How do you say Hebron? We always said it as Hee (long e) bron (o sounds like u). The "biblical" pronunciation isn't the same from what I've heard.
Anyway, here's Part 2 of this story:
Indians Reported on War Path; Frightened Settlers Flee to Town
Coincident with the wave of religious enthusiasm or Messiah craze of the Indians there developed some dissatisfactions of a more practical nature. The Indians were getting hungry; and they knew not where to get food or clothing for the approaching winter. For years the government had pursued the policy of Gen. Sheridan who said, "the only good Indian is a dead Indian."
It took the schooled West Pointers who had conquered Lee and the southerners in four years, twenty years to overcome the able Indian strategists of the west who fought for their country as valiantly as any patriot who ever tried to keep the invader from his homeland. But little remained of the high spirit and cheerful independence which marked the Indians upon whom the first comers are said to have fallen as soon as was convenient after falling upon their knees and giving thanks for coming into the inheritance of the red man's land.
By force of numbers and superior arms the government at last succeeded in making "good Indians" of most of them, and the rest were herded into concentration camps called Reservations. Their country and hunting range was taken from them and to which they were forbidden to return. The government shamefully failed to fulfill its treaty obligations to provide for their maintenance on these reservations.
Incompetence, corruption and graft pervaded the entire Indian management. Agencies and appointments as post trader were choice political plums that went to those who had the price or the pull. Food, cattle, clothing etc., that should have gone to the Indians was sold privately and falsely reported as having been delivered.
The newspaper publicity following the Messiah dances focused some attention to the situation. The guilty and fearful officials becoming alarmed attempted to shift the blame by calling for soldiers saying the Indians were getting unruly. As the soldiers were hastened to the reservations to prevent "outbreaks" the Indians became alarmed, too, and some fled west. They were strictly watched, had to answer frequent roll calls and were forbidden to exercise their religion. In the meantime their food was getting less every day and nothing was done to relieve them. At last about the middle of November 1890 a company of half starved Indians left their camp on the Standing Rock Reservation.
As soon as this was discovered, word was sent out in all directions that the Indians had broken out. Post riders and messengers spread the news. It was telegraphed far and wide that the Indians had gone on the war path and were about to massacre all the settlers in the whole country.
The people in and around Hebron had heard some of the rumblings of the Indian excitement for some weeks, but they had no definite knowledge of what it was all about. The more the reports were repeated the more alarming they became. Every time a train came from the east a small crowd gathered at the depot to hear the latest from the train crew or passengers and their reports never felt short of what was thought appropriate, for most of the people here got their first ideas of Indian warfare from German story books in the old country. They had already been worked up to a tense feeling when suddenly about November 15 telegraph messages were sent to all the stations along the line informing the people that the Indians, bent on mischief, had broken out; that everybody should be on guard and hasten to defend themselves against attack.
Many were already in the right frame of mind to go into a panic, and this they proceeded to do at once. All ordinary work was suspended, people hurriedly talked about what was best to be done. Many women and children were hustled off on the first trains to Bismarck where they could be safe across the Missouri.
Young men were dispatched on horseback to ride out across the prairie and they, like Paul Revere of old, rode through the night spreading the alarm to every homestead, ranch and farm. People aroused from their slumbers hastily gathered a few belongings and with galloping oxen hurried towards town with their families.
Housewives gathered up their blankets and feather ticks, a few pots and pans and such food as they had on hand and throwing everything hurriedly into the wagon hastened away with their families. Bread dough was thrown into a pillow slip and brought along to be baked later. Poultry, pigs and livestock were released to shift for themselves. Wagons carrying women, children, the sick and the aged, besides a miscellaneous baggage, including sometimes a few ducks, geese, or other poultry, rattled and clattered over the rough prairie as they sped through the night fleeing from their homes to a refuge in town.
And as they went they turned fearful glances backwards to see if their homes were not already in flames, or perhaps get a glimpse of a painted savage about to overtake and scalp them. They traveled so fast that in some instances much of the baggage was strewn along the way.
Christ Salzer was then living southwest of the Birkmaier place. After the messenger came he quickly loaded his wife and child in the back of his wagon and made to town. There were no highways in those days and as the galloping beasts went through the darkness over creeks and badger holes he failed to notice that his family had bounced off, until he had gotten part way in, so he had to tun about and go back in search of them.
The Urban family east of town was aroused at midnight and soon Geo. H. Funk came running over in the greatest distress saying that all his horses were out on the prairie, that he had no way to catch any quickly and wanted to get one of theirs. They were all badly frightened, but Mrs. Urban said they should put their trust in the Lord and all would go well.
Kindsvogels had just done their fall butchering and had made a lot of sausage but not having time to take the meat along, they quickly wrapped it up and buried it hoping to recover it later. Finding no other way to get to town quickly, Mrs. John E. Haven and Mrs. Marshall walked in from the present Ketterling place.
While the alarm was being spread the people in town lost no time in making preparations for defense. By this time it was rumored that there were no less than six thousand painted and mounted warriors led by Sitting Bull on their way to massacre, scalp and burn as the Sioux had once done in Minnesota, that it was very probable that Sitting Bull would lead them to Canada as he had done once before, that Hebron lay in the exact center of their path, and that they could be expected at any moment.
Charles Krauth had been a soldier in the old country, and Louis Burkhardt had had considerable experience as a veteran in former Indian campaigns. They decided at once to fortify a place where the people might take shelter and defend themselves against attack. They rode horseback on all the hills around near town to look for the best place to build a fort and finally chose the hill northwest of town on the slope of which the cemetery is now located.
This ends Part 2 of this historical story.
In the image that follows, Ft. Sauerkraut is located almost dead center in this Google Earth image. It's the long building within the teardrop shaped road around it.
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