Meeker County, Minnesota - Chapter 5: Journalism and Education, 1888

Chapter 5: Journalism and Education

^JXli any community are its educational and newpaper facilities. In these respects Meeker county is not behind her sister counties, having been provided liberalh' as to both these engines of civilization. THE PRESS.

The pioneer journal was the Mee'ker County News,\\\\\c\\ was established at Forest City in 1868, and was published in that place by Frank Belfoy until the fall of 1869, when he removed the oifice and material to the new town of Litchfield. It was a sprightly, newsy, republican sheet, and well edited. It was carried on by Mr. Belfoy in the latter town until tlie fall of 1S74, when the sul)- scription book and g(XMl-will of the journal w'ere purchased b}"^ Daggett & Joubert, and the ]iaper consolidated with the Leihjer. press and material beinj'- sold to "o to Hutchinson, by Mr. Belfoy. The press was the first that was ever bi'ought to the State of Minnesota.

In the fall of 1S70, II. G. Rising commenced the publication of a newspaper, known as the Litchfield I?ej)uJj/ican, and continued its issue until the autumn of 1871, when he removed it to Glenwoodjthe county seat of Pope county, west of this place. It was, as its name implies, republican in ])olitics, and was a good local sheet.

The Litchfield Ledger was established in 1872, the first issue bearing date of April .30. It was an exponent of the ])rinciples formulated hy the republican party, was a sevencolumn folio, and was edited and pul)lished by Daggett & Joubert. It was an able and spicy local paper, and attained, from its first inception, considerable influence. In the latter part of 1S7I: the firm purchased the business of the Hews, and consolidated the two journals under the name of News-Ledger, and the paper issued weekly by Daggett & Joubert under the double title. In October, 1876, Mr. Daggett was taken from this world b}' death, after which W. D. Joubert ran the paper alone until six months later, when Frank Belfoy brought a half-interest, and the firm of Belfoy &. Joubert was formed, and carried on the business until August, 1881, when Mr. Belfoy, also, died, and four months afterwards the interest belonging to him was purchased by his surviving partner. Under the sole management of Mr. Joubert the News-Ledger has continued until the present day, growing in influence and prosperit}' every year. Since the establishment of the paper five of the apprentices in the office have become fuUfiedged editors, after having learned the principles and practice of the "Art preservative" in this school. Four of them are now running j)aj'ers in the State of Minnesota, namely - S.W. Frasier, of the Brown''s Valley Rejwrter; V. Goi'don, of the fnter-Lake Tribune; F. E. Joubert, of the AVheaton Gazette; and N". P. Oleson, who is jiublishing a Swedish paper in Minneapolis. The other is M. O. Cathcart, one of the Litchfield Ledger staff.

The liamhler, a small humorous journal, first saw the light in 1874, and owed its inception to two of the compositors in the L^edger office, J. D. Ilayford and N. P. Olson. For a few months, while its existenc lasted, it aff'orded considerable amusement.

The Litchfield Lndependent was started in 1S7C) by a stock company, as an exponent of the National greenback party. Among those who' owned stock in it were W. M. Campbell. E. A. Cam])bell, Dr. V. P. Kennedy', A. Palm, P. Ekstroni, and the editors, II. C. Martin and A. Sanders. A short time after the first issue, II. I. Peterson ]iurchased the interest of Sanders, and the firm of II. C. Martin «fe Co., was formed, who acquired the interests of the other owners. Two years later E. P. Peterson bought out Mr. Martin and the firm name and style changed to E. P. and II. I. Peterson. These gentlemen carried on the pa])er until March, 1881, when II. I. Peterson, the present proprietor, purchased the interest of his brother and has continued at the head of the journal ever since. He is a good newspaper man, a pungent writer, and the paper, under his management, is deservedly popular.

The JuitliliKggaren, a Swedish radical journal, was established by Hans H. Widstrand, in 1880, as a montldy paper, and for a period of a few months operated in this locality, but its publication was finaUy suspended.

pearance on the 5th of July, 1881, with the names of the firm of Lewis A. and Fred. A. Pier at the head of its coUimns as editors and proprietors. It was at that time an indei)endent, five-column quarto sheet, but is now a six-column quarto, just as non-partizan as ever, and an excellent local pa})er. April 1, 1887, the junior partner disposed of his interest in the business to Frank II. Ilaven^ and the firm of Pier & Haven formed, who have controlled the management and revenue of the office ever since. July 1, 1887, they jjurchased a Shipman one-horse-power engine, furnishes the power to run their presses, etc. Besides his laboi's upon this journal, Mr. Pier holds and occupies the editorial tripod on the Christian Gleaner, a monthly paper published at Minneapolis, devoteil to the interests of the Christian Churcii of Minnesota, of which denomination he is a minister. The Svenska Folkets Allahanda, fin independent Swedish paper, was established in 1882, by Gisslo & Peterson, and published by them in Litchfield in that language for about eighteen months, when it was removed to Minneapolis.

Educational

Perhaps in no other direction is tlie material development and progress of tlie county better shown than in the rapid and enormous increase in the educational facilities afi^orded the rising generation. A careful study of the statistics furnished from tlie official papers will convince the most skeptical reader that in this respect Meeker county has made giant strides toward universal education.

In 18C1 it is shown by the records there were within the bounds of the county but 245 persons of a school age, or between the years of five and twenty-one, while in 1868 there were 1,426, and in 1887 these had increased to 4,20-1 scholars entitled to their proportion of the school apportionment.

reported as being 11, which in 1868 had risen to 35, and now in tlie present year, 1888, there are 81 organized school districts in the county, having some 77 school-houses erected and in use. In 1861 there were but 4 schoolhouses within the county limits, and in 1868 there were 12.

In 1861 it required 8 teachers to manage the schools ; in 1868, 15 were necessary; wliile now 90 are required for the schools taught in the winter, and 82 for the summer schools.

In 1861 the salaries paid to teachers aggregated only $343.80 ; in 1868 the sum was $1,477, but in 1887 it took $22,392 to liquidate the indebtedness of the districts for the same purpose.

The value of the school edifices in 1861 is recorded as having been $345, and in 1868 $2,270. In 1887 the same class of property represented a value of $66,708.

In the early records of the county there is no mention of any school apparatus or school libraries, and the furniture in use in those days was of a very rude and primitive character, while the annual report of T. J. Soule, the efficient county superintendent, for 1887, shows that the value of school apparatus, libraries and furniture in use in the various schools of the county v,'as $9,172, being, alone, about four times the value of all the school property in the county twenty years previous.

The average per cent, of attendance to the whole number of pupils in 1868 was 31.5, while in 1887 the percentage had risen to 61.4; the difference being partly owing to the increased facilities, hut more to the growing interest in educational matters by the citizens, and a more intense desire on the part of the children of this generation for the advantages of an education, for thej' can see that in this day and age the man who has the greatest amount of knowledge has the greatest chance for success in life.

Take it altogether, but few counties in Minnesota can make a lietter showing in the matter of education than Meeker county. The interest manifested hy the people, the high grade of teachers employed, and the general excellent feeling throughout the community in regard to school affairs, is rapidl}' and clearly placing the county at the head as one of the most enlightened and progressive subdivisions of the State.

