USA > Minnesota > Jackson County > An illustrated history of Jackson County, Minnesota > Part 9
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CHAPTER V.
FLIGHT OF TITE FUGITIVES -- 185%.
T HE Indians had done their hel- lish work and returned to camp near Heron lake. The settlers did not know that they had gone, how- ever, believing them to be still in the neighborhood, awaiting a favorable op- portunity to complete the work of butch- ery. All the living persons in the Spring- field settlement were now gathered at the Wheeler and Thomas cabins. The people at each house believed thal all the others had been killed and that they themselves were the only living whites in the settle- ment : each party considered the case al- most hopeless. The story of their flight and the hardships they endured has sel- dom been equaled in frontier history.
When little Johnnie Stewart arrived al the Thomas cabin the garrison there were led to believe that the savages had left the immediate vicinity. When a lit- tle later Adam Shiegley was seen going across the prairie from his eabin toward the Wheeler cabin and, in response to a hail, came to Mr. Thomas' place noharm- ed. the belief was verified. From the Stewart boy's account of the killing of his family and his report that the Wheeler cabin was full of Indians, and from the announcement of Mr. Shiegley that he had heard firing in the direction of
Woods' store, this little band of defenders now thought that they were the only ones spared. Although they assumed that the Indians had gone for the time being, they had no doubt they were still in the set- tlement, ready to renew the attack as soon as sufficiently reinforced or when a favorable opportunity offered.
So the vigilance maintained during the attack was not lessened. The men and women in the cabin continued to watch through the portholes for lurking sav- ages. From what they knew of the char- acter of the enemy they had reason to suspect that the silence was only a scheme to draw the defenders out. The women of the party prepared something to eat and passed it to those who were on watch at the portholes, and these ate their sup- per out of their hands. When darkness came on they feared to keep a fire or light in the house.
The situation of the beleaguered people and the possibility for deliverance were discussed. Some thought best to remain at the cabin in the hope that the soldiers from Fort Ridgely would soon appear, be- lieving that it would be better to remain behind the sheltering logs of the cabin than to risk an encounter with the red- skins in the open. Others (and they were
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in the majority) favored flight. Those first to venture from the cabin. They who most strongly favored departing ar- gned that there was no certainty that re- lief would ever come; it was not known whether the couriers had succeeded in Teaching Fort Ridgely, and if they had there was no assurance that their story would be believed or any help sent : they frared the Indians would creep up during the night and fire the cabin. To realize the utter demoralization the people must have been in to attempt flight, let us look at conditions and try to understand what such a decision meant.
The nearest settlep.ent that could pro- vide safety was Mankato, seventy-five miles away. The point next nearest that seemed to offer a reinge was Fort Dodge. lowa, nearly a hundred miles away. The snow was so deep and traveling so diffi- cult that it seemed impossible that a tomm could make any headway. Of the twenty or more people who comprised the party contemplating flight. only four were able-bodied men: the rest were women. children, babies and wounded men. Be- lieving. as they did, that the Indians were still in the vicinity and determined to wipe them out. not knowing how many savages they might have to encounter. handicapped with so many incapacitated. knowing that the route was well nigh im- possible. it is hard to conceive by what process of reasoning these people decided to leave. But that is what was done. As many of the settlers had originally come from the vicinity of Fort Dodge, that was the point of refuge selected.
As the Indians had not killed the cat- ile at the Thomas place, and as the snow had settled somewhat during the proced- ing few days. it was decided to try travel- ing by team, although few thought there was much hope of getting through. John Bradshaw and Frank M. Thomas, the elder son of JJames B. Thomas, were the
went out to the barn. so lately occupied by the savages, hitched the oxen to a slod and drove up to the vast door, which was the one facing the prairie." The women. children and wounded men were hastily loaded into the shell, the dead body of Willie Thomas being left where it had fallen, and at nine o'clock in the evening the refugees set out on the perilous jour- ney. No baggage, no clothing except what was worn. no provisions were taken. The only thought was to get away from the seone of the disasters of the day.
