The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1857-05-30

!. We publish below, highly anAsing ex-
tract 81 : letter written bJ the Hon. ~. 7.
Severance n Sibley c6nht5 % the Chico.
Ipee.( Mass. y Josasssdts u = dated st Hsn-.
dsrson, April 10th. at theyesJ height cf IL
terrible r,imors then rife a. TO the deprcda-
tons Of the Sioux about Nfhnkato; most of
which, 10 far ~ We can le6rn, proved utter
e unfeunded, hat which doubtless created
an intense alarm, for delineation Of swhicl,
We dre indebted TO this Granhic letter.
We are informed BY III Brown Of TIE
Clinton st. News-R Rooms, thAt he and Sew
erance and Pratt, are aaks2kom Chicopee.
and that the evident design Of s. was IS
awful Joke at the e1pense Of his fellor-
townsman, who is the worthy editor Of III
So after alindiE5 to, he rsMspsd sies-
patches ho gives Us the following rich local:
But the most exciting sfair occurred here
to-day. While we were eating dinner ut tile
Hotel, several men came running in, and
said the Indians were close upon MS, and
that they had just killed twelve men on the
opposite side of the river, and that they
were preparing to attack the town. In Eve
minutes the whole town was in an uproaf.
Men were seen running with their guns in
every direction--women were Rushing
through the streets dragging their children
TO place Of safety. Your humble servant,
whose grandfather fought in the Revolu-
tionary war, ran across the street to the
printing Office, seized his double barrel gun,
loaded it half full, putting in the balls FIRST,
the wad next and then the powder. After
getting his gun thus dangerously loaded, be
ran up stairs to set things to rights, where
he found St@yers trying to load small
pocket revolver nth q ball somewhat lars-
er than hens egg. At this moment, an
Indian and three squaws were seen in the
street. They were looked upon as spies
and upon being accosted in Sioux, they
showed great fear and commenced running.
The order was given to capture them, and
the Indian was soon taken and put under
guard, whilst the squaws ran like shadows
toward the river, across which, large
number of Indians have been encamped
several days. At this pitch of the excite
ment, looked out Of the window and saw
James G. Pratt coming down the street up
on a headlong gallop with revolving rifle,
the cylinder of which had been lost some
three years and without particle of am
munition.
E All the wrath that had been accommodating
in Pratt's bosom through long course Of
years by contemplating the horrible massa-
ere at Old Decrfeld in ancient times, was
visible in his erect hair and uncompromising
visage. Seeing the fair daughters of the
forest flying, Pratt broke and commenced a
dangerous pursuit. After running some
twenty rods, his feet came in contact with )
log that had perfect right to lie where Is
did, and making sudden ascent in the air,
he pitched about fifteen feet, running the
gun-barrel into the mud clear up to the
lock, and as he fell, the stock slipped under
his arm, and run up through the back of his
coat. There Pratt lay with his facein the
mud, and gun apparently sticking straight
through him, picture Of reposing cy-
clops.
The violent collision with the log ierked
the yellow snuff out of his vest pockets, and
it hung in cloud over him--as if he too
travelled by pillar Of cloud by day.
Suffice it to say, the squaw jumped into
the river, which was full of floating ice,
and swan across, the distance Of half a
mile. When Pratt returned, his clothes
smelt strongly of real estate, and his faoe
looked like a bank full of swallow holes.-
The alarm proved to be false, and the town
is now more quiet.
s Yours truly,
-. NJ. J. SEVERANCE.