USA > Iowa > Dickinson County > History of Dickinson County, Iowa, together with an account of the Spirit Lake massacre, and the Indian troubles on the northwestern frontier > Part 7
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a twelve-year-old boy, about a month later and assisted in burying it, and if one perished in the flames this makes thir- teen to be accounted for. Who were they ? Seven of the Mat- tock family, Madison, Harriott, Snyder, Harshman and two others. Even on the theory that none perished in the burning cabin, there is one more than can be accounted for. Was there one or two strangers stopping at either the Mattock or Granger eabin of whom no account was ever given ? It is not strange that an occasional diserepaney is found. The only wonder is . that they are not far more numerons.
From here the party went to the Granger cabin and found the dead body of Carl Granger, which was buried cast of the cabin, near the bank of the lake. From there the whole force went to Gardner's, where were found six bodies, as follows: Mr. and Mrs. Gardner, Mrs. Luce, the young son of Mr. Gard- ner and the two children of Mr. and Mrs. Inee. These were buried in one grave a short distance southeast of the house. This finished the work of burial. There was no lumber here with which to make coffins, and no time to do it if there had been, and all that could be done was to dig at each place one grave wide enough to contain the bodies found there, put them in as they were found, eover them with prairie hay and then with dirt. One singular fact which was particularly noted at the time was that no sealps had been taken. Many of the accounts that have been published state that a part of the vie- tims were sealped. This is a mistake. The matter was thor- oughly investigated and fully talked over that night in camp. and Messrs. Howe, Wheelock and Maxwell and others unite in the statement that no sealps were taken.
After finishing their work the tired and hungry men camped for the night. Some of the party had seen Mr. Gardner bury a few potatoes in a box under the stove the fall before. These were found and roasted by a campfire. These, with the small
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amount of provisions which had been brought from the wagon on the prairie, constituted their stock of supplies. The next morning, which was the fourth of April, was foggy and misty, and the indications portended a coming storm. While the boys were preparing breakfast, the question of the return trip was discussed. A majority were in favor of striking right out in a southeasterly direction, in as straight a line as possible, for the Irish Colony, while the others argued that the distance was too great and the route too uncertain to do it with safety, and insisted on going back by the same route they came, which was by Estherville and Emmet. And more, they argued the weather was so threatening that if a storm came up the party was liable to be divided and possibly some might be lost on the prairie.
„After breakfast the two parties were as far apart as ever, when Captain Johnson, seeing no prospect of coming to an agreement, gave the word to form a line. After the men had fallen in he gave the further order, "All who favor starting at once across the prairie, step three paces to the front; the rest stand fast." Sixteen advanced to the front, including Captain Johnson, Lieutenant Maxwell, Mr. Burkholder and thirteen others. Seven remained in their places. The names of these seven were: O. C. Howe, R. U. Wheelock, B. F. Parmenter, William R. Wilson, Joseph M. Thatcher, Asa Burtch and R. A. Smith. What little provision was left in camp was speedily packed and the party made ready to depart at once. Just as the main party were starting away, Captain Johnson and Mr. Burkholder turned back to where Messrs. Howe, Wheelock and R. A. Smith were standing and urged that they change their minds and go with them. They insisted that there was no evidence that the Indians had left the vicin- ity of the lakes, and that so small a party were taking their lives in their hands by staying there alone. On the other hand,
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PREPARATIONS FOR THE RETURN
Howe and Wheelock endeavored to convince Captain Johnson that the danger in going was far greater than in staying; that there was more to be feared from the coming storm than from the Indians. The seven who remained behind offered to go with the others if they would change their route and go back by way of Estherville and the Des Moines River, but they abso- Intely refused to strike out across the prairie. Seeing that their arguments were of no avail and that the smaller party were determined to stay, they shook hands with them, bade them good-bye and started on the run to join their companions, who by this time were some distance away. It was their last good-bye.
