Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1909-01-21

" VI NOV Olu. mlnu., lOunu lLB way
Z the isolated cabins Of the southwest
q The cry, 1.-THE Indians are coming
was In the air. The Appaches an
J. Pawnees left their reservations In I'd
y summer Of '65. The militia was Gale
j out. Gen. Curtis took command, an,
9 LED the men out along the Smoky Hi
: asfar west as Fort Harper and thel
8 southwest to Fort Larned, old men
.wOmen', and children remaining be
hind open to the attacks Of the REL
skins who easily could flank the mill
tia on frontier Of thousand miles
Well does the writer, though boy
Of thirteen, remember the two weeks
when all our household belongings
we're buriedin the woods and we were
ready to make q dash for Fort Riley,
thirty miles away, not in an automo-
bile, but by OK cart. Hardly had the
militia returned from the Indian trip
when they were ordered out against
Price, who was to invade Kansas TO
the east. Fortunately the brave boys
of eastern Kansas we're able to defeat
the rebels and save the state from
|ravsge. The Indians were an ever
present menace for several years.
One day in '6s the report that the
Indians were killing and burning on
Lyons creek was brought by Mr..
StegSh, living on upper Turkey creek.
Leonard Hoffman, brother Of Michael,
and Mr. Dudler began molding bullets,
determined to hold their homes
against the red skins, but sent the
family down the creek to Michael's
home. All the settlers OF upper Tur-
Key creek fed, stopping at Michael
and c. Hoffman's where arrangements
were made for an effective defense. |
For days the excitement lasted until
i was learned that the Indians had
withdrawn and had returned to the
plains.
The food in those days consisted Of
(jerked) buffalo meat, rabbit, and
other game, corn meal, which some
times gaveout. and very little milk.
Cows don't give much milk on dry
prairie grass. Neither hay, fodder,
bran nor corn could be gotten. These
and other necessities Of life must be
planted before they grow. To plant,
one must have seed and prepared soil,
these people had neither. Besides 1t
lakes time for things to grow. 10
1860 there was but one light sApwefl,l
N Turkey creek during tBe entisSEs
hummer, How could these peop
xncw that this was an exceptional
rear; that II would ever rain suifi. |
'iently to raise cropsP Z
In the winter Of go and '6l, q num-
1 the men with their teams went TO-
Atchison and Leavenworth to buy
'rovisions and feed. They found !
relief provisions" furnished by cas-
ern people at AtchiSon and returned 7
y spring to the anxious families they y
ad left, The party was first snow !.
oand, and then afterwards detained !. Z
swollen streams. The trip took :
early three months. =
It takes great courage, fine thoughts ?
ID determination to conquer a wild 4
ninhabited country, to meet and y
'ercome the real and tangible diff
Ilties. Scarcity Of food, lack Of
ed and tools, fierce Indians and ST
ought and to calmly face the in. 81
ngible and unknown dangers which 81
~ Turk beyond the limits Of the is,
owns - - In
When The little family landed on stl
Irkey creek, their entire stock Of fro
Ings ssonsistsd Of a few riCkety gr
airs m old table, no more clothes pu
N they could put on at one time, a biz
! tincgPs and plates, several axes, try
|es and picks. They camped il a stu
gon uotil log cabin was built and
N two families. Stephen Rohrers y
! the HOffmans, lived In that until Gre
hrers had q log cabin. Some ar full
gements were made BY c. Hofr- RO'
. BY which yoke Of oxen and a
were gotten.
asked AppolOniA, then a young and
L What is the most vivid i'm neg
ssion Of these early days In your AZ,
ldP She thought awhile, then said Is q
ardly know whether It's prairie and
), Indians or rabbit meat. bael
abbit meat, l repeated. somewhat s Sl
zledi yes, rabbit meat, for in the sIrs
! winter there we're times when We
nothing 70 eat but rabbits. IgOt q
Iisgusted with them that / cannot otes