page 26

[column 1]

What sweet communion have you had
These many passing years,
As fortune filled your varying cup
With mingled smiles and tears?
Rejoicing now at happiness
Full budding into view,
Then mourning deep o'er sad distress
Just bursting up anew.

How many changing scenes have pass'd
They sacred hearth beside!
Sometimes with flowery garlands deck'd
To meet the blushing bride:
And then in deepest mourning draped
To wait upon the grave,
When death her blackened pinions spread
And none but God could save.

Ten times an Angel stopp'd with thee
And left a baby there,
Though clothed in frail mortality
Yet still divinely fair—
Time brought them up to riper years
And children's children came,
And twined themselves around your hearts
With kindred love the same.

Oh! where are all these loved ones?
We miss some here to-day,
What cruel fortune holds the reins
And keeps their smiles away!
Some seek the busy scenes of life
With still untiring tread,
Some slumber 'neath the silent sod
And dwell among the dead.

But whereso'er their forms may be
Our hearts are with them still,
Their names shall stir sweet memories
And all our souls shall fill.
No change of scene or lapse of time
Can make us e'er forget,
The happy mements [moments?] spent with thee
When sorrows ne'er beset.

Now swiftly spins the reel of time
The thread must have its end,
And we must follow in the path
Where'er our God may send.
This happy circle gathered here
Soon must scattered be,
Some, awhile to sport with time,
All, to seek eternity.

The sun of life is setting fast,
The hill-tops all are golden,
What care you for length of days?
In God your trust is holden!
You hear the murmurings of the sea
That rolls beyond the grave—
With faith sublime you bide the time
To launch upon its wave.

Oh, happy by thy coming days,
And happier still thy rest,
When quitting all these scenes of time
You dwell among the blest.
May friends and kindred all unite
To keep thy memory green,
And when from earth you've passed away
Thy virtues still be seen.

After this, the company repaired to the supper
room, where an acceptable and inviting repast
had been spread, over which the Rev. Dr. Ber-
gen, their pastor of their former years, offered a
blessing, as eloquent as it was appropriate and
impressive. Upon one side of Dr. and Mrs.
Todd, stood their grand-nephew, Mr. Albert S.
Edwards, with his new bride, who was arrayed
in her flowing and elegant wedding dress, while
upon the other side stood another grand-neph-
ew, Mr. John T. Stuart, jr., with Miss Mary
Remann, robed in the identical dress which Mrs.
Todd wore upon the occasion of her own mar-
riage, fifty years ago, and which contrasted
amusingly and strikingly enough in its meagre
proportions and odd cut with the elaborate style
of the present day. The remainder of
the evening passed away cheerfully and
even mirthfully, Mrs. Todd enlivening
the company by executing upon the piano a
number of old fashioned pieces of music, which
were performed by her at her own wedding.

So closed the evening; and each one of the
guests carried away pleasing impressions of the
serene and loving compaionship [companionship] which had thus
been manifested; and all left behind fervent
blessings and benedictions upon those in whose
honor they had assembled.

[column 2]

The Dakotian,
OFFICIAL PAPER OF THE TERRITORY.
GEO. W. KINGSBURY,...EDITOR.
YANKTON, DAKOTA TERRITORY.

Tuesday,: : : : : July 7, 1863.

[Communicated.]
Dakota Territory—Her Indians—Settle-
ments—Soil—Climate and Resources.

Since the organization of Dakota, in
1861, the Territory has seemed to be
stemming a tide of misfortunes, until the
time has arrived when we are plainly
emerging from the clouds and darkness of
former days, and entering upon a career
which is bright with long prosperity.

Immediately upon the organization of
the Territory and the inauguration of the
new President, the Southern Rebellion
broke out, and spread with such rapidity
and enormity, that the Government was
soon taxed to her utmost to meet the dai-
ly expenses of war. In such a crisis, the
Territories were the first to suffer, inas-
much as they are the children of the
Government, fed and nutured by Con-
gress, until they arrive at maturity and
are invested with the robe of State. Da-
kota, above all others, was left in a dis-
couraging situation. Within her own
borders were congregated all the most for-
midable Indian tribes of the Northwest,
extending from Red River to the Rocky
Mountains, and from the British line to
the State of Iowa and Nebraska. In this
exposed condition, the five companies of
Regulars stationed at Fort Randall were
ordered South, and their places filled by
three companies of Iowa volunteers. All
the Indians of Dakota have hitherto re-
mained friendly, and had not committed
a murder for a long succession of years.
The Yanktons had just released to the
Government 14,000,000 acres of the best
lands owned by the whole Sioux Nation,
and had removed peaceably to their Res-
ervation near Fort Randall. All the
tribes of the Upper Missouri remained
firm to their treaties of amity with Gen.
Harney, and were accustomed to assemble
annually at their river villages, to receive
from the steamboats their annuities and
presents, and to traffic their robes and
furs with the traders of the American
Fur Company. This trade was carried on
for a succession of years, steamboats la-
den with large cargoes of valuable freight,
upguarded by soldiers, would every seas-
on push their long and tedious voyage up
the river, and over a thousand miles into
the wilderness, returning unmolested,
loaded with robes and furs. During this
time there were not over 100 white men
in all the region above Fort Randall,
which was traversed by 30,000 Indians.
In the summer of 1859, when only seven
men resided in Yankton, there were over
2,000 Indians encamped on the present
town site, dancing and singing and feast-
ing over the presents they had just re-
ceived from the steamer Carrier on her
way to ther [the?] new agency. No one was
frightened or injured in the midst of this
imposing array of red men, while to-day,
were a dozen Indians to appear in our
village, the inhabitants would run frantic
with excitement.