For the partienlars of that return trip the reader is referred to Lieutenant Maxwell's account, which will be found further on. The party that remained now turned their attention to their own comfort and safety. Their first requirement was provisions. As soon as the other detachment had left, they made their preparations to once more visit the wagon on the prairie, which they found without trouble, and after loading themselves with such supplies as they could carry, returned to camp. Before reaching camp they were overtaken by the blind- ing storm, which proved so disastrous to the other parties, but fortunately they were so far along on their return trip that they succeeded in reaching camp without accident, with three or four days' provisions. Up to this time the party had been camped out on the north side of the cabin. They. now moved inside, and as the storm was increasing in violence, their next care was to lay in fuel enough to last until it was over. This they had no trouble in doing, and now it will be readily soon that they were far more comfortably situated than the main body, who were having their terrible experience on the banks of the Cylinder, so vividly described by Governor Carpenter, or the party who had left that morning for the Irish Colony,
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and were having such a bitter experience, as told by Lieutenant Maxwell. There was nothing now for the party to do but to take care of themselves the best they could until the storm was over. They were in a comfortable cabin, with plenty of fuel and provisions for the present. Of course, they were at any moment liable to an attack by the Indians, provided the In- dians had not all left. After securing their fuel, they barri- caded the door and window as well as they could, and then, removing some of the chinking, they made portholes on each side of the cabin; being fairly well armed, they considered themselves comparatively safe.
Sunday night the storm abated and Monday morning it was clear and cold. That Sunday night was the coldest April night known in the history of Iowa. On Monday morning the party started for home. The ground was frozen where it was bare and where it was not the strong crust on the snow was capable of bearing up any ordinary load, so that the walking was good. On reaching the Des Moines, they found it frozen over so hard that they crossed it without difficulty and reached Granger's place, where they had left the main body five days before. It will be remembered that on coming up no teams could cross the river, consequently they all turned back with the main body of troops except the one owned by Howe and Wheelock. That was left here, and Markham and another person were left here to take care of it until they should return. The party decided to rest here another day. That night they were joined also by Jareb Palmer, who, instead of going down with the main body, had been up to Springfield again. Wed- nesday morning the whole party started down the river. They now had a team to carry their baggage and the walking was comparatively good. The weather remaining cold all of this time, the water had run down so that the small streams were crossed without much difficulty, and it was only such streams
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as Jack Creek and the Cylinder that offered any serious obsta- cles. The party rested another day at the Irish Colony, where they had overtaken a portion of the Springfield refugees mak- ing their way down the river; also Henry Carse, one of Max- well's men, who had frozen his feet the night they lay on the prairie after leaving the Gardner cabin.
Saturday morning they made another start and arrived at Cylinder Creek a little after noon. The creek had fallen some but was still out of its banks, being nearly a quarter of a mile wide. The water was from one to two feet deep over the bottom, which was very level. The crossing of this stream was the most serious problem that the party had to solve on their way down. One man went ahead on horseback to try the route, then followed the teams with the wounded men and the women and children. The ground was a little higher at the bank of the stream than it was farther back, and at one place it was bare. On this knoll they all gathered to contrive some way to cross the river. An old wooden sled was found and a few pieces of driftwood. These were fastened together and the box taken off from one of the wagons and fastened to the raft. Two long ropes were then rigged, one to each side of the raft. The man on horseback then took one end of one of the ropes and swam his horse across the channel to the opposite bank, which was quite steep and comparatively high. (The course of the channel was distinguished by wil- lows growing on its banks.) He then dismounted, holding fast to the rope. Three or four men now took their places on the raft and the man that had ridden over slowly and care- fully pulled them across, the men on the other side holding the raft by the other rope to keep it from floating down stream. Communication now being established, and there being men enough on each side to handle the raft without delay, the wo- men, children and wounded men were soon taken over. The
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teams were then swam over, ropes rigged to the ends of the wagon tongues and the wagons hauled over. Then came the baggage and last of all the balance of the men.
