MONS-O-BO-DOUH, SON OF KEESH-KE-MUM, RETURNS
MURDERERS OF MR. FINLEY AND PARTY AT LAKE PEPIN
From the book History, Tradition and Adventure in the Chippewa Valley
by William W. Bartlett (Chapter 1, The Sioux-Chippewa Feud)
Since the execution of the Indian at Fond du Lac (Lake Superior) in 1797, by the northwestern traders for killing a
Canadian "coureur du bois", as related in a former article, the life of a white man had been held sacred by the
Ojibways, and one could traverse any portion of their country, in perfect safety, and without the least molestation.
In the year 1824, however, four white men were killed by the Ojibways, under circumstances so peculiar as to
deserve a brief account in this chapter.
An Ojibway named Mub-o-beence, or Little Broth, residing on the shores of Lake Superior near the mouth of
Ontonac-un river, lost a favorite child through sickness. He was deeply stricken with grief, and nothing would
satisfy him but to go and shed blood of the hereditary enemies of his tribe, the Sioux. He raised a small war party,
mostly from the Lac du Flambeau district, and they floated down the Chippeway river to its entry, where, for
several days they watched without success on the banks of the Mississippi, for the appearance of an enemy. The
leader had endured hardships, and came the great distance of five hundred miles to shed blood to the manes of
his dead child, and long after his fellows had become weary of waiting and watching, and anxious to return home,
did he urge them still to continue in their search. He had determined not to return without shedding human blood.
Early one morning, as the warriors lay watching on the shores of Lake Pepin, they saw a boat manned by four
white men land near them, and proceed to cook their morning meal. Several of the party approached the strangers
and were well received. The white men consisted of a Mr. Finley, with three Canadian boat men, who were under
the employ of Mons. Jean Brunet, of Prairie du Chien, an Indian trader. They were proceeding up the Mississippi to
Ft. Snelling on some urgent business of their employer, and Mr. Finley had with him a number of account books
and valuable papers.
The Brunet mentioned above is the one who later built a trading post on the Chippewa River and after whom
Brunet Falls was named.
The assault and massacre of these men was entirely unpremeditated by the Ojibway war party, and contrary to the
wishes of the majority. They had paid them their visit and begged some provisions, receiving which, they retired
and sat down in a group on a bank immediately above them. The leader here commenced to harangue his fellows,
expressing a desire to shed the blood of the white men. He was immediately opposed, on which he commenced to
talk of the hardships he had endured, the loss of his child, till, becoming excited, he wept with a loud voice, and
suddenly taking aim at the group of white men, who were eating their breakfast, he fired and killed one. Eight of
his fellows immediately followed his example, and rushing down to the water-side, they quickly dispatched the
whole party and tore off their scalps. Taking the effects of their victims, they returned toward their home.
At Lac Coutereille they attempted to dance the scalp dance before the door of J. B. Corbin, the trader, who
immediately ran out of the house, and forcibly deprived them of the white men's scalps which they were
displaying, ordering them at the same time to depart from his door. The trader was supported by the Indians of his
village, and the murderers now for the first time beginning to see the consequences of their foolish act, skulked
silently away, very much crestfallen.
The remains of the murdered white men were soon discovered, and the news going both up and down the river, a
boat load of fifty soldiers was sent from Prairie du Chien to pursue the murderers. At Lake Pepin they were met by
three boats laden with troops from Ft. Snelling, and the party, including volunteers, numbered nearly two hundred
men. Mons, Jean Brunet was along, and had been most active in raising this force. They followed the Ojibway wartrail for some distance, till, coming to the place where the warriors had hung up their usual thanksgiving sacrifices
for a safe return to their homes, a retreat was determined on, as the party had not come prepared to make a long
journey, and it was folly to think of catching the murderers, scattered throughout the vast wilderness which lay
between Lake Superior and the Mississippi.
The matter was subsequently left in the hands of the traders among the Ojibways, Truman A, Warren, the principal
trader of the Lac du Flambeau department, demanded the murderers, at the hands of the chiefs of this section of
the tribe. The celebrated Keesh-ke-mum had died a short time previous, and had left his eldest son Mons-o-bodouh to succeed. This man was not a whit behind his father in intelligence and firmness of character. He called a
council of his band, and insisted on the chief murderers being given up by their friends. He was opposed in council
by a man noted for his ill-temper and savage disposition, who even threatened to take his life if he attempted to
carry his wishes into effect. A brother of this man had been one of the ring-leaders in the murder, and now stood
by his side as he delivered his threats against the young chief. As they again resumed their seats, Mons-o-bo-douh
arose, and drawing his knife, he went and laid hold of the murderer by the arm and intimated to him that he was
his prisoner. He then ordered his young men to tie his arms. The order was immediately obeyed, and
accomplished without the least resistance from the prisoner or his brother, who was thunderstruck at the cool and
determined manner of the chief.
Shortly after, two more of the murderers were taken, and Mons-o-bo-douh delivered them into the hands of the
trader. The leader of the party, who lived on the shore of Lake Superior, was secured by Mr. William Holliday,
trader at Ance Bay. The four captives were sent to Mackinac, and confined in jail. While orders were pending from
Washington respecting the manner of their trial, they succeeded in making their escape by cutting an aperture
through the logs which formed their place of confinement. They were not recaptured.