The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1913-05-23
Eeho Of the War
! - With Indians
From Tuesdays Daily.

b6lIdSt, N. i. bldZe. III Iooo JohA-l
Nicholson, wife and children re-
moved from Oramel to the then far
west, Minnesota, where they located
in Butternut Valley near Mankato. /
There they gained considerable prop
erty. but they lost it all in the, ter
rible Indian raid in. 1862. The fam |
lily became scattered and We're never |
reunited. The following letters writ |
ten during the strenuous times OF
1862 by John Nicholson and his wife,
Mary, to John Royce OF Transit, were
found a few weeks ago in the attic
of the old home at Transit turned
over to Frank Nicholson of this vii
lase. who is son of John Nicholson,
and was fifteen years, old at the time
of the Indian outbreak. They doubt
less will prove interesting to those
who remember the family and the
historical raid of that time.
"Mankato, Mimi, September B.,
1S62.-Dear friends: will try ana
compose myself to write few lines
to let You know how we are. 1t is
twenty days since we left our home
in the night and all we had and ran
for our lives. We came to this place
the next morning.
John and Willie went to New
| Ulm. There was an open battle and
they both were in the fight and Will
lie was Shot He lived but a few
hours. John had ball through his
coat his gun shot from his hand and
his hat was gone. did not see
Willie die, and can't realize that he
lis dead yet | know he is buried i'll
a. soldiers grave. The Indians did
not get his body to cut up as they
have a great many. | do not feel
reconciled to his loss, it seems tf1at
II am nearly gone myself, | can not
say yet, Thy will be done
John has enlisted for thirty days
and is now in South Bend. His heart
! is broken with the trouble we are
| in. 1t comes hard on poor Frank to
lose Willie They were always to-
gether. He is more than half SICK.
Isabel and Johnny are poor and pale,
] and Mary just sick enough to be
awful cross. . @
You, can know nothing of con-
| fusion until you live in a fortified
town where there are five thousand
people, and each one nearly scared
to death. 1t is. expected the, Indians
j will attack this place, but no one
can tell when, they may have it sur
j rounded now, and they may not try
at all. Some were seen yesterday
} Just across the river hiding in the
! Lcornfield There have, been a mum
Der killed across the river this week
. One man, was killed half q mile from
our house We do not think it sale
to go for any of our things for oul
I house stands in the timber. W.
, have our trunks. and few things, il
them and what clothes we had OF
, and one yoke of cattle, the rest O
: the cattle and the colts are on thu
2 prairie, it is a great chance IL We
: ever see them again, for the Indian!
and white men dressed as Indians arr
driving off the cattle If things keel
} on this way much longer the ,peopL
must starve as it is impossible Il
gather the crops. We. are staying
| here like all the rest, poor and mis-
:. cradle
81 hear that, there has been anoth
= er battle at the fort and the INDIAN
beat the soldiers. Since | began, f
. write John has come down to tn
hospital sick, have just been, owe
: to see him. He is pretty sick but
think he will be better in a few days
He is a great deal more comfortable
+ there than ! can make him here.
wish | could give you description
!, of the hospital. | saw one man, VIII
!, had fourteen bullets in him and ye
! think he. will live. A little. eleye
= year old boy carried his hrOthe
II twenty months old, forty miles on hi
\. back with nothing to, eat but berrle
u / have seen wounds of every descril
y ton. and death in every form. | al
# sick and weary. with the sights an
a sounds that greet nae. at every turl
n IL do not know what we can do.
,e Il wish, you to write as soon
Of you get this, and give us yol
W prayers, your advice and all the al
you can, and write quick for thel
TO is no telling what will become of
III in few days. Everyone here is
RS bad off as we. are and many a
Id worse. We think to start down II
ir river and go as far as we can towal
lie Illinois, and home if We can. ! a
ly afraid the Indians will attack
Id here, and if they do you may new
know our fate.
NJ Write as soon as you can. | sci
ed this to, all of you. Goodbye, Ma
~ Nicholson
N = q
IN "Mankato, Blue Earth Count
pit Mimi, September Is, 1S62.-Dear S
ne ter and Friends: We are still amor
he the living, thank God We receiy
on your letter yesterday and are glad
know you are all WELL Dear
'n' ter, if / was to tell you of all t
Io' cruelties and. cold-blooded murde
~ that have been committed here
ne would make your blood curdle.
70 have seen men, women and children
'he all sizes and ages, murdered and mu