St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-01-26


hew, and the strangest part of it was
that the bullet which carried death to
him was the last one fired into the fort
during the fight. I never learned how
many Of the Indians were killed and
wounded, for they carried them off, as
is their custom. The numbers of the
attacking party were greatly increased
and we estimated that there were from
600 to 700 warriors in the band.
Messengers had been sent to Gen.
Sibley, at st. Paul, informing him of
the first attack upon the fort and urg-
ing him to send a detachment to in
crease the garrison and to serve as an
escort to place Of safety for the set
tiers and their families. No word had
been received and we did not know
whether these messengers had succeed
ed in getting through to Sibley or
whether they had been killed or cap
tured by the bloodthirsty Sioux. Capt.
Van der Horck decided on Monday to
send another messenger and instructed
him to follow another route from that
followed by former ccuriers He Sc
lected William Tarbell as the messen-
ger, and Maj. Thompson, who was anx-
| ious to return to st. Paul where his
wife was, insisted upon being allowed
to accompany him. Why, he was SO
determined to get back that you
couldn't have held him with log
chain. In the meantime some half
breeds had come into the fort and re-
| ported that the Indians had left the
country and that they had gone to the
Missouri river for assistance. The half
breeds said the Sioux We're bound 20
capture Abercrombie and that they
would get it if it took all the Indians
in the country.
Capt. Van der Horck ordered me to go
to Georgetown and bring in the fami-
] 4
ty there. He started us out under the
escort Of a detachment of thirtythree
soldiers, who We're to accompany US
through the timber to the bridge across
sluggish, muddy stream which was
tributary to the Buffalo river. 1t was
| called the Whisky river and could only
be crossed at the bridge. The plan was
| for Tarbell and Thompson tc go to st.
Paul by way Of Crow Wing, which is
between Brainerd and Little Falls, and
for me to travel with them until we
struck the Buffalo river, which L was
tc follow down to the Red, George
| town being located near the confluence
of the two streams. l was to make up
a train and bring the settlers through
| to Fort Abercrombie, Capt. Van der
Horck promising to send out an escort
to meet us on the third day.
When the detachment which had ac-
companied US to the Whisky had
started to return to the fort We were
astonished to hear firing, and found
! that they had been attacked by con-
siderable body of the Sioux. We had
been told by the half-breeds that all
Warriors had gone after reinforcenents
and were surprised to find so large
a body of the enemy so near to the
fort. The Indians swung around in
the rear of the soldiers and
cut off our return to the fort, had
a fQr tod 10 do In clyjt
mish two of our men were killed, one
of them was Edward Wright, a brother
of e. M. Wright, who was wounded
during the first attack upon the fort,
and the other was a soldier whose
name have forgotten. We pushed for
ward, and when we reached the Buff
falO, where it had been arranged for
us to separate, we held a council CT
war. 1t was agreed that it would be
tempting Providence to try to take the
settlers from Georgetown to FIT. Aber-
crombie, as they would be almost Who'll
ly unprotected, and that the Indians
would watch us and be prepared to
sWoop down upon the train. 1 could
not possibly get back to the fort alone
and 1t was agreed that our chances
of getting through to Crow Wing would
be better If three of us went than If
only Tarbell and Thompson made the
trip, so L decided to go with them.
We had heard that the Chippewas
had joined the Sioux on the war path,
and. as our route lay through the Chip
pewa country, the trip was dangerous
one. We continued to travel in
northeasterly direction until nightfal
when Tarbell insisted upon stopping
for the night. I thought it would be
better if we pushed on, fearing an at
tack from the Sioux from the rear,
but Tarbell would not listen, and, pull
ing the saddle from his horse, lay down
with it for pillow, and inside of five
minutes was snoring loudly. Some
way / did not think that we were safe.
as the place he had chosen for q biv-
ouac was on the open prairie and dir
rectly on the trail, so 1 took my rifle
and went back on our track About
an hour later l came in and again
urged Tarbell to move forward into
the timber, but he would not bulge
l went back again and, when l came in
later. he agreed to push forward and
we left the trail and worked our way
through and around swamps, stopping
along towards morning not far
from Detroit lake. 1t was fortunate
that we made this move for, when the
! escort left us, the Indins sent four Of
their best men to trail and pick us up.
They followed us all day, keeping in
the hills, where they could watch us
on the open prairie. When we camped
upon US during the night while we
were asleep. when they came we had
! disappeared, and as they were unable
to follow our trail in the night, they
gave up the chase. This was told to
| the half-breeds by the Indians aft
er the outbreak was over
Always expecting an attack from the
| Chippewas, we proceeded with the
greatest caution, and did not dare to
light a fire to cook our food, but ate
such lunch as we had brought with us
We pushed ahead the second day and
passed Otter Tail city. at the head of
! Otter Tail lake, during the afternoon
The city was deserted, all the white
| people having gone through to Crow
Wing. Later the settlement was de-
stroyed by the savages. Pushing ahead
as rapidly as we dared for we were
| now in the timber most of the time.
| we lay down on the ground after
picketing our animals some distance
from the trail. By daybreak we were
again on the move and, during the
morning, met party who were going
through to FIT. Gary by a northern
route. They assured us that the Chip
pewas had not joined in the outbreak.
but were still friendly I never re-
celved more pleasant news in my life
than this was and we then felt safe
in taking the trail openly and pushing
our animals for all that was in them
in order to reach Crow Wing that
night. When we arrived Mr.. Beaulieu
one Of the citizens of that settlement.
| provided team and rig for TarbeJl
and Thomas and they drove to ST. Cloud
that night, taking the stage early next
morning for ST. Paul
| The people at Crow Wing kept me
awake nearly all night telling them