Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1890-10-23
AN ADVENTURE WITH SIOUX.
The Narrow Escape of Two Bows
in Minnesota.

IN minnesota.
An old trappcr tells this story of early
Minnesota days in Forest and Stream:
The man of the Lake Talcott party
about this time came in also for team to
move their outfit home, leaving the two
Doys to take care of things until his re-
turn. A warm, muggy day came while
ne was absent, and the boys, attending
to their traps and carrying their guns
around during the day, got them both wet
ana, boylike, neglecting to clean and
dry them in order to render them sure
hre when needed, lay down to sleep in
their bed without removing their cloth.
ing, only drawing off their boots. Their
cabin door opened outward, and just at
daylight, shortly after they awoke, they
observed their door opening and saw an
indian swing it around and set stick
against it and then spring back and
raise his gun alongside two others who
stood with guns presented. At the first
sight OF the Indian the boys sprang from
their bed, and while in the act of throw
ing. Off the covering and springing to
their feet the savages fired. The distance
was not over fifteen feet q afterwards ex-
amined the ground carefully, and while
1t could not again have been done in
Thousand times trying without both be-
ing killed, the only hurt either sustained
was a flesh wound by small bullet
through the calf of one of their legs.
Seizing their guns, the boys aimed and
snapped, but both guns failed to go.
Instantly the thought of running, while
yet the guns of the Indians were empty,
came to their minds, and with word to
each other they sprang through the low
door and rushed for the prairie. As
they did so, one or more charges (prob-
ably from double-barr guns greeted
their rush for the open air. and the
unwounded boy, Tom Kirkpatrick, had
a bullet part his hair and Craze the skin
of the forehead.
AS the Indians ran after them the boys
presented their guns and after this man
9uvre had been few times repeated the
wretched towards turned back to plum
der the camp, and the boys were left to
make their journey of forty miles to the
nearest settlements in their stocking feet
over the burnt grass stubs of the prairie.
In the afternoon the wounded boy
declared his inability to proceed farther,
and requested Tom to go to the settle
ment and bring Il wagon out for him.
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 post-office), just as he reached
the crest of low hill and glanced across
the ravine to the summit of the next hill
in front, he saw five Sioux, who, catching
sight of him at the same instant, came
for him on the run, spreading their line
like an opening fan as they ran. Tom
turned and ducked down behind the hill,
and instead of running down the ravine
towards the river, turned and ran up it
and out on the high prairie, where, provi-
dentially for him, stood an old deserted
field which had belonged to Norwegian
settler murdered in the last massacre,
and which, now surrounded by high
rail fence, was occupied by dense crop
of tall weeds. Tom 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 to-
gether behind him, worked his way out
into the field and fell fiat. Soon an Indian,
quickly followed by two others, appeared
perched on the top of the fence, where
for minutes, which doubtless were anxious
ones for Tom, they surveyed the ap-
parently unbrokcn expanse of weeds, and
at length to his great relief turned back
towards the river. Lying quietly until
darkness shrouded his movements, Tom
made his way out of the field into the
prairie, and making wide detour
reached the house of 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 approaching night, but
compelled thereby to keep moving, and
doubtless passing the other Indians in
the night time.