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


settlers, and then, returning to Gard
ner's cabin they treacherously shot Mr.
Gardner and butchered all the family
except one daughter, Abbie, whom they
took captive.
That night the Indians celebrated the
success of their bloody work with wild
orgies. The next day they continued
the slaughter at the cabins of Howe and
Noble, killing all, except Mr.. Thatch-
er, who happened to be away from home
after provisions, and Mrs. Thatcher and
Mrs. Noble, whom they carried away
into captivity.
On the 18th, they came across the cab
in of Mr.. Marble on Spirit Lake and
killing him, they took his young wife as
captive. In all thirty-fou persons
were killed i'm the Spirit Lake settlement
besides Mrs. Thatcher and Mrs. Noble,
who were slain some weeks later in
captivity. None of the bodies were
scalped. Mr.. Mattock's cabin was the
only one burned but all the rest were
plundered and the stock everywhere kill
ed. Having glutted their vengeance on
this little settlement, mkpadutah and
his band repaired to Heron Lake drag
ging with them the four women prison
ers.
The awful tragedy was first discov-
cred by Morris Markham, a young man
who had been making his home with
Gardner and Howe that winter. He was
away during the massacre on a trap
ping expedition but returned on the
evening of the 9th of March, and seeing
what had happened, fled in haste to
Changers FONT, whence Coco. Granger
accompanied him to Springfield, or Des
Moines city, another small, isolated set
Element on the Des Moines river, which
had been started the prior summer and
located where the village of Jackson,
Mimi, now stands.
Most of the settlers here had come
from Iowa and had their claims on the
east side of the river, but William and
George Wood had come from Mankato,
Mimi, and laid out townsite on the
west side and built trading post there
which they then occupied. Learning of
the outbreak the settlers gathered at
the house of J. B. Thomas for mutual
protection and dispatched Joseph B.
Cheffins, young frontier man who had
come out with the Woods from Man
kato. and Henry Tretts. young Ger
man to Fort Ridgely for help. These
left Springfield on the morn
ing of the 18th of March and reached
the fort in the forenoon of the next day.
The commanding officer. Colonel E..
+. Alexander, promptly detailed Captain
Bernard T.. Bee, with forty light men
to 90 TO the scene of trouble with JO-
seph La Fromboise as guide. Judge
Flandrau, then Sioux agent and Philan-
der Prescott volunteered to accompany
the expedition. The command was ready
by 1890 D. m. of that same day.
Owing to the heavy cumbersome milf
tary equipment OF that day, it was
deemed ineXpedient to attempt the short
cut over the prairie. as there was no
road in that direction, and the snow lay
in heavy masses all over the country
and was beginning to thaw.
\ most circuitous route was therefore
adopted the Minnesota river to
South Bend. and thence southwest along
some sort of road as far as the claim
of Isaac Slocum on the Watonwan a
few miles below the present village of
Madeia. Their progress was attended
with many difficulties and great hard
ships. Most of the time was spent in
the teams from one SNOW
bank after another and as it melted
some during the day, the soldiers cloth
ng became soaking wet and then would
freeze about them as they bivouacked
Oh the snow in the frosty nights. The
expedition reached South Bend, three
niles west of MankatO, on Saturday
night the 2lst day of March, and re-
NAMED there the next day gathering
supplies. Judge Flandrau and Mr.. Pres
,ott, who had pressed ahead as far as
Slocum's place to learn if they could
more fully as to the outbreak, returned
o meet Captain Bee at South Bend,
,ut with no special news except that
hey had found the road almost impas-
sable.
1t was thought advisable for Elan
Irau and Prescott to return to their
'osts at Fort Ridgely, while Captain
See with his force pushed on to Spring
ield. By night of the oath Slocums
louise was reached
Here every semblance of road end
d, and as what was reputed to be the
- L.,