Page 302
THE RED MEN OF IOWA.
in the groves bordering the Little Sioux River. With these bands, as chiefs or leaders, were also two sons of Ink-pa-du-tah, whose names were Ma-kok-a-que-men and Mo-ko-po-ka-mon. Um-pa-sho-tah, as chief of a band, was also among them. Ish-ta-ha-bah (Sleepy Eyes) and his band, were over on the Des Moines River, at Big Grove.
The winter of 1856-7 was of unusual severity. A heavy snow fell throughout northwestern Iowa, and through the month of March it covered the ground to the depth of several feet, rendering travel in that region almost impossible, and making communication between the different settlements extremely difficult. In February, Ink-pa-du-tah and about fifty of his men were down in the lower part of the valley of the Little Sioux hunting. One day while a party of them were in pursuit of an elk in the vicinity of Smithland, they had a difficulty with some white settlers. It is difficult to state with certainty the nature of the trouble, as different and conflicting accounts of it have been given. The Indians, however, claimed that their pursuit of the elk was intercepted by the whites, who forced them to give up their arms and availed themselves of the use of their guns in the pursuit of the game. This aroused the indignation of the Indians, and they demanded provisions of the settlers. They continued encamped in the vicinity of Smithland for several days, during which time the whites became more and more annoyed by their presence. Finally, the settlers resorted to strategy to get rid of them. At that time the name of General Harney was a terror to the Indians of the Northwest, owing to a recent severe chastisement some of them had rcceived at his hands. One of the settlers, donning the old uni-
Page 303
THE MASSACRE OF THE LAKES.
form of an army officer, made his appearance on the opposite side of the Little Sioux from the Indian encampment, while some of the other whites pointed him out to the Indians as General Harney, and told them he was in pursuit of them. This ruse had the desired effect, and the Indians hastily moved up the river with their savage natures aroused to a desire for revenge. About twenty miles above Smithland they came to the next settlement. In the guise of friendship they here entered the cabins of the settlers, but soon made apparent their real purposes by helping themselves to provisions, guns and whatever else they desired. They also amused themselves by discharging their guns through articles of furniture, by cutting open feather-beds, and otherwise destroying property. They shot the cattle, swine and poultry of the settlers, helping themselves to such choice parts as they desired. Women were made the victims of fiendish abuse and outrage, and this especially at the hands of some of the half-breeds belonging to the band. The only other personal violence committed by them here was the beating of Robert Hammond for making resistance when they took his guns. They also shot through the door of his cabin. After remaining some two or three days about the settlements in Cherokee county, they proceeded on up the valley to the little settlement in Clay county, where they perpetrated similar outrages upon the settlers. They spent some two or three days here, robbing the people and destroying property, but as yet, had committed no murders.
Early in March the Indians reached the settlements at the lakes in Dickinson county. By this time they were fully prepared for the most fiendish deeds of savage cruelty.
