The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1914-03-24
The Story Of The
Sioux Massacre
Tale of Struggle With Indians in
This Vicinity and at Fort
Ridgely
Continued from last week.

49,
Fort, when we spyed two objects at a
distance, then we saw that the woman
wore shacker, kind Of bonnet worn
at that time by women, who also
joined our party, which now numbered
seventeen in ALL The Indians were
at their home, and packed everything
that they wanted, so we journeyed on
till we got in the road towards the
Fort, when man on horseback came
up the road calling, go back so we
went into a slough and laid down in
the tall grass. We stayed about an
hour then we travelled north and
made a circle towards the Fort. At
last just at sunset, we saw the guard
outside the Fort, who at first thought
that we were Indians, but when they
observed we were white folks, they
came to meet US. 1t was just dusk
as we entered Fort Ridgely Return
ing to our neighbors, Mrs. Fumes
family with Mrs. Haden and Mr.
Zimmerman his wife three boys and
two girls, with another team had pre-
ceeded US and it was remarkable, both
Mrs. Eune and Mrs. Zimmerman were
blind, but they had gone about half
mile farther than we and had reached
Mr.. Faraboult, the Government In
dian Interpreter.
When they ran into the massacre
the Indians had shot Mr.. Faraboult
and tied him to the back end of
wagon head down and dragged him to
death. They then proceeded to Mr..
Zimmerman's wagon. Mrs. thinner
man understood the Indians as they
said they would kill the men, where
upon she put her arms around her
husband and ask them to kill her and
leave him with the children, but they
shot him out of her arms, the oldest
boy twenty years, one seventeen year
old boy they also shot, leaving her
and the three youngest.
Now Mrs. Hayden took her child
and slipped off the back of the wagon
and succeeded in getting into the
brush and tall grass and reached the
Fort that night without seeing any
more Indians. The Indians then
drove the two blind women into Mr..
Faraboult's house and fastened them
in, telling them they would return
and burn them up, but in the after
noon man fleeing for the Fort broke
open the window and they all reached
the Fort.
Mr.. June did not reach the Fort
until the third day. He had been
driving his cattle, but was forced to
leave them and hide. A few rods to
the south where the Indians took our
team man had been hiding in the
willows and saw how we had been
treated, he also saw the Indians shoot
the two Haden's.
When we reached the Fort, tired,
hungry, and down hearted, they took
US into one of the log houses, brought
US some rice tea, and bread. We had
just started a fire when the sound of
gun was heard, whereupon they
took US into the quarters which were
built of stone, for safety. They then
took every man and put him on guard
outside, without having had either
dinner or supper.
Now let me state the condition the
war was in at that point. Most of
the soldiers having been called out,
the Fort had been left with as few
men as possible, there being not more
than % men at the Fort that evening,
as Captain Marsh had left that morn
ing with 40 men, for the Agency. By
reading the narrative of the fifth Min
nesota, in the Civil and Indian wars,
you will get a more correct account
of it in the Battle of Redwood, as
it was then called, although it was
the Lower Sioux Agency.
Mr.. J. C. Dickinson was one of the
party that took my uncle's oxen, but
when Mr.. Dickinson reached the Fari-
bault home they took the oxen off and
put on the latter's horses as Mr.. Fari-
bault felt secure, he being married to
a squaw, but in reality was no safer
than the whites. Mr.. Dickinson,s
brother was missing, so he went out
with the burial party in search of his
brother, and was killed in the Battle
of Birch Coolie. Captain Marsh with
his party on reaching the Minnesota
River were all ambushed, and all but
thirteen were killed, the remainder
having been wounded, arrived at the
Fort some ten days later. About 40
young men from the Upper and Lower
Sioux Agency, had been enlisted to go
south and had started for st. Peter
the Friday before to be mustered into
the service. A messenger was sent