Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-01-14
MRS. IRENE THOMAS, OF ALBION,
PASSES AWAY At MUNDEN,
KAN, OF OLD AGE.
SAW INDIANS KILL SON
At SPIRIT LAKE MASSACRE
Mother Of Frank NJ. Thomas, For
Whom Local 6. A. r. Post and W. r.
c. Are Namsd-Intsrsstins Tale Of
EARLY Iowa Hardships Thru Which
Mrs. Thomas Passed.


experiences of the Spirit Lake Indian
massacre, that has gone down in Iowa
history as one of the coolest FLOODED
wholesale murders ever laid at the door
of the savage Indian tribes Of the pio-
neer days: having seen one of her chill
dren shot down and killed, and her
husband wounded. by painted war
rior; having buried her little daughte:
as a result Of the exposure caused by
the long journey thru the snow and
cold to escape the red mems treacherS,
! Mrs Irene Thomas. of Albion, is deao
at the venerable age OF SIS.
! Mrs. Thomas death occurred sunday
! morning at Munden, Kan, where she
| had been for the past six months, Wis
ting her daughter, Mrs Emma Striker.
| The end was due to old age, senlle gan
| creme of the foot developing. tele-
| gram announcing Mrs. Thomas death
reached Albion late Monday afternoon
| and the body, in charge of Mrs striker
| and her brother, Rev. Valentine =
| Thomas. of Preston, KAN reached Al
| bion this morning.
Mrs. Thomas has not occupied her
J little home at Albion for the past elsh-
| teen months or since she went 10 lie
home of her son Sylvester, at Hunter
/ Okla. where she remained until she
went to be with her only daughter.
| Last Iowa Survivor Of Massacre.
Mrs. Thomas was the last Iowa res
ident survivor of the terrible Sioux
| massacre of 1857, which began on
March $, of that year. and continued
| for three weeks. During the period the
| nlood,hirs1y reds pillaged and muir
dered
! 1t was at the James B. Thomas nome
which was then just across the Iowa
line in Minnesota. at a point Where
the town Of Jackson now stands that
the settlers of northern Iowa ana
southern Minnesota gathered following
the massacre at Spirit Lake. Inc
Thomas cabin was fourteen miles DIS
rant from the scene of the first out
rage, in which SO many were Killed.
The Thomases owned a double log
cabin, thru which twelve portholes
We're cut, and the barrels OF Twelve
! muzle-l loading rifles protrudeo. Inc
! guns were kept loaded all the tliHe'
| fearing an outbreak from the war
nain,ed reds who were still known 10
| be in the country.
Long-Expected Happens.
The long expected attack finally
came. and altho ready, the settlers
we're in a way taken by surprise. AL
about O'Clock on the afternoon on
March &c. 1857. while Mr.. Thomas and
his son William. II years old. were our
in the BARNARD making sugar troughs.
getting ready for the spring flow OF
maple sap, an Indian. tall and straight
with his face painted and his feathers
hyine. was seen at the lower END OF the
BARNARD, going toward the mousse
Thomas and his son started Tor the
house, but the Indian made frlendiE
sign and the father and son siackeneo
their speed. No sooner had they
stopped than rifles were fired from mere
and there, behind haystaoks and OUT
buildings Little William fell dead in
his tracks. shot thru the head at the
first volley. Mr.. Thomas received Il
ball thru his wrist. Not stopping 10
care for his dead the father ran to the
house. the door was barricaded behind
| him, and for the next hour a steady
exchange of shots between the Indians
and the imprisoned whites was kept
up.
A Young Mothers Experience.
For Mrs Thomas, then only % and
F.! the mother of six children, with one OF
her little ones dead. her husband shot
and fainting every few minutes from
| pain and loss of blood, the experiences
of the long hour that seemed centuries
are hard to realize. Between the duties
/ Of caring for her husband and binding
I'D his wounded arm, and loading the
rifles as the men and older boys fired
| them. Mrs. Thomas was kept busy Inc
Younger boys nodded the bullets and
] the older ones and the men returned
! the fire of the Indians. While there
were thirty occupants OF the CABIN
| most of them we're women and chill
! dren. and upon the women devoived
most of the work of loading the rifles
! After the hours fight the Indians re-
| treated. riding off thru the timber, and
| leading all of the Thomas horses and
| those of the other settlers who had
| brought their horses to the Thomas
premises.
/ Whether or not the fire OF the set
! tiers was effective was never known.
I as the Indians, if they lost any OF their
! party, or any were wounded, carried
! their dead or injured with them on the
retreat.
Seven Lose Lives in Attack
| In the attack on the Thomas cabin
and the other houses Of the settlement
that were pillaged in the same raid,
seven people lost their lives. William
and George Wood. who kept the little
settlement store and were on friendly
terms with the Indians, had refused to
join with their neighbors in preparing
for defense believing that the Indians
would not modest them. The Wood
brothers were both killed and scalped.
and their bodies burned. The Stewart
family-Joshua Stewart, his wife and
two children-were all slaughtered.
Johnny Stewart, aged 8, managed TO
escape into the woods, and found his
way to the Thomas cabin. The four
Stewards. two Woods, and little Will
liam Thomas comprised the list of vic
tins Of the raid.
Leave for Fort Dodge.
The winter of 1861 had been very
severe one, and there had been untold
suffering There was much snow, and
| I~xy