Chapter Yi The Indian Massacre

'O THE necessaiy hiu'dships and trials of the pioneers of this county was added the terrible experience of Indian atrocity and fiendisliness. By the first settlers here, in the midst of their hard struggle with nature, was heard, in 1862, the thrilling war whoop of the red savage and the sharp crack of his rifle, as its ball sped to the doom of the peaceful farmer. The tragical episode of the Indian massacre of that year commenced within the limits of Meeker county, and has impressed itself indelibly, in letters of fire and blood, with fearful distinctness, upon the pages of its annals and in the hearts and minds of the survivors of that fearful ordeal. It is the task of the historian to trace the event in all its detail, and endeavor to reconcile some of the conflicting statements received.

By the treaty of Traverse de Sioux, between the United States Government and the Sissetons and Wapatons, dated July 23, 1851, ^275,000 were to be paid to their chiefs, and the further sum of $.30,000, was to be expended for the benefit of the tribes. By the treaty of Mendota, dated August 5, 1851, the Medawakantons and Wapakutas were to receive the sum of $2(H>,000, to be paid to their chiefs, and $30,000 to the improvement fund. This sum of $535,000, the Indians claimed, and perhaps truly, that they had never received, except probably a small amount expended on the improvements on the reservations. This evident bi-each of treaty obligations, caused the Indians to express their discontent quite freely to the Government agents. In 1857, Major Kintzing Pritchette, sent out by the Department, made a report, in which he sa\'s :

" The comi)laint which runs through all of their councils, points to the imperfect performance or non-fulfillment of treaty stipulations. Whether these are well or illfounded, it is not my premise to discuss. That such belief prevails among them, impairing their confidence and good faith in the Government, can not be questioned."

the GoveiTior of Minnesota, in connection with thedis]K)Siilot' hirge amounts of money, due to the Indians and paid out under liis direction, in his rejiort, shows quite conchisively that some §320,000 was paid by the Governor to Ilugii Tyler, for the savages, but a large proportion clung to the fingers of that gentleman, and the balance was paid out in accordance with the dictates of the post traders, and witiiout any regard to the wishes of tiic annuitants. Peculation and chicanery were rife in all transactions of the Indian Department and its agents at the time, and this was no exception to the general rule. The Senate of the United States exonerated Governor Kanisey, of Minnesota, from any bhime in the business, but still the Indians murmured about their treatment. It is very evident that there was some truth in their complaints, but wily men among them, who had certain ends to gain, stirred up the feeling and intensified it in every savage breast. When they wanted an excuse, Indian subtlety never lacked one.

From tlie time wlien tlie Government desisted from the pursuit of Inkpaduta, the infamous author of tlie Spirit Lake massacre, in Dickinson county, Iowa, in 1857, considerable feeling was manifested by the Sioux who thought that the action of the United States arose from fear of tiie savages, and these feelings were fomented and increased with insiduous care by Little Crow, and other chiefs. This famous chief was a second edition of Tecumseh, on a smaller scale, and had formed the scheme of driving the whites from the territory of Minnesota, and enjoying it themselves, by a preconcerted massacre of all the settlers by a simultaneous outbreak. ]\[aturing his plans with a care worthy of a great general, by means of a secret organization,knowii as the "Soldier's Lodge," he adopted means forthe carrying out of all the arrangements. It was a deep-laid c(jnspiracy, and Ijut for the ])r(Miiiitiirc action of a few

On the 3d of August, 1862, a memorable council was held at the village of Little Crow, near the Lower Agency. Little Crow was present and was not wanting in the ability to meet tlie momentous occasion with a wily subtlety. Tlie proceedings were entirely secret, but some of the details have since been divulged, and it is now known that then were matured the details of a conspiracy, which for atrocity has scarcely ever been ecpialed. Little Crow eaid, ujion that occasion, that ill this way they could get all the land back ; tiiat the whites would want their lands again, and that the Sioux would get double annuities. But the causes that led to the outln-eak are of so complex a nature that but few have fully mastered them, and hardly any two people agree on all points on this head, and therefore, it suffices to give the above account, which is a simple statement of what is known and fully agreed on by all, and not enter into a closer investigation as to the details, which are given with regard to their general effect in the State at large in the history of Minnesota, in this volume. "VVe will, however, go at length into the account of its local annals within the bounds of Meeker county.

We now come to the terrible massacre itself, the fierce blow that fell, like a lightningflash from a cloudless sky, with such suddenness and force upon an almost unarmed and unsuspecting border, crimsoning its beautiful fields with the life blood of the settlers, and firing the heavens with the lurid glare of their blazing homes. The suivivors fleeing, filled with the nameless terror of such a moment, wandei-ed around, often to fall before the deadly rifle or gleaming tomahawk of the ruthless and fierce nomadic Sioux, or to perish miserably of want and exposure on the broad prairies.

the plot had ordered the simultaneous outbreak to take place on the first of September, the whites to get in their gi'ain, for it was harvesting time, and that the three regiments that had been raised to aid in the suppression of the rebellion but then, in this State, would be forwarded to the front. His able tactics, however, were thwarted by the action of some "bucks" who precipitated matters by the attack on the settlers of Meeker county. AVhat was the reason for this premature movement will never be fully known, as many theories have been formed, and hardly two of them agree.

Rt. Rev. H. B. Whipple, Episcopal Bishop of Minnesota, gives tiie following account of th'e massacre at the Lower Agency and the causes that led to the outbreak, and it deserves preservation. It is given in this connection just as it was written, but not all, as mucli of it is irrelevant to our purpose. He says :

"The Sioux liad been our friends, and for more than a quarter of a century had boasted that they had never taken the life of a white man. Our Avretched Indian system was at its worst. It left wild men without government or personal )ights of property, and by its alms-house system at every agency, was training up savage paupers. The Indians made bitter complaints of the treaty of Traverse de Sioux - that they did not receive the money promised to them, that they were not permitted to take tlie reserve agreed upon, that large claims were allowed, that when payment was made, it was delayed until they were starving, and their annuities were paid for food. In 1858 they sold 800,- 000 acres of land on the north side of their reserve, to procure additional means for civilization. This treaty had a provision that the Secretary of the Interior might use the avails of this purchase, and any of their mone\'s, as he deemed best for their interests, liut that no debts should be allowed unless they had been approved by the Indians in open council. Xo such council was ever held. There were councils of a few chiefs; one was held in our school room, and Little Crow was one of the leaders in it. They waited four years, and the onl}^ thing they received for this valuable tract of land, was a few thousand dollars' worth of goods, among which were many dozens of Canadian belts. At our first meeting Wabasha said, 'AVill you ask the Great Father what has become of our money ? He would not lie to us. White men would not have a liar for their great chief. He says he would send the money - so many boxes. He probably started it, but tiie cars go so fast it has fallen off by the way. Tell him we are poor, and ask him to look it up.' Another chief, Wacouta, said, ' Our eyes have grown dim by looking so long for our money. Our old men would like to see it befoi-e they die.' Sometimes harder words were spoken with flashing e3'es, anil many young braves boasted they would never shake hands with a white man. The civil war was at its height, and up to this time the tide of victory seemed to be with the South. Pictorial papers lay on the counters of traders, and Indians believed that the South was victorious. About this time a company of Renville Rangers was organized by the agent, and many of its members were mixed bloods and Indians. The Indians said: 'The whites are all being killed, and now they come to us for help.' There were many darker stories told of whicli I will not speak. The Indians, with foolish bravado, began to boast that they could repossess their lands, and sweep the white man from their country. Most of the new settlers were very poor immigrants, upon whom the Indians looked down in contempt. The payment had always taken ])lace in June. They came as usual - 2.500 at the Lower Agency, and over 5,000 at the Upper Agency. Misses Catha- rine and Elizabetli Beddle, Miss Caroline A. Harris, Miss Sarah A. Farninn, Mrs. "Whipple and iny son Ciiiirles had accompanied me to the Sioux Mission. We found everytliing unsettled, the air lull of rumors, tlie Indians turbulent, restless, dissatislied. Again and again the Indians asked me, ' When will we receive our payment? How much will we receive?' I invariably answered, 'You will receive $20 each, and be paid very soon.' No one seemed to believe me. One day after my return from the Upper Agency, I said to a trader, ' Major Galbraith will be down today to make arrangements for ]5ayment.' He answered, ' Galbraith is a fool. The full payment will not be made. Tiie money is gone; it has been spent foi' claims; we can not trust the Indians because they will liavc no money to pay us.' It filled me witli sad forebodings. I l>elieved Major Galbraith was an honest man, but here was a trader who claimed to know more about the payment than the agent. Each day there was some new dance or gathering, as if the Indians would crowd into weeks, all the savagery and heathenism of generations. The air was charged with elements which at any moment might carry descjlation and death to the whole border. We left the Sioux country about the 10th of July, and went immediately to the Chippewa country. While at Crow Wing, a letter was brought, directed to care of Rev. E. S. Peake, for ' Hole-in-the-Da}',' and marked ' immediate.' Hole-in-the-Day was absent, we called in his head warrior, and opened it. It was from Little Crow, the leader of the Sioux outbreak, and said, 'My Friend: - Some of your people have killed one of our civilized Indians. I tried to keep my men back as I agreed. I could not. They have gone. Look out. (Signed) Little Crow.' Whether an agreement had been made between them we do not know. We sent messengers to warn some Chippewas camped on the Crow

