The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1898-01-19

tSItStIIS "reminiscences VI edI1y udNS III
Minneapolis, furnished by Emory Worth
ingham, one of the first men to settle in
this section. Mr.. Worthngham took con-
siderable part in the various campaigns
against the Indians and can tell stories OF
the redskins by the day. He has given The
Tribune a few of his recollections which
will undoubtedly prove interesting as
were his stories of early life.
when the news of the Indian massacre
at New Tim reached this city the excite
ment was intense; there was a general up
rising of able bodied citizens who volun-
teered to go to the front, and l was among
the number" said Mr.. Nottingham. in
paign in the quartermasterS department
under Capt. Arson Northrup, and some
of the horrors which l witnessed will
never pass from my mind.
Talk about cruelty and barbarism. You
could not know how cruel an Indian can be
unless you have witnessed some of the
sights which were forced upon our atten-
ton during that campaign. Some of them
l will recall.
The Indians had ravaged pretty much
all the country in the southern part of the
state, and when 1 took part in the cam
paign they were retreatng from the scene
of their exploits near New Ulm. going in 4
northwesterly direction. with the whites
hot after them. In consequence of this
close proximity we were often on the
ground very shortly after the reds had
committed some of their most barbarous
acts The first sight of the kind which
greeted my eyes, l recall it today, was
in the country near Fort Ridgeley Just
before we went into camp one evening We
reached an open spot in the prairie, and
we spied large od-fashioned box stove,
surmounted with an iron trunk, the kind
commonly used by Germans in those days
The stove and trunk had evidently been
pilfered from some poor settler but We
could not imagine why the Indians had
dragged them so far from the ruined cabin
and our curiosity led us to make an in
vestigation. Imagine our horror upon
opening the trunk. to find Within the
roasted body of an infant The Indians
had evidently taken the trunk, placed it
upon the stove, built hot fire in the lat
ter, and then placed the live child inside
and literally roasted it alive.
Another incident which l recall with hor-
ror occurred between Fort Ridgeley and
Lake Shetek. We had been without drink
ing water for some time and finally came
to an old we'll which apparently lad been
filled up by the Indians. The boys lost DO
time in acting upon a suggestion that
the well should be cleaned OUT. When all
the lumber and rubbish mad been brought
to the top the workmen came upon tie
bodies of three little children, evidently
thrown there by the indians, and in order
to assure their death the Well had been
filled as an afterthought of cruelty.
MOST HORRIBLE OF ALL.
THE most horrible instance of indian
cruelty which ever came under my obser-
walton, however was few days later
not very far from Lake Shetek. 1t was
nothing uncommon in travels to run
across heaps OF ashes which marked the
spot of some settlers home before the
Tr,Ii hat
stances the Indians would murder the
whites and allow the cabins to stand. On
this particular day we arrived at a de-
serted log house, and was customary
with US, a party was sent to examine the
place to sec that none of the poor victims
should remain unaidoG long as he re-
tanned life. L was in ins party, and one
of the first to enter. The door of the hu.
was of wood, and as it swung inward a
terrible stencil greeted cur nostris. The
smell was easily explained. There, nailed
to the inside of the battened door as
Christ is said to have been nailed to the
cross, was a young infant. There was a
horrible gaping wound in the abdomen,
into which the flies had swaTmed by mil
lions. The sight was too much for the
strongest hearted Of us, and you may be
sure that we each inward!y registered a
vow of vengeance shrul1 providence ever
place the opportunity within our grasp
THE EXECUTION AT MANKATO.
"One of the most curious sights l ever
witnessed was the hanging of the 80 In
dams at Mankato for participation in the
massacre at New Ulm. l had been chasn
the redskins under command of Gen. Sib-
ley, and result of our labor We had
rounded up about ECO of them who were
taken to Mankato. There they were sor.el
out, and 265 Of the leaders placed on trial
Out of this number came the 50 who
stretched hemp.
ION the morning of the day of the hang
ing placed myself in the best possible j,o-
SitiOn to view the scene, and l we'll remem-
Der when the condemned men were
brought out for the last time. The Cath
Ollc priests had been labOring with them
during the night, and around the neck of
each of them had placed a cross, suspend
ed from string OF beads. These were on
their persons when they were executed
AS they came out Of the place of confine-
ment they exhibited no sign of cowarllicc
or any fear of the fate that was soon to
be theirs. On the contrary, they sang and
danced, according 10 the indian custom
firm in the belief that they would soon be
in the happy hu1lins, grounds.
The ScafrOld was in the form Of a so11are
with platform which was held in place
by means of a rope affixed to center
pole When the rope should be cut the
platform would drop and leave the vic
TINS hanging in the air. The man selected
allowed the privilege, because of the fact
that his wife and children had all been
murdered by the reds. The Indians con-
tlnued their singing and dancing even after
the ropes were placed about their necks
The executioner was nervous and his first
blow with the axe failed to strike the rome
squarely, but he lost time spurred on
by desire for revenge, in giving it another
blow which was entirely successful The
platform dropped with markable sudden
ness, and the singing and shouting ceased
completely. Thrty-eight good Indians
We're left wriggling in the air, and the
sight was as horrible as one could wish TO
see. One of the Indians was too heavy for
the rope, which broke, letting him fall TO
the ground. The crowd lost no time in
liking the moose around his neck again
and hundred willing hands helped to
draw him up again, while he slowly stran-
gled to death.
After the execution the bodies were
thrown into wagons just as though tl1ev
were dead hogs, and the remains We're
carted away and buried in trench ding
III the sandbar of the river. The trench
was not very deep-perhaps four feet-and
from the position which l had gained in
order TO conveniently overlook the scene
l saw men jump down in the trenches and
take from the bodies the beads and crosses