8/12/2019 Delorme Massacre Described by Major James
McLaughlin
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Delorme Massacre described by Major James McLaughlin
Major James McLaughlin, U.S. Indian Agent, Devils Lake, Dakota
Territory descries in
a letter ho! a "unk#a#a Siou$, named Mato %hitika &'rave
'ear( as he !as kno!n
along the Missouri, ut !ho !ent y the nickname o) *a#e#e
&Thorny( among theDevils Lake Indians, killed memers o) the
Delorme )amily at St. Jose#h, July +, -+.
%n Sunday, July +th, -+, the day a)ter the Indian, Ta!acihay,
had met 'rave 'ear and
his #arty, they a##eared a##roaching the log house o) Jose#h
Delorme at St. Joe.
Delorme, a s#lendid ty#e o) /rench and Indian descent,
a##arently had no sus#icion o)the )our Siou$, and they started
talking aout trading horses. As they neared the stale
!here Delorme ke#t his horses, the Indians killed him and his
son, Louis, at the )irst
o##ortunity, and this atrocious deed !as )ollo!ed 0uickly y the
killing o) Delorme1sson2in2la!, 'a#tise Moran. The hostiles then
!ent to the log house and attacked oth
3ancy Delorme, !ho !as the !i)e o) 'a#tise, and Mrs. Delorme,
!hose maiden name
!as Isaella 'urneau. A)ter having eaten and dragged the !omen
aout y the hair, itis said that they then scal#ed one o) the !omen
and le)t them oth )or dead. 'oth o)
them recovered )rom the !ounds, ho!ever.
'rave 'ear and his com#anions then rounded u# all the horses to
e )ound u#on the #lace
and 0uickly de#arted. They a##arently !ent directly to
Jamesto!n, #assing the cam# o)the Indian, 4Ta!acihay,5 in the
morning o) the 6th o) July, and they !ere seen in cam#
that same evening at Lake 'elland, y several )reighters. 7arly
in the morning o) July
th, they a##eared in Jamesto!n and oasted that they had killed
some 8hi##e!as 4u#north y the ig river,5 and dis#layed one )resh
scal#. "enry 'elland, Siou$ inter#reter
at the military #ost at /ort Totten, sa! them and conversed !ith
them. 'rave 'ear stated
that he had killed one o) the !omen !ith a s!ord, ut that he had
lost it during the hardride a)ter the )ight. Mr. 'elland a)ter!ard
)ound this s!ord, still stained !ith lood, a)e! miles north o)
Jamesto!n on the Indian trail, !here 'rave 'ear had dro##ed it.
The
hostile #arty o) young Siou$ )ollo!ed the James 9iver a)ter
leaving Jamesto!n, then
turned !est, reached the Missouri river, s!am the great stream
!ith their ooty and reachsa)ety among their o!n #eo#le.
The murder o) the Delorme )amily !as discovered y John /. Mager,
!ho ha##ened to
#ass the log house o) Delorme !ith his sister and a maid. A man
stood at the rail )ence
!hich surrounded the house and shouted to them to go a!ay, as
Indians had killed theentire )amily. "astily returning, Mager
s#read the alarm and a #arty o) t!enty /rench2
Indian horsemen !as 0uickly )ormed and started out to trail the
murderers.
