The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1905-08-11
The True Story Of Little Brooches

For the first time the story which
resulted In the poem. Little Breeches."
being written by The late John Hay,
secretary of state, has been told by
Solomon Van Scoy, OF New Virginia.
Ia, who is the father OF tho little boy
who Is the hero of the poem shat made
Hay famous.
New Virginia, where tho incident
occurred. is located in the southwest
part Of the county about 20 miles from.
with but few settlements. The night
was intensely dark and II has always
beer a mystery as to how Marcus, the
<>year-old child, got I'M the field md to
the cabin 40 rods distant from where
he was thrown out of the wagon and
now lie got Into that cabin when 1t
required the strcngth and mind Of q
man 10 opea the door. But Hay ex-
plains By saying Angels and there
the matter rests. 1t Is stated on au-
preaching on the special proyidences of
God when the incident was told by him
IN h hearing OF John IIay.
In the following letter to the. Indian
ola Herald. Mr.. Van Scoy tells what he
says is the first authentic account of
h INCIDENT
New Virginia, Ia. July u, 19o5.-T.
L. dcison.-Ole Friend: Your let
ter Of the 18TH received. Will say I was
present when "Littlc grecches' took
his fast ride in March, 1864. There
was being held a ministerial assocta-
ton Mt New Virginia and at the time,
Robert Clel!and, a big hearted man and
q good friend of ours, lived in New
Virginia and taught our school. He
and his good wife invited Father and
Mother Proudfoot and my wife and self
to take upper with them. We ac-
cepted and went, so I did not nnhitch
my team from the wagon, but hitched
them to- the board fence in front Of
Clelland's house with tho hitch reins,
and Intended to stay for preaching:
but about meeting time we saw q dark
cloud fast coming over from the west,
md decided TO start for home. I went
cut n unhitched the team, but while
I was uahitchtng. Little Breeches'
came out and crawled into the wagon
and sat down on some hay. BY this
time 1T was getting dark n raining a
little. So, just as l got the team I'M
hitched. something scared them and
they made n quick turn and I made a
grab for the lines, but missed them,
then. as the team came around on the
turn, l made another grab for the relns,
put they were too quick for me. AS
the wagon passed me I caught the boy
by the arm but failed to get him out.
The whole thing occurred very quick.
@ I ran to tho school house and
gave the alarm. Preacher Hitchcock
was giving out the hymn; the meeting
closed in a hurry-no time for doxology
or benediction. We soon had all the
lanterns in the town and torches, and
h preachers and all took a hand in
the hunt for Little Breeches." About
q half mile southeast of town we found
the team n wagon, with one horse
on his back in the deep ditch, the other
horse standing on the bank and one
'front.' wheel of the wagon down in the
ditch. We found the boys hat about
one rod or more in front of the wagon.
About 100 rods farther on and
80 or 40 rods of the road, in a field.
stood a log cabin in which Jesse Read
had a lot of ewes and lambs to be
sheltered from h storm. We Travelled
around over. the prairie in groups in
h search and u few of us went to. this
old cabin to get boards to make
torches, n Jeff Thompson, a young