This crossing took the entire afternoon and the party reached Shippey's, two miles away, about sundown, wet, cold and almost exhausted. Here they learned for the first time the terrible experience their comrades had at the same place nearly a week before them. From here the party proceeded on their way to Fort Dodge, which they reached without further ad- ventures than such as are incident to swimming swollen streams and living on short rations, which, in some instances, consisted of a handful of flour and a little salt, which they mixed up with water and baked over a campfire. A few of the party shot, dressed and broiled some muskrats and tried to make the rest believe they considered them good eating, but that diet did not become popular.
In the foregoing account the writer has been confined mostly to what passed under his own personal observation. for more extended particulars the reader is referred to the official re- port of Major Williams, and to the accounts written by Lieu- tenant Maxwell and Governor Carpenter. These two papers have been selected from others equally readable and reliable for the reason that Maxwell, being in charge and taking notes at the time, would be supposed to have a clearer recollection of events than would otherwise be possible, while Governor Carpenter's account of the return trip of the main body will be taken at its face value.
CHAPTER VIII.
EXTRACT FROM LIEUTENANT MAXWELL'S ACCOUNT OF THE EXPEDITION-BURYING THE DEAD-THE PARTY DIVIDES-CAPTAIN JOHNSON AND FIF- TEEN OTHERS START ACROSS THE PRAIRIE- THEIR TERRIBLE SUFFERINGS-JOHNSON AND BURKHOLDER PERISH ON THE PRAIRIE-GOVER- NOR CARPENTER'S ACCOUNT OF THE RETURN TRIP OF THE MAIN BODY-TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE ON CYLINDER CREEK-HEROISM OF THE OLD MAJOR -EXTRACT FROM LAUGHLIN'S ACCOUNT.
W
E LEFT Fort Dodge March twenty-fourth, but owing to our commissary being hindered in procuring transpor- tation, we were obliged to camp at Badger Creek, not more than four or five miles north. We now began to realize that we were soldiers. Cold, wet and hungry, we built up large campfires, provided a hasty meal, dried our clothes as well as we could, and without tents lay down and slept soundly.
"On the morning of the twenty-fifth we resumed our march, crossing the east branch of the Des Moines without difficulty, and camped at Dakota City. The twenty-sixth the road bo- came more and more difficult. In some places the snow was so deep that it was necessary to break a road before our teams could pass through. In other places it had drifted in the ra- vines to the depth of eight or ten feet. The only way to pro- ceed was to wade through, stack arms, return and unhitch the teams, attach ropes to them and draw them through ; then per- form a similar operation with the wagons. This performance took place every mile or two, and by such progress we were two days in reaching MeKnight's Point on the east bank of the west branch of the Des Moines River, twelve miles from Dakota City. On the twenty-seventh we camped at MeKnight's Point.
"On the night of the twenty-sixth the command camped ont on the prairie, but a detail under Captain Duncombe had gone ahead to look out the road to the Point. Duncombe had been
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ill during the day, and he became so exhausted that he had to be carried into camp, running a very close risk of losing his life.
"Resuming our march on the twenty-eighth, we camped that night at Shippey's, on Cylinder Creek. Sunday, the twenty- ninth, we reached the Irish Colony, Emmet County, and were all cared for by the inhabitants who had assembled for protec- tion in case of an attack, but were greatly relieved when we came in sight. The morning of the thirtieth found the com- mand greatly refreshed, having butchered a cow that had been wintered on prairie hay. The beef was not exactly porter- house steak, but it was food for hungry men. We left our teams, which were nearly exhausted, and impressed fresh ones. We camped that night near Big Island Grove. At this place the Indians had kept a lookout in a big cedar tree that grew on an island in the middle of the lake, and their campfires were still burning. A platform had been built in this tree, forty feet from the ground, from which one could easily see twenty miles. The place had probably been deserted several days but the fire was still burning. One Indian doubtless kept watch here alone, leaving in a northwesterly direction when he abandoned the place.
"The morning of the thirty-first the command moved out early. Ten men were sent forward as scouts. When about eight miles out we met the Springfield refugees, the Churches, Thomases, Carver and others. We went into camp, and our surgeon dressed the wounds of the fleeing party. On the morning of April first Major Williams sent an escort with the Spring- field people back to the Irish Colony, and proceeded north- west, with an advance guard ahead. We camped that night at Granger's Point, near the Minnesota line. Here we learned that the United States troops from Fort Ridgley were camped at the head of Spirit Lake and that the Indians had fled to Owl Lake, some eighteen miles away. As we were on foot and the Indians supposed to be mounted, there would not be any chance of overtaking them.
