a man on horseback came up the road calling “go back”.. so we went into a slough and laid down in the tall grass. We stayed about an hour then we traveled north and made a circle towards the Fort. At last just at sunset, we saw the guard outside the Fort, who at first thought that we were Indians, but when they observed that we were white folks, they came to meet us. It was just dusk as we entered Forty Ridgely.
Returning to our neighbors, Mrs. Eunes’ family and Mrs. Zimmerman were blind, but they had gone about a half mile farther than we and had reached Mr. Faraboult, the Government Indian Interpreter.
When they ran into the massacre the Indians had shot Mr. Faraboult and tied him to the back of a wagon head down and dragged him to death. They then proceeded to Mr. Zimmerman’s wagon. Mrs. Zimmerman understood the Indians as they said they would kill the men, whereupon she put her arms around her husband and asked them to kill her and leave him with the children, but they shot him out of her arms, the oldest boy twenty years, one seventeen year old boy they also shot, leaving her and the three youngest.
Now Mrs. Hayden took her child and slipped off the back of the wagon and succeeded in getting into the brush and tall grass and reached the Fort that night without seeing any more Indians.
The Indians then drove the two blind women into Mr. Faraboult’s house and fastened them in. telling them that they would return and burn them up, but in the afternoon a man fleeing for the Fort broke open the window and they all reached the Fort.
Mr. Eune did not reach the fort until the third day. He had been driving his cattle, but was forced to leave them and hide. A few rods to the south where the Indians took our team a man had been hiding in the willows and saw how we had been treated, he also saw the Indians shoot the two Hadens.
When we reached the Fort, tired, hungry, and down hearted, they took us into on of the log houses, brought us some rice tea and bread. We had just started a fire when the sound of a gun was heard, whereupon they took us into the quarters which were built of stone, for safety. Then they took every man and put him on guard outside, without having had either dinner or supper.
To be continued….
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Events for July
Thursday and Friday July 26 and 27 Root Beer Floats for $2 on Main Street in front of Eco Water during Crazy Days.
Sunday July 29 Civil War Sunday from 1 to 4 on the front lawn of the museum weather permitting, will be held inside if it rains. Meet and talk to Union Soldiers. Find out what they carried and learn about their lives. Biscuits, Lemonade and Root Beer Floats will be for sale.
Monday July 30 Program by Dean Urdahl “The Dakota Conflict” Meeting at 7 PM Program begins at 7:30 PM
