USA > Iowa > Hamilton County > History of Hamilton County, Iowa, Volume I > Part 9
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School Fund Commissioner-J. W. Payne. 188. J. H. Cofer, 152. County Surveyor-E. Huntington, 242. Sam. H. Lunt. 72. Drainage Commissioner-H. M. Barstow, 190. J. Gilcrist, 150. Coroner-L. Lakin, 148. A. Gaines, 119.
The above are the returns as certified by the commissioners of election, but as Elisha Lakin appeared a few days after the election and qualified for the office of coroner. it is probable that the transcript is in error.
All of the officers were elected to serve only until the August election, except assessor and drainage commissioner, who were commissioned to serve for two years, and coroner for one year.
R. D. Remington resigned the office of assessor on June 20 and on June 30, 1857, Judge Maxwell appointed J. C. Pemberton to fill the vacancy.
Thornton Parker and B. D. Jewell were elected justices of the peace of Boone township at this first election. Elisha Lakin and A. O. Hall for justice of peace for Clear Lake township; Wm. Weaver, justice of peace for Webster township, and if Cass township elected such an officer the record does not dis- close the fact.
A correspondent to the Dubuque Express and Herald under date of February
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19, 1857, wrote a long article upon Webster City and its prospects which was afterwards copied in the Hamilton Freeman and from which we quote as follows :
WEBSTER CITY IN 1857
"A spacious and handsome frame hotel sixty feet front by thirty feet deep, two and a half stories high, has been erected and furnished by Messrs. Millard and Browning. This is one of the best built, and best designed hotels in the western country and is the largest west of Independence." (This was the main building of the present Park Ilouse. )
The water power is an excellent one and has been finely improved by Messrs. W. C. and S. Willson. One large saw-mill (water power) with nine feet head with a rose wheel propelling one upright, and two buzz saws, with turning lathe, boring and morticing machine. This mill, owned by W. C. and S. Willson, will saw eight thousand feet of lumber in twenty-four hours.
One large steam sawmill, fifteen horse power, with fine machinery, is capable of sawing twelve thousand feet of lumber in twenty-four hours. The enterprising proprietors are Messrs. Fenton, Funk & Co. S. B. Rosencrans, Esq., a member of the firm, personally superintends the mill. J. M. Funk, Esq., of the same firm, owns a large amount of town property, and is a valuable and enterprising citizen."
MERCANTILE-W. C. Willson, general merchandise; Robertson & Barton, ditto ; D. O. Laughlin, do .; T. W. Solsberry, do .; Rhodes & Halsey, druggists.
LAND AGENTS-Wadsworth & Baum, C. Smith, E. Iluntington, Morgan Everts. Garnut Parker.
NOTARIES PUBLIC-J. J. Wadsworth, A. Moon, C. Smith, E. Huntington.
MUSIC TEACHER-Mr. P. Page.
PHYSICIANS-Dr. A. C. Baum, Dr. Benedict, Dr. Jewell.
MECHANICS-Sackett & Sons, carpenters and joiners; Babcock & Mason, cabinet-makers; Sage & Bros., masons; Chambers, wagon maker; Robt. Furge- son, blacksmith.
RELIGIOUS-One Presbyterian organization, Rev. Mr. Dodder, pastor; one Methodist organization, Rev. Mr. Day. pastor.
A public school building has been built, which cost $1,000, and a large and prosperous school is now in operation, taught by Mr. N. Hathway.
One lodge, Good Templars, and an excellent lyceum is established.
HOTELS-Western Hotel, A. Moon ; Webster City Hotel, by Millard & Brown- ing ; City Hotel, by 11. Kellogg.
POSTOFFICE STATISTICS-J. J. Wadsworth, Esq., postmaster. This office was established December 3. 1855. The gross receipts for the quarter ending March 31. '56, were $14.54; gross receipts for the quarter ending December 31, 1856, were $65.09, showing a surprising increase which fully indorses the pros- perity of the town. There were tri-weekly mails from Dubuque; also from Iowa City ; also a weekly mail route is established from this point to Belmond, county seat of Wright county. This office is neatly fitted up and has one hun- dred and twenty boxes.
Improved lands within three, six, ten miles, range from $io to $15 per acre. Wild prairie lands range from $3 to $8 per acre. Timber land from $20 to $30 per acre."