Wing river, and then went to St. Columlta.'" After detailing mucli of liis trip ;ind pointing out that a party of Sioux Indians were ahead of them bent on tiie murder of some Chippewa people, because a meml>er of the latter triije, as Little Crow had said, had murdered one of their people, the Lishop goes on to say:

"On our way home our Indians (('hi])pewas) said they had seen Sioux signs. We laughed at the idea that they could tell a Sioux moccasin track from the Ojibway. Thev insisted. Manitowaub threw himself on the ground and with a stick lifted each weed and spear of grass until he could trace a human step, and after hours he found the mark of a human foot in the sand. He showed us his moccasin and the mark in tiie sand, and said : ' That is Sioux !' The next day we found where the Sioux had camped, and the Indians told us about how many Sioux were in the party. They found a Sioux moccasin. The Indians were much excited and made a forced march to reach Gull Lake, and were rejoiced to find their peo])le safe. Saturday we went from Crow Wing to St. Cloud and heard of this party of Sioux as being across the river near Winnebago prairie. That Sunday afternoon they reached Acton, and either for fear of being laughed at on their return home for their fruitless errand or from hatred of the whites, or because filled with malice and deviltry, they murdered the family at Acton and then fled. They traveled all night and reached Little Crow's village eai-ly Monday, August IS. The Sioux have a Soldier's lodge, which decides aU questions connected with war. The lodge was hastily convened, the story of Acton told, the certainty that troops would come to arrest the murdereis. The spark had been laid to the train of powder, and it was settled that the whites should be massacred. "About seven o'clock John Wliipple, a stone mason, who was building our church,

Stood by the door of the Mission house talking with ill". Ilinman. They heard the report of guns, and, looking toward the trading post of My rick, saw a crowd of Indians firing into the store ; others were running toward Forbes' and Roberts' stores armed. Shunkaska (White Dog) came running Ijy. Mr. Ilinman asked him what this meant. He answered, ' Go, go, the Indians are killingall the whites. I am going to Wabasiia to see if I can not stop it.' Shunkaska was pale with terror. He was a civilized Indian - not a Christian. A few minutes after Little Crow came running by with other Indians. Hinman called him, but lie refused to answer. They went to the Government barn, a little way from the Mission house, to take the Government horses, and were resisted by Wagner, the farmer, and his man, John Lamb. Crow said, ' Kill them,' and they were both killed. Mr. Hinman told Miss Emily West, a teacher in the Mission, that the Indians were killing the whites and tiiey must flee. Mrs. Ilinman was in Faribault. Mr. Hinman went to notify some neighbors. Miss West started for the ferry. On her way she met a woman and child, and advised tliem to go with her. They crossed the ferry and the In-oad valley beyond, and as they came to the top of the hill met three Indians, armed. As thej' saw Miss West the leader, a stranger to her, said, ' You belong to the Missionary ? ' She said, ' Yes.' He reached out his hand and shook hands, and said, 'Washta' (good). Tlie poor woman with her reached out her hand. He refused it, and drew his knife and said, 'I will kill you.' Miss West said, ' No, she belongs to me.' The Indian laughed, as if it were strange that this single woman had a mother and child in lier care, but Miss West persisted and the Indian said ' Waslita.' He asked her where she was going. She pointed to a distant house. He said, ' No, we are going to kill those pei\sons.' She said, ' Where

The outbreak commenced as mentioned by Bishop Whipple, in Meeker county, and it is now our duty to enter upon the narration of the events, both the massacre in Acton, and the subsequent perils, hairbreadth escapes, and labors of the settlers and soldiery in putting down the Indians during those trying times. As near as can be arrived at now, by an extensive and exhaustive research among all the papers, both State and otherwise, and personal interviews with many of the surviving citizens of the county, the facts are about as follows :

About eleven o'clock in the forenoon of Sunday, August 17, 1862, while the bright golden gleams of the summer sun poured downupon the lovely landscape in the wealth of its noontide splendor, and while from the throats of the feathered songsters of grove and ])rairie rose the glad hymns of peace and thanksgiving, six Indians, supposed to have been of Shakopee's band from the Lower Agency, red fiends with foul and deadly murder in their hearts, approached the house of Eobinson Jones, which stood on the southwest quarter of tlie northeast quarter of section 21, of Acton township. Mr. Jones kept a kind of frontier tavern and had for sale various staple articles of groceries, among which was the inevitable whisky, and besides attending to this business purchased or traded for furs, and carried on farming. The Indians came up to the house and demanded whisky of Mr. Jones, which tie saw fit to refuse, and some words ensued and the savages became quite boisterous. Some little time after this Mr. Jones went over to the cabin of Howard Baker, leaving Miss Clara D. Wilson, a niece, in charge of the house, and a little boy, a half-brother of Clara and an adopted son of Mr. Jones about a couple years of age, lying on the bed. The

Indians, who liacl left the house some time before, followed after Mr. Jones, and four of tliem soon arrived at tlic liouse of Howard Baker, about three-quarters of a mile distant from Jones' house, and, sauntering leisurely up, bantered the men, Jones, Baker and Viranus "Webster, who was an emigrant passing to the West, to shoot at a mark. After the savages had stayed in the house some fifteen or twenty minutes, the white men, taking down tiieir guns, agreed to go outside and shoot with them. After a few minutes spent in tliis kind of sport, while the settlers were standing aruuiid, Mr. Baker made a trade witli uiie of the redmen for his gun, the savage giving some three dollars difference between the weapons. Not suspecting any evil, and being entirely too trusting when an Indian was in the question, none of the three men reloaded their guns, an oversight for which the}' paid their lives. The savages, on the contrary, recharged their pieces in the doorway of the house, and about noon were joined by the two other Indians, who had been with them at Jones' cabin. The latter said that they were Sioux, and that he knew them all. Mrs. Howard Baker, one of the survivors, describes them as all being of middle age, one quite tall and one short, chubby and thick. The last two had on Avhite men's coats, and one of the savages had three feathers in his cap and another two.

