me running back saying, "Why, they are white men." The reaction nearly
took all our strength. I stepped out. Just then two of our friends from
Winnebago City, twenty miles east of us, rode up. They had seen me
running and hurried after me guessing my fear that they were Indians.

I went back home where there were twenty mounted men from Winnebago
City, their objective point being Jackson, fourteen miles west of us
where there was a small Norwegian settlement. My mother and I got supper
for them and they went on their way. During the night a messenger came
from Winnebago asking how long since they had left. He said there were
orders for them to go to Madelia. He found them before morning and
turned their course for Madelia. Had they gone to Jackson they would
have been in time to prevent the massacre of fourteen persons which took
place where they were holding church services. A few escaped and told
that it was a band of five Indians that did that awful work of killing
and mutilating. We were not aware of that cruel work so near us on that
bright Sabbath day.

Early in the spring, a son of Dr. Mills of Red Wing came, bringing with
him his pretty wife and two children, two and three years old. They had
taken land six miles north of us and with the exception of an old
trapper, who resided alone near them, our settlement was their nearest
neighbors. On that morning my mother said to father, "I think it would
be best to go up and bring Mrs. Mills and children down here for a few
days." When father reached the Mills' home he found that Mr. Mills had
gone out on the prairie that morning to look for his yoke of oxen that
had strayed away during the night. Mrs. Mills left a note for him
telling where she and the children had gone and gladly came to our home.
About four o'clock our neighbor returned saying there was no ammunition
to be had and that we must all leave our homes at once. It was not safe
to stay. In those days every settler had hoops and canvas for his wagon,
as those were what he had come into that part of the country with. So
with all haste the "prairie schooners" were prepared. With true eastern
forethought for her family my mother put in food enough for several
days, a bed and trunk of clothes. One wagon, we found, would not hold
all our goods and us too. Meantime no word came from Mr. Mills. We left
our home just at dusk, a sad band of six families. We took Mrs. Mills
and family with us, she not knowing what mig