another conflict occurred between the Lakota and Ojibwe. In May, 1827, a Lakota war party attacked the Ojibwes. They complained to the Americans. The commander of Fort Snelling turned four Lakota prisoners over to the Ojibwe for them to try and execute on their own. The Dakota told the Ho-Chunk that it had in fact been the Ho-Chunk prisoners who had been turned over, but this was not true. They were still alive at Fort Snelling. The Ho-Chunk had also heard rumors that Native women had been abused by riverboat crewmen on the Mississippi, which may or may not have been true. American authorities called for a treaty parley with the Ho-Chunk but they were fed up with the injustices and the continued trespassing of the lead miners and back out of the conference.
In June, 1827, three Ho-Chunk, Red Bird, Sun and Little Buffalo visited the home of another Frenchman named Gagnier. He and his wife invited the Natives to a meal. According to one version of the story, Red Bird shot and killed Gagnier, with one of the other men shot a hired hand and another shot Gagnier's wife, who wrestled the weapon away and escaped with one of her children. A baby girl was also shot but managed to survive. On June 30, 1827, a war party of Ho-Chunks with some Lakota attacked two keelboats on the Mississippi, killing seven Settlers. The Ho-Chunks sought alliances with other Native tribes, such as the Dakota, Potawatomi, and other Winnebago bands, but these Natives backed away from the situation.
Panic ensued among the Settlers, who began raising militia as more troops poured into the area to reinforce Fort Snelling and other garrisons. Finally, two Ho-Chunk leaders turned over Red Bird and Sun to American authorities at Fort Snelling. Suspicion had early attached to Red Bird, because Whites perceived him to be a leader, with more authority over his people's actions than he possessed. Four more Ho-Chunk men were turned in as being responsible for the murders. By this time, American settlers were pouring into the area, seeking riches from lead mines. The army was powerless to stop them.
Red Bird was never tried. He died of dysentery in February, 1828, still a prisoner at Fort Snelling. Five other Ho-Chunk men were released due to lack of evidence to try them for the Methode killings. Two others were tried for the Gagnier killings and found guilty of the murders, though most of the evidence presented pinned the primary responsibility on Red Bird, who was now dead. Their attorneys appealed to President John Quincy Adams, who pardoned the two men, afraid that an execution would spark a general uprising in the area. In July and August, 1829, the Ho-Chunks and several other nearby tribes signed treaties ceding thousands of acres of land, agreeing to move further west to avoid conflict with Settlers. Forts in the surrounding area were garrisoned and United States policy moved away from co-existence with the Natives to one of outright removal.
No comments:
Post a Comment