The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-06-28

7 neighbor, and so the news travelled
The men We're in fury of excite
ment and anxiety; the women and
children were quaking with fear.
| Wagons were hastily loaded with
women and children, and a little
food, animals were turned loose tC
provide themselves with food, houses
were left unlocked, oxen were hitch
ed to the wagon, and general
stampede was started toward the
east. with all eyes turned toward the
west No one knew whittier they
were going; they only knew that
they dare not stay. A halt was
made at Shelbyville, the strongest
buildings were selected for occu
pancy, the women and children were
placed inside, and the men acted as
pickets. In the whole country there
was scarcely a dozen guns.
Reports came worse and worse.
New Ulm, twenty-five miles away,
was attacked, and another stampede
began for the east; some stopping
at Wilton, Owatonna, and Rochester,
and some, so far as was ever heard,
are going yet.
After waiting two or three weeks,
and hearing encouraging reports,
some of the more venturesome re-
turned to their homes with their
families, only to remain a few days,
and to be again driven away by the
near proximity of the Indians, and
the sickening reports of their muir
Of oh
borhOod, was true of every settle
ment in all Southwestern Minnesota.
When the stampede from our neigh
borhood started, my father drove
our oxen with my mother and five
children in the wagon. When they
reached the Blue Earth river about
four miles away, one of the oxen
was taken sick, and could be driven
no farther; he laid down and died
Here was a somewhat unpleasant
dilemma, but swarthy young man
in the caravan went into the woods,
and as he put it "fiscated" a young
unbroken steer, and put him into
the yoke and made him work. When
they returned several weeks after
ward the steer was turned loose
where he was found, and we have
not yet ascertained whose property
he was.
The Terrifying Conditions.
The unsettled and terrifying con-
ditions then existing continued un-
til late in the fall, when under the
general belief that the Indians would
not move on the war-path in the
winter, the greater number of the
settlers returned to their homes to
save what they could of their nearly
destroyed and wasted crops. Some
of them, indeed quite many never
returned. With feelings of partial
security, and encouraged by their
escape from slaughter thus far, the
settlers remained at their homes,
under an intense strain of anxiety,
but nearly undisturbed until 1864,
when rumors of Indian troubles were
again heard; but the settlers were
not so easily terrified as before,
and held their ground
Many day during this time my
younger brother and sisters sat up
on the roof of our straw covered
cattle shed and watched for Indians
while father worked in the field.
Little wonder, if some of the chill
dren of pioneer days became pre-
maturely old and thoughtful.
On the 18th day of August, 1854,
after quite long period of free
dom from Indian disturbances, a
party of eight or ten Indians sud-
denly appeared in the edge of the
timber on the east side of the Blue
Earth river, between Shelbyville and
Vernon. and, taking wholly by sur
prise Mr. Noble g. Root and his two
sons, who were stacking grain, shot
and killed Mr.. Root and seriously
wounded one, and | think, both of
his sons, and killed Mr.. Chas. Mack.
No more honest kindhearted and
generous neighbors ever gave their
lives in defense of their property
and their families, than were Chas
Mack and Noble G.. Root
| need not dwell upon the Juror
of alarm which this Indian raid
again caused in that settlement, and
indeed, all over Southwestern Min
nesota.
Many settlers again seriously con.
templated finally abandoning their
homes and property and telling for
their lives; they had about lost all
faith in the assurances of protection
by the public authorities. But squads
of armed men were organized, the
country was secured, pickets were
put out, the women and children
were corralled as we'll as possible,
and after a while confidence was
again partially restored.
This was the last Indian raid in
to Southwestern Minnesota, save the
raid into Blue Earth county on the
End day of May, 1865, in which the
Jewett family in Rapidan was MUIR
dered, with the circumstances of
which all are familiar
1t has been written that the half