| Summary: | The Red River of the North men able to bear arms. They had thirty- three guns, good, bad and indifferent, including some old flint locks, but there was an abundance of ammunition in the stores for shipment north. Norman W. Kittson was there in charge of the Hudson Bay transportation interests and the International lay at the landing. "The organization was perfect and for two weeks or more they kept up their constant vigils, the outposts being relieved every two hours. The windows and doors of the buildings were barricaded with plank and provided with port holes. A bastion was thrown out at the corner with room for six men, and thus prepared and armed for defense they waited, debating as to which way to retire. They knew Abercrombie was surrounded and that several men escorting couriers out of the fort had been killed, and so they decided to go north and reach safety at Fort Garry if possible. " 'The crossing of the river that night at Georgetown,' says Mr. Probstfield, 'is one that I shall never forget. The sufferings, the anxiety, the terrors and the disappointment to me were of all events most deeply impressed upon my mind. We had all worked all night, most of us like heroes, I thinking only of the safety of the whole, regardless of self or my family even, except as our interests were bound up in the whole, and at last I found myself alone with wife and babe, team and goods without a soul to help excepting the almost sick and helpless Alexander Murray, the Anda Construction Company, Inc. Amberg & Rasmus, Inc. agent of the company, who with us was the last to leave. Team after team was ferried across the stream and as the work of evacuation progressed the panic increased, and when we came to cross it required considerable persuasion to have the ferry return for us.' "They camped out of rifle range of the timber, about one and a half miles from Georgetown on the Dakota side, and so great was the exhaustion that every soul fell asleep and the camp was left without the slightest protection. At noon they reached Elm River and as they were preparing or eating their dinner Pierre Bottineau came in from Abercrombie and informed them of the conditions there and that he had seen Indians prowling around near Georgetown. This created another panic and those who had not had their dinner desired none, and they hurriedly broke camp and hurried on. Various propositions were made, among them one for the women and children to be sent on with the horse teams while the men would bring on the train; but as human life was regarded of the greatest value, the party moved on with the greatest caution, reconnoiter- ing the Goose and other streams where there was timber before attempting to cross, always throwing the train into corral when stopping. They crossed the Goose late next day and were encouraged by meeting fifteen well-armed and thoroughly- equipped horsemen from Pembina, who had been sent out for their relief. Among the party were Joe Rolette, Hugh Donaldson, William Moorhead and others well known to Probstfield. Pierre Bottineau returned with them, having gone on for relief. " The International had left for Fort Garry the evening of the evacuation of Georgetown, having on board the family of Alexander Murray and other women and children from the post, Commodore Kittson and others. The river being low, the boat was grounded about six miles by land below Georgetown at what is now Perley; therefore it became necessary to dispatch some teams to remove the women and children from the boat, together with the crew and some of the more important goods. Two men were left in charge of the boat as watchmen. They were Joseph Adams and Robert Scambler. Mrs. Scambler remained with her husband. A barge attached to the boat was loosened and floated down the river in charge of E. R. Hutchinson. "The next night the expedition camped at Frog Point, now Belmont, and as had been the case before everybody went to sleep without outposts or guards, and the next night three miles south of Grand Forks. A meeting was then called to consider measures of safety and as nothing seemed likely to be accomplished Probstfield left the meeting declaring that he would go no further with them, but saying that they could call him when his turn came to stand guard if they determined to put out guards. He was called at five next morning to go on duty, and stood his trick but refused to go further with the expedition. In the meantime Anderson Pontiac Co., Inc. Arvid Benson Furniture-Appliances 135 Scanned with a Zeutschel Zeta book scanner at 300 dpi. Edited with Multi-Page TIFF Editor.
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