The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1912-12-19
IN EARLY DAYS
Continued from Page l

4
enter the enemy's line to warn and
as far as possible otherwise to shield
! the beleaguered i'm their fight to
Sank Centre where stockade was in
PR gress of erection, Mr.. Harmon
with four others, including yours
truly, with a team OF horses and wag-
on-jn fact there were two two-horse
lteams-volunueered on I h j S most
hazardous expedition in SO far as it
was then possible to forecast its en-
ltanglements with pitiless and alert
foe.
THE more immediate prompting to
the venture was the fact that Van
Etten Of Grove Lake having h d
timely warning of the Indian upris-
ing from a fleeing neighbor, who drove
his team, with family. to his door
and, fearing to delay to catch his own
team of oxen, had accepted for him
self and family the rendered service
of said neighbor's conveyance. In
this way all had safely reached the
assemblage of the terrified at Sank
Centre. But on the following morn
ing Mr. Van Etten, despite the plead
ings of his family and earnest corn-
settings of all others there, had gone
alone to recover his team and wagon
and considerable proportion of the
household furnishings. He had not
returned and the worst was feared.
"In going We took a circuitous line
Of march to destination, first 5y Fairy
Lake and the George Salmond and j.
c. Hoffman places, up the valley OF
the Ashley river to Westport lake.
Here we quickly discovered that the
Indians had already been there and
formed an encampment, and had not
long since departed, as there were
still red hot embers, revealed in stir
ring the ashes in the small beds Of
their campfres, markedly different in
character from that Of t he white
mans building. Our otherwise peace
stirring blood now famed forth in ex
ecrations dire of the skulking foe that
wreaked on friend and enemy alike
his demented lust for human blood.
We alertly as anxiously scanned
the prairie near and far, and also the
more hidden depths of the grove of
timber, for a lurking or fleeing red
skin. Andno signs of the immediate
presence of an enemy or friend APP
pearing, it was agreed We should has
ten OH our way lest some near. by set
tier be butchered but for our timely
coming.
"Our immediate further advance it
was planned, should make the Lake
Amelia sett lement the objective, par
ticularly as one Of our party, j. Pet
tijohn, had fed from his home there
only day or two before, and wished
to recover much in furniture and
food his precipitate flight had forced
him at the time to abandon. His one
story house. and nearby stable were,
hidden from prairie viewing stand
point, by a sheltering small grove of
timber and climbing vines very gener-
ally covering sides and roof. Every
thing was as be had left them, scat
tered helter-skelter on the ground in
front of the house, evidencing pam
icky state of mind that had brought
and left them there. Today we lind
the village of Willard built approx
mately on said site.
"A treeless and generally level prai-
RE lay before us as we iourneyed to-
wards Grove Lake. apparently every
thing was in sight. to our novice eyes.
yet. on another and later occasion
with a prairie just as level-a n d
vastly broader and deeper apparent
ly as the unruffied surface OF the sum-
mers' sea, yet upon that seeming dead
level there suddenly arose long line
stretching for miles to right and left.
and front and rear, Of mounted horse
men and others afoot all armed and
speeding towards us in mad onset for
the mortal fray-a .commingled array
Of horse and foot. And then, just as
the dreadfuiimpact seemed inevitable,
the demoniac array sunk from sight
instantly. as utterly disappeared as