Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1899-06-21
Fleeing FROM THE INDIANS

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The Flight Of the Diamond Lake, Eagle
Lake and Green Lake Settlers
Before the Red Skins.
Among those who had exciting ex-
periences with the Indians at the time
of the outbreak was Andrew Nelson,
living at that time in the town of Will
mar. The story of his adventure with
the Indians is closely connected with
that of the Indian fight at Mr.. Eric
sons in the town of Dovre Those who
have read the account of that fight may
remember of the appointment made by
Mr.. Foote with Mr.. Nelson to meet
him at his cabin, and they together
would 60 over to Mr.. Erics on's.
At just about dark Mr.. Nelson
started for Mr.. Foote'S place, and 60
ing up to the door opened it, and walk
ing in found the room full of Indians.
Mr.. Nelson turned and darted into a
cornield short distance from the
house with the Indians after him. 1t
was by this time dark and the Indi-
ans, not only somewhat blinded in
rushing from a lighted room out into
the intense darkness, but confused be-
cause Of a wind which was blowing
through the corn, were battied in their
attempts to follow him by any noise
ne might make in running through the
field, and lost him. This fact, how
eyer, did not cause Mr.. Nelson to
diminish his efforts in the least to get
away from the Indians. All throug h
the night, encircling sloughs and lakes,
through timber and underbrush he
kept up his flight and as day was
btfteakibg, worn out and exhausted, he
managed to hide himself in stack of
hay on Mr.. John Tait's place, at Dia-
mond lake, where he fell asleep.
Leaving Mr.. Nelson asleep in the
haystack for the time being, it is ne
cessary to take up another narrative
closely connected with the story of Mr..
Anderson's adventures and the flight
of the Harrison settlement to Forest
City.
On the Sunday of the killing at
Acton party of Indians called at the
place of A. M. Ecklund in the town of
Lake Elizabeth. 1t was the same party
that had done the killing at Acton.
and they were on their way to notify
fittle Grow what they had done, so
that a general massacre might take
place before all the settlements were
alarmed and moved in from the frontier
to places OF safety. Their purpose was
to steal Mr.. Ecklund's horses so as to
carry the news with as little delay as
possible. A part of their number en-
gagged Mr.. Ecklund in conversation at
Che house while the rest went out and
stole the horses. The party then left
The place. The news was taken to
Little Grow early the next day, and it
is said he swore terrible oaths in In
dian fashion because his plans were
not ready as yet to be carried into ex-
ecution. Nevertheless he ordered a
general massacre, and the killing be-
gan at Redwood Falls at three clock
that afternoon.
Mr.. Ecklund, when he found his
horses were gone, did not at the time
suspect the Indians had taken them,
although be felt that they had been
stolen. He therefore started out in
search of them and in course OF his
quest heard rumors Of the killing at
Acton, and in the course of his wan
behring's told everyone he met of what
he had learned. On Tuesday he came
up into the town of Harrison and in
quired for his horses. Here he met
A. H. Sperry and others. They told
him If what he had heard was correct
those Indians we're the ones who had
done the killing and had also taken
his horses.
Early on Wednesday morning,
August 10th, three men from Harrison,
T, Wheeler, A damTa ait and A. H, sper-
ry, mounted their horses and rode over
to Acton. some eight miles away, to
find out if the rumors were true. Ap-
preaching the cabin of Jones they
found everything closed-the men from
=. Forest City having been out the day
before and buried the dead-but they
looked in at the window and saw a
pool of blood on the floor and evil
sdences of blood outside This con-
firmed their fears, and Fastening back
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