Page:History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century Volume 1.djvu/456



snow, expecting to be pursued by the Indians upon discovery that they had left the house. In their haste and terror, Mr. Sheigley’s little boy was also left behind. On the second day they fortunately fell in with Markham’s party, and Mr. Sheigley learning that his little boy had been abandoned in the flight, started back alone to rescue him. Late in the afternoon the fugitives came in sight of a grove on the Des Moines River, where George Granger lived. In the distance they saw a man running toward the grove, and in his terrified flight he pulled off his boots and threw them away, to increase his speed. He was recognized as Dr. Strong, making his way alone down the river after having abandoned his wife and child two days before.

This fleeing coward kept on his flight alone down the river to the Irish colony in Palo Alto County where he was found by Major William's Relief Expedition on its way to the lakes. Dr. Strong was not man enough to join them and return to learn the fate of his family whom he had abandoned. His wife and child survived the sufferings of that dreadful winter march, and were with the party rescued, but she refused to return to the husband who had so heartlessly deserted her in that time of deadly peril.

The party remained two nights at the Granger cabin, waiting the return of Mr. Sheigley, who was unable to find his boy. *  The next day the entire party went on toward Fort Dodge, with a scanty supply of food and clothing and the wounded suffering greatly for medical assistance. At night all slept in the snow without shelter, their shoes and clothing wet with melting snows and the water of icy streams. Miss Swanger, with a painful bullet wound in her shoulder, gave up her place on the sled to the children and marched on foot through the snow. The sufferings of the entire party were enough to exhaust the strongest men, as they dragged themselves

* The boy was afterwards found safe with a neighbor who had escaped the massacre.