CHAPTER V
THE SPIRIT LAKE MASSACRE
THE MASSACRE-THE RELIEF EXPEDITION-COMPANY "C" ORGANIZED- LIEUT. JOHN N. MAXWELL'S STORY-INK-PA-DU-TAH, THE OUTLAW-DEPREDATIONS IN CLAY COUNTY-INDIANS AT THE GARDINER HOME-THE INDIANS AT THE MATTOCK HOME-TIIE HOWE FAMILY MURDERED-AT THE MARBLE CABIN-THE M.AS- SACRE DISCOVERED-TRIALS OF TIIE PRISONERS-THIE INDIANS AT SPRINGFIELD- THE FLIGHT OF THE FUGITIVES-RECOLLECTIONS OF F. R. MASON-DEATII OF CAPTAIN JOHNSON-THE GREAT INDIAN SCARE-THE FRONTIER GUARD.
By F. Q. Lee
THE SPIRIT LAKE MASSACRE
On about the 8th of March, 1857, Ink-pa-du-tah, a Sioux renegade, with about forty followers, made an attack upon, the settlements at Spirit Lake and killed or captured everyone found there. This massacre was perhaps the most horrible affair that has ever occurred in the history of Iowa, and on account of the intense impression it made on the minds of our people, it properly becomes a part of our history.
Ink-pa-du-tah was a nephew of old Si-dom-i-na-do-tah, the Sioux chief, who was murdered by Henry Lot in 1854, and some authors are of the opinion that the death of the old chief was the proximate cause of the Spirit Lake horror. Other causes are assigned and perhaps a discussion of causes will be more appropriate after a description of the affair itself has been given and its connection with Hamilton county history more fully shown.
THE RELIEF EXPEDITION
It was not until the 22d of March that the news of the massacre reached Webster City. A meeting of citizens was immediately called and volunteers to go to the relief of the settlers at the lake called for. Nearly everybody volun- teered. As it was not thought advisable for so many to go, especially as the whereabouts of the Indians was not known and they might at that moment be moving to. attack Webster City, and the settlement north ; it was decided to send thirty of the youngest and strongest men. Judge Maxwell was appointed to select the men from the many who had volunteered. The volunteers were there- fore drawn up in line, and the following were selected: John C. Johnson, John Maxwell, Frank Mason, Harris Hoover, A. N. Hathway, Sherman Cassady, A.
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K. Tullis, Elias D. Kellogg, A. S. Leonard, John Gates, T. B. Bonebright, Alonzo Richardson, Michael Sweeney. J. Brainard. Humphry Hillock, M. Howland, F. R. Moody, Wm. K. Laughlin, E. Gates, W. L. Church, Jareb Palmer, J. C. Pemberton, Thos. Henderson, J. Griffith, John Newland, Jas. Hickey. Patrick Colan. John Erie, Patrick Stafford, H. E. Dally.
The above list is that given by H. Hoover, a member of the expedition and published in August, 1857. The company left Webster City about I o'clock on March 23, and arrived at Fort Dodge that evening. They were received by a large and enthusiastic meeting of citizens and found that about seventy-five men liad been enrolled there for the expedition, and were divided into two companies. with John F. Duncombe and C. B. Richards as captains, and these companies were named "A" and "B."
COMPANY "C" ORGANIZED
The volunteers from Webster City immediately organized as Company "C" and they elected J. C. Johnson, captain; John N. Maxwell, first lieutenant ; F. R. Mason, second lieutenant ; H. Hoover, sergeant. Major Williams, an old man near seventy years of age, was chosen as commander of the force. The expedition was one of almost incredible difficulty and hardship, and as the par- ticulars of the march to the lakes, the burial of the dead and the return has been so graphically written by Lieutenant J. N. Maxwell, we give his account :
LIEUTENANT JOIIN N. MAXWELL'S STORY
"We left Fort Dodge March 24th, but owing to our commissary being hindered in procuring transportation, we were obliged to camp at Beaver Creek, not more than four miles north. We built up large camp fires, provided a hasty meal, dried our clothes as well as we could and without tents we lay down and slept soundly. On the morning of the 25th we resumed our march, crossing the east branch of the Des Moines without difficulty and camped at Dakota City. The 26th the roads became 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 ravines to the depth of eight or ten feet. The only way to proceed was to wade through, stack arms, return and unhitch the teams, attach ropes to them and draw them through, then perform the same operation with the wagons. This performance took place every mile or two and by such progress we were two days reaching MeKnights Point, on the east side of the west branch of the Des Moines river, twelve miles from Dakota City, where we camped on the night of the 27th1.
"On the night of the 26th the command camped out on the prairie, but a detail under Captain Duncombe had gone ahead to look out the road to the Point. Duncombe had been ill during the day and he became so exhausted that he had to be carried into camp, and came near losing his life. Resuming our inarch on the 28th, we camped that night at Shippy's on Cylinder creek.