Great haste was made at the start to get out onto the prairie away from the timber. the fear being great that the say- ages would return and shoot them down before they could get out of gunshot from the timber's edge. Although the day had been fair and pleasant, there came up a thick fog about dark, which made it im- possible to see more than a few feet away. Over most of the course it was necessary for the men to beat a path before the oven could make any headway.
After having traveled in this manner for a couple of hours the fugitives became completely bewildered and knew not in which direction they were going. It was then decided to stop and wait for day- light. They found a knoll which was bare of snow, and there they unhitched the oxen and passed the rest of the night. There was no rest for this poor. cold.
"This is given on the authority of Mr. Palmer. Mrs. Sharp gives the credit of performing this service to Morris Markham and says:
"Naturally no one wished to be the first to Venture outside the door, where little Willle's luxly lay cold In death, the sad reminder of the consequence of a former venture, But some one must be the first. So, with true herole courage characteristic of the man, Mr. Mark- ham volunteered to go to the stable, where the murderons Sioux had so lately been and where they perhaps were secreted, and hitch the oxen to the sled and bring them to the door, while the others made hasty preparations for flight. So, alone In the darkness, he sallled forth, over the blood-stained snow, carrying his gun to fre as a signal should be find the enemy there, grojed his way through the stable, silently brought out the patient oxen, put on the yoke, hitched them to the sled and drove up to the
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sleepless and panic-stricken band of fugi- tives that night. When morning dawn- ed they found themselves to be abont three miles from their starting point and not much out of their proper course. The fog had disappeared and no trouble was now encountered in keeping a true course. They could see the different groves along the river, including the one at Granger's, where they wished to strike first.
The snow proved to be so deep that the oxen could scarcely pull the heavy load of those unable to walk and about noon the cattle became so exhausted that they could not proceed farther. It was then proposed that Mr. Palmer should go on to Granger's for help while the rest of the party camped with the team. Mr. Palin- er reached the Granger cabin in safety, stated the conditions to Mr. Granger and Mr. Hashman, and those gentlemen start- ed back with their oxen to the assistance of the Springfield refugees.
taken Mr. Pahner for an Indian and so had accosted him in, perhaps, the only Sioux word he knew. When he had first come in sight of the men he had taken them for Indians, and had pulled off his boots and thrown them away that he might run the faster.
Dr. Strong joined the other men of the party, who now anxiously awaited the coming of the people they saw in the distance. These proved to be the fugi- tives who had been left with the team. After Mr Palmer had departed they saw a party of people pursuing them, whom they, of course, took to be Indians. Life is a precious thing to most people and the sight of approaching Indians-as they supposed-caused them to make an al- most superhuman effort to escape. Aban- doning the oxen and sled, all set out on foot in a mad plunge through the drifts toward Granger's. Messrs. Carver and Thomas, the most severely wounded, found themselves able to walk; the men and women carried the children.
The three men had not proceeded far on the back track when they saw some persons on the prairie approaching from The fugitives were again united, their foree having been added to by Dr. Strong, Mr. Granger and Mr. Hashman. But they did not consider themselves safe by any means. There now came into view the party of five or six persons who had so alarmed those left at the sled, but they were too far away to tell whether they were friends or foes. So the refugees held themselves in readiness for action should they prove to be Indians. Fear lends fleetness to the limbs and in a short time the party came up. They proved to be Mr. and Mrs. Skinner, Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Nelson with her year and a half old babe-a part of those who had been at the Wheeler cabin. the direction of Springfield. They were too far away to make ont whether they were Indians or whites, but the men pro- ceeded on their way. After a while they noticed that one was nearer than the rest of the party and that he was running for dear life, going in the direction of the Granger grove. Believing him to be an Indian and fearing that if he reached the Granger cabin he would massacre the women, who were left without male pro- tection, Mr. Palmer and Mr. Hashman started out on a run to head him off. Mr. Palmer outran Mr. Hashman and succeeded in getting between the fleeing man and the grove. When he got within hailing distance the runner, who prov- Let us interrupt the story of the flight long enough to tell what had happened at the Wheeler cabin. The night after the ed to be Dr. Strong, hallooed to Mr. Palmer, giving the friendly salutation of the Sioux language. The doctor had mis- massacre had been spent in apprehension
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HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
and terror: in the morning the situation a swift run for safety in an effort to get was not relieved. Dr. Strong, one of the to the lowa settlements. As the Indians had killed all the cattle on the place it was necessary to go afoot. Poor John Henderson, who was in bed with both feet off from recent amputation, was aban- doned to whatever fate might overtake him, even without preparation being made for his food. Mrs. Nelson said she couldl carry her child and did so. One of the party also carried the Shiegley child for some distance. Robert Smith. who only a short time before had one leg ampu- tated, decided to accompany the others and stumped along on his one leg for a few hundred yards of the distance to Fort Badge. llis wound soon began to bleed and he was unable to go farther. two able-bodied men in the cabin. who had proved himself a hero in caring for the frozen men a month before. now prov- ed himself a veritable coward. During the forenoon of the day after the attack he began to worry about his family, who had been at the Thomas cabin. and tried to get someone to go down to try to as- certain their fate. Finally he declared he could stand the suspense no longer and that he intended to learn the fate of his family. He left the house with the avow- ed intention of going to the Thomas cab- in, but no sooner was he out of the house than his valor departed and he struck ont across the prairie, running for dear life. without a thought. apparently. for the safety of his family or anyone else except himself.
