New Ulm review., 1913-08-20
Christ speIbrink Describes Out
break.

As an introduction ] will say that as
. boy II years old ] came with my
parents and two younger brothers from
Germany direct to New Ulm in 1867 and
We settled on claim Of 100 acrss about
miles west Of Now Ulm in the town Of
Milford close to the line of the Indian
reservation. During the 5 years from
that time to that 18th Of Aug 80, moth
ing Of great interest happened.
Indians were about us every day,
but they we're friendly and never showed
the least hostility.
August the 18th, 1862, was bright
and lovely day and We had hopes Of
getting our grain stacked that day.
When in the field loading father re.
marked that the Indians must be pretty
busy as We heard unusually many shots
fred north of US. Now to have this
clearly understood l must explain
little the conuition of the times. Far
mers, as rule, did not have many
acres under cultivation at that tune.
We had rented 10 acres on farm to
the north of our place, and Anton
Henle (now dead had also rented 10
acres of the same farm, adjoining
ours to the south. Immediatly north Of
this land is hill, or rather ridge, so
although we heard frequent firing We
could not see what was up or what hap
pened. Shortly before noon just as We
were about leaving the field with q
load for home, Mr.. Messmer, father-in-
law of Anton Henle, Martin, the y
year old con of Anton Henle, and girl
probably relation of the Henle family
met us with load for home, going north
while We went south. Mr.. Messmer
remarked, This will be the last load''.
OF course he meant before noon. When
they we're over the hill, and We had
gone little ways south We heard some
shots but never thought. of anything
wrong. Yet that party was killed then
and there, perhaps 40 or 80 rods from
where We we're. When arriving home
mother called our attention to an Indian
on horseback on q hill east of our
place, saying he had been there for
about an hour. After a few minutes
he left, going north. Mother also told
US that four Indians had passed our
house some distance to the west, and
went to the house of our next neighbor,
Victor ZagrotzkD remaining there for
long time, and that man with only
a shirt on had been seen running some
time before the Indians, to the same
house, but they had not seen anyone
leave it. Although this was unusual
we did not think anything serious of it
and went shortly afternoon to get an
other load of wheat. Arriving there. one
Conrad Zeller, living on the eastern
part of the aforesaid ridge came runs
ming towards US, his clothes covered
and besmeared with blood, telling US
that the Indians had killed everybody
in the neigbborhood and that they had
been at his place but he and his family
being in the cellar, they leftagain with
out detecting them. After the Indians
left he saw somebody moving a little
wavs from his place. Seeing it was no
Indian, he went there and found Mar
tin Henle mortally wounded (tomahaw-
ked) and carried him to his house.
Father thought it might be the doings
of some drunken Indians and went to
the house. The dead boy was a sight
never to be forgotten, his poor face, cut
and bruised; there vas hardly a place
on his body that was not besmeared
with blood. At the same time we saw
the smoke of a burning house, and ia
ther went up on the hill to see which
house it was, telling us to watch the
other directions. When he was about
Railways up the hill, about dozen
mounted Indians suddenly came out of
Iuo lltIlOoI uOI III VI Us "udL AS uOW LILO
New UIm and Redwood road near
Pelzl's place. l called father to come
back, which he did. The Indians also
hearing the call, came to sudden halt
looking our way, - it was trying
moment. MIR. Zelier by this time,
had his family in our wagon. Father
going to the wagon told me watch the
Indians and should they come our way
to hide in slough near by as it would be
hardly possible for him to reach home
with an oxteam before being overtaken
by the Indians. When the savages
reached place where the road forked
they halted, then went east short
distance where they met another small
party and they all stopped. This was
the last I saw of them as l made for
home, reaching it about the same time
as the wagon.
How we escaped, how we reached