While they stood there one of the fiends raised his rifle to his shoulder and ]ioured its leaden contents into tiie body of Mr. Jones, who fell. Mrs. Ann Baker and her daugliter-in-law, Mrs. Horace Baker, were standing in the doorway of the house and witnessed the cowardly murder, and when another of the savages took aim at the younger Mrs. Baker, her husband, with noble self devotion, threw himself forward to shield her and received in his own body the bullet intended for his wife. Almost at the same instant tAvo more of the guns of the Indians blazed forth their death-dealing contents, and Webster and Mrs. Ann Baker fell to the ground. The latter had turned to run within the house after receiving the first shot and fell into the buttery, the other two Indians firing at her as she pitched forward. Mrs. Howard Baker, who had her infant child in her arms, in trying to get out of a window, fell down into the cellar, which saved her life. The last she saw was Mrs. Webster trying to pull the dead body of her husband into the house. Thus were four souls called to an account, cut off in the full prime of their life by the fiendish hand of ruthless mui'dcr, and thus was inaugurated the terrible massacre of that eventful year, that carried death and destruction into so many households throughout the State, and fear and panic over so vast an expanse of territory.

The report that this premature stroke in the massacre was the outgrowth of a drunken spree or broil has been so effectually disposed of that it is needless to dwell upon it in this connection.

After the dastardly attack upon and killing: of the unarmed men and defenseless women, the same red devils returned to the cabin of Jones, and, in passing the house, one of them lifted his rifle, fired, and killed Clara Davis Wilson, who stood in plain sight in the room. They did not discover the little child nor enter the house. They then left the vicinity, taking the direction of the Beaver Creek settlement and the Lower Agency, leaving Acton about three o'clock in the afternoon. The incentive of this cruel outrage is sufficiently shown by the fact that no robbery took place, nor other damage being done except in the murder of these inoffensive settlers.

Mi'S. Howard Baker, who was unhurt by her fall into the cellar, still had the presence of mind to remain quietly there until the murderers had gone. She finally emerged from her place of concealment, and, before she left the house, was accosted by an Irishman, by the name of Cox, suspected of having been a spy of the redskins, and reputed to be crazy. She asked him to go with her to the settlement and helj) cany the baby, but he, with an incivility quite strSnge in one of the Celtic race, refused, saying, " the men are not dead but drunk, and in fallingdown have bumped their noses, which made them bleed." He, however, robbed the corpses of some $50 or $fiO which -was on their persons, and leaving the lone willow in her distress, with a total disregard for feeling or decency', took the road for the Lower Agency.

Mrs. "Webster and Mrs. Baker, taking the latter's child in their arms, started alone for the comity seat. Forest City. They stopped at the residence of John Blackwell, their nearest neighbor, but on their arrival there found that that gentleman and his family were absent. The two women then proceeded on their weary way, and soon reached the house of Nels Olson, who had a blacksmith's forge on his place and was employed at that business. From there Mrs. Baker went on to Forest City, which was some twelve miles from the scene of the massacre, and corroborated the account which had been given by Ole Ingeman, who had ridden into the town about six o'clock, and given the alarm to the settlers. The news spread thj'oughout the country with amazing i-apidity, and many were the parties who started out to inquire into the matter and investigate its truth, for the news was of so unwelcome a nature that many wished to disbelieve it.

During the week preceding the attack at the houses of Jones and Baker, the latter and Amos Nelson Fosen, now one of the prominent citizens of Meeker county, were cradling the wheat on the farm of Eobinson Jones, but, as it was raining on that Saturday, Mr.

Fosen concluded that he would visit his own farm, which he had rented to Burger Anderson, and see how things were going on. Putting his idea into execution, he started with the intention of returning on Sunda\'. After spending some time in looking after his affairs, he went to attend a " war meeting," and was detained so late that he came to the determination not to return to work until Monday morning, instead of that night. Never has procrastination met with so signal and sudden a reward, for this dilatoriness in his movements undoubtedly saved his life.

In the mean time the news of the fiendish butchery came to the neighborhood Avhere he was, and a partj^ of thirteen started for the scene. Part of the number went but a portion of the distance, but seven of them pressed on. These detennined men were Amos N. Fosen, Nels Danielson, John Blackwell, Burger Anderson, Ole Westman, Charles Quick and John Nelson. They came in sight of the late home of Howard Baker, and cautiously and carefully approached the house, with stealthy steps and peering eyes. Finding the coast clear, the}' drew nearer and nearer, the friendly shades of night covering their movements, and finally, entering the house, discovered the dead bodies of Mrs. Jones, Webster and Baker.

After lingering there for a short time the little party of heroes started for Jones" house, but on the road, met another band of settlers, headed by Thomas McGannon, with whom they turned back to Baker's house, and making a more thorough searcii at that place discovered the bodj' of poor Jones near the corn-crib, where he had fallen, and over whom was thrown a wagon-box. He had torn up the ground all ai^ound him in his death agony. Guards were properly posted and the balance of the party again started for Jones' place. At the forks of the road, before reaching that point, they were met by another squad of settlers, for many were out, the evil tidings having spread fast, and stricken i)anic terror into the hearts of a jrreat niuuher, while others were seized with a desire to investigate the matter. The last addition to the little band was a delegation from Swede Grove, and Avere all mounted. On coming to the house, it was cautiously surrounded and a plan formed for the captui'c of tlie Indians, for it was supposed that tliey were in tlie house, as it was of wide notoriety that wliisky was kej)t in the cabin, and it was but natural to suppose that the savages had come here after committing the murder to indulge in a drunken orgie. The dead body of poor Clara Wilson was found lying across the pantry doorway, but no Indians, and there was no evidence of their having entered the house, for nothing was disturbed. A barrel of whiskv stood in one corner, and several bottles of tlie same liquor upon the shelf, but no signs of the Indians having disturbed them. In a bedroom, lying upon tiie bed, was the adopted child of Mi'. Jones, spoken of before, smiling up into the faces of his rescuers. The babe, who was about two years old, was the grandchild of Mrs. Ann IJaker, and l)ore the name of liobinson J. Cotton. He was taken from the lied and afterwartl placed in the liands of T. C. Jewett, of Forest City, who kept him for some little time, until he was finally adopted by Charles H. Ellis and wife, of Otsego, Wrigiit county, this State, with whom he remained until lie had attained the years of manhood.

In another direction, as soon as the news came to the neighborhood of Swede Grove. Xels Elofson and Nels Hanson got on their horses, and, with others, proceeded to the scene of the tragedy, and fell in with the other party as related above, at the forks of the road near Baker's house. Another party was formed at Forest City that same evening, on the arrival there of Mis. iJaker, for thither she had fled, carrying her babe, for protection.

This force consisted of J. B. Atkinson, Sylvester Stevens, John Wigle, Hamlet Stevens and one or two others, and left the county seat and ])roceeded toward the place where the startling events of that day had happened. They met the other squads mentioned before, arid, on learning the facts, spread the news througiiout the country, warning the settlers of their peril, and then returned to their homes at Forest City, arriving there about four o'clock in the morning.

