The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1905-10-20

ulSOrQef, ana, III one corner PIE Ol
hay with a boot protruding from a cor
ner of it. One of them went and picked
up the boot, when to his horror he founC
a human foot and limb attacked, ant
the horror of all three can hardly be
imagined when on removing the hay they
discovered under it the bloody, CHASTITY
remains of five of the family piled in 8
heap. 1t did not take the three mel
ing theii>load out OH the prairie, they re
leased the oxen and hurried back OF
foot with their terrible tale, all the
way to Fort Dodge where they arrived
on Saturday the 2lst, the same day
Captain Bee reached South Bend.
The news was also carried the same
night to Homer and Fort Dodge and
reused the whole country. Mass meet
ings were held Sunday (22nd) at Fort
Dodge and Webster City, and three vol
unteer companies organized at once-one
known as Company &C" with j. c. John.
son as captain at the latter place, and
two companies GA" and "B'' at the for
mer. place, with Chas. B. Richards and
John F. Dunscombe as their respective
captains. There were about thirty to
thirty-five men in each company.
Company left Webster City Sun
day noon and passed the night at Fort
Dodge. Next morning, the 23rd, all
three companies started on their mem
orable journey, under the general com
mand of Major Williams, who though
seventy years old, had volunteered to
lead the expedition. The hardships ell
dured by this brave little army OF
something over hundred men on THEN
long and terrible march through snow
and storm and icy floods are of thrill
ing interest.
Time will not permit us now, how
relief expeditions, cutting their way.
foot by foot, through the ramparts of
winter, to glance at the fortunes of
the Springfield settlement.
On March 18th. two of Inkpadutah's
band appeared at the Wood Brothers
store and bought eighty dollars worth
of ammunition for which they paid in
gold doubtless part of the Spirit Lake
plunde:'.
The settlers protested to the Wood
boys against this sale, but they seem
ed skeptical of every report against
the Indians.
The next day, March Goth. about
two p. III. Inkpadutah and his war
some pretext or other they enticed
William Wood and his brother some
distance away from their store and
treacherously murdered both. They
found Josiah Stewart with his wife
and three children at home, and while
one of them under the pretense of
wanting to buy a hog, got him out
in the yard, the others shot him dead
from ambush and then murdered his
wife and children. except one boy, who
to hide and escape. Most all
the other settlers were still gathered at
the log house of J. B. Thomas for fear
of the Indians and were anXiously
awaiting the return of their messen-
gers to Fort Ridgely with the soldiers.
When therefore, Willie, the ten wear
old sou of J. B. Thomas saw man
coming down the road that afternoon,
he thought it was Henry Tretts, one of
the messengers, and ran into the house
with the news. 1t proved to be an In
dian dressed as IL white man and when
the people rushed out to meet him a
volley of bullets fell among them from
4 number of other Indians close by in
Little Willie fell, mortally
wounded. The others all got back in
to the house and barricaded the door,
but it was found that Mr.. Thomas had
been shot through the left wrist, David
Carver in the side, and Miss Swanger
in the left shoulder.
The Indians kept shooting at the
house until after dark and the whites
fred back from port holes made be-
tween the logs. When Mrs Church and
Miss Gardner were after dusk watching
me side of the house, they noticed an
indian steal up by tree near the
louse, and as there was no man near,
ust then, Mrs. Church picked up a
run she had just loaded with buck
hot, and taking aim fired upon him.
Mss Gardner said she saw the Indian
all. and some months later when the
Premises were examined, the tree by
which the Indian stood was found to
ontain some buckshot in it at about
he proper height for vital spot, and
dead Indian was found buried in
mother tree not far distant, wrapped
II blanket and a white mans pillow
lnder his head.
Whether Mrs. Church killed
he Indian she shot at or not
nay not be positively known, but if she