The desertion of Dr. Strong left the people of the Wheeler cabin in a deplor- able condition. There was now left only 1. B. Skinner to care for and protect iwo crippled men, three women and two small children. He was not equal to the oc- rasjon. There can be no question that the action of Mr. Skinner and the women there on that 27th day of March was cow- ardly. Perhaps their actions should be treated with lenity and a less harsh term than coward applied. for no one knows exactly what he or she would do in a like circumstance: the fear of death in most of us is stronger than any other hu- man emotion. The occasion called for heroic action. but there was no response.
Whether the desertion of Dr. Strong increased the fears of the remaining in- mates by reason of lessening their num- ber and making them more easy victims of the savages, or whether his ability to get away from the timber unharmed do- termined them also to make the attempt is not known, but it was decided to make
When Mr. Smith was obliged to give up. the party grew tired of carrying the Shiegley child and the two-a man in such condition that he ought to have been in bed. and a two year old child-were abandoned to their fate on the show- covered prairie." The reader may in im- agination realize the feelings that surged through the breast of this poor victim left to his fate by one who was supposed to be bound to him by ties stronger than the fear of death-the wife who, to save her own life, must abandon her husband to what appeared almost certain death. Mr. Smith and the little boy crawled to the Thomas vabin in the hope of finding some one to care for them, but in this, of course. they were disappointed. They re- mained in the cabin until found by the soldiers from Fort Ridgely .? After the abandonment the party. now consisting of Mr. and Mrs. Skinner. Mrs. Nelson and child and Mrs. Smith, proceeded on
Mr. Holcombe, In Minnesota in Three Cen- turies, says: "Smith's wife wished to remain with her husband, Int he bade her save herself. saying that she could do nothing that would be of so much service to him as to hurry for- ward to the lowa settlements and send him re-
"The Shiegley child was adopted Into the family of Major William Williams.
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their way and joined the other refugees, endeavored to get a night's sleep in the as has been related.
The newcomers told of their adventures and of the abandonment of Mr. Smith and the Shiegley child on the prairie. Up- on learning the particulars, Mr. Shiegley at once deelared his intention to go baek to take care of his boy, the love of his child overshadowing the fear of his own danger. The rest of the party tried to dissuade him, but to no avail, and after having been wished a hearty Godspeed, he set out for the north at about the mid- dle of the afternoon. So well satisfied were the fugitives that the Indians were still at Springfield that they expressed the belief that they would never again see Mr. Shiegley alive.