"On Sunday, the 20th, we reached the Irish colony in Emmet county and all were cared for by the settlers who had assembled for protection in case of an attack, and were greatly relieved when we came in sight. The morning of the 30th found the command greatly refreshed, having butchered a cow that had
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been wintered on prairie hay. The beef was not exactly porterhouse 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 the island in the middle of the lake, and their camp fires 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 for several days, except by one man who had remained to keep watch.
"The morning of the 31st 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 Ist Major Williams sent an escort with the Springfield people back to the Irish colony, and proceeded northwest, with an advance guard ahead. We camped that night at Granger's Point near the Minnesota line. Here we learned that the U. S. 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 were supposed to be mounted there was no chance of overtaking them.
"A council was held and it was decided to return the main part of the com- mand 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 cross the river, proceed to that point, to bury the dead, reconnoiter and see if there were any who had escaped the Indians. I was one of this party. On the morning of the 2d day of April, under Captain 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 being badly shot in the breast. They evidently had been unarmed and everything indicated that they had been surprised. The rest of the family had been killed in the house or taken prisoners, and everything indicated that there had been no defence. From here we went to Mr. Howe's, where we found seven dead bodies. There was one old and one middle-aged woman, one man and four children-all bru- tally murdered. It seemed that the man had been killed by placing the muzzle of a gun against his nose and blowing his head to pieces. The other adults had been simply shot. The children had been knocked in the head. We di- vided into two parties to bury the dead, camping for the night near the residence of the Howe family. Old Mr. Howe was found on the 3d 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 foreheads with heavy clubs or sticks of wood. The brains of one boy about ten years of age had been
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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 at which I myself revolted, I gathered up the poor scattered frag- ments 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 in the back and the tenderloins removed-all that the Indians cared to carry off. The house had been burned with one dead body in it at the time. At this place it seems to me that the only man who fought the Indians was Dr. Harriott who had for- merly lived at Waterloo. He made a heroic defense, probably killing and wound- ing two or three Indians. He was falling back toward Granger's, evidently de- fending the women and children when he was finally shot himself. He still grasped his Sharp's rifle, which was empty and broken off at the breech, show- ing 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 surprise and butchery.
"From here we went to the Grangers' and found the dead body of one of the brothers of that name. He 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 a dozen bottles of strychnine. We buried him near his own house. The next house was Gardiner's. Here were the bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, 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 hungry, 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. Gardiner bury two bushels of potatoes in a box under the stove. These we found and roasted in the camp fire. They lasted two days. On the morning of the 4th we completed 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 difficult. 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 cut holes in our boots to let the water out, and several pulled their boots off and were unable to get them on 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 talking, part of the detachment came up and passed us some distance to the right. Those who hap- pened to be with Laughlin and me stopped on a piece of dry ground close to the 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 him 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 separated from us by a slough. where they found a dry place, and commenced pacing back and forth as we were
1
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doing. 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 any one 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, Ill., had taken his boots off in the evening and wrapped his feet in pieces of blanket. He suc- ceeded 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 Dally 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 damp 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 running from his mouth. We cut 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 Laughlin and I, being the least frozen, determined to try to cross the river and reach the settlement for help. We walked to the middle of the river, laid poles over the weak ice and crawled over. We reached the Irish colony and sent back help to the rest of the party. I went to sleep soon after entering a warm room and did not waken until the next day when I took some nourishment 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 Car- penter going down the river to see if they had struck the river below. At Cylin- der creek the party broke up into squads, each reaching his home as best he could and all of us more or less demoralized. Laughlin and I came by 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 has always been a won- der to me that we did not leave the bones of more of our comrades to bleach with these, on those wild and trackless prairies."
Ink-pa-du-tah was, it seems, an outlaw among the Indians, having killed his chief and fled from his tribe. He was brave, cruel and blood thirsty, feared by the Indians and despised by all except the scoundrel element of the Indian tribes that he drew around him.
Several minor difficulties are reported between his followers and the scat- tered white settlers in the northwest mostly resulting from the thieving pro- pensities of the alleged braves, who not being allowed to commit depredations upon the settlers' property with impunity, became sullen and revengeful.
