Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1917-04-25
sPERRY WAS AN
INDIAN WAR SCOUT
Continued from page 1:

the situation would have been cheer
full. 1t now became important to get
word to him; his company was sorely |
needed at Forest City; besides If he
remained at Acton he would surely be
surrounded and his little command an
initiated. But how could a message
be sent to him? Between Forest City
and Acton were hundreds of Sioux
warriors. The matter was discussed
and Captain Whftcomb asked if there
were any who would undertake to
reach Strout's command. Jesse V.
Branham, Jr., Albert H. Sperry and
Thomas Holmes stepped forward and
volunteered to make the journey. The
sun was sinking beneath the western
pra1ries as these three heroic men
mounted their steeds and rife in hand
set out with resolute souls on their
perflous mission. AS they turned to
the south and disappeared in the gath
ering gloom, their friends with beat
ing hearts waved them last farewell,
many doubling that they would ever
see the brave boys again on earth"
1.-The three messengers set out for
Strout's camp by a circuitous route.
In direct line the distance was less
than fifteen miles, but they travelled
at least twenty-five miles, their pur-
pose being to avoid contact with the
enemy. At first they rode southwark
between the present sites of Litch-
field and Darwin, then in a southwest
erly direction until they struck the
HendersOn-Pembina trail. Dismount-
ing, lighting matches and examining
the road they could see the newly
| made tracks of men, horses and wag-
~ inc in Inv <,,S, -.
horses toward the northwest and fol-
lowed the old road. Only the dull clat-
ter of horses hOofs broke the stiffness
tered the woods near the Howard
Baker place, when two dogs rushed
out and barked at them This startled
them for moment, for they did not
know whether the dogs came from In
dians or whites. Peering thru the
darkness they could see no sign of a
camp and rode on to Jones' place fur
Their up the road. Here they say tents
in the yard, but no picket called
Halt" 1t was learned after the close
| of the war that at that very hour
StrOut's camp was surrounded. Cap
cident says, 1T has been shown be-
| Branham, Sperry and Holmes were
within six rods of Strout's camp a
head warriOr-a brOther-in-law of Lit
tie Six-with his warriors stood on the
road and on their approach fell back,
eleven on each SIDE" The nearness
of the three men to the camp at this
time no doubt saved them from being
| fired upon and killed, for the hour of
attack had not yet arrived
"When Strout and his men were
reused from their sleep and told that
they would in all probability have the
Indians down upon them before morn
ing, many treated the matter jesting-
ly. Others took the situation more
seriously and exhibited nervousness.
The guns and ammunitions were ex-
amined and to the modification of all
it was found that the cartridges
would not fit the old Belgian rifles.
Men were at once set to work to ham,
mer down the bullets so they could
be used.
! breakfast was eaten and prepara-
tons made to depart for Forest City
over the roundabout route by which
the messengers had come. After the
teams had been hitched to the wagons.
the captain called his men together
and in short speech assured them
that there was nothing to fear and ad-
monlshed them to keep cool. "At day.
light the start was made. The four
mounted men under Sergeant Bran
ham were ordered to proceed some
three hundred yards ahead of the
main body. Albert Sperry rode about
two hundred yards in advance of the
other hOrsemen. One platoon preced-
cd the wagons and another brought IN
the rear. AFTER marching in this or
der about a mile, Sperry came to a
creek and stopped to let his horse
drink. While scanning the landscape
for signs Of the enemy, he saw the
| glinting of gun barrels in a wheatfield
some three hundred yards ahead. The
mounted men halted until the main
body came up. Captain Strout now
deployed the first platoon as skirmish-
ers and gave orders to advance. The
indians, apparently about twenty in
number, seeing this movement, moved
on in the same general direction. One
OF them mounted fence and waved
his blanket as If signalling to others
not yet in sight, Two or three rounds
were fired, when the Indians skulked
off into the wheatfield and disappear-
ed. In this little skirmish, the IN.
drilled and inexperienced recruits had
behaved in very soldier-like man.
ner and it looked as if they had real
lied their ambition-a brush with the
Indians without it's becoming a dis.
agreeable one. But suddenly. the de-
moniac war whoop of the Sioux was
neard In the rear and looking back,
tney saw Indians on foot, Indians on
heavy farm horses and Indians on
swift ponies, coming out of the tim
Der which they had just left. The
blood curdling yells of the savages
always struck terror to the hearts Of
men unaccustomed to Indian warfare
and the city boys of Strout's Command
proved no exception. The COMPANY
was demoralized for some time hnt
was shortly formed in two sections
while orders were given to the team.
sters to drive to the top of a hill a
snort distance in advance and there
halt. 1t was decided to go nv Wv
OF keliey's Bluff to Hutchinson.
indians were now seen in eyerv d.
rectlon. One stood on a hill about
tnree hundred yards to the southwest
waving his blanket, describing fantas-
tic circles with it and apparently by
tnese signals directing the attack. It
Is generally believed that this was
none other than Little Crow. Word
was given the teamsters to 70 ahead
ana tney, thinking evidently that to