It is to be regretted that no reliance can be placed in the statements. of this man, for he might have left recorded much of, historical value instead of the improbably stories he did leave. He re- turned to the settlement and visited the Wheeler cabin, but did not find his boy or Mr. Smith, and came back to join the refugees. He spent the night with Mr. Henderson in the Wheeler cabin, and be- fore he left the next day ent a piece of meat from one of the oxen slain by the redskins and carried the meat in to the wounded man that he might not starve. He stated that he visited the Thomas cab- in in his search for the missing boy, but if he had he surely would have found him.+
After Mr. Shiegley left, the fugitives proceeded to the home of Mr. Granger to seek much needed rest after the terri- ble suffering incident to the trip. Food was supplied and then the thirty people
4Mr. Shiegley also told of having met an In- dian in the settlement. He said that after hav- ing a talk with the Indian both agreed to turn their backs and walk away without turning around to look at one another. Mr. Shiegley said he hroke the agreement by wheeling sud- denly and shooting the Indian in the head, re- marking that the ahorigine "jumped like a rab- bit with his head cut off."
one small room the cabin boasted. Some were able to lie down, while others were obliged to secure their rest in whatever position the conditions afforded. The next day, the 28th, Mr. Markham and Mr. Palmer went back and brought in the oxen, which were found quietly feeding on the dead grass within a few rods of the sled.
The Springfield refugees remained at the Granger eabin that day and the next night, getting a much needed rest and awaiting the return of Mr. Shiegley. On Sunday morning, March 29, they set out again on the way to Fort Dodge. The snow had by this time melted sufficiently to leave many bare spots, so the sled was left and two yoke of oxen were hitched to Mr. Granger's lumber wagon. The wounded, women and small children were loaded into the wagon, and all, inehiding George Granger and the Hashman family, set out on the supposable long journey, most of the party going afoot. With fatigue and suffering they traveled all day. The wounds of those shot by the Indians had not been dressed, and, in- tlammation having set in, every motion of the wagon caused excruciating pain. Of this day's trip Mr. Palmer has writ- ten :
The snow bad settled so much that we did not have much difficulty on account of the drifts, but all the small ravines and sags were filled with slush two or three feet deep, which had to be warded by those who walked. Some two or three of the women and all of the men were compelled to walk, as the oxen were not able to haul all of the women even. It was heartrending to see the poor women plunge in and wade the cold slush, sometimes nearly to their waists; but when it is life or death we can make heroie efforts to save the former.
Only twelve or fifteen miles were made that day. Camp was made on a slight elevation of ground on the bank of a small lake near Mud lakes, in Emmet county, lowa. There were a half dozen
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HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
small, serubby oak trees which were cut down for firewood, the branches being used for beds. The ground was covered with water from the melting snow and the accommodations were anything but com- fortable. A fairly restful night was pass- edl. however, and on the morning of the 30th the journey was resumed. That day was a repetition of the preceding one $0 far as discomforts were concerned. In addition, the party now began to feel the pangs of hunger, for they had had noth- ing to eat since leaving the Granger cabin, excepting a handful or two of sugar : all the vituals had been consumed while stay- ing at the cabin.
About three o'clock in the afternoon the refugees sighted a party in the dis- tance in the direction in which they were going, and again did the terror-stricken people believe that they were to be at- tacked by Indians. The guns were ex- amined and preparations made for a tight. Six men of the party went ahead to in- vestigate, leaving one man with the team. To their great joy they found the party to be the advance guard of an expedition recruited by the people of Fort Dodge and vicinity to come to the relief of the fron- tier settlers." The point of meeting was near the north line of Palo Alta county.
"The Springfield refugees were, of course, ig- porant of the coming of this expedition; they did not even know that news of the trouble on the frontier had been carried to the lowa set - tements. On the 14th of March, when the Springfield settlers had gathered at Granger's to go to the lakes, a Mr. Hashman. father of the young man mentioned in the text, hecame alarmed and set out on foot for Fort Dodge. There he told the story of the Spirit lake mas- sacre as it had been related by Morris Mark - ham. but he being a stranger and having his information second hand, very little credit was given to the story by the people of Fort Dodge. The news of the massacre was confirmed In that lowa town on thi 22nd, when o ". Howr. 1 :. 1. Wheelock and B F. Parmenter came in and reported what they had found at the lakes on the 15th. The people were still skeptical. but after these men had sworn to their state- ments they bestired themselves.
The direful news created intense freling. Three companies of volunteers were quickly re- eruited in Fort Dodge, Webster City and Hom- er, and on the 25th, under command of Majer William Williams, they set out for the frontier. They proceeded up the Des Moines river, and after terrible hardships came upon the Spring- field refugees on the afternoon of the 30th.
