Not far from our house at Spirit Knob, now Breezy Point, Lake
Minnetonka, on a bold hill projecting out into the water was a stone
idol, a smoothly polished stone a little larger than a wooden water
pail. The Indians came regularly to worship this idol and make offerings
to their god. In very early times, probably not later than 1853, a
doctor from St. Louis, Mo., is said to have stolen this image and taken
it to St. Louis and put it in a museum. The Indians were very much
enraged at this and some people have assigned to this deed a motive for
many of the atrocities committed in 1862.

One winter day father was away teaming and was not expected home till
late in the evening. As night drew on mother and her little boys were
busy about the chores. In cold winter weather we did not use the
woodshed and kitchen, but the two large rooms only, having to come
through the two unused rooms to the main part of the house. We boys had
finished our work, hung up our caps and put away our mittens for the
night and mother was bringing in her last arm load of wood. She had
passed through three doors and turned around to shut the last one and
there, right behind her, stood a giant of an Indian. He seemed a foot
taller than her and she was two inches less than six feet. So quietly
had he followed her that she had no intimation of his presence. As she
confronted him he said, "Ho" in deep, guttural tones, and then laughed
at her fright.

He evidently wanted something, but could speak little or no English. He
peered about the house, looked in every corner and finally in order to
make us understand what he wanted, he took the ramrod out of his gun,
set it up on end on the table, put the index finger of his left hand on
top of the ramrod and made counter motions up and down the rod with his
right hand. Mother divined it was pole beans that he had seen growing
and she got him some and he went away satisfied.

One cold winter day four Indians were in the kitchen. Mother was
preparing beans for dinner. Like all good housewives she first parboiled
them with pork before baking. She stepped into the pantry for something,
when one of the braves slipped his hand into the kettle and stole the
pork. He was just tucking it under his blanket when she, suspecting
something, whirled around, caught up the teakettle of boiling water and
poured some on the Indian's hands. He roared with pain and
mortification, but the other braves thought it very amusin