Tlie next morning a strong posse, consisting of A. C. Smith, Milton Gorton, J. B. Atkinson, T. C. Jewett and others, accompanied by Mr.s. Jewett and Mrs. Gorton, started for the Baker house, and the settlers, by this time all thoroughly aroused to their peril, flocked in the same direction, so that they reached the scene of the murder some sixty strong. An inquest was held that day and the facts as stated above elicited, and a verdict given in accordance therewith.

Whilst the inquest was in progress, some one espied a body of eleven mounted Indians ill the vicinity, and gave the alarm, and seven men, among whom were J. B. Atkinson, Hamlet Stevens, Daniel McGraw, Albert De Long and Sylvester Stevens, mounting in hot haste, pursued the savages, who, when thev saw the pursuit, cut across the slough. A few distant shots were fired, Avithout damage to either party, and the wild race was kept u]3 at breakneck speed as far as Lake Lillian. Here the redskins were joined by another band from another direction, and a halt was called. The party counted twentyfive well-mounted Sioux before them, their own horses were blown and worn out with fatigue, and although one or two wanted to go on, a vote was taken and the pursuit abandoned. One of the pai-ty is credited with having shot one of the Indians, who was seen to drop, but was picked up by his comrades and hurried away with them in their flight. The little squad of settlers re- turned after feeding their horses and resting them, and the savages, who were afterward found to have been another band than those who committed tiie murders, went on their way toward their tribal headquarters.

While the little company of enraged settlers were pursuing the redskins, the inquest was finished, and, tools being at hand, boxes were made and the bodies of the murdered people placed tlierein, and the five victims placed in one grave in the Norwegian Lutheran Church cemeter}'^, in Litchfield township, on the spot now marked with the monument.

Tlie funeral over, the party returned to Forest City, whither they were followed by almost the entire community, for the panic had seized every one, and the trembling pioneers saw Indians in every waving bush, or heard their yell in every sound brought to their listening ears b}' the gentle evening breeze. To nerves unaccustomed to this tension, the position was too frightful, and men could not long stand it. Something must be done and that right speedily.

George C. Wliitcomli, the treasurer of Meeker county, left Forest City on that eventful Monday, and rode to Carver or Chaska, and there took the small steamer Antelope, and reached St. Paul about ten or eleven o'clock on Tuesday morning, according to the official report of Governor Kamsey, and at once waited upon the governor, witli tlie dreadful tidings with which he was laden. The news of tlie outbreak, which was, prior to his arrival, supposed to be only a local emeute, at Yellow Medicine, bad preceded him only an liour or two. Mr. Shelley, from the latter agency, having ridden in with dispatches announcing the massacre at that point.

and consulted with the authorities there regarding the outbreak, and the best means to be used to meet the danger. A serious difficulty met us at the outstart. The only troops at the fort were the raw recruits, which had been hastily gathered for the five regiments. Most of them were without arms or suitable clothing as yet ; some not mustered in or properly officered, and those who had arms had no fixed ammunition of the proper caliber. We were without transportation, quartermaster's or commissary stores, and, in fact, devoid of anything with which to commence a campaign against two or three thousand Indians, well mounted and armed, with an abundance of ammunition and ])rovisions ca|itured at the agency, and flushed with the easy ^^ctory they had won over the unarmed settlers. Finally four companies were fully organized, armed and uniformed, and late at night were got off on two small steamers, the Antelope and Pomeroy, for Shakopee, from which point they could proceed overland. It was arranged that others would follow as fast as the}" could be got i-eatly.

"This expedition was placed under the command of H. H. Sibley, whose long residence in the country of the Sioux had iriven him great influence with that peojjle, and it was hoped that the chiefs and older men were still sensible to reason, and that with these he could check the mad and reckless disposition of the younger men ; and if that failed, that his knowledge of Indian war and tactics would enable him to overcome them in battle.

Sir - In advance of the news from the Minnesota Kiver, the Indians have opened on us in Meeker. It is war. A few propose to make a stand here. Send us, foi'thwith, some ffood ouns and ammunition to match. Yours truly,

A. C. Smith. - " Seventy -five stands of Springfield rifles and several thousand rounds of ball cartridges were at once issued to George C. Whitcoml), to be used in arming a company which I directed to be raised and enrolled to use these arms ; and General Sibley gave Mr. Whitcomb a captain's commission for the comjiany. Trans]iortation was at once furnished him, and the rifles were in Forest City by the morning of the 23d, a portion having been issued to a company at Hutchinson on the way up."

Jesse V. Branham, Sr., whom the governor mentions as bringing the dispatch, had volunteered, notwithstanding his sixty years, to ride the entire distance of one hundred miles for help, and on his arrival at St. Paul, paying no attention to his fatigue or his bodil}' wants, at once waited upon the governor, although it was one o'clock in the morning, with the result as given above. On the arrival of Captain Whitcomb with the arms and ammunition, having left thirty-one muskets and a part of the ammunition at Hutchinson, that place being entirely destitute of firearms, a company was formed at Forest City, of which the following is the roster :

D. M. Ilolbrook. On the arrival of Captain Whitcomb, he found that the county seat was nearly a deserted village, most of the inhabitants having fled for safety to the eastern portion of the State, and but thirteen men and three women were left of its population. These brave men and heroic women, who had determined to maive a stand in defense of their homes, and whii, by thoir gallant and spirited action, stayed the tide of arson and murder, and saved the balance of the State, as far as the Mississippi River, from tiie iiendish cruelty oi the relentless Sioux. Their names should be perpetuated in the pages of history, with those of tlie nol^le band of Spartans under Leonidas, at the pass of Thermopylte, who devoted themselves to the salvation of their country. Their names are J. E. Atkinson, A. C. Smith, T. C. Jewett. Milton Gorton, George S. Siioles, Dr. Thomas II. Skinner, James M. Harvey, William i'owler, Henry L. Smith, Thomas Grayson, Judson A. Stanton, S\'lvester Stevens and Hamlet Stevens, and Mesdames T. C. Jewett, Howard Baker and G. C. Whitcomb. Tliese, however, were soon joined by many others.

During the time while AVhitcomb was absent nearly two hundred teams passed through Forest City on their way to the Mississippi River and safety, with their hasti- Ij'-gathered household goods thrown promiscuously upon their wagons, and all fleeing in fear and trembling, and listening for the dreaded war-whoop which they expected to brealc upon their ears at every moment, or the whip-like crack of the deadly rifle.

The military organization was formed on Sunday, the 24th of August, and b}' the next day some thirty had joined, and a portion of them mounted upon such horses as they had.

