The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1893-04-14
LEFT FOR DEAD.
Story of Thomas ireland, In Whose
Body the Indians Make Eight
cen Bullet Holes.

resides in this city near the suburb
of Tinkcomville. He is an active man
for one of his years, and no one would
dream that eighteen bullet holes were
made in his body in one day lie was
caller at the FREE PRESS office yes
terday and at our request related the
story of that terrible day, giving all
of the little circumstances, as nearly
AS his memory would serve him. 1t
is thrilling account, and can best
be told in his own language.
II was born in Pennsylvania, SAID
Mr.. Ireland, March Is. 1872, and
from there moved to Illinois, coming
to Winona county, Mimi, in 1888. In
November, 1861, | located at Lake
Chetek, in Murray county, and was
engaged in farming at the time OF the
Sioux Indian outbreak.
About nine o'clock on the morning
of Aug. 20, 1862, young man came TO
me at my house in breathleSS haste
and informed me that the Indians
were on the war path and that all my
neighbors had been killed, and urged
me to 90 to the lower end of the lake,
where all the settlers below my farm
were to gather. | took my family and
went where | was directed, and found
about twenty white people gathered
together. There were nine families,
including eight men of US. The In
dians came up to where we were and
told us that if we would go away
peaceably they would not harm us.
'.We took them at their word and
started off on foot, the one team that
we had being used for transporting
the women. We went two and half
miles, intending to go to the nearest
settlement, when at about eleven
o'clock in the forenoon, thirty Indians
came up from behind and surrounded
us. They formed hollow square
about US and began to fire upon US.
The fight that followed lasted an
hour The Indians were cute when
being fired at, for as soon as they saw
the smoke of a rifle the one aimed at
would jump up and drop over back
wards before the bullet reached him.
[ told the men that we must shoot
lower.
II killed three Indians with my rifle.
The first was the chief, who was the
only mounted one of the gang. The
Indians chased two of our men away
and followed them up until tLey kill
ed them, and this chief thought that
he would do the same with me. l
stood my ground, however, and aimed
at him. He stopped his pony 35 rods
from me and opened his bosom and
patted it, as if defying me to shoot
him there. | fred and he attempted
to dodge the bullet by turning back
sumersault from his horse. However,
l had aimed so low that l struck him
in his bosom and killed him, and at
the same time cut the pOny's back so
deeply with the bullet that it was
never ridden after that day. Another
Indian that / had not seen was be-
hind the pony and he took the pony
and got away before | could reload. |
also killed two warriors while they
were loading their guns and were
watching the other white men, so that
they did not see the smoke from my
gun in time to dodge. | was fine
shot in those days and can still ham
die rifle better than most young men.
The Indians reported that only
four were killed in that fight, but it
must have been mistake. On our
side one man was killed outright,
John Eastlick, and all of the others
were wounded. | received bullet
through the thigh, but hardly knew
that | was wounded The Indians
told us to come out of the grass where
we were hidden and they would spare
us all. The women and children went
out and | decided to go also and live
or die with them. When l came out
an Indian with double barreled shot
gun fired at me only two rods off, His
gun was loaded with bullets or large
buckshot, and seven of them went in
to me, one passing through each lung,
one striking rib on the left side and
four going into my right side. One
went through my left arm and des-
troyed 7the nerve to such an extent
that [ have never had the full use OF
that arm. There were then eighteen
balls in my body. | was not uncon.
scious, but when my wife passed me
| told her that | could live but few
moments. l heard an Indian say that
they had got me killed. A chief said
that | was good brave and that they
must not scalp me. After the Indian:
left, l don't know how long after
wards, l had a burning thirst and knew
that there was water in slough close
by. Mrs. Eastlick's boy came an(
helped me to the slough and / crawleC