St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-11-14
AN OLD TRAPPER's STORY.
The Adventures OF Two Boys With
Lot OF Sioux Indians.
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The Adventures OF Two Boys With
Il Lot OF Sioux Indians.
Atl0nta Constitution.
An old trapper tells this story of early
Minnesota days: The man of the Lake
Talcott party about this time came in
for q team to move their outfit home.
leaving the two boys to take care of
things until his return. A warm. muggy
day came while he was absent, and the
boys, attending to their traps and carry
ing their guns around during the day,
got them both wet, and. boy-like. neg
leeted to clean and dry them in order to
render them sure fire when needed. and
lay down to sleep in their bed without
removing their clio, hing, only drawing
eli their boots.
Their cabin door opened outward, and
just at daylight. shortly after they
awoke, they observed their door OPEN
Ing. and Saw an Indian swing it around
and set a stick against it, and then
spring back and raise his gun alongside
of two others. who stood with guns pre-
sented. At the first sight of the Indian
the boys sprang from their bed, and
while III the act of throwing off the COW
ering and springing TO their feet the
SavageS fired. The distance was not
over fifteen feet q afterward examined
the ground carefully, and, while it
could not again have been done in a
thousand times trying without both
being killed, the only hurt either sus-
tanned was a flesh wound by Il small
bullet through the cali of one of their
legs. Selling their guns, the boys
aimed and snapped, butboth guns failed
to go.
Instantly the thought of running,
yNhifn r-af tho nunc Af ttn IrIfonc .,o~o
empty, came to their minds, and, with a
word to each other. they sprang through
the low door and rushed for the prairie.
AS they did so or more charges,
probably from double-barreled guns.
greeted their rush for the open air, and
the unw0unded 10y, Tom Kirkpatrick,
had a bullet part the hair and Craze the
skin Of the forehead. As the Indians
ran after them the boys presented their
guns, and after this maneuyer had been
a few times repeated the Wretcheti cow
ards turned back to plpnder the camp
and the boys were left to makethelr
journey of forty miles to the settle
ments in their stocking feet over the
burned grass stubs of the prairie.
Ill the afternoon the wounded boy de-
clared his inability to proceed further,
and requested Tom to go to the settle
~ osio la q hASOh "a ~ iiAtIi.
Tom accordingly hurried on, and just
about sunset, while descending the
river just above the town OF jackson
(Which town, by the way, consisted
alone of a frontier pOstoffice), Just as he
reached the crest Of Il low hill and
glanced across the summit OF the next
hill in front, he saw five Sioux, who,
catching sight of him at the same in
slant, came for him Oh the run, spread
ing their line like an opening fan as
they ran. Tom turned and ducked
down the hill, and instead of running
down the rayine toward the river,
turned and ran up it and out on the
high prairie. where, providentiaIly for
him, was an old deserted field which
had belonged TO a Norwegian settler
murdered in the last massacre. and
which, now surrounded by a high rail
fence, was occupied by q dense crop of
tall weeds.
ON SpranG over the fence, and in
his peril and his fright not forgetting
to carefully part the weeds in front of
each step and close them together be-
bind him. worked his way we'll out into
the field and fell fiat. Soon an Indian,
quickly followed by two others. ap-
peared perched OH the top OF the fence,
where for five minutes. which doubtless
were anxious ones for Tom, they sur
yeyed the apparently uubroken eXpanse
of weeds, and at length, to his great re-
lief. turned back toward the river.
Lying quietly until darkness sIrouded
his movements. Tom made his way out
of the field INTO the prairie, aud. max
ing a wide detour, reached the house of
a friendly settler a few miles down the
river, where, just before morning, the
other boy put in an appearance, having
been unable to rest in the cold Of ap-
| preaching night, but compelled thereby
TO keep moving, and doubtless passing
| the other Indians in the night time.