Towa. The advance guard was under the command of William Church, a Spring- field settler and the husband of one of the refugee. The joy of the hungry, weary, bleeding fugitives on meeting the volunteers was indescribable. Not until then, from the time of attack, had they for a moment felt safe from their foes. They know that had they been attacked on the route they would have fallen an easy prey.
The main body of volunteers. consist- ing of about 115 inen, soon came up. The refugees accompanied them to their camp, four or five miles away, and for the first time since early in the morning of the day before had something to cat. Dr. Bissell, the surgeon with the volunteers. dressed the wounds of Mr. Thomas, Mr. Carver and Miss Swanger. As the injur- ies had been received four days before and had gone that length of time without sur- gical attention. the wounds were in bad condition and were terribly inflamed. All remained in the camp of the soldiers that night. The next morning Major Wil- liams made the necessary arrangements for the care of the wounded and the wom- en and children. Accompanied by Messrs. Granger. Hashman. Strong and Skinner. they went to the "Irish colony." a few miles below, and in course of time arriv- ed safely in Fort Dodge and other lowa towns.“
Of the refugees. Messrs. Bradshaw. Markbam. Shiegley and Palmer did not go to the lowa towns, but joined the vol- univers They became members of a -conting party and scouted over quite a
"The fallacy of some of Major Williams' con- clusions is illustrated in the following from his report of the expedition:
"About eighty miles up we met those who had escaped the massacre at Springfield.
They were ahont exhausted and the Indians . un their trail pursuing them. Had not our scouts discovered them and reported, there can In no doubt they would have been murdered that night."
Griffith and William Church were also former Springfield residents who had joined the volunteers at the time of recruiting.
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large tract of territory. Although they found fresh Indian signs, they were un- able to run across any of the savages. The main body of the volunteers pro- ceeded north to the Granger cabin. There they learned that United States soldiers had arrived at Springfield, and they de- cided to return home, and after detailing a party to bury the dead at the lakes, they departed. Some of the former Spring- field settlers who had joined the volun- teers went up to the camp of the regulars and assisted in straightening . up affairs in that disordered settlement.
Let us now consider the part played by the United States soldiers from Fort Ridgely, whose coming had been so anx- iously awaited by the people of Spring- field. and whose earlier arrival would have saved seven lives and prevented the hard- ships endured by the refugees.
When Joseph Chiffin and Henry Trets arrived at the lower agency with the peti- tion on the 18th of March. Agent Charles E. Flandreau was fully satisfied of the truth of the report that murders had been committed and took prompt action. He at once drove to Fort Ridgely. fourteen miles distant, and conferred with Col- onel E. B. Alexander, of the Tenth in- fantry, then commanding the post, which contained five or six companies of that regiment. With commendable prompt- ness Colonel Alexander ordered D com- pany, commanded by Captain Bernard E. Bee, with Lieutenant Alexander Mur- ry second in command, to be ready to start for the scenes of the trouble at once for the purposes of protecting the set- tlers and to punish the Indians.
Captain Bee received his orders at nine o'clock on the morning of March 19, and within three and one-half hours he was on his way with forty-eight men, trans- ported in sleighs drawn by mules. It was RSpeech of Charles E. Flandreau at unveiling of Spirit Lake monument in 1895.
found impossible to march the troops in a direct line to the scene of the outbreak on account of the difficulty in traveling through the deep snow with the army wagon and mules. The route traversed was down the Minnesota by way of New Ulm to Mankato, and thence up the Blue Earth and Watonwar to Isaac Slocum's cabin, a few miles southwest of the pres- ent town of Madelia. It was hoped to find a trail from that place to the exposed settlements, but for the last forty or fifty miles of the journey it was necessary for the soldiers to break a road for the mules.
Agent Flandreau and his interpreter, Philander Prescott, accompanied the troops as far as Slocum's; then, believing it useless to proceed farther, they turned back. At Little Rock a half-breed guide named Joseph La Framboise, who was well acquainted with the country, was secured, but it was almost impossible for him to follow a road or trail covered with four feet of snow.
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