St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-01-02
"Big Dave" One of the Pho
neerS Of Western Min
neSOta Hills.
He Whipped Six Indians Sim
gle-Handed and Without
a Weapon,
And Killed a Panther by
Knocking It's Head Against
a Stone.
Known to the Indians in the
Early Days as the Iron
Man.

i
my father moved into the hill country
OF Western Minnesota. He was known
to all the pioneers about as big Dave"
and to the Indians as Iron Man." He
was six feet tall, and at forty years OF
age, was perhaps the strongest man Ill
the United States, and certainly one OF
the most fearlesss men. Mother was
above the average in height and weight,
| and, if she lacked fathers strength, was
not behind him in nerve and courage.
| She could shoot rifle, skin deer. set
bear trap. or paddle canoe, and. as
| family. we were able to take care of
ourselves.
We had been settled abont six months
| when father set trap for hear which
| had been providing around. L went out
with him next day to visit the spot. and
we found the bear had been caught, but
that the Indians had killed him and
taken both tile carcass and the trap.
All along the border at that time there
was peace. but the red man was Jealous
and sulky, and whenever he could har-
ass or damage a settler he was pretty
apt to do so. Many of them had visited
our cabin, but none of them knew any
thing about father except that he was
UIS HAL. 1uclC WAS an fih"CO
| four miles away, and the fellows who
got the bear showed their contempt for
father by dragging the body over the
| snow and leaving plain trail for nm
| to follow.
Father was Justly indignant, and we
at once took up the trail for the village.
| had light shotgun. while he had
rifle. Ratchet and hunting knife. We
followed the trail right INTO the village,
and there found the meat being cut up,
while the pelt and trap were near by.
''Where is the thief who
Stole NV Beara''
Shouted father as we came to a halt
within four feet Of the crowd around
the meat.
No one answered.
81 say he is a thiefw continued IA
| Their. s'and if YOU will point him out to
me, will pull his ears! Let that meat
alone, 1t belongs to meH'
a dozen of the bucks began to growl
and murmur. and father handed me his
| rifle, threw down his knife and Ratchet.
| and cried out:
There was more than one thief! l
saw by the tracks in the snow that there
were four. Are they squaws or men? If
they are men let them lay aside their
knives and come cut here. l will take
the four at oncen
This declaration was hailed with a
shout, and in less than minute the
four who had stolen the bear came TO
| the front They were all stout and sup
! pie young men. and every Indian in the
village gathered around to see the fun.
| 1t was fully expected that he would get
good drubbing, and the four advanced
| with mischief in their eyes.
You Just keep out of the way and
don't get frightened" said father to me.
and Just then tne3four rushed in on him
from four sides.
For an instant he was hidden from
sight, and there was great hurrahlng,
but the next thing we saw was the body
of an Indian sailing in the air, and
second rolling over and over backward,
and then father gave the crowd all eX-
hibition of his strength. He graSped an
Indian i'll each hand and played with
them as easily as you can handle broom
sticks He circled them about, bumped
them together, and finally gave them a
fling which rolled both of them into the
ice-cold waters of the creek.
"Have you six men here?" demanded
nv father, as he turned to the chief
'.If so, let them come forward and seek
to put me down. If they can accomplish
it | will go home and say no more"
| lncrG WAS Il GENERAL uuGtcI VI SkCiIC-
ment, and, as the chief named siX.of his
best men. each stepped forward with
whOop. Father was smiling and conf
dent as he spat on his hands, and he
told me that | need have no fears. At
a given signal the six Indians made
rush. They got hold of arms and legs
and body, but with a mighty wrench ia
Their shook them off and then took the
aggressive. There was neither striking
nor kicking in the struggle. but the way
he did twist those redskins about made
the crowd dizzy. In two minutes he
was victor, and the chief came forward
and shook his hand, and then and there
gave him the title of
.sThe Man of Iron.''
Ever thereafter the Indians held him
in the greatest awe and respect, and any
one them invited to eat at our table felt
highly honored. | got title at the
same time father did. If was scared
while in the village, l was at least de-
termined not to betray the fact, and so
it happened that they dubbed me The
y-Who-Stood-Fas
In April of the next year cut my
foot while chopping, and was laid up
for several weeks. This was during the
sugar-making season, and father and
mother were necessarily in the bush
good share of the time. Our cabin had
but one room below, and my bed was in
a far corner. The path from the sugar
bush came up at the rear of the
house. One warm. pleasant day
about the end of the month,
and about mid-afternoon, l was
aroused from a light sleep by hearing
some one open the door. L lay facing
it. and [ saw strange white man enter
and look around. He was a rough,
evil-looking man, and [ knew that he
was stranger in the neighborlood. |
suppose that he believed us all in the
bush, for he leaned his rife against the
loss and walked over to chest in which
father kept his papers. and which was
the stOrehouse for articles OF personal
wear which we never used.
A report had got abroad father had
brought money into the country to buy
land. While this was untrue, it had
found believers, and this desperate had
come to rob US. | had not yet been out
of bed. Father had his rifle at the SUI
gar, while my shotgun hung on it hooks
not ten feet away. l could do nothing
to drive the man away, and if l betrayed
my presence he might kill me. /, there
fore, lay quiet, hoping that something
might bring father up.
The chest had spring lock, and the
KEY was hanging on the chimney.
The stranger did not even look for it.
but set about breaking open the chest
with his hunting knife. In his efforts
he broke the blade square off about two
inches hack from the point. He was
cursing and growing and still at work
when | heard mothers footsteps still
outside. / was close to the logs, and in
turning the corner of the house the
path led over
A Rocky Surface,
I knew she'd walk right in on the man,
and l realized that he might kill her,
but | suddenly became so weak that |
could not lift a finger nor raise my
voice.
The door was bit ajar. and mother
pashed it open. and walked in. She had
come up to dress my foot. AS she en-
tered the man rose up with curse. and
for twentp seconds the two stood look