New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1917-09-05
Heortless Story as Denied.

Heartless Story1s Denied.
When war was first declared by the
United States against Germany some o.
the restaurants, owned or operated by
brainless individuals, thot to make hit
and show their loyalty, removed German
fried potatoes from their bills of fare
That didn't cut much ice, and few people
paid any attention to this notable display
of cheap loyalty.
The daily newspapers, however, start
ed about that time to create the impress
sion that to show how much they loved
the United States it would be necessary
to print everything mean, slurring and
contemplate about the German people
and everybody having German names
living in the United States, 1t has mat
tered not whether such were merely
German enough to bear a German name
The smallness of these newspapers has
been continually shown. Then lot
of country editors, who evidently thot
to make others believe they too were
really somebody, felt it incumbent upon
them to initiate the big fellows of the
city: Most Of the shafts are aimed at
this city. The result has been that
New Ulm and the people of this city
have received abuse enough to last a
lifetime.
The climax was reached here last
Sunday when an article appeared on
the editorial page of the St. Paul Pioneer
Press, written by c. M. Flandrau,
son of Colonel Flandrau, who did such
noble work in the defense CT New Ulm
aifty-fve years ago. The name of the
latter has ever been revered in this city,
and his name and picture adorn the In
dian monument.
The story told by the untruthful son
OF this illustrious hero of more than half
a century ago, is to the effect that when
the people of this town were about to
evacuate, after having lost more than half
their number at the hands of the treach-
erous Indians, says that barrel OF whis-
key was placed. in the street, and that
into this whiskey was poured poison
enough to have killed the entire Sioux
nation. The idea was, according to the
story, the Indians, after the evacuation,
would swarm into the town, .guzzle the
whiskey, and without effort Or expense
to the inhabitants, be forever extermi-
mated. He says. his father wouldn't
stand for any such nasty and under
handed work, and taking an ak knocked
the head of the barrel in and allowed the
contents to run on the ground.
MIR. Flandrau should have waited few
years before springing any such I'M
truthful story on the public, because
"a number of the defenders are still living
and are able to deny the truth OF it,
which they do with all the vehemence
that is within them.
Richard Pfeferle, who was one OF the
defenders, and who came with Colonel
Flandrau from St. Peter, when the news
sof the attack in New Ulm was brought
40 that town, declares there is absolutely
mo truth in the story. He says he was
2 neighbor of Colonel Flandrau for years,
and was frequently associated with him
an many ways, and such an occurrence was
never mentioned by his old time friend.
Others of the old defenders who read
Flandrau's story and pronounce 1t as
absolutely false are the following: Albert
Behnke, Joseph P. Vogel, George Doehne,
Fred Fritsche and John Schlumpberger.
The latter says he in company with the
late John. Hauenstein and a man named
Theobald, were the last three men to
leave the town on the day OF the evac-
.1ation. He declares most emphatl-
scallv that there is not word OF truth IN
the statement made by the younger
Flandrau.
There probably could not have been a
statement printed that would bring more
sorrow to the hearts of these aged men
than the one perpetrated by this man
Flandrau, who was evidently actuated
by the same desire as that OF the cheap
restaurant keepers to show their loyalty
to the country.
On the day that New Ulm was evacu-
ated the inhabitants must have been
nearly crazed by the events that had been
transpiring for an entire week. Most o.
them had either part or their entire
families wiped out by the savages during
that time. Even if the story told by
Flandrau had been true, there would be
nothing surprising that someone shoulo
propose something drastic and woulc
not be considered by fair-minded me1
as anything so very strange.
During his entire lifetime Colone
Flandrau apparently held warm spo'
IN his heart for New Ulm. He was ont
of the speakers at the dedication OF tn
Indian monument, and he served on tn
board of directors Of the Fort Ridgel.
,.;,+;o,, with Richard pfaffarlp