West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1888-02-09
BESIEGED BY SIOUX.

On the morning of August Is, 1862. as
was carrying a pail OF milk from the
COW yard to the honge, on the farm of
William Miller, seventeen miles from
New Ulm, Minn..I saw covered wagon
coming across the prairie ms fast ms two
horses could pull IL. | handed the nail
into tho house, called TO Miller and his
wife, and by the time VIC were out doors
the wagon had stopped at the gate. II
was vehicle belonging to man named
saunders, living about nine miles away.
and he and his family were inside. We
hal not rc@ched the gate when he
shouted:
Fly for your lives. the Indians are on
the warpith''
Hegwould have driven off with that
but one of his hor. cs fell down in the
nirness from exhaustion. There was
Saunders, his wife, and four children.
ana never saw people so broken up 1t
was July en..minutcs leforc VIC could
get their story In n shape 10 understand
it. The Sioux rebellion. which many
pioneers had pre- licted, had broken out
at last. For the past three months we
had noticed change in the demeanor of
tho indians, some OF whom call ID at the
mouse almost daily. They had become
1mpudentand threatening, and many of
the oder settlers were becoming alarmed.
some would have given up their fsfIns
put therc were a few smart Alecks who
roue ABOUT the country saying there was
no dagger, and that there were
enough soldiers in the forts in the
State to shrash all the Indians i'm the
who.c West. These men were. ms we
alterward fonnd ont, interested in the
safe OF real estate, and OF course they did
not want any sensational reports sent
East. But for tie civil war then raoino
there would have been no uprising OF the
Indians. Uncle am had his hands full
IN the South, and hundreds or ir Young
men had enlisted to fight the confedcr,
ates
Saunders had received warning Mt dav-
light from settler on horseback. whose
whole family had been butchercd. He
was tcamstcr, and his wagon then con
famed a part of load Of stores which
nc was hauiIng out TO store keeper in n
new settlement. lie had unIoadcd some
OF the 'stuif and flung in household
goods and provisions, and had drt, en- M
such pace rs TO exhaust ono of his
horses. Miller rand his wife were Germans
cool and phlcgmatic. Their ALI was In,
vested right there While they know
That trou''le was at hand, they did not
want 10 abandon everything at n mere
alarm. We lad three horses in the
stable and Saunders beg yc1 hard for one
10 take the place of his eSh iustcd beast.
lie was bound and dcterIn ned to ret on.
even III he had 10 90 on foot, and Miller
consented to let the horse 90. While he
was being harncss,d in Saunders asked
us 20 throw ont some OF the merchandise
ana lightcn the vehicle. We took out
Tour Kegs of powder, about one hundred
pounds OF lead, fifty pounds OF sht.
three double-barrclci shot-guns, and
some groceries, and tho hor.e was no
sooner 10 the traces flran Saunders drove
OH at n Rallop.
well, what shall we DOR asked Mrs.
hilicr rs we stood LOOKING after the
wagon
'Stay and fight. replied The husband.
Twas chen boy Of lG, AMI had been
with the Millerso icra year. There was
never q day but that some Of the Sioux
came along, and in many instances they
ma eaten of our food. Miller did NOT
mink II as serious q matter rs 1t turned
Out " be, and with true Dutch GRIT he
proposed 70 stick. We went into break
fast, ate as heartily as usual. and when
we were through my employer said:
ans y
As VIC went ont doors VIC saw three
columns Of smokein different directions.
showing that the uurdcrons redskins
were ~ work. Miller had 100 acres Of
land almost every acre as level rs a floor.
We had Just finished building milk
house over spting, about a01 feet from
inc house. Around The spring was
about two acres Of broken ground. under.
laid with rock, and wc had blasted out
suthcieni OF this 70 lay up the walls Of
tho milk hohsc. AIillcr was q stone ma
son by trade. and his work bad been wei
done. The ho SC was pretty Iarer. bcint
1sx24 inside the walls. and the wall.
were perhaps foot thick. The roof
had been planked and then soddea, and
the door was of heavy pinnk. The place
would make a capital fort and whi'c
was carrying into IL such thing as Ms.
Miller 4 rccted. the husband uscd
cfowbqr to make ioopholcs in the wal s.