Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1918-09-12

M. II. MUulu, CdSIASI OI the tITSI
National Bank and long resident of
Baraboo, wrote of pioneer times, his
paper recently appearing in these col
umns. A copy Of The News was sent
to E. Clarence Luce. Weiser, Idaho,
who has written Mr.. Mould as follows:
! was sure surprised and very GLAD
to receive the copy Of the "Baraboo
Daily News" you sent me and your
"Recollections of the Indian Days"
brought to my remembrance. many
incidents of those early times that
had been in my memorys "cold stor-
age" for many years, but, nevertheless
very familiar and real when stirred UP
by your article. / can personally
vouch for all the happenings as you
have mentioned them.
One of my earliest recollectionS is
an Indian scare my mother and rec
ceived when we lived on the farm we
purchased from Bill Glover which ad-
Joined the Orange Newell farm on the
north. 1t happened on Saturday af-
ter my mother had all her baking done
for Sunday. Late in the afternoon
about so Indians (more or less) came
along the road going from Baraboo to
their camping ground, now Old Man
Steels place. And mother and | were
alone in the house and the first we
knew, all the windows were full of In
dian faces looking to see who were
there. After sizinz us up, they came
in without knocking and took out their
knives and tomahawks to show how
sharp they were and they pointed in
all directions and with their guns and
then demanded something to eat. My
mother began with bread which was
soon gone and cries Of ''More! More !"
came from all sides. The sponge cake
came next and the matter wound up
by their getting every last thing eat
able in the house. We also had few
bushels Of potatoes outside in a nix.
We had been saving them for planting,
but the Indians took them too. AS
soon as they left, we hunted up ray
father and he was surely Wrathy. He
borrowed a horse from Izaac Palmer
and rode post-haste to the Indian
camp, hoping to be in time to save the
spuds, but they were every one being
cooked when he arrived. He explain
ed to old Yellow Thunder and the lat
ter paid father small sum of money.
The next day all the Indians who were
guilty came bringing Indian corn. We
were we'll repaid but we raised no 20
tatoes that year
I remember seeing young Indians
catching ducks in our pond in the way
you mention.
I often visited the Indian camp on
Badger Hill just below Maxwell's dam
and nearly always some of them were
gambling with marbles and a moe Ca
SIM The winners were surrounded by
all kinds of Indian property for the
loser never stopped until he had lost
all he owned
There were several large mounds
near the spring you mention supposed
to contain Indian relics and while
some of us were working on Il e.
road" near the spring, Judge Reming-
ton came down and waited while we
dug into the largest mound then in
sight and was very much concerned
for fear we might break some of the
bones or pottery which he was sure
the mound contained. We unearthed
several relics of which the Judge took
possession This mound was the
head" or beginning, Of a ridge or
embankment that extended in a north
easterly direction through the land
then owned by Judge Remington and
then through Mrs. Peck's pasture until
the road from Baraboo to Portage was
reached. The ridge was in the shape
Of a man and was at least three
fourths Of a mile long, and so far as
| know, who built it, or what it rep
resented, he has never ascertained
| was we'll acquainted with old Mr..
Steel, who lived Gas I remember it, to
the ripe old age of 112 years and was
married the last time after he was 100
W d hduuCh Iduy d lew years yOuHS-
er than he and whom we called "Hipp-
ity Clinch" on account of her having
one limb which was shorter than the
other.
John Atkinson and George Pierce
used to get Mr.. and Mrs. Steele to
foot race for tobacco and Hippity
Clinch generally won the race and the
tobacco.
| remember going to the Winnebago
burial ground near Steel's, just after
the death of Yellow Thunder. He was
buried sitting up in a shallow grave
and the top of his head was visible
when | visited his mausoleum. ALL
his personal belongings were buried
with him. ALI the Indians in camp had
their faces painted black and plenty
and vigorous mourning was in pro-
gress. Many other things occurred in
those days which, if related now,
would fill full-siZed book.
Tho only time r ever. was arrested