What has caused this change? Have
the Indians of Dakota committed any
murders upon our white citizens? Not
one that we can prove against them. On-
ly three settlers have been massacred in
the Territory in three years; two of
which were killed by the Santees at Siouz
Falls, during the Minnesota outbreak,
and the third was shot at midnight while
asleep in his wagon on James river, by
some unknown party in search of horses.

[column 3]

We believe that these murders were com-
mitted by Minnesota Sioux, who were in-
stigated to their bloody revenge by the
belief that they had been made the vic-
tims of a long succession of gross and
abusive frauds in their annual payments.
We believe this more fully from the fact
that their complaint was long standing,
and that no other tribe has revolted against
the Government, and notwithstanding
that the settlements of Dakota for 120
miles were in an exposed and defenseless
condition during the whole of the Minne-
sota massacre, and were living within the
immediate grasp os 35,000 of her own
Indians, not a white man was killed in the
whole Missouri Valley. It may be asked,
why then did so many of your people flee
from Territory? For the very good
reason that the rumors flew like wild fire
from the Minnesota papers that all the
Indians of the Northwest were in armed
rebellion and moving down upon the
whites.

Hence our people fled, and for a few
days this whole valley was about depopu-
lated, with the exception of some 200
people at Yankton; while those who did
remain did not see 10 Indians during the
whole fall, and when the settlers returned
they found their homes, and crops in the
fields, unwolested. But why should the peo-
ple not become frightened and flee for safe-
ty, when they were apprised of the horrid
butcheries in Minnesota, and looked at
their own defenceless situation in case of
an uprising of the Dakota Indians? The
tribes of the Northwest, which dwell up-
on the great plains watered by the Mis-
souri and its tributaries, may be set down
as follows:

NAMES. / POPULATION. / YEARLY PAYM'T. /
Yanktons, / 2,104 / $65,000
Poncas, / 1,054 / 24,500
Brules, / 1,120 / 24,500
Yanctonnais, / 3,680 / (Yanktonnais through Crows all $52,064 39)
Two Kettles, / 960 /
Gros ventres, / 3,100 /
Mandans, / 120 /
Ariekarees, / 1,080 /
Blackfeet, / 3,280 /
Unepapas, / 2,680 /
Mineconjoux, / 1,280 /
Sans Arcs, / 1,600 /
Assinaboines, / 3,280 /
Piegans, / 3,700 /
Blovels, / 2,400 /
Crows, / 3,900 /
Sioux, of Minn., / 5,036 / *150,000
Winnebagoes " / 2,256 / $59,250

Total, / 42,430 / $450,814
*Forfeited, / / $150,000
/ / $300,814

By this exhibit it will be seen that
there are 42,430 Indians—17,784 males
and 24,646 females—north of us and be-
tween Red River and the Mountains, all
of whom receive their annuitities [annuities], to the
amount $300, 814 yearly, by steamboats
navigating the Missouri. Of these tribes
the only one known to have been in open
hostility to the Government, is the Min-
nesota Sioux, recently removed to this
Territory. At the time of the Sioux out-
break, this tribe consisted of 5,036 per-
sons, 2,905 of which were females, and
1,218 old men and boys; leaving 913 ef-
fective warriors. This last force has also
been reduced by the 250 prisoners sent to
Iowa, 38 hanged, and 63 killed in the
battles of New Ulm, Fort Ridgely and
Red Wood, thus cutting Little Crow's
army down to less than 500 men, which
is substantiated by the reports of Agent
Galbraith, Gen. Sibley and Major Flan-
dreau, all of whom state that in the bat-
tles last fall, not over 400 Indians were
engaged.

The old men, women and children of
this tribe are now at their new Agency in
this Territory, while the warriors, under
Little Crow, are loose upon the plains,
and are bring pursued by an army of 6,-
000 men, who will not be recalled by the
Government until they have struck
[bottom section cut off]