The following is preserved as the oath taken by the members of the "Irregulars," as the}' were termed, at the date of their muster, August 24, 1862:

"We, the undersigned, do solemnly swear to bear true allegiance to the United States and the State of Minnesota, and the officers which ma}' be elected or appointed over us, to the best of our ability, in accordance with tlie captain's commission issued to G. C. Whitcomb, by Col. H. H. Sil)ley, bearing date August 20, 1862."

men, and the balance either left unarmed or given some Belgian muskets which had been procured for a militia company organized by G. C. Whitcomb and J. B. Atkmson some time before, or the few shotguns that could be found in the settlement. As it was necessary for their efficiency that they should be all mounted in order to cope with the mounted Indians, and as they only had about fifteen horses in all, a detail was made from the command to proceed to Kingston and make a forced levy of all the horses that they could find there for the use of the company. The detail consisted of sergeants William Branham and II. S. Howe, corporals A. F. Heath, H. J. Hill, T. C. Jewett, Samuel ITutchins and R. B. Ralston, and privates O. B. Todd, G. W. AVaggoner, Michael McGraw, F. G. Gould, A. II. Hamilton, H. Kruger and D. McGraw, and was under the command of Lieut. J. B. Atkinson. They advanced to Kingston, and the lev}' made of about forty horses, much against the wishes of the people in that place, and desjiite their vehement protests, and returned to headquarters of the company at Forest City. At the same time a detail, consisting of B. Cobb, D. P. De Lamater, J. A. Stanton and Oliver Gibbins, to procure forage for the animals, and W. H. Towler and Gottlieb Reef as stock guard. These were citizens who volunteered for this duty.

On the dawning of Monday morning, August 25th, a portion of the company, numbering some twenty seven, rank and file, were ordered on a reconnoisance into Monongalia county, now a part of Kandiyohi, and swept through the country for some forty miles distant from headquarters, and returned on the 27th, having seen none of the enemy, but had found traces of them in the corpses of nine or ten mutilated, murdered settlers, ruins of burned houses, and a considerable number of dead domestic animals scattered over the countrv. The bodies of the dead

On "Wednesday, August 2()th, eleven citizens of Manannah, wlio were staying at Forest City, iinding that there was a great lack of stoves, bedding, provisions, etc., in that place, volunteered to go to their homes and procure the necessaries. They were Linus Howe, Moody Caswell, Chauncy "Wilson, Thomas Ryckman, David Hoar, James Nelson, "Wilmot Maybee, Philip H. Deck, Nathan C. Caswell, R. D. C. Cressy and Joseph Page. They started, and on their arrival at the house of "Wilmot Maybee stopped and got tlieir dinner, and from there proceeded to the house of Carlos Caswell, at Manannah, and, seeing no Indians about, left one yoke of their oxen there, intending to return thither that evening and spend the night there. They went on about two miles further to the residences of Silas Caswell and James Nelson, where they loaded Maybee's wagon full of bedding, provisions, etc., and the latter gentleman, who was driving, accompanied by Joseph Page, turned the team toward their last stopping-place, where they intended to camp. They were closely followed by P. II. Deck and Linus Howe in the former's one-hoi-se wagon, which was filled with James Nelson's household goods, the rest of the party being employed in gatherinjr the scattered farm stock about them. As they turned into Carlos Caswell's dooryard the sharp crack of several rifles rang out upon the air, from behind a pile of lumber and the weeds by the fence, and Joseph Page fell dead to the ground. The others turned east to escape, and drove for about fifteen or eighteen rods, when again the deadly rifle spoke and carried death to Deck and Howe. Wilmot Maybee, thinking to escape, run his horses for about thirty or forty rods further, breaking down a stout pair of bars in his way, but, on being cut off in his retreat by the savages, leaped to the gi-ound, and, leaving the horses and wagon to their fate, I'an about a hundred and fifty yards toward the river, but was shot and instantly killed by a well-aimed charge of buckshot from an Indian musket.

Chauncy "Wilson and Thomas Kyckman were but a short distance away, and witnessed the cold-blooded murder of their comrades, but could offer no assistance, as they had placed their arms, such was their fancied security, in one of the wagons. After securing the teams and their loads, the Sioux, a band of about ten or twelve, started toward the west, and passed within thirty rods of H. C. Caswell and James Nelson, who let them go by without firing a shot as they mistook them for white men, the shades of eveninghaving descended upon the earth. They followed the warriors, still thinking they were their friends, for some distance. The party returned to Forest City, having lost four of their best men. Mr. Howe was one of the county commissioners at the time, and has served for three years in that office. Lieut. J. B. Atkinson set out the next morning with some twenty-four men to bury the murdered settlers and bring in anything that he could find, which mission he accomplished without any molestation. On the SOth of the month, a detail of twenty-four men was ordered to move to Hutchinson to procure the government arms left there, but found on their arrival at that ]ilace that the citizens of the town would not surrender the sruns, so returned the next tlav to headiruarters. On the 1st of Se]itember, a i-cport having gained currency in Forest City, originating with Andrew Nelson, that the family of that gentleman's brother-in-law. Swan Swanson, was on an island in Foot Lake, Kandiyohi county, in destitute circumstances, a detail of some seventeen men, sup])lemented by some volunteer citizens, was dispatched to their aid. The little force took up their line <it' march, liound on their errand of mercy, but on their arrival at the farm of Peter J. Lund, on section 4, Acton township, found a body of Indians, who, having on white shirts, they at first mistook for white men. They were soon undeceived and shots were exchanged for a few minutes, when the savages retreated to the woods, probably to attempt to draw their opponents into an ambush. They did not succeed in this, the little company proceeding to the house, where they found plenty of evidence of the presence of savages there in the shape of pipes, moccasins, old powder-horns, etc., and also found hanging upon a woodland crane a large iron kettle filled with hot water, the Sioux having been surprised while preparing to scald the body of a pig that lay butchered near by. Two of the savages were killed in this skii'mish, and one of the settlers, Samuel Hutchins, was wounded in the thigh by a rifle ball.

Early on the morning of the 2d of September, a squad of twenty of the members of the military company, and a like number of volunteer citizens, started again to look for the same family. At noon they camped for dinner at the fence which surrounded the farm of How^ard Peterson, and fed their horses with the oats inside of the fence. Some of the party conceiving that the pork and bread was not good to eat, in fact that it smelt bad, began to look around for other food. Peter E. Hansen, Nels Elofson and Mr. Larson started across the country to a farm, where Mr. Hansen, who was well acquainted with the country, knew there was a melon patch. This was about half a mile from the camp, on the brow of a hill. After getting their arms full of melons, Mr. Hansen, leaving his two comrades, went to the top of a neighboring hill, the highest in that vicinity, and, looking off toward the Acton timber, espied fifteen or sixteen Lidians, some two or three miles off. They were mounted men. and, as it was known that there were no such number of whites in that direction, it was natural to suppose them Indians. Calling to Jesse V. Branham, Jr., and his brother, William Branham, to come to him, for they had followed after Mr. Hansen's party, they were looking at the horsemen, who soon disappeared, when turning round discovered, to their surprise and horror, a band of some 300 Sioux Indians, more or less, within a distance of 200 yards of them, all on foot, but well armed. They did not linger long in that perilous position, but fled with due precipitation to the camp, pursued by the yelling fiends, who thirsted for their scalps. Hastily hitching up their teams, the whole posse beat a hasty retreat, the savages hanging on their rear, firing steadily all the time. A halt was soon called as the rout was growing more disorderly, and the march resumed wnth more steadiness. In crossing a slough, one of the teams belonging to J. B. Atkinson, but driven by E. O. Britt, became mired, alid, leaving the wagon and one horse that could not be extricated in the excitement in the mud, the little command pushed on for Forest City, pursued by some of the Indians, the rest having stopped at the wagon in the slough. Although man}' of the men wanted to fall out of the ranks and ambush their pursuers, who were keeping up a constant fusillade on them, the captain would not permit it. The command was met near Forest City by all the remaining men of that place, who had marched out to reinforce them, under the leadership of A. C. Smith, but their services were not called for, as the savages had given up the pursuit by this time. Considerable dispute has been had over the number of Indians on this occasion, but, by a diligent search among the participants, it has been put at some 300 of active opponents, with man}' more in view. This is on the authority of nearly all the survivors of the little band, who would have been totally annihilated had they allowed tlieinselves to be surrounded, and the}' displayed great judgment in retiring, even if it were done hurriedly. In this skirmish, when the men were hastily mounting into the wagons, one of the muskets was accidentally discharged, and its contents Avounded O. B. Todd in the leg, barely missing D. Cha])in, both of whom stood in the way of the ball.

