uch a course possible as the one adopted by these simple
border people.

The Republicans being the "outs" and the Democrats being the "ins," of
course all the frauds were charged to the latter, and every movement of
either party was watched with zealous scrutiny. The law governing the
qualification of voters provided that soldiers enlisted in other states
or territories, coming into Minnesota under military orders, did not
gain a residence, and citizens of Minnesota enlisting in the army did
not lose their residence or right to vote as long as they remained in
the territory. It so happened, in 1856 or 1857, that there were at Fort
Ridgely a number of recruits who had enlisted in the territory, and had
not lost their right to vote; but there was no precinct or place to vote
where they could exercise their privilege. Knowing that they were
Democrats, we had a polling place established at the "Lone Cottonwood
Tree," a point about three miles above Fort Ridgely, for the purpose of
saving these votes.

Of course, it soon became known throughout the valley, and my friend Jim
Lynd, who resided at Henderson, about fifty miles down the river,
conceived the idea that it was the intention to vote the whole garrison
for the Democrats, and he determined to checkmate it by challenging
every soldier who cast his vote, laboring, as he did, under the
erroneous impression that an enlistment in the army disqualified the
soldiers as voters. So when the election day arrived, Jim, who had
walked all the way from Henderson, was on the ground early, fully
determined to exclude all soldiers from voting.

It so happened that I was at my Indian agency, at Redwood, and on the
morning of the election was to start for St. Paul. The agency was about
ten miles up the river from the "Lone Tree," and, starting early in the
morning, brought me to the voting place about the time the polls were
opened. I knew everybody in the valley and everybody knew me, and we
never passed each other on the road without a stop and a chat. When I
arrived at the polls all hands came out to greet me, and after the usual
inquiries as to how the election was progressing, the judges told me
that Lynd had challenged the first soldier who offered his vote, and
they, being in doubt as to the law, had agreed to leave it to me. I
gave my version of it, but Lynd still disputed it, and insisted that an
enlistment in the army disqualified the man as a voter. Being unable to
convinc