According to the above account, the Indians remained in camp at Lost Island several days. Accepting it as true, it throws some light upon the origin, or rather the commencement, of the massacre here at the lakes. It is easy to understand the pitch of frenzy to which the passions of the savages would naturally be raised when they made the discovery that one of their number had been slain by Gillett, as related by him, and the fact that he had made good his escape before the act was discovered would only increase their determination. to wreak their vengeance upon the first luckless white settler that came in their way.

We have always been led to observe the close connection between the murder of Sidominadotah and his family by Lott in 1854, and the Spirit Lake Massacre of 1857, and that the latter was the legitimate outcome of the former, but accepting Gillett's story as true, it must be regarded as an important factor in precipitating the massacre at that time. Except for that it is possible that the settlers at the lakes would have fared no worse than their neighbors down the river. It may be regarded as singular that Gillett should have kept the affair a secret for thirty-five years before giving it to the world, but that might be accounted for on the theory that he knew he would be blamed for not warning the other settlers of the danger he had precipitated by his somewhat rash act.

From the Little Sioux messengers were sent to Fort Dodge setting forth their situation and imploring relief. At first the citizens of Fort Dodge were inclined to be skeptical and suspicious that the reports of the depredations were largely exaggerated. They could not believe the Indians were rash enough or foolish enough to thus defy the power of the government and the people. They knew the destitute condition of the settlers along the frontier at the commencement of winter and many branded the story as a ruse to induce them to send

MESSENGERS REACH FORT DODGE

THEIR STORY

61

supplies or take other measures for their relief. But the reports kept coming thicker and more of them.

Mr. Duncombe, in his account of the Spirit Lake Expedition,

says:

"In January, 1857, word was brought to Fort Dodge that a large band of Indians, under the lead of Inkpadutah, had followed down the Little Sioux River to a point near Smithland; that this band was composed of Sioux half-breeds and straggling renegades of the Sioux tribe, and that they had become exceedingly insolent and ugly. The next information received at Fort Dodge was in the latter part of February, when Abner Bell, a Mr. Weaver and a Mr. Wilcox came to Fort Dodge and gave Major Williams and myself the startling intelligence of acts and depredations of these scoundrels, said to be about seventy in number, including about thirty warriors. These three men had left the Little Sioux River, and coming through the awful storms and almost impassable snows for sixty miles without a house or landmark on the way, sought aid from our people. They gave a sad and vivid description of the shooting 'down of their cattle and horses, of the abuse of their children, the violation of their women and other acts of brutishness and cruelty too savage to be repeated. They pictured in simple but eloquent words the exposures of the dear wife, mother and children, their starving condition and their utter helplessness. These reports were repeated from day to day by other settlers from the Little Sioux, who from time to time came straggling into Fort Dodge. These repeated accounts of the acts of the Indians led every one familiar with the Indian character to become fully satisfied that they were determined on some great purpose of revenge against the exposed frontier settlements, and this caused much alarm among the people. Among the number giving this information were Ambrose S. Mead, L. F. Finch, G. M. and W. S. Gillett and John A. Kirchner, father of John C. and Jacob Kirchner, who are now citizens of Fort Dodge. These depredations commenced at the house of Abner Bell, on the 21st day of February, A. D. 1857. On the 24th of February, 1857, the house occupied by James Gillett was suddenly attacked by ten or more armed warriors and the two families living under the same roof, consisting of the heads of each family and five small chil

dren, were terrorized and most villainously abused. After enduring outrages there, they managed to escape at midnight and late the following evening arrived at the residence of Bell, poorly clad, and having been without food for over thirty-six hours. The sufferings of these people and their little children will be appreciated by those who remember the driving storms, piercing winds and intense cold of the unparalleled winter of 1856 and 1857, to my knowledge the longest and most severe of any winter for the last forty-three years. From Gillett's Grove, near the present beautiful and prosperous city of Spencer, the Indians proceeded to Spirit Lake and the lakes near by. No preparation could be made for resistance on account of the sparsity of the population and the scattered homes. In fact, it is improbable that any family knew that depredations were being committed by these red devils until they were themselves attacked when wholly unprepared for any such event."

The settlers along the Little Sioux also applied for help to the settlers on the Coon River at Sac City and below. Quite a company was raised there and made their way across to Peterson by way of Storm Lake, but they were too late to accomplish anything. The Indians were gone and they were not prepared to follow them. They accordingly returned to their homes.

The Indians arrived in the neighborhood of the lakes about the seventh of March, and camped in the Okoboji Grove at a distance of about fifteen rods from the Mattock cabin. The date of their arrival at the lakes was about two weeks after the trouble near Sioux Rapids, which interval of time they doubtless spent in the camp at Lost Island. The idea suggests itself at this point that possibly the party of Indians at Lost Island was much larger than at the lakes. Nearly every account referring to the Indians committing their depredations along the Little Sioux gives their numbers at from thirty to forty warriors, and some even more. Mr. Duncombe, who received his information direct from the settlers, in his account puts it between

SAVAGES ARRIVE AT THE LAKES

63

thirty and forty. Mr. Gilbraith, in his "History of Clay County," says from sixty to seventy, while the actual number engaged in the massacre at the lakes was but fifteen. It may be possible that the Indians divided their forces at Lost Island, one party going direct to the Des Moines, while the other came by way of the lakes. Either this, or the settlers along the Little Sioux largely overestimated their number. As before stated, the Indians went into camp near the Mattock cabin about the seventh of March. Their tepees were arranged in a circle on both sides of the road running from Mattock's place to Gardner's. The inhabitants here had received no intimation of the depredations committed by them along the Little Sioux and had no apprehension of danger, and were, therefore, taken entirely by surprise. A letter found in the Granger cabin, written by Doctor Harriott to his father, Judge Harriott, dated March sixth, throws some light on the matter. In this letter he refers to the fact that the Indians were camped there, that they were on friendly terms with them, and that they had done some trading with them. Other matters were referred to in the letter which showed that they had no suspicion of danger.

CHAPTER V.

SITUATION AT

THE LAKES-THE INDIANS IN

CAMP INCIDENTS OF THE FIRST DAY OF THE
GARDNER TAKEN то THEIR

MASSACRE-ABBIE

CAMP A PRISONER-SECOND DAY OF THE MASSA-
CRE MRS. THATCHER AND MRS. NOBLE TAKEN
PRISONERS-THE INDIANS CROSS THE LAKE AND
GO NORTH TO MARBLE GROVE MARBLE KILLED
AND MRS. MARBLE TAKEN

PRISONER-INDIANS

THEN MOVE NORTHWEST TO HERON LAKE.

OME time previous to this Harvey Luce and J. M.
Thatcher went out for supplies, going as far east as
Waterloo. On their return they were accompanied by

Enoch Ryan, a brother-in-law of Noble; Robert Clark, a young man from Waterloo; Jonathan Howe, a son of Joel Howe; and Asa Burtch, a brother of Mrs. Thatcher. They traveled with an ox team and their progress through the deep snow was necessarily slow. Upon arriving at Shippey's, in Palo Alto County, some ten miles below Emmetsburg, their cattle were so nearly exhausted that they found it necessary to stop for a few days to rest and recruit them. It was decided that Burtch and Thatcher should stay and take care of the cattle and come on as soon as they were able, while the others took their way over the snow on foot to the lake, arriving there on the sixth of March, just in time to share the fate of their unfortunate neighbors, while Burtch and Thatcher escaped by being left behind.

Late in the fall Eliza Gardner made a visit to Springfield to the family of Doctor Strong, intending to return home after a short time, but the deep snow and, the unparalleled severity of