The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1920-08-06

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cept the flag, an utterly mean and
uncalled for slap at the good ladies
of st. Peter, who taken SO much in
terest in the welfare of the company.
Flag Held BY Ladies'.
1.-THE flag was held by the ladies of
st. Peter until the close OF the war
when it was again presented to the
surviving members of the company
who accepted it with many explana-
tions and apologies. 1t had long be-
fore been tipped off to the ladies OF
st. Peter why the flag had not been
accepted.
"This company occupied this fort
scouting for Indians until about June
Ist, 1863, and during that time many
amusing incidents occurred, and some
mighty mean tricks were pulled off.
Here is one. There was a young
bachelor, who, like about every other
younk man in the company, had be-
come badly smitten by a certain young
lady in st. Peter, with whom hone of
them had more than a mere passing
acquaintance. But our bachelor SOL
der thought that she had given him
trifle more attention than she had
given to his comrades.
Zone day some of his rivals wrote
to him in a feminine hand some
what warm personal letter to which
they signed the young iady's name,
and when the mail bag from st.
Peter arrived, slyly dropped it in, and
then watched the performance. For
a number of days our bachelor SOL
der was particularly happy, in the
meantime mailing a letter to the st.
Peter lady, to which letter he re-
ceived a prompt reply, which no one
hut ha nj Huhi
could be well imagined by the crest
fallen conduct of our young bachelor.
Everyone connected with this nefar-
ious scheme should have been court
martialled and shot then and there,
and then put on rations of hard tack
and water and then some.
while at Judson, ! had two thrills
such as have tendency to make men
wicked or insane.
Crossed River On Ice.
when we went from st. Peter to
ice about a mile or more below JUDI
son, where a ferry was operated in
the summer. Soon thereafter the ice
broke up and began to move, but be-
came gorged near the ferry, and to
get our supplies from st Peter we
must have the ferry. So we
proceeded to cut out the ice across
the river to make it clear for the fer
ry boat, which was sort of scow or
barge with ratings along the sides,
kept in place by short ropes with pull
leys attached to heavy rope stretched
across the river. The boat was on
the st. Peter side of the river. The
rope had been stretched across the
river, but the short ropes and pulleys
were not at hand, so We attempted to
take the boat across by leaning over
the rail, holding to the big rope with
our hands, and hand over hand pull
ing the boat across. 1t took the
strength of eight or ten of us, and
when in midstream the men began to
let go, was in front of the rail just
taking hold of the rope, and when the
last man let go l was by the swing
into the river and the boat foated
away down stream to the ice gorge
Deluw / was fished out and taken
to the camp with clothing frozen
stiff. Worst of all we had bad news
from New Ulm and was ordered to
go to the stables get fleet mule and
with all speed carry dispatch to the
commander at Mankato. The team
ster saddled a mule and | started.
About Ia mile below the fort ! came
to a crude bridge across little run,
and the mule stopped to think 1t over
No urging would induce him to cross.
/ had no whip but coaxed. bounded
and kicked until the mule got mad,
and turned and started back TOWARD
the stables, stop him or turn him I
could not, and he cantered deliberate
ly along until we reached the stables.
No one saw me. I jumped off and
got the drivers blacksnake whip and
an mounted my mule, interested
him with that whip SO that when we
know it, neither did l. was COM
plimented for my diligence but 1 didn't
tell my experience.
numbers of cartridges in the woods
around Judsop that spring, and when
permitted to discharge our guns, we
had great sport shooting them.
"In the early summer perhaps about
the first of June, 1863, our company
went from Judson across the prairie
toward Madelia, and on to Elm Creek
about eleven miles Northeast of
Fairmont where we built another
fort like the one at Judson, and scout
ed for Indians until ordered south in
the early fall Of that year.
Fifty seven years have passed,
the remains Of the old Judson Fort
can yet be plainly seen, the Indians
are gone, generations have come and
gone, the country has been made to
blossom beyond all expectation, and
we wish that we could say that we
are at perfect peace with all the
world. We have serious problems be-
fore us, let us stop look and listen.