New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1915-04-07
VISITING OLD SCENES.

Frank M. Nicholson of Belfast, Ale
ghany County, N. ", is visiting the
scenes of his boyhood days near Cambria,
Mimi, where he has not been for the
past 50 years. Altho at the time OF the
Indian Massacle, he was only Is years
old, he has a very distinct ard vivid
recollection of those trying days. He
says that his people made good their
escape when the savages made their first
appearance and were numbering the
white settlers in the Welsh settlement.
When they reached Mankato a company
was ready to start for New Ulm to aid
in it's defense, and his father and
brother both joined this company and
his brother was killed during the second
battle of New Ulm. While in the city
Monday, Mr.. Nicholson visited the
Sioux Monument and there found the
name of his brother inscribed as one
of those who fell during the Indian
Massacre. Several years ago, he says,
he found letter addressed by his mother
under cate OF September 5th, 1862, to
friend in the East. He still has the
letter. In part it reads as follows: Il
will try and 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. leaving all we had, and ran
for our lives. We came to this place
the next morning. John and Willie
both went to New Ulm. There was an
open battle and Willie was shot. He
lived but a few hours. John had
ball through his coat, his gun was shot
from his hand and his hat was gone.
I did not see Willie die and can not
realize that he is dead yet l know that
he is now in soldiers grave. John
has enlisted for thirty days and is now
in South Bend. You can know nothing
of confusion until you live in fortified
town where there are five thousand
people and each one nearly scared to
death. 1t is expected that the Indians
will attack this place but no one can tell
when. They may have it surrounded
now and they may not try at all. Some
were seen yesterday just across the river
hiding in the corn field. There have
been number killed across the river
this week. One man was killed yester-
day half mile from our house. We do
not think it is safe to go for any OF our
things for our house stands in the timber.
We have our trunks and a few things in
them and the clothes we had on and
one yoke of oxen. The rest of the cattle
and the colts are on the prairie and it
is great chance if we ever see them
again for the Indians and white men
dressed as Indians are driving off the
cattle. Ii things keep on this way
much longer the people must starve as
it is impossible to gather the crops.
We are staying here like all the rest,
poor and miserable. 1 hear that there
has been another battle at the fort and
the Indians beat the soldiers and since
1 began to write, John has come down
to the hospital sick. wish l could
give you a description of the hospital.
l saw one man with fourteen bullets in
him and yet / think he will live. A
little boy only II years old carried
his little brother twenty months old
on his back forty miles with nothing to
eat but berries. have seen wounds
Of every description and death in every
form. l am sick and weary with the
sights and sounds that greet me at
every turn. l do not know what we
can do"
During the winter that followed Mrs.
Nicholson grew weaker and tho she was
taken back East could not survive the
shock OF her dreadful experiences and
died in the spring. The father came
West again to fight the Indians and dis
Mr.. Nicholson is visiting
among the Welsh people at Cambria.