St. Paul daily globe., 1896-03-16
HISTORIC SHEATH KNIFE,
Recently Found In Field Near
MinneWauI1an.


Jacob Hardacre, of Devils Lake, told
yesterday at the Clarendon hotel, that
he saw last week, in the hands of a
farmer named Olson, residing near Dev-
lis Lake, an old, rusted sheath knife.
Upon it's seabbard's brass ferrule were
the words: Lieut.. Freeman, st. Cloud,
1862" The knife was found in neigh
boring field last fall, having been un-
covered by heavy rain. Some re-
has led him to believe, as he told Mr..
Hardacre, that the knife is a relic of
Gen. Sibley's famous expedition against
the Sioux Indians.
Judge Woods, of this city, was seen
at the Merchants hotel by G | O b e
reporter later in the day, and asked, as
a survivor of the same expedition, if
he recognized the name on the knife
scabbard.
Lieut. Freeman? Why, I should say
1 did. Any old settler almost will re-
member him. The lieutenant's death
was one of the most notable and tragic
incidents Of the expedition. You see,
he came from st. Cloud, and was a
lieutenant in the Minnesota Rangers,
as part of our cavalry was called. The
expedition moved along somewhat after
this fashion: A line of wagons several
miles in length occupied the center.
There were 400 wagons. Their snake
like path, their number, and the great
cloud Of dust hanging constantly above
them are not easily forgotten. In front,
behind, and on either side, was a regi-
ment of infantry Although we were
passing along a prairie that seemed as
free from Inhabitants as Robinson Cru
soes island, Gen. Sibley maintained the
utmost watchfulness, and entrusted the
guard duty to the cavalry which
stretched along for considerable dis
tance from the rest of the expedition.
Game was to be seen every few miles,
but not soul was allowed beyond the
cavalry lines. One day, however, when
we were near DEVILS Lake, Lieut..
Freeman and a companion were given
special permission to go hunting. The
companion was our beef contractor,
George A. Bracket, now Of Minneapo-
lis. His position was an important
and remuneratiVe one, considering the
size of our force and the length of it's
stay in a hostile country.
"Well, Freeman and Bracket started
out early in the afternoon. About four
miles from the expedition they went
down into a little coolie, or gully after
some game. At once dozen Sioux In
dians jumped from cover, and deliv-
cred volley at short range. Freeman
was struck just here, in the throat, and
the judge pointed to his Adams apple.
I'm shot dead, Bracket! Take the
gum said the lieutenant. He reached
the gun over to Bracket and slid off
his horse. Bracket hadn't been touched
He turned his horse, galloped away,
but waited for a shower Of bullets that
didn't come. The Indians wanted
Freeman's horse more than Brackets
life. They chased the animal down on
foot. Then Brackett, some distance
away, jumped from his horse, and took
to the underbrush at the edge of a
small lake, which was near. AS he ex-
pected, the Indians caught his horse,
and then came back to catch him. He
had loaded his two guns, and was pre-
pairing for a fight to the death. But the
Indians halted. A smoke they recog-
niZed was rising from the dust of the
expedition in the distance. The boom
of the batteries followed. Gen. Sibley
had uncovered the enemy in force, and
was shelling them out. Brackets as
sailantS started at once to the help of
the main band. Bracket crept out of
the brush after a while, and, travelling
by night, reached, in week, a hospi-
tai camp left fifty miles behind. That
evening party sent out to look for
the hunters found Lieut.. Freeman, half
naked his scalp torn from his bloody
forehead to the chin. The next day.
myself, with others, came upon the
body of an Indian torn,to pieces by one
of our shells. He wore leggings rough
ly made from the buckskin trousers
cut from Freeman's legs. Fastened to
his belt was FreemanS scalp. The
lieutenant was we'll known here and in
st. Cloud, and I've no doubt that the
knife you mention belonged to him."