"A council was held and it was decided to return the main part of the command to the Irish Colony and wait for the rest to come in. Twenty-six men were selected, including those having friends at the lake, to eross the river, proceed to thai point to bury the dead, reconnoiter, and see if there were any
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EXTRACT FROM MAXWELL'S ACCOUNT
who had escaped the Indians. I was one of the party. On the morning of the second of April, under Capt. J. C. Johnson, we crossed the Des Moines River and took a south and west direction. The traveling was much better than it had been since we left Fort Dodge. It was warm and clear. About two o'clock we struck East Okoboji Lake on the southeast shore. The first cabin we came to was that of Mr. Thatcher. Here we found the yard and prairie covered with feathers. Two dead men were lying at the rear of the house, both bodies be- ing numerously shot in the breast. They evidently had been unarmed and everything indicated that they had been sur- prised. The rest of the family had been killed in the house or taken prisoners, and everything indicated that there had been no defense. From here we went to Mr. Howe's, where we found seven dead bodies. There were one old and one middle aged woman, one man and four children-all brutally murdered. It seemed that the man had been killed by plac- ing the muzzle of a gun against his nose and blowing his head to pieces. The other adult had been simply shot. The chil- dren had been knocked in the head.
"We divided into parties to bury the dead, camping for the night near the residence of the Howe family. Old Mr. Howe was found on the third of April, some distance from the house on the ice, shot through the head. We buried him on a bluff southwest of the place, some eighty rods from the house. The next place was Mr. Mattock's. Here we found eleven dead bodies and buried them all in one grave, men, women and children. The ground was frozen and we could only make the grave about eighteen inches deep. It was a ghastly sight. The adults had been shot, but the children's brains had been knocked out, apparently by striking them across their fore- heads with heavy clubs or sticks of wood. The brains of one boy about ten years of age, had been completely let out of his head, and lay upon the ground. Every one else shrank from touching them. I was in command and feeling that I would not ask another to do a thing from which myself revolted, I gathered up the poor scattered fragments upon the spade and placed them all together in the grave. About forty head of cattle had been shot at this place, the carcasses split open on the backs and tenderloins removed-all that the Indians cared to carry off. The house had been burned with one dead body
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in it at the time. At this place it seems to me that the only man who fought the Indians was Doctor Harriott, who had formerly lived at Waterloo. He made heroic defense, probably killing and wounding two or three Indians. He was falling back toward Granger's, evidently defending the women and children, when he was finally shot himself. He still grasped lis Sharp's rifle, which was empty and broken off at the breech, showing that he had fallen in a hand to hand fight. I have little idea that any other man about the lakes fired a gun at the Indians. It was simply a surprise and butchery. "From here we went to the Grangers', and found the dead body of one of the brothers of that name. ILe had been first shot and his head had been split open with a broad axe. HE and his brother had kept a small store, and the Indians had taken everything away excepting some dozen bottles of strych- nine. We buried him near his own house. The next house was Gardner's. Here were the bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Gard- ner, one grown-up daughter, and two small children in the yard, and a baby in the house. We buried this family all in one grave, about two rods from the house. Tired and hun- gry we went into camp in a small grove at the rear of the house, with nothing to eat but potatoes.