Col. B. F. Smith, the post commander at Fort Snelling, on the Sith of August, ordered Capt. Richard Strout, of the Tenth Minnesota Infantry, then in the course of organization, to take his company, after arming and equipping them, to Forest City and that vicinity, for the assurance of safety for the settlers. The company, which had just been raised, was made up of'clerks, mechanics, etc., of Minneapolis and St. Paul, had as yet received little or no drilling, and were totally devoid of the army discipline that marks the soldier. They set out for the scene of hostilities and arrived at Forest City on the 27tli inst. He went into camp near the residence of A. C. Smith in that town, and gave it out that he should remain in that neighborhood for some time, but on being informed during the evening that nearly all the Indians in the vicinity were congregated at Swede Giove, about ten miles distant, the captain thought that his duty called him to a different point of vantage, and, therefore, the next uKjrning put his little column in motion for Glencoe. On his movements being reported at headquarters he was immediately ordered back to Meeker county, and, on reaching the township of Acton, went into camp in the yard of the murdered Jt>nes, an open spot surrounded by timber, in which lurked some two or three hundred savages, and it is claimed that he entirely failed to post any pickets. In this blind security he lay exposed to any attack that the enemy might make, and in almost a defenseless position. Thomas

Chambers, of Hutchinson, having arrived in Forest City, antl mentioning the movements of Cajjtain Sti'out and his company, it was determined to intercept his column and bring it to Forest City direct, and, the disi)atch having been prei)ared, a volunteer force of three to carry it was asked, in response to which J. V. Branham, Jr., Albert Sperry and Thomas Holmes came forward and offered their services, which were accepted. As the summer sun was setting behind the western horizon, and flooding the land with its crimson light, the three brave and gallant men put foot in the stirruj) and started on their lonel}', perilous ride. They started toward Eice City, with the intention of saving the command from running into the Indian camp at Swede Grove, which they were approaching so incautiously.

They found, on reaching what was known as the Henderson trail, that Captain Strout and his men had passed that point, so they pushed on in the intense darkness, surrounded by peril, toward Acton, and found the comman«i jieacefully sleeping, with no guard or picket set. The party at once communicated their tidings, and instantly the excitement grew intense. The Belgian muskets that the company had been ai-med with, for lack of better pieces, were overhauled, when it was discovered that most of the ammunition was of a different caliber from the guns, and would not fit, so the balance of the night was spent in preparing it for service in tlie best manner possible. As daylight dawned, and breakfast was being eaten, the firing of guns in their neighborhood alarmed all hands, as it was well known that there were no white men in that entire neighborhood. All made ready for the march to Hutchinson, which was necessary for their safety, for it was plainly apparent that their camp was untenable against any force of Indians. The five mounted men rode ahead of the column, wliicii marched in a southerlv direction for about two miles, when the glistening of gun-barrels through the foliage announced an ambush. This was upon a hill opposite Kelley's bluff, and our troops moved steadily on until they had arrived within half a mile of the enemy, and then halted. They were then formed in line of battle, and advanced until they were about two hundred yards from the savage foe, when they were saluted by a storm of bullets, which was bravely and promptly returned, and the firing thus commenced was ke]it up rapidly witli some effect. Our troops, who were formed in four sections, in open order, pressed on as skirmishers toward the foe. Shortly after this a fresh body of mounted Indians were discovered in their rear, and, the two forces being united, and the lake Ijeing on the left of the company, the little body of soldiers were effectually surrounded. A charge in the direction of Ilutcliinson was ordered, and, the bayonets dropping to a level, the men bravely charged the red horde, who fell back, for the savage can not stand cold steel. Like many another battle, the troops were endangered by the misconduct of the teamsters, who, thinking that the road to the south was now opened, started on the run for Hutchinson, and their panic soon spread to the scarcely-disciplined soldiers, who had behaved so bravely but a few minutes before, and awa}^ they all went, pell-mell, after the teams. In a few minutes order was restored, and the retreat conducted in a more orderly manner. During this movement Jesse V. Branham, Jr., one of the scouts and messengers of the previous night, was seriously wounded, being shot under the shoulder blade, the ball passing through his lungs. Three men were killed in this engagement, and some eighteen wounded ; the latter were all brought fiom the field. The dead were afterward buried l>y the detail from the Third Regiment. On theii' arrival at Hutchinson the wounded were properly

Early on the morning of the 3d of September, the entire force, both of the Home Guards and the citizens of Forest City, finished the erection of a stockade for their defense, and labored hard and faithfully all that day. It was a parallelogram of 120 feet square, and was made of a double row of logs on end, planted in the ground some three feet, and projecting upward some ten feet. Bastions on the corners and numerous loopholes through the timbers afforded ample means for sweeping down any assailants that attacked it, antl would shelter the marksmen from the bullets of the savages. Every one being turned out, the companj' were marched to the principal hotel of the place, where they were quartered, and all settled down to a peaceful slumber, and, with the exception of the arnied guard, seemed totally oblivious of the proximity of the savages.

Between two and three o'clock in the morning, the sentinels discovered the approach of a body of Indians and gave the alarm, at which the Sioux, with wild yells, charged forward and fired a volley at the hotel, where the troops were in quarters. These latter, sallying out with most of the citizens, retired to the stockade, but in their hurry forgot or neglected to take with them the horses or the bulk of the ammunition, the former being in J. B. Atkinson's stable and the powder and balls in the store of Judson A. Stanton. Within the palisaded enclosure stood a frame house and a well, and had they one-half the ammunition with them they could have held out for some time. But, not expecting the redskins so soon, they were taken by surprise, and in the excitement mueii was overlooked. No sooner had they reached the fort and been safely ensconced therein than the savages opened upon it with some forty or fifty rifles, for it was both a surprise and a disappointment to the red fiends to find the stockade built, for they never dreamed of such a thing and anticipated an easy victory. The intense darlcness of tiie niglit rendered aim veiy uncertain, so, to save tiieir ammunition, but very little tiring was done upon the part of the beleaguered garrison. Nels Elofson,a resident of tiie county, in speaking of that niglit says: that " the captain told him to be saving of his ammunition, as they had Ijut a small supply." He adds that " while one part of the savages, early in the morning, continued to harass the settlers within the enclosure, the others were employed in burning the buildings and haystacks, and in running otf the horses, oxen, wagons and other projierty." Most of the property burned was situated at a distance from the fort, for if an Indian stepped into the circle of light from a l)urning building, the leaden missives warned him that he was seen, and, if he did not drop, he hastily retreated. Once the incendiaries approached the more central part of the village, but the torches in their hands betrayed them to the troops, and a discharge of their muskets laid some half a dozen upon the ground, and the rest fled. As the ligiit of day once more dawned upon the settlers, they found the most of the Indians had retired, while an Indian was perceived stealing out from behind the barn of J. B. Atkinson, and Thomas Grayson, who was an excellent shot, determined to kill him. The distance was about three hundred yards, and in the gray light of early morn the savage stood sharj)ly outlined against a Ijright background. Slowly the death -dealing rifle of the settler rose to bis shoulder, an instant, as he tightened his grip, as the aim became sure, the shar]), whiplike report rang out witii wondrous clearness, and the Indian threw up his hands with a yell and pitched to the ground.

retired, while a small body of them were driving away some of the captured stock. A number of volunteers, among whom were Neis Elofson, Aslog Olson and William Eranliam, made a charge upon the latter, when the Indians fled over the hills, but, wlien the ))arty arrivetl at the brow of the eminence, they were fired upon from an ambush in the school-house, and Aslog Olson and William Branham were wounded. The settlers retreated to the stockade, canying their crippled comrades with them, and some of the stock for which they had ventured their lives. A few days subsequently the command escorted their wounded to Hutchinson to have their wounds dressed and be taken care of, and both recovered in time.

