Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1913-04-08


| forth all night long. When COM
rade would fall others would help
! him to his feet, encourage him and
force him to keep moving as the only
hope, for no living being could sur
vive an hour in such a storm with
out hard exercise. Captain john
sons party, led by trapper, became
little separated from us by a
slough, where they found a dry
place, and commenced pacing back
and forth as we were doing. They
stayed there all night but in the
morning took southeast direction,
while we went east. They seemed
to have perfect confidence in the old
trapper's knowledge of the country.
From the History of Hamilton
County: During the night some of
our men begged to lie down, claim
ing that it was useless to try to keep
up any longer as the ice on their
clothes gave them fearful annoy
ance. But the more hopeful would
not consent to any one giving up. In
this distressed condition we travelled
up and down that path all night.
Zone man by the name Of Henry
Carse from Princeton, ILL.,, had taken
his boots off in the evening and
| wrapped his feet in pieces of blan-
ket. He succeeded in getting along
as we'll as the rest during the night,
but in the morning when we went
on the ice to break road, his feet
got wet and the wraps wore out.
staid with him until within three or
four miles of the Des Moines river,
when I became satisfied he could
not get there, as his mind bad fail
ed Every time l would bring him
up he would turn away in any direc-
ton. Finally Henry Daily came
along and succeeded in getting him
to the river. The river was three
miles from the Irish colony. We had
no matches, but some of the party
knew how to strike a fire by satur-
ating a damp wad with powder and
shooting it into the weeds. In this
way we succeeded in striking fire.
Henry Carse was now unconscious
and the blood was running from his
mouth. We cut the rags from his
feet and the skin came off the soles
of his feet with the rags.
"As soon as the fire was we'll 60
ing Laughlin and l, being the least
frozen, determined to try to cross
the river and reach the settlement
for help We walked to the middle
of the river, laid poles over the
weak ice and crawled over. We
reached the Irish colony and sent
back help to the rest of the party. l
went to sleep soon after entering a
warm room and did not waken un-
til the next day when | took some
nourishment and started on to over
take the command under Major
| Williams which had been detained
at Cylinder creek. In the morning
C.. c. Carpenter tried to get guide
to go and help search for johnson
and his friend Burkholder, but fail
ed. AS we left the colony I looked
back and saw Carpenter going down
the river to see If they had struck
the river below. At Cylinder creek
the party broke up into squads, each
reaching his home as best he could
i and all of us more or less demOraliz-
ed. Laughlin and came by way OF
Fort Dodge, while Frank Mason and
some Of the others came across north
of here. Most of us had our ears
and feet frozen, but we only lament
, ed the loss of the slain Ssettlers and
our comrades, Johnson and Burk-
!, holder, whose precious lives hao
been given for the relief Of the help
!; less But it has always been a won.
bones Of more of our comrades to
bleach with these, on those wild ant
: trackless prairies.
They started on raid that end
; ed in the massacre, in the late fal
Of 1856, from the lower valley o.
= the Little Sioux river, and Wen
, slowly northward shooting cattle
} and hogs here and there, and com
, hitting other depredations. The!
| stopped few days in Clay count.
at a place now called Peterson, ant
, killed a few cattle belonging to A
! S. Mead (Mr. Mead being away
l knocked down his wife, destroyed
, other property and carried off t.
y their camp his daughter Hattie, sev
e enteen years old, and started to TAX
, younger sister, Emma, but she re
k sisted and cried so loud that an In
t dian took a rod and whipped he