"Some of our party had visited the lake in the fall and had seen Mr. Gardner bury two bushels of potatoes in a box under his stove. These we found and roasted in the campfire. They lasted two days. On the morning of the fourth, we com- pleted our sad task, and without any food, turned our faces homeward, taking a southeast course, hoping to reach the Irish Colony the same day. In the forenoon it was quite warm, melting the snow, and consequently traveling was very dithi- cult. We were obliged to wade sloughs waist deep or go miles around and run the risk of losing the course. We were wet to the shoulders and while in this fearful condition the wind changed. About four o'clock a blizzard was upon us. In a short time our clothes were frozen stiff. Many of us ent holes in our boots to let the water out, and several pulled their boots off and were unable to get them ou again. Up to this time the detachment had kept together. About sundown we came to a township corner placed there the year before. Laughlin and I wanted to be governed by the pit. While we were talk- ing, part of the detachment came up and passed us some dis-
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tance to the right. Those who happened to be with Laughlin and me stopped on a piece of dry ground close to township. corner, determined to remain near it all night, lest in the night we should lose our course as shown by the corner. We marched back and forth all night long. When a comrade would fall others would help him to his feet, encourage and force him to keep moving as the only hope, for no living being could survive an hour in such a storm without hard exercise. Captain Johnson's party, led by a trapper, became a little sep- arated from us by a slough, where they found a dry place and commenced pacing back and forth as we were doing. They were within speaking distance of us. They stayed there all night, but in the morning took a southeast direction, while we went east. They seemed to have perfect confidence in the old trapper's knowledge of the country.
"During the night some of our men begged to lie down. claiming that it was useless to try to keep up any longer as the ice on their clothes gave them fearful annoyance. But the more hopeful would not consent to anyone giving up. In this distressed condition we traveled up and down that path all night.
"One man by the name of Henry Carse from Princeton, Illinois, had taken his boots off in the evening and wrapped his feet in pieces of blanket. He succeeded in getting along as well as the rest during the night, but in the morning when we went on the ice to break a road, his feet got wet and the wraps wore out. I staid with him until within three or four miles of the Des Moines River, when I became satisfied he could not get there, as his mind had failed. Every time I would bring him up he would turn away in any direction. Finally, Henry Dalley came along and succeeded in getting him to the river. The river was three miles from the Irish Colony. We had no matches, but some of the party knew how to strike a fire by saturating a d'amp wad with powder and shooting it into the weeds. In this way we succeeded in striking a fire. Henry Carse was now unconscious and the blood was run- ning from his mouth! We ent the rags from his feet and the skin came off the soles of his feet with the rags.
"As soon as the fire was well going, Langhlin and T. being the least frozen, determined to try and cross the river and reach the settlement for help. We walked to the middle of the
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river, laid poles over the weak iee and crawled over. We reached the Irish Colony and sent baek help to the rest of the party. I went to sleep soon after entering a warm room and did not awaken until the next day, when I took some nourish- ment and started on to overtake the command under Major Williams which had been detained at Cylinder Creek. In the morning C. C. Carpenter tried to get a guide to go and help search for Johnson and his friend Burkholder, but failed. As we left the Colony I looked back and saw Carpenter going down the river to see if they had struek the river below. At Cylinder Creek the party broke up into squads, each reaching his home as best he could, and all of us more or less demoral- ized. Laughlin and I came by the way of Fort Dodge, while Frank Mason and some of the others came across north of here. Most of us had our ears and feet frozen, but we only lamented the loss of the slain settlers, and our comrades Johnson and Burkholder, whose precious lives had been given for the relief of the helpless. But it was always a wonder to me that we did not leave the bones of more of our comrades to bleach with these on those wild and traekless prairies."
Coneluding portion of Governor C. C. Carpenter's address on the same occasion :
"The third day after commeneing our return march, we left Medium Lake, in a hazy, cloudy atmosphere, and a drizzling rain. By the time we had reached Cylinder Creek, beneath the descending rain overhead and the melting snow beneath our feet, the prairies were a flood of water. On arriving at Cylinder Creek we found the channel not only full, but the water covering the entire bottom bordering the creek to a depth of from three to four feet. When we found that it would be impossible to eross at a point where the road intersceted the creek, we resolved to send a party up the stream to see if a better crossing could not be found. But in less time than I have oeeupied in telling this story the wind began blowing from the north, the rain turned to snow and every thread of clothing on the entire command was saturated with water and our elothing began to freeze to our limbs. I had still not given up the hope of either crossing the stream or finding a more comfortable place to eamp, and await the result of the now freezing and blinding storm. So with one or two
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