On the ITtli of September, Caleb Sanborn, a settler in the neigh borhood of Cedar Lake, was murdered by the Indians, who were prowling around in that locality, murdered in cold blood, through a general hatred of the white race and being filled witli the malice and cruelty of the Evil One himself. The next day a party, consisting of Lewis Harrington, Daniel Cross, T. K. AY ebb, Silas Greene, Frank Jewett, David Hern and Nathaniel Pierce, left the town of Hutchinson to get the body and to bury it decently. After their arrival north of the lake, while skirting the forest, tliev were startled bv the discharge of three rifles, and saw with dismay one of their numlier, Daniel Cross, fall to the ground, movtally wounded. Five of the party jumped into tiieir wagon and left for a more secure place, whilst T. R. Webb found his way to a small boat in the lake and paddled for the island, where he s])ent the niglit. The next morning he escaped and reached Hutchinson, meeting on the way a iiosse of about fifty, who had started in search for the bodies of Cross and himself.. This party marched on to the scene of the ambush, and recovered the bodies of both Sanborn and Cross, and returned safely to

On the 5th of September Lieut. William Byrnes, of the Tenth Minnesota Infantry, with a part of a company of that regiment, numbering some forty-five muskets, started to reinforce any troops that tlien might be in Meeker county, and took up their quarters at Kingston, turning the storehouse of Hall & Co., of that place, into a barrack for his men. This he strengthened by means of earthworks, and during the same time carried on scouting expeditions all over the vicinity. Ca])tain Pettit, of tiie Eiglith Minnesota Infantry, with liis company, had reinforced Captain "Whitcomb's command at Forest City, and Avas there on the reappearance of tlie Sioux on the 22d of September. Word that day was brought to tlie county seat that the red fiends were again committing outrages, this time at Lake Ri})ley (now Litchfield), and Captain Pettit asked the cooperation of his comrade. Lieutenant Lymes, in a movement to the neighborhood of the hostiles. The next morning the latter sallied out with some thii"ty-six men, and, uniting his command with that of Captain Pettit, who had eightA'-seven, and five of Captain Wliitcomb's mounted rangers as guides, started for Lake Kipley. On their arrival they found the body of poor Olson, the blacksmith mentioned in tiie first part of this article, lie had been shot three times through the body and once through the hand, was scalped, his brains beaten out, his throat cut fi'om ear to ear, and his tongue cut out by the roots.

After burving the dead and picking up three women who had been hiding several days in the woods, and sending them on to Forest City, an extended reconnoissance was made toward Diamond Lake, in Monongalia county, through a deserted country, covered with the ruins of tlie settlers' cabins and wantonly-killed stock. On the morning of the 25th, while on their return to Forest City, they surprised a party of Indians with some stock, which the}' took in charge, the Sioux fleeing on catching sight of them.

On the 23d of September, Capt. Eichard Strout, having sent out a party to scout around, was alarmed by the report of the little band who returned with the information that they had had a skirmish with the enemy at Greenleaf. and one of their number slain. Other parties of scouts came in with the information of having seen pai-ties of redskins, who seemed to have flocked here in great numbers.

From this time on the country was safe, for troops, having been organized, now came forward to fill the places held by the Irregulars, and calm settled down on the land. Still the strained nerves of the citizens would vibrate at the slightest sound, and they saw and heard an Indian in every suspicious noise or movement.

We now come to the concluding phase of this tragedy, the death of Little Crow, the prime instigator of the conspiracy, with whose demise, and the hanging of the thirtyeight at Mankato, terminated the terrible massacre of 1802.

On the 1st of July, 1863, nearly ten months after the first blow was struck, James McGannon was killed between Kingston and Fair Haven, bj^ some Indian, said to have been Little Crow. On Friday, July 3d, following, Mr. Lampson and his son Chauncy were out hunting and suddenly came in sight of two Indians j^icking berries on section 30, Collinwood township, on a little prairie opening in the woods, interspersed with clumjis of bushes and a few poplar trees. These savages were Sioux, and Avere Little Crow and his son Wowinapa. !Mr. Lam])son and his son crept up within gunshot, and lieing the best shot took aim at Little Crow, his son covering the bov, who was about sixteen years old. Two reports rang out upon tlie still air, and the Indian cliief fell to the ground, hit just above the hip. He, however, snatched up his gun and tired it and his son's piece in the direction wiiere the curling smoke betrayed the presence of the enemy, but another report came from the settlers gun and tlic ball hit the savage in pired. The son, wiio iuid on the clothes of the murdered McGannon, escai)ed, anil after wandei'ing around was Knally captured some twenty -six days after in the neighborhood of by the red fiends, of the settlers in Meeker county, the following twelve persons: Robinson Jones, Mrs. Ann i'akcr, Viranus Webster, Clara D. Wilson, Philip Deck, Joseph

Noeth Side

Thomas McGannon. To the tirst five victims of the murderous Sioux there has been erected a monument by the State, commemorative of the beginning of the fearful out- break that deluged this fair land with blood and fire. Besides the soldiers who lost their lives in this county, of whom tiiere is no personal record, two Swedes were slain within the limits of Acton, as they were fleeing thitlier for safety. Their names were Lorinson and Backlin, wiio had settled at Eagle Lake, Kandiyohi county, but had left there with a train of fleeing citizens and were overtaken just this side of the county line and murdered. One of them had a number of butcher knives sticking iu his body when found.

The personal experiences of the settlers of this and the adjacent counties during the exciting times of the outbreak and massacre are given in detail in their sketches in the biographical depiirtment of this work, to which tiie reader is referred. The subject is one of great interest to ever}' one, and, as the data from wiiicii these narratives are written are taken down from the participants themselves, strotigly portray the trials and jierils endured by the jiioneers of this region. Stamped with the plain accents of truth, these }>ei'sonal biogra})liies make up the full history of tliese perilous times, and finish out the tale of woe, of life upon the border, in the fateful year 1862.

Before dismissing this tragic episode in the history of Mealier county, at the desire of many of the survivors of those fearful days, it is proper to say that the prompt and hearty aid accorded to the imperiled settlers by Gov. Alexander Eamsey, has won him a place in their esteem and affection that is undying, and the mention of his honored name touches a chord in the breasts of the participants in the Indian war that vibrates with gratitude for his noble actions and efficient work at that time. A truly respected and beloved inan in this community, he needs no monument to recall him to the children's children of the old settlers of Meeker county ; their regard has built up one in their hearts that is more than stone or bronze.