indiancrueltywiseman

Legends, Stories, Etc.

Among the indians - Adventures in the Dixon county country in 1810.

The sacred rock of the Arapahoes - A legend of the Ionia Volcano.

Indian cruelty - The murder of the Wiseman family.

INDIAN CRUELTY

The Murder Of The Wiseman Children.

Though Dixon County has never since its settement by white people been made the scene of Indian war and cruelty, yet near by in the adjoining county of Cedar the barbarous and cold-blooded murder of the Wiseman children by the Indians took place in the summer of 1863.

Henson Wiseman and his family had in '60 or '61 taken a claim near the Missouri river on what is called "Brookey's Bottom" in Cedar County and about two miles from the Dixon county line. His family consisted of his wife and five children, viz.: Three sons aged respectively 17, 8 and 5 years, and two daughters, 15 and 13. Mr. Wiseman's nearest neighbor was Mr. Brookey, who lived two miles away in Dixon county, and another neighbor, Mr. Ames, lived about three miles away in an opposite direction, in Cedar county. Aside from these, Wiseman and family had no neighbors nearer than the village of St. James, some four or five miles distant.

In 1862 Wiseman enlisted in Company I, of the Second Nebraska Cavalry, and in the spring of '63 went up the river with his regiment to join Gen. Sully near old Fort Berthold, in the campaign against the Indians. Wiseman's absence left his wife and children entirely alone. They remained on the claim, and with the occasional assistance of their neighbors, Brookey and Ames, cultivated their land and, aside from the lonneliness of their location, were content, having no thought of danger.

Across the river, however, and not many miles away, the Indians were brooding over imaginary troubles and dreaming of war. They had heard of the massacre in Minnesota by the Santee Sioux, and their ambition had thereby been aroused to also sharpen their knives and gain a name and a rich collection of scalps. Wiseman's family did not realize the exposed and dangerous situation they were in.

Near the river and far away from neighbors, Indians might, if they saw fit, come at any time and perpetrate barbarity or murder. Unconsious of this danger the Wiseman family had no thought of leaving their claim, and indeed they were not molested for sometime after Wiseman went away. This security, unfortunately, was not lasting.

One day in the summer of '63, Mrs. Wiseman went to the village of St. James to buy groceries, leaving the children at home. She started on horseback in the middle of the afternoon and expected to return before dark. But when at St. James a rain came up and she was delayed on account of it, and did not reach home until nearly nine o'clock in the evening. Supposing everything as safe as usual, she placed her horse in the stable and started toward the house. A few feet away from the door she stumbled over the body of one of her sons. Frightened but not yet realizing that a terrible tragedy had taken place, and thinking that her son had met with an accident, she rushed to the door to call for help. As she opened it she heard groaning within and other sounds which she thought were from Indians, whom she then imagined were in the room concealed by the darkness, and waiting after killing the children, for her to enter and meet the same fate. Terror-stricken and harly knowing what she did she turned and ran to the road and thence toward St. James. The few miles were quickly passed, yet the time seemed an age. There she reported what she had seen and heard and implored immediate help. The people in St. James were frightened and slow in responding. In the excitement which ensued they believed the timber along the river contained a horde of savages who, in number, equalled the trees which concealed them. The news that Mrs. Wiseman had found her children murdered, traveled quickly, as evil tidings always do.

Mr. Ames, the neighbor who lived three miles from Wiseman, was then at St. James and heard the story, and rushed home taking his family into his wagon drove all night towards Ponca, reaching there before sunrise the next morning. There he reported the massacre, and immediately, N.S. Porter and three others returned with Ames to the scene of it. When they arrived at Wiseman's they found the people of St. James had come and taken the children to that place. Of the five children, everyone was killed or fatally wounded.

The following is the story of the murder as near as could be ascertained:

It took place only a few minutes before Mrs. Wiseman arrived home that fatal evening, but when she opened the door, she heard no Indians in the house. They were gone, and what she heard was the struggles and groans of her dying children. Had it not been for the rain she would have been at home when the Indians came. Possibly that would have saved them, but probably she would have added one to the number of the slain. As was learned by the tracks in the mud, there were four Indians who participated in the massacre. When they entered the house, the oldest girl was churning, and they asked her for a drink of butter-milk. She handed them a dipper of it, when they struck her over the head, knocking her down, and it is to be mercifully hoped, senseless.At about this time the oldest son, who had been hunting, returned and opened the door. Instantly he realized the situation and mad a gallant defense of his sisters and younger brothers. He died fighting and hi was the body which Mrs. Wiseman stumbled over in the yard on her return from St. James.The barrel of his gun was bent by the blows he had given his assailants. The eldest girl lived five days but never spoke after she was found by her friends. Her person had mutilated, the back of her head crushed, a cartridge had been exploded in her mouth and an arrow pierced the lower part of her body, passing out above the hips. Though she lived five days she was unconscious. The youngest child, a boy of five years, lived three days. The other three were dead when found.

The four Indians who committed this terrible crime were supposed to be Yankton or Santee Sioux. They came across from Dakota in a canoe, and after the murder they robbed the house and took a horse on which they loaded the plunder and swam it over the river. News of the murder was immediately sent to Sioux City and a company which had recently been recruited there started out to capture the murderers if possible. They took their trail at the crossing at Wiseman's and followed it north until near Sioux Falls and there they lost it. The wretches who committed the deed were never caught. For anything known to the contrary they may be at this moment posing as "good Indians" on some reservation.

In a few weeks after the murder the news of it reached Wiseman at Fort Berthold. As soon as he heard it he went to Gen. Sully and told him what had occurred and asked for a furlough, and was humanely granted an indefinite leave of absence. He immediately started on horseback for home where in about ten days he arrived. It is said that on fully learning the fate of his children, he swore that he would kill every Indian who crossed his path. No one can blame him for the oath or for his justifiable vengeance during the thirty-three years that have passed since then. He has killed many and his name is a terror to them. But the four he had most wished to find he has never knowingly met. He and his wife still live where the tragedy occured.

Return to The History Of Dixon County Nebraska 1896

Copying is permitted only for noncommercial, educational, and genealogical research use by individuals. This message must appear on all copied material. All commercial or use for profit requires written permission.