As he arose from his knees, Sam Pincksney touched his elbow, and they shook hands in silence. Minton groaned and seemed to desire a change of position. The father and brothers turned him upon his back. Another groan, a quick gasp, a sigh, and death released him from suffering.
Many hands waited to give all needed, assistance and so Springer invited a few of his neighbors to accompany him to his house, that Mr. Roome might learn more particulars of the affair of the previous night.
“Now I want to get a clear idea of this matter as I can get,” said Uncle Jesse when they were all seated in Springer’s chamber.
“I can tell you how it begun,” said the host, “but it will take us all, and more too, to tell how it went on.”
He then narrated the history of the trouble from the collision on the 4th of the month, up to the time when General Baker rode to the city across the river, substantially as the reader already has it.
“All this time while he was gone,” said Springer,—“about half an hour,—armed bodies of men continued to come into town; and in fact, a portion of them stopped and threw themselves into line right in front of the house here. As soon as General Baker got back, they mounted again, and went up on Mercer and Cook streets, and so on over to the river there, and there they fell into line. Then myself and Judge Rives, and Pincksney, and Elder Jackson, had an interview there with General Baker; and we asked him if there was anything we could do,—what was necessary to bring about peace.
“He said nothing would satisfy him but the surrender of the men and their arms. The white men were so boisterous they treated us very badly. One man, Captain Sweargen, drew his pistol while we were having this interview with General Baker;—and really, I thought he seemed to be looking at me, and that he was going to shoot; but when he saw me looking at him, he put his pistol in his pocket again.
“Pincksney was whipped in his face, cut right in, as you see, and so then we got away as quick as possible.” “Didn’t the General stop these things?”