Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1857-05-07
The Indian Massacre at Spirit Lake,
Iowa-Ohicial Account-Sixty
Killed, Wounded and Missing.

Killed, Wounded and Missing
We give copious extracts from the report
of The Comma nGant of The velunteers-w no
went to the relief OF the settlers near Spirit
Lake made TO Gov. Grimes of Iowa. The
force consisted OF one hundred and ten me N,
and marched from Fort Dodge and Webster
City. o. 'his force, our CORE poEdent, f.
w. e., whose letter We gave OF Thursday
last, was one.
The report says: About eighty miles up
the West branch of the Des Moines River
We met those who had escaped the massacre
at Springfield. composed 9l three men un-
hurt, Two wounded, and one female wounded
and several women and chi iidren, in all num-
bering some fifteen or twenty persons
They escaped in the night, carrying nothing
eith them but wtst they had on when at
Iseked-had nothing TO cal for two days and
ne night. They were about exhausted and
lie lndians on their trail pursuing them
II sd not cur scouts discovered hem and re-
ported, there can be Goubt but they all would
have been murdered that night. We found
th, m in q miserable CONDITION, destitute Of
every thing Ike clothing and food, three OF
them badly wounded and several of the wo-
men without bonnets or shoes. They had
nothing on them but what they had the
night they fled. TIE poor women wading
breast deep thrt ugh Snow and water carry
ing their crying Children.
L. a Ea1d
trading post on the West bank of the
Des Moines River, in Southern NJ innesota.
They gave The following account of the
massacre at Springfield:
A friendly intercourse bad grown up be-
tween the whites ard Indians at this point,
and the latter had been in the ha bit uf call
ing upon the whites, eating at their tahies,
and 10 danger was appreheDded from them
until after tie murders at Spirit Lake, when
messengers were sent forthwith to Fort
Rdgely for assistance. Some of the inhab-
itants fearing their savage neighbors, and
with view OF frightening them away i'm
prudenily made this fact known to the In
disns. A watch was then no doubt kept by
them; for upon the day previous TO the arri-
val Of the troops from Fort Ridgely, the In
dams attacked the town.
On Friday, the 9th inst, about o'clcck,
P. NJ, they entered the town ard called first
at the sture OF Geo. g. VIM. Wood, viii ch
they robbed OF all the goods and eight hun
dret dollars in gold. WIN. Wood was Kill
ed, and Geo. Wood, missing, was supposed
10 have been burned with the store.
They next called at the house OF josiah
Stewart, and SHOT him through the head
His wife begged ior her. he, TO which they
replied, "nepo squ4w,'' (kiII squaw.) and
shot her also in The head. Her two little
girls were killed with war clubs. John
Stewart Little boy about eight years old
hid himself behind log and escaped.-
Major Williams has taken him home, and
" i'll bring h IN up. He has now good pro-
teclor.
They then proceeded TO the house of Mr..
Thomas; several families had here collected
together, and there were some eight or nine
rifles in the house Umpushota, an old In
dian chief well kaown ia this neighborhood,
ran past the Louise shouting to the inmates,
several of when unfortunately ventured 10
the door to see what was the matter. when
about twenty Indians posted behind hay
stack, about five rods distant, fred uIon
hem, killing son OF Mr.. Thumas, aged
ten years; Mr.. Thomas was wounded in the
arm. rendering amputalion necessary; David
Carver was shot through the arm, the ball
lodging in his side, the wound is not coDsid-
cred dangerous; and Miss Drusella Swiver
TT ceived ball in her shoulder, the ball
passing cut upon the opposite side.
The duors were instantly shut and barri-
crGtd. Some OF the inmates engaged them
selves in moulding bullets, others III loading
the rifles, While John Bradshaw and man
named Markham, fred upon the Indians
without. Their chief and number Of
O; n rs we're killed; the exact number is not
known. 1t was repurted by an Indian to q
man named Shigley that nine were killed
and FIVE wounded. Towards night the In
dians Withdrew. carrying their dead and
wounded with them. No white person " as
killed alter the first fire.
During this action, woman named
Church, who had assisted in loading rifles
fired at The Indians and killed one. She
told me that he kicked like rabbit" She
is fine looking woman, and is regarded at
quite heroine.
After furnishing these sufferers with pro-
visions and blankets, and sending them &c
an Irish settlement for safety. the command
proceeded towards Spirit Lake; finding irest
trails of Indians every now and then, hear.
inc that Indians were encamped near q
trading house, but OH arriving found they
had fed upon the approach of the United
States troops sent from Fort Rdgely. The
reporl then says:
The conduct of the troops from Fl. Ridg.
ley is hard to be accounted for. On Thurs
day the 27;h oi March, the Indians attacked
Springfe and neighborhood. The citizens
defended themselves as well as they could
The ba tie and piliasing lasted until mid.
night, hen The Indians withdrew Or
Friday, in The afternoon, the troops from
Fort Ridgely arrived, all well mounted on
mules. Those troops lay at Springfi. ID al
day Saturday, and assisted in bury'ng .ome
ol the dead. Their officers cUunselied with
a hali-breed. Cahoo, who Was the only one
unarmed, anG known to be acting with, ant
identified with the Indians, and " hose squaw
q e is married to squaw) was, at thai
time, wearing the shawl OF Mrs. Church
with other articles taken from the Citizens
SAID Ulcers lay over from Friday evening
Till Sunday morning without pursu ng o
making any effort To overIake the lndians
who, they must have known, had taken of
four white women as prisonefs.
On Sunday morning he set out on thei
trail, and followed them half the day, ind
ing their camp tires--overtuking three o.
our struggling squaws, let them go-ant
fading all kinds OF goods thrown and s;rew
ed along their trail to tighten their load ant
expedite their flight. When he could no
have been over half a days march of them
he stopped and returned the same evening
(Suncay) to Springfield. When he ordered