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DEPREDATIONS IN CLAY COUNTY
They started on a raid that ended in the massacre, in the late fall of 1856. from the lower valley of the Little Sioux river, and went slowly northward shoot- ing cattle and hogs here and there, and committing other depredations. They stopped a few days in Clay county at a place now called Peterson, and killed a few cattle belonging to A. S. Mead (Mr. Mead being away), knocked down his wife, destroyed other property and carried off to their camp his daughter Hattie, seventeen years old, and started to take a younger sister, Emma. but she resisted and cried so loud that an Indian took a rod and whipped her all the way back to the house. At Mr. E. Taylor's house they knocked him down, kicked liis boy into the fire place and carried his wife off to their camp. The captive women were kept over night at the camp and permitted to go home next day. They then proceeded northward and on the 7th day of March arrived at Okoboji lakes. Strange as it may seem, the settlers here had heard nothing of the depre- dations committed but a few miles south of them. nor did they anticipate any trouble when the Indians camped at the edge of the settlement. Mr. Gardiner had made arrangements to start early in the morning of the 8th for Fort Dodge for supplies and the family were up early, but just as they were about to sit down to breakfast an Indian came in. A place was prepared for him and in an apparently friendly manner he partook of the hospitality of the family.
THE INDIANS AT THE GARDINER HOME
He was soon followed by others, until Ink-pa-du-tah with fourteen warriors. their squaws and papooses had entered the house. They appeared friendly, and the scanty store of the household was freely divided among them. Then they became sullen and insolent, demanding ammunition, etc. Mr. Gardiner was giving one of them a few gun caps, when he snatched the box. Another tried to get the powder horn which hung against the wall but was prevented by Mr. Luce, who seized a gun and pointed it at the Indian's head.
The Indians continued to prowl around the premises for some time, and Mr. Gardiner, fearing trouble, put off his trip. Dr. Harriott and Mr. Snyder came while the Indians were still there. Mr. Gardiner thought there was trouble ahead and believed that the neighbors should be warned, and that all should get together for defense but Harriott and Snyder thought it was only a pet of the Indians and that no danger need be apprehended. and after doing some trading with the Indians, they left. When the Indians left they drove Mr. Gardiner's cattle before them and shot some of them. After that Mr. Luce and Mr. Clark went out to notify the settlers, and Mr. Gardiner was in favor of barricading the house and fighting it out, but his wife thought it better to treat the Indians kindly, and prevailed upon him to adopt this plan.
Clark and Luce did not return, and about 3 o'clock firing was heard, and just as the sun was setting. Mr. Gardiner went out and saw the enemy coming. He told his wife and both went out to meet and pacify them. They demanded more flour and when Mr. Gardiner turned to get it for them, they shot him through the heart. One of the women seized the gun when the Indians began beating Mrs. Gardiner and Mrs. Luce over the heads with their guns, dragged them both
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out of the house and killed them. They then took the little children and dragged them out into the yard and beat their brains out with sticks of wood, but took Abbie a prisoner. They broke the furniture, scattered the contents of the feather- beds about the yard, and dragging Abbie after them left behind the bodies of six of their victims, some of whom were not yet dead, as their groans were still to be heard.
THE INDIANS AT THE MATTOCK HOME
When the Indians arrived at the camp which was at the home of Mr. Mattock. Abbie Gardiner, who was a prisoner, found that the work of massacre had been done here before going to Mr. Gardiner's, for the cabins were on fire ; the bodies of Dr. Harriott, Mr. Mattock, Mr. Snyder, Carl Granger and several others were lying about the ground, while the shrieks and the groans of two or three helpless victims were heard from within the burning buildings where they were con- fined. Clark and Luce were killed near the outlet of the southern shore of East Okoboji.
THE HIOWE FAMILY MURDER
That night a war dance was held and next morning the savages blackened their faces and started out again. Only four families remained and they, all un- conscious of the fate of their neighbors, were pursuing their domestic duties. The Indians had proceeded but a short distance when they met Mr. Howe, whom they shot and then cut off his head. His skull was found some two years afterwards on the southern shore of the lake. They then went to Mr. Howe's house, where they murdered Mrs. Howe and six children. They then went to the cabin of Noble and Thatcher. Mr. Noble and Mr. Ryan were at home, and the Indians feigned friendship until they had an advantage, when both men were simultaneously shot. They then seized the two children by the feet and dragged them from their mother's arms, carried them out in the yard and dashed their brains out against a tree that stood there. They plundered the house, slaughtered cattle, hogs and poultry indiscriminately, and started back to camp, taking Mrs. Noble and Mrs. Thatcher prisoners. In going back they passed the house of Mr. Howe, where Mrs. Noble saw her mother's corpse. Her brother, Jacob, some thirteen years old, who had been left for dead, was found sitting up in the yard, conscious, though unable to speak. The savages, before they left, killed him before her eyes. On the 10th they broke camp and moved northwest and on the 13th accidentally came upon the cabin of Mr. Marble.
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