Quasqueton guardian. (Quasqueton, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1856-1858, 1857-05-02
Correspondence of the Express Il Herald.
FULL EARTHQUAKES OF TIE IN
DIAN DEPIsEDATIONS In NORTIt-
EEN IOWA N ~


h FoRr DoDGE, AIRTL 10, 1857.
|. Editors Express de- Herald In my
last communication, relative to the ln-
dian outbreak in the Northwestern por-
ton of this State, you were furnished
withsa- general statement of their outrages
on the Little Sioux river. The party of
relief, which left our place on the ESD Of
March, under the command Of Ma lor
Williams, have now returned, and l has-
ten to give you the result of their OBJ
servations and doings
After several days of severe travelling,
the weather being unusually cold for
the season swimming the swollen streams
camping at night on the cold ground in
the open prairie, and enduring almost
countless hardships, about the last of
March they reached the Irish settlement
on the west fork of the Des Moines Riv-
er, in Palo Alto county, and being there
informed that another party of the Sioux,
contemplated an attack on the people of
Springfield, a small village in Minneso-
ia, near the State line, fastened at once
to afford them assistance. Some sixteen
miles from this settlement, thew met all
The inhabitants of that town, who sur
vlved the massacre, consisting of two
men, two of them with one young wo-
man badly wounded, with several other
women and children, and having been
out for two days and nights, poorly clad
and without food, We're no longer able to
travel, and bul for the timely aid extend
ed them, would soon have perished.-
From them our party learned that band
of the Sioux, who had occasionally visit
ed them during the past winter, sudden
y and without prosecution, on the after
noon of Thursday, the 25th of March,
attacked the residence Of Mr. Stewart,
killing him while standing in the door,
with buck shot, and his wife Immediately
thereafter, at she ran 10 his. assistance,
entering the house, they shot two small
children, girls, and dashed out their
brains with tomahawks. One other child,
and the only remaining one of the fami-
ly, boy of eight years, managed by
some means OF other 10 escape. He is
now in our place, and will be reared by
Major Williams, one of our citizens
They next attacked thestore house of Mr..
Woods, killed him and set fire to,the
building, in which, it is believed, a bro-
Their q Woods persisted. The remaining
inhabitants (then at home collected in
The home of a Mr.. Thomas, which was in
turn attacked by the sapages, then first
fire wounding Mr.. Thomas, Carsen, and
a young woman, and killing young boy
Of Thomas there remained butt men,
by names OF Bradford and Markham,
capable Of making resistance, the Balance
Of The inmates, consisting of women and
children. During the attack, some nine
Indians We're supposed to have been kill
ed and four wounded; thirty shots were
fired and the guns loaded by a Mrs.
Church, who killed one Of the Indians
A short time before, two of the inhabi-
tants were dispatched 20 Fort Ridgely for
assistance, the alarm becoming general
from the reports of violence at Spirit
Lake, and on Friday, the eth, a com
panp of mounted Infantry on mules, I'M
der the command of Capt. Kee, reached
the town The savages, in the mean
time, being apprized Of their coming,
fled toward. the Missouri. On Sunday
morning the troops went in pufshit, and
returned the same evening, performing
no other duty than to consign to his last
resting place, one of, the dead found on
the upper shores Of Spirit Lake. Their
conduct has been severely censured, but
whether with propriety or not ! am not
able to form any opiuion or Judgment
The day Of retilbuiion will speedily ar
rive, aud they bide their time. Ii is be-
lieyed the warriors numbered from $50
TO 900, and their declared intent was, af-
ter the destruction of Spirit Lake and
Springfield settlements, TO march down
the Des Moinesa as far this place, to carry
on their work. of death and plumber. .je
Our party having one sad duty. yet tc
perform, dispatched twenty-five Of their
number TO Spirit Lake, where they found
the remains of the murdered pioneers,
and gave them sepulluret; these were the
wife of Joseph Howe and five sous; A
Noble, wife and child Z. Rian d man,
name unknown, Shot and head cut off
w. w. Mattock, wife and two small chi
dren Robert Clark, OF Waterloo, in this
State !; L. II. Harriet; j. iEarshman.
man unknown, with sandy ,whiskers,
black frock coat with velvet collar, and
checked velvet vest Rowland Gardner,
wife and boy two years old 49, Crop
per, Mrs. Harvey Luce, and two child
rem. The partially burnt bones of Two
persons were found in the ruins Of one
Of the cabins. Everything indicated the
most determined resistance, and the moss
iiendish brutality marked the work o.
the infuriated savage. ~ haaae 49, :
Nearly every one of the killed received
from two TO three death shots the spill
open heads and discovered limbs bore fear
full testimony of the tomahawk, even af
ter life had lied. A large number of eat
tie were shot, aud left undisturbed upol
the ground. Among the missing arr
Mrs. Thatcher, Joseph Howes, Sardi'
Howes, daughter Of I. ,Howes, aged IA
three children Of Mattacks and Harvey