Rensselaer Republican, Volume 23, Number 8, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 October 1890 — SAVED FROM MASSACRE. [ARTICLE]

SAVED FROM MASSACRE.

New York Bun. Our family, which consisted 0t father. mother, myself, and sister, had been living in Minnesota nearly two years when the 1 ndians initiated that murderous and historic- uprising. I was 16 years old, and my sister Mamie was 12, We were living on a 100-acre farm, six miles from the nearest village and a mile from any neighbor. We had a snug log house, barns, sheds, &c., and had about fifty acres in cultivation. The day before the outbreak •my father had marched away with a .company of recruits for the army, and this same company had taken almost every able bodied man out of our neighborhood. The crops were to be left for the wives and children to har\est, and the idea of trouble never entered any one’s mind. While Indians were more numerous than white peopie, nobody had reason to fear them. They were under tare of -the Government, and, so far as anybody knew, were perfectly satisfied, and entertained friendly feelings toward the settlers. • My father left home the day before the outbreak, and mother went along to see him off. This was the case with several other women in our settlement, They left early in the morning intending to return next day. Sister and I were left entirely alone, but at about 9 o’clock in the forenoon an Indian named Long Walk made his appearance. He had often called at our Jhouse sometimes staying all night. He had a bad sore on his leg, caused by the bite of a dog, and mother had made and given him an ointment which Was fast healing it up. Father had mended his gun tor him, mother had mended his clothes, and Long Walk was indebted to the family for many other kindnesses. He was a man of about forty, very intelligent, and. as near as we could learn, had never been married. I was cutting hay about a quarter of a mile back of the house, and Mamie was spreading it to cure, when the Indian appeared. He had been to the house and found father and mother gone. When he came down to us he queried: “Where father?” “Gone with the soldiers,” I replied. ■•Where mother?” “She has gone to see father off.” He looked anxious and troubled,'and when I asked if he would have something to eat he replied in the negative. He sat down in the shade of a tree and had nothing to say for a while. When I repeated my inquiry, and Mamie offered to cook him some breakfast, he rose up and replied: “Come along to cabin.” When we reached the house he took a long look up and down the road. It was sixteen miles to the railroad station from which the soldiers would depart, and Long Walk seemed to be wondering if he should advise us to set out for that point After a time hl seemed to think it wouldn’t do, and turned and entered the house. Our cabin was a two-roomed affair, with a garret above. There were two win-| dows in each room below, but none, above.j Long Walk examined the windows, and then went out to a pile of lumber in the yard and said: “Get saw, get hammer, get nails, get boards; and fix windows. Make everything good to day.” “But why?” I naturally tasked, “Suppose bad Indians come to-mor-row?” he queried in reply. “But the Indians won't hurt us.” “Don’t know, Indian heap mad. Indian drink heap whisky. Indian may kill white folks.” His manner more than his words made me feel that danger menaced us, and I got the tools he asked for and began HeTireaHured for the windows and I sawed off some pieces of plank. Tnen he asked for an augur, and before the pieces' were nailed up we cut loopholes in ( them, two to each window. We then removed the sashes from the windows and nailed the planks on the inside. Long Walk ex trained the front door, which was the only one, and by his direction I re-enforced it and added a second bar. When this had been done he asked: “How much gun in the house?” We had a ride and a shotgun, together with a revolver which belonged' to a young man who had worked for t.s in the spi ing ar d was then on a farm about ten miles away. I got these I arms together, and Long Walk exam-1 ined them with' great care. We had 1 two pounds of powder, a lot of shot and caps, and three or four bats of lead. He seemed to be satisfied, and then took me outdoors and said: “Bad Indian no come to-day but come to-morrow. Get plenty of water in the honse. Make rain on the roof. If bad Indian come, shoot him.” “But 1 can’t understand,” I said. “Why should we be afraid of the Indians?” ••Indian heap mad—look out!” he replied, and with that he stalked away and would noteven turn his head when I called to him. - I don’t believe I should have realized the full s gniflcance of his warning had not an older head come to my assistance, Mrs. Webster, out*nearest neighbor, who ehusband had also gone to be a soldier, but who had not gone with him to the station, came over at noon to borrow some flour When I told her what had happened she was very much alarmed. She had heard whispered fears of an Indian outbrea'-, and she argued that Long Wplic would not have none as he had if there was not imminent dansor. She had no children, and was only a few minutes in deciding to remain with us until .mother returned. I went to her house and got her double-barreled shotgun ,and nmuni ion. as well as a bundle of clothes ai d when I returned we began •Carrying <ul the -instructons of tl e 'lndian. The spring was only a hun-

