Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1902-04-03
BETWEEN TWO RIVERS
The Spirit Lake Indian
Massacre.
A Visit to This Historic Spot--Some
Gruesome Relics.
BY ALEX. MILLER.
Copyrighted, 1902, Alex. Miller.
Continued from last week.

Continued from last week)
forever cherished by the children OF
the HaWkeye State, for they enjoy the
fruits Of the labors of those early
pioneers who gave their lives that we
might have fair State and happy
homes.
Thus We're the massacred settlers
buried, and there they slept till
grateful State saw fit to erect the mon
ument already referred to- A COM
mission was sent to take up the bodies
and rebury them on State ground. The
bodies were raised, and all but the
Gardner family We're buried on the
site occupied. by the monument The
Gardner family is buried in a private
lot just across the road from the big
monument. Mrs Abigail Gardner
Sharp, the survivor of that horrible
expedition, had them re-interred and
erected monument out Of the granite
powders found along the lake. It is
an unique and pretty monument 1t
marks the resting place Of nine of the.
Gardner family, including her son and
his wife.
The log cabin in which the Gardner
family lived and in which they were
slain, is still standing on the identical
spot. 1t was very simple one-room
log shanty, like those built by the first
settlers 1t has not been changed, ex-
cept to preserve it. The roof has been
renewed and the floors have been put
in recently. Otherwise the hut is in
tact. Mrs. Abigail Gardner Sharp is
there during the summer season, for
the lake has become a great summer
resort and thousands of pleasure
seekers visit the spot every summer.
Iii the hut are many Indian relics and
objects of historic interest to ali
Iowan. The cabin is built of the in
ferior timber that was to be found in
the lake region at that early day.
Some Of the logs are oak and some red
elm, and others something else.
Abigail Gardner has had some pic
lures painted, from memory, of the
scenes enacted on the spot. The pic.
lures are badly done, and it seems a
pity, too, for it makes the whole thing
| appear rather ridiculous than other
wise. Think of having daub Of such
an important scene as the massacre.
But that is neither here nor there
If she gets enjoyment out of those hor-
| rid pictures that is her advantage and
the rest of us ought to be able to stand
1t if she derives any comfort.
There are also several objects of
grewsome and uncanny interest that
We're found when the bodies We're
raised in 1895, thirty-eight years after
their first interment. In one of the
| MattOck graves was found shoe sole
that had scarcely decayed particle.
Several buttons were found in differ
| ent graves. One boy who was MUIR
dered and buried had a two and half
dollar gold coin in his pocket. The
gold piece was placed among the. rel
les to show visitors One day last
summer while Mrs. Sharp was absent
for a few minutes the coin disappear
ed. Some wretch had stolen it out of
the case and carried it away. One
would think it would burn hole into
noyed the soul of Judas.
Mrs. Abigail Gardner Sharpe has
charge of the log cabin and Of the
grounds. She charges an admission
fee Of twenty-five cents, and she sells
her book, which gives a very graphic
account of the massacre
One would think she would get aw-
fully tired Of telling the same old story
over and over again, but it has become
sort of second nature, and she tells
it without much thought. But it must
have changed her life greatly.
I asked her if she supposed she
hated the Indians worse than other
people do She replied very quickly:
II don't hate them half so much. I
do not blame them at all, for they
knew not what they were doing.'' It's
a very charitable, Christian view to
take of it. but do not believe that
they did not know what they were
about. They not only knew, but
they knew so well that they came IN
der the guise of friendship in order
to save their own precious hides.
have told you that Mrs. Thatcher
was also carried into captivity. Mrs.
Noble was killed the first or second
day out and Mrs. Thatcher was com
PEELED to walk for several days, but
she grew very i'll and one day as they
were crossing stream on a foot log
she was pushed off into the ice cold
water She managed to swim and
struggle to the bank, but an Indian
pushed her back into the water and
she came up a second and third time,
but finally another Indian shot her
and her body sank to rise no more.
Amid such scenes Mrs. Abigail Sharpe
spent three months before she was res
cued. The clothing she wore when
captured was all torn to threads be-
fore they were out long, and she was
dressed in the Indian fashion. She
ate the rough, poor fare of the savages.
and often they had scarcely anything
or oil "a oO+ S1,o .