New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1893-08-30
) quake bsneat the tread 1. 81 tho coming

70 quake bsneath the tread 81 tho coming
enemy. s.ss
We will have Kernel Dyer. And
El-der-hn too. We will have Kernel
Dyer. And Eli der lin too. Kernel y-S
er Elderkin, too. Z shrieked the hideous.
voices in unison. Colonel Dyer and
Squire Elderkin had been particularly
active against the French. The whole
village jumped to the conclusion that the.
French and Indians were anxious to cap
ture these two leaders. As the outland-
ish shrieks seemed to increase involume,,
and to grow nearer and nearer, the last
doubt that the savages were upon them
passed from every mind.
Colonel Dyer hurried to the village
green when the alarm was given, and
the changing church bell soon called the
villagers together. Squire Elderdn,
badly frightened, promptly responded,
well armed with a trusty fintlock. Very
soon the ablebodied men of the town
were in line, and Colonel Dyer was unan-
imously chosen commander. IS
The old feud that a few hours before
divided neighbor from neighbor was fer
gotten. All united like brothers to de-
fend their common homes.
Orders were Immediately given to adj
vance, and the Windham villagers
marched up the hill to the east to check
the enemy. The shout for Colonel
Dyer and El-der-kin, too, !" steadily grew
stronger and stronger, and the gallant
colonel was reported to have shown I'M
usual caution on this occasion, while
Squire Elderkin, who. had never had
military experience, mplored the colonel
to halt his command on the hill and
wait until day break before he proceeded,
as everything seemed to indicate over
whelming odds in favor of the enemy.
The last half of the night was one of
terror. The villagers who had been laft
behind waited to hear the roar of battle,
but as the hours dragged their tedious
length along without the discharge of a
single piece all gave way to the fear that
some great horror was impending. The
night, however, finally wore away; the
east began to grow gray, and the light
was slowly creeping over the hills when
the clalnor for Colonel Dyer and Elder
/ quelled the hideous sounds.
The morning brought strange story
| to the little army and the panic stricken
Villagers
A mile 2lld half to the west Of the
village YVES d large millpond, which fur
nished water for power to grind the
grain for the surrounding country The
miller reported that he had been awak-
ened by the outlandish noises in early
evening and on going to the pond found
i the frogs in a great state of commotion,
but owing to the intense darkness moth
| ing could be seen. In the morning many
dead frogs were found upon the shore.
No wounds were visible; no marks OF
Violence could be seen; no cause for the
strange commotion could be found.
Some argued that there had been bat.
tie, but there was never any evidence to
support this theory. Others advanced
the idea that some mysterious, malaria]
contagion, some deadly epidemic, had
broken out and caused the cries of dis,
tress which had driven terror to the
hearts of the the Windham villagers.
This theory, too, has been laughed at,
and the truth Is that the cause of the
great disturbance has always been a
dark, impenetrable mystery. A.
The state Of mind of the townspeople
the next morning can better beimagined
than described. All seemed sick with
humiliation at the ludicrous ending OF
their frantic frig int of the evening before.
Squire Elderkin was particularly mort.
fed and is reported to have suffered a
two weeks sickness and confinement tc
his chamber, during which he was said
to have frequently stated that he had
much rather have lost his scalp than tc
have been the victim of such huge joke
It was wonderful how the story of the
Windham frogs sought out and found
every little nook and corner of the coun.
Try. There were no RAILROADS, no tele.
graphs or newspapers in those days
The stagecoach was the only means Of
lntercOmmunication. Yet the story
greatly exaggerated and deliberately
dressed up by the Imagination, was told
in almost every tavern in the land
The Windham wits had been famous
for years. Those who had suffered at
their hands now eagerly seized the OBJ.
portunity to pay back old scores with
usurious interest. Ballads were written,
songs were composed and sung, and ev-
cry chance for practical joke was util-
lied. Colonel Dyer was a delegate to the
first congress held in New York. Dur
ing his journey to that city some wag
tied an immense frog to the rear of his
carriage. His arrival is said to have
! been greeted with shouts and laughter,
and the joke became the talk of the CITY.
On one occasion Squire Elderkin was
said to have been making very learned
F., and eloquent plea, when some buffoon
raised the shout of Colonel Dyer and
Elderkin, too in the long drawn tones
which the frogs had made famous. The
judge lost his gravity, the jury laughed,
| and the audience shouted in the most
! boisterous manner. The squire, famous
for his self possession, lost his temper,
which greatly added to the amusement
of the onlookers.
The humiliation of the Windhamites
however, soon passed away, and they
regained their native shrewdness. Colo
\