New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1912-08-07

Chas. Roos, ST., Sheriff Of Brow
Sunday, August 18th, 1862, was ar
| ideal day. The sun shone bright and
nearly all the inhabitants of New Ulm
were out in the open. While they
| were thus occupied several wagons
came in filed with recruits, men who
were willing, if necessary, to sacri-
flee their lives in behalf of their coun-
try. Wherever recruits appeared the
desire to put ones self at the COM
mand of the fatherland which was in
trouble, manifested itself, and so it
was here. Major Galbraith, the In
dian agent, was the leader of the par
ty. After the customary greetings he
was asked to deliver speech which
he agreed to do. The people assem-
bled in large numbers in Gross's ho-
tel in the afternoon, where Major Gal
braith was received with cheers. Al.
ter he had given it as his firm convic.
ton that there was absolutely no dan.
ger to be feared from the Indians BIO.
cause he had complied with their ev.
cry wish, he called upon the young
men of New Tim to enlist in the vol
unteer army for the purpose Of put.
ting down the rebels of the South
while those whose conditions would
not permit them to take active part
in the campaign could indirectly as.
sist in getting up q volunteer COM
pany. After the speaker had closed
his address and had been roundly ap.
plauded, as is usual under such cir
cumstances, several of the New Ulm
people began to collect money and to
secure men for company. Among
these were Schneider, Dietrich and
Fenscke. These three were not able
to 60 personally but were willing to
do all in their power to recruit a
company in Brown and adjoining
counties. On the same day a COM
mittee consisting of the above three
and Jacobs and Rudolph commenced
to circulate subscription list for
money and by night had also secured
10 signatures for company. In the
evening Major Galbraith delivered an
other speech at the Gross hotel. The
committee decided to send recruit
ing party into Milford the. next day
with wagons, music and flags, a regu-i
lar German recruiting party. Mon
day morning Major Galbraith left for
St. Peter with his recruits.
About or 10 o'clock in the morn
ing, the Milford recruiting party con-
sisting of about Is. persons, started
out with wagons, music and flags.
The band playing, they left the city
a few hours later and rapidly moved
forward toward Milford. When the
party came to point about one mile
this side of Henle's they found the
mutilated remains of man named
Messmer, lying near the roadside.
They Immediately stopped and as the
man was still alive it was assumed
that the Indians must have commit
ted this act just few minutes prev
iously. It was decided forthwith, as
it was generally believed that this
was the work of few drunken In
dams, to give chase and capture them.
The teams started out on this mission
at full speed but only a few rods
away was a thicket and creek over
which there was bridge. Schneider;
with the first wagon, had just about
passed the bridge when firing was
opened upon them from the thicket
and Schneider and Dietrich were i'm
mediately killed. On the second wag-
on was Fenscke who was also killed
and Haupt and Steimle, who were
wounded. Haupt managed to save
himself by making for the third wagon
which still held by the wounded man
along the road. When the survivors
saw that the Indians were there in
such large numbers and we'll armed
they saw the futility of having a fur
Their encounter with the savages es-
pecially as they were all unarmed
They, therefore, gathered up the
| wounded in the wagons and drove
full gallop to New Ulm. On the way
they warned the people living neal
the road and filed up their wagons
with women and children. A part OF
the party had, when the firing com
menced, figured out that the wagons
were not safe places and jumped out
and escaped into the woods and re
turned to New Ulm afoot. About noon
a man galloped into the city calling
"The Indians are coming. They are
massacring everything on the way
and are only a few miles off. They
have already killed the recruiting
party"
The sheriff was Immediately calico
and confronted with the news tina
the Indians were on the war path
He also believed that this was the re
suit of too much .whiskey but as {
matter .,of :precaution, he called to
sether a. posse to capture the Grove
Eaf supposed dru4kards and put then
into sjaik The .:p0sssr consisting o
about 30 men was. armed with rifles
double-barreled shot guns and oths