The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1907-12-04

die. So started toward the Lower
Agency and went up the hill or bluff
out of the timber. The children
were SO weak they could walk but a
short distdnce at a time, and | had
to carry both of them. and this, in
my weakened and harassed condi-
ton, | found very difficult. / took
off my skirt and used it to tie my
little girl on my back; I carried the
little boy in my arms. | reached
the road which led to the Agency
and saw some Indians about mile
out on the prairie. Instantly I fled
back into the timber, where | re-
manned until after dark. | then
went on to where the Agency had
been and found that nearly ali of the
houses had been burned. Only one
large house, the main Agency build
ing, was left standing. entered it
and felt all around in the dark, hop
ing to find some kind of food, but
there was none. There was some
furniture which had escaped destruc-
ton and in one room | found a
feather bed and near by was trap
door to the cellar. | threw the bed
into the celler and descended with
the children. For one night at least
we would sleep under shelter. l
found a kettle and CROPPED about
until at last | found a spring We
had not had good drink of water
that day. | shut the trap door and
soon we were asleep. Oh, the re-
lief to pass night under shelter!
The mosquitoes had tortured us
fearfully, and I had suffered so
much altogether that | decided to
stay there and die.
| / remained in that celler for three
nights and two days. At three diff
ferent times the Indians came in
and around the house. At the end
of the time | was rested and the
mosquito bites and the scratches and
bruises | had received in wandering
through the timber were healed,
but the lack of food was telling on
me, leaving me weaker every hour.
determined to make an effort to
obtain food and to escape. | had
found few small potatoes in the
garden and the children and | had
eaten them raw. If | had had
matches, I dared not light a fire.
AS | could not find anything more in
the way of food, and as | could not
find ford where / could cross the
river, | hoped | might be able to
cross on the Agency ferryboat.
Very early on the morning. of the
third day after my arrival at the
Agency house | started, and, with
my little girl on my back and my
boy in my arms, soon reached the
ferry, which was not far distant.
On the opposite shoreI saw a dread
full sight. 1t was here where Capt.
Marsh and his % soldiers met their
death in the ambuscade, on the first
day of the outbreak. Scalped and
otherwise mutilated the bodies lay
fostering in the sum- | was greatly
disheartened when / found that the
Indians had cut the ferry rope and
let the boat drift away. In despair
wandered down the stream few
rods and suddenly, to my great joy,
| saw small boat on the south
bank with the body of a dead soldier
lying across the bow. The stencil
was fearful, but in desperation
pushed the body into the water af-
ter repeated efforts and bailed out
the water in the boat with a tea cup
which | had brought from the house,
working with frenzied haste.
At last I had the boat bailed out,
and placing the children in it and
giving it a push / scrambled in my
self and it was afioat on the river,
although without oar or pole or any
thing to guide it. When we were
well into the current the little craft
began to leak fearfully. | worked
desperately with the tea cup to keep
down the water, but it gained on
me rapidly. How could land the
boat? Must we be drawn under
after all our efforts and suffering?
Fortunately WIS drifted near the
north shore and | tried to reach the
| bushes and willows hanpinp over