thing we were taught was never to show fear of Indians. They knew
very quickly and loved to scare anyone who showed they were afraid.
Chaska and five of his men had been out duck hunting and stopped at our
house for supper the night before the outbreak in 1862. The Indians were
always friendly with all members of my father's family, and never asked
for a meal unless they were willing to pay with ducks or in some way.
Next morning after Chaska had supper with us, a man came riding from St.
Peter telling everyone to flee. Twenty families (ours among the others)
remained.

My oldest brother had enlisted and the very day after Chaska was at our
house, he was ordered back from Fort Snelling to go to Fort Ridgely.

The most disgraceful thing to an Indian is to be struck with a whip or a
stick. One day I was holding the baby in my arms when an Indian put his
head in through the window close to my face before I knew anyone was
near. I was so frightened I ran to my mother. The Indians thought we
were afraid so started for the garden to destroy the melons, squash and
pumpkins growing there. My mother put on father's coat, took a big cane
and went after them saying, "Get out, these are to feed papoose" over
and over. There were forty in the party but they went without further
trouble.

One day on my way to school, I heard the children calling to me to run,
but the grass was so high I could see no one and did not know an Indian
was near. When I saw him, I was not afraid. I went on to the school
house door, but the teacher was so frightened she had locked the door
and I could not get in. I stood waiting, and the Indian patted me on the
head and said, "Heap brave papoose" and went on down the trail.

One family by the name of Dorr and another by the name of Horner were
both very well to do. When a man rode to their places at the time of the
outbreak telling them the Indians were coming, they took what they could
in wagons and started for Eden Prairie where the Dorr family stayed with
the Neals. Mrs. Dorr was a Neal girl. The Horners stayed with us until
the trouble was over. The Dorr house and barns were burned to the
ground, but the soldiers stopped the Indians before they reached the
Horner place. Both families went back and rebuilt what had been
destroyed, living there for many years.

Mr. James Clark of St. Peter.

I came to St. Peter in March 1856. I was in the livery business, so was
among the Indians more or less until