Lincoln County

Builders: Columbus C. Hendrickson

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By Thelma J. McMullen
Lincoln Sentinel-Republican, September 28, 1939

Mr. Columbus C. Hendrickson, born in Davis County, Indiana, in 1860, moved to Lincoln, Kansas, with his family when he was only six years of age; he was, therefore an eye-witness to several of the incidents pertaining to the last Indian raids in Lincoln county, Kansas.

Upon his arrival in this locality, Columbus' father, Mr. William Hendrickson, settled farther west than all previous settlers.

There were not only numerous Indian tribes in Kansas yet in 1866, but there were antelope, deer, wild turkey, coyotes and gray wolves in plentiful numbers, and buffalo by the thousands. The wolves around here did not attack humans, but they occasionally marauded the farmer's chicken pen and cattle lot at night. Columbus recalls that his parents had to keep a young calf in their house of nights one time to protect it from wolves.

The William Hendrickson family arrived in Lincoln County on October 20, 1886, [sic] and camped with three other families on the river southest of the site which is now known as Lincoln Center. A stove had been set up where the four families camped, and several of the children were hovering about the stove for warmth the following morning when a rather exciting incident ensued.

Mr. William Hendrickson had never before seen a buffalo and he became so excited when he spied a herd approaching the river that, in his haste to shoot at one, his shotgun was accidentally discharged. One buckshot glanced across his breast and, except for a tiny piece of metal directly over his heart, the flustrated man would never have seen a buffalo again. Other shots pierced the elder Mr. Hendrickson's arms and limbs; although several shots went through the stove pipe, not one of the children standing about was touched.

Columbus' uncle, John S. Strange, a Civil War veteran, went to Salina immediately after a doctor to examine the injured man's wounds. The doctor who came said that the bandages looked all right and, having charged $25 for his trip, went on his way without bothering to remove the bandages.

It was quite some time before any doctors were available in Lincoln county, so we were told by Mr. C.C. Hendrickson. The first to come was Dr. Gilpin. The pioneer doctors immediately succeeding Gilpin were Bryan, Ballard, Vernon and Fancher.

Mr. Hendrickson recalls that the corner stone of Lincoln County was laid in 1867 or '68, but the county was not named immediately. Gov. James M. Harvey proclaimed our county as such in 1870, and appointed the first commissioners, namely, Vollany Ball, Washington Smith, and John S. Strange. Abram, a small townsite which was started on a hill southeast of the present county seat before it was eventually loaded onto wheels and moved to its present site and christened after the beloved Emancipator, Abraham Lincoln.

Mr. Columbus Hendrickson narrowly escaped the tragic fate that befell his cousin, Harrison Strange, and a neighbor boy by the name of Smutz. Columbus, having parted from the two boys only a few seconds before, had just reached his home a short distance over the hill from where the defenseless youths were trapped by the Indians when he heard shooting and realized what was taking place. An Indian Chief, having made a sign of peace to betray the boys as to his real intention approached them in friendly fashion. A young buck riding beside the chief raised himself high on his mount and hurtled an axe at the head of Harrison Strange; the last words uttered by the unfortunate boy as he attempted to dodge the death blow were "Oh Lord!"

Young Smutz tried desperately to escape, but as arrows and bullets fell all about the fleeing boy, one of the arrows pierced the boy's body and he was left for dead. Although friends pulled the arrow from his back, the steel head broke off and gradually passed clear through his body, thus causing his ultimate death. Smutz was taken to Ft. Harker, about where Kanopolis is now, where he lingered for three torturing weeks surffering untold agony.

Mrs. William Hendrickson, armed with her husband's gun, fired at the Indians as they rode past the house on a dead run immediately after the brutal act the two boys had suffered at their hands.

Several families near Denmark and Trail Creek were attacked by Indians on May 30, 1869. Numbered among the dead were a Mr. Winchell of good financial circumstances whose 20 year old wife, along with a Mrs. Alderdice, was held captive by the Indians for more than a month before the settlers succeeded in reaching the Indians camp, at which time Mrs. Alderdice was found gasping her last breath and Mrs. Winchell was wounded; the women had been unable to plan an escape because they did not talk the same language. Three of Mrs Alderdice's children were killed, and a little son left for dead who is still living. One other woman. Mrs. Kline [note: Kyne], who had been with Mrs. Alderdice, succeeded in reaching concealment and crossed the river with a baby in her arms without being found by the Indians. The late Mrs. John Linker, second white child born in Lincoln county, was the baby whose frightened mother outwitted the Indians. Mrs. Kline [Kyne] was so frightened by her harrowing experience that she was a nervous wreck everafter and after several years had to be taken to an asylum.

Mr. Hendrickson recalls that his parents had to keep four dead bodies and the little injured boy in their house at one time following the massacre which occurred on Spillman Creek May 30, 1869. Mr. Hendrickson says that the little Daly boy kept begging for someone to pull the arrow from his back; it was not only causing him intense pain, but he was exceedingly tired from having lain face downward so long. One of the men finally consented to pull it out on the condition that someone else would hold the child down. Mr. Hendrickson saw one of the men put almost his entire weight against the boy as he spread the child's shoulder blades apart to enable his comrade to extract the arrow whole.

Many were the struggles of the early pioneers with which Mr. Columbus C. Hendrickson had ample opportunity to be familiar with.

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