dred feet from the houne. I got on the roof and water was passed up to me. and I flung it about until the slabs would soak in no more. A bonfire on the roof would scarcely have ignited them. Wa had two tubs and several jugs and jars. These we filled and carried into the bouse. It was four o’clock in the afternoon when we were through. I had then moulded over a hundred bullets for rifle and revolver, and we could think of nothing else to add to our security Wh it pas a ver& unusual thing, we had seen no Indians that day, except Long Walk. This, as much as anything else, satisfied Mrs, Webster that something unusual was oh foot. About five o'clock she determined to go to her cabin to pack up and bring away some small articles; and she returned two hours later in a state of great agitation. She had caught sight of several Indians skulking about, and on the road had met a squaw, who had spoken to her in an insulting manner, and tried to take the bundle from her hand. It was not yet dark when we khut the house up and made ready for the awful tragedy which was to be played’on the morrow. I don’t think Mrs. Webster closed her eyes that night, although nothing occurred to disturb us, and sister and I slept for many hours. It had been daylight for an hour shen we awoke, and we were then aroused by the voice of Mrs. Webster saying: ' ••Children! Children! The Indians are coming!” Whffa-T was dressing _l_._heard_ the yellsand whoops of Indians about the house. There was a gang of about forty of them, and as soon as I looked out through a loophole I saw a great smoke from the direction of Mrs. Webster’s house. Just as I was dressed there came a pounding on the door, and the voice of an Indian called out: “Huh! Somebody in here! Open door, quick!” “What do you want?” asked Mrs. Webster. , “Indian hungry—want food. Indian good friend with Mrs, Bliss.” I was watching the crcwd at the door, and I saw that all were armed. Two or three were crouched ready to spring at the door the instant it was unbarred. ••Go away you can’t come in,” replied Mrs. Webster. “Indian want food.” “We have none for you.” “Indian want whiskey.” - 1 “There is no whiskey in the house." “Then Indian want to talk.” “Well, what do you want?” They had expected to take us by surprise, and the fact that they had not upset their calculations for a time. 1 hey retired a short distance to talk it over, and during this interval we made ready for what was c >ming. Making as little noise as possible, six Indians laid down their guns and picked up a piece of 4 by 4 scantling, which father intended to use as one of the sills for a dairy house over the spring. They were approaching the door with this battering ram when I fired from the left-hand window and Mrs. Webster from the right, both of us using shot I guns. I fired at the men’s legs and ■ she at their heads. I had but one barrel, while she had two. As all six went down I thought at first we had killed them all. Not so. however, though it was plain that all were hit. Two lay on the ground under the scantling, while the others got up to limp away. We had opened the battle, and got in the first knock-down blow. For a moment the Indians were stupefied•„ Then they uttered their war whoop, and the fight was on. I think I should have made a good fight of it without Mrs. Webster, as I had been brought up on the frontier, and had the nerve of a man, but it was -well— that she was-there. - While she was pale-faced and anxious her voice was steady, and. she toak UiLngs-coolly. ' Sister Mtimie was greatly frightened at first, but a'ter a few minutes she over- ' came Tt and asked for ihe rifle, with which she was a tolerably fair shot. The first move of the Indians was to take possession of the log barn, which stood about 200 feet away. There was little or nqthing in it, and if they Area it the distance was top great to endapger the house. They opened fire on the two rear windows, and we kept away from them. Now and then one 'of their bullets came through a loophole, but we were out of range. The Indi ins must have known that father I was gone, and they probably hoped to | scare us with a great noise. They con- ' tinned shooting for half an hour, and theft one of them stepped out from the b irn and waved a white rag and asked for a “talk.” It reply Mrs. Webster fired a charge of buckshot which knocked him over, and we saw his body dragged around the corner of the barn. The Indians now scattered and encircled the house, and dropping down whenever they could find cover they opened a steady fire. By sitting down on the floor we were safe from any bullets which might enter the loopholes? They simply wasted their powder, and after an hour all but four of them started off down the road. Their impatience was too great to permit them to tarry longer. Tnere were hundreds of other settlers who had received no warning and made no preparation, and were waiting, as it were, to be plundered and murdered. The four who remained stood just out of rifleshot to watch the door, and we did not see another Indian until nearly sundown. Then a band of about seventy-flve came along, Some were on. stolen horses, some on foot, and about thirty (if them were into two wagons which they had taken from white men. From the yelling, shouting, and shooting indulged ir. one would have thought our chances very slim. A part of the force occupied the harp so as to command the rear windows, while the refct made a so t of rifle pit to common 4 the front. The two who had been killed

fin the morning still lay where they had fallen, and as darkness came on we made ready to receive any one coming after the bodies. It was a starlight night, and about 9 o’clock I caught sight of two warriors creeping up to the spot. I called Mrs. Webster’s attention, and by the time they were up we were ready for them. As they were moving the scantling off the body we fired upon them, and neither one moved a yard after being hit. Now came a full hour during which not a shot was fired or a shout uttered. Then the Indians began firing blazing arrows at the roof, and I have no doubt that twenty or more alighted thereon. That danger had been provided for, however, and when they found they could not burn us out they fell back on another plah. From one of the back windows I saw them carrying a long pole to the front of the house. There were several of these lying near the barn, and it was now plain that they were going to try the power of battering~ramsl I saw one made ready at the back of the house as well.and when I told Mrs. jVebster, she posted Mamie and me at'lhe back windows, while she stood at "the front. The Indians had planned a real attack from the rear, with only a feint at the front. With five men at each pole, they made a rush for both windows at once, while the front of the house was only menaced. Mrs. Webster saw through the plan in time, and came running back just in time to secure a loophole. She and Mamie had the shotguns, while I had the revolver, and the Indians did not get within five feet of the house. Our volley was followed by screams and yells on their part, and those who had not been disabled beat a hasty retreat. From that time until morning we were left undisturbed, but they succeeded in carrying off their dead. We eould not tell then what damage we had donp, but several weeks later, at the trial of the chief conspirators and leaders, it was stated by an Indian that we killed seven and wounded six redskins in our defence. ~— When morning came not an'|lndian was in sight, but before noon we had half a dozen men and women with us who were flee,ng for their lives, and before night we numbered twenty. It was a week before we were relieved, and during that time bands of Indians turned aside at intervals to attack us and were beaten off, with loss on'y to themselves. It was one of the two farmhouse forts inlthat great area of country which made a successful resistance, and but for our success the number of murders would have been added to by at least two dozen.