Indian Raids in Lincoln County, Kansas, 1864 and 1869 by Christian Frederik Bernhardt

Monument Selected I plodded along daily, and had gathered about $85, and had about $40 more on my list by the 21st day of December, 1908. I secured $13.00 the first day that I solicited, (if I had been superstitious I would have quit then, but I am not.) Reverends Bradbury and Strange did not take any part in soliciting funds, so it was all left for me to do, as was also the tracing of all kinds of clues to get the correct names of the victims, and the time and place of the occurrences. Later several others were appointed, but none of them served on the committee. Upon it was decided to appoint a committee to solicit funds and erect a monument. At the meeting in October, 1908 the committee reported fifteen killed by Indians in what is now Lincoln county. The committee was instructed to report at the next annual meeting of the Old Settlers. Bradbury made a few remarks, and made a motion to appoint a committee of five to ascertain the number killed by Indians in what is now Lincoln county, and the names of each victim. After he was through with his address, I made a few remarks touching on the subject of a pioneer monument as a fitting recognition of the martyred pioneers. He promised that he would, and he did to some extent. I told him of my desire to have a monument here and requested him to help me out. We lived there together from 1869 to 1873, when he moved to Kansas City. Martin and I were old acquaintances at Junction City, Kansas. Martin, the Secretary of the State Historical Society at Topeka, came to Lincoln Center to deliver and address at the Old Settlers' Reunion of that year. The question however was revived nearly every year until 1907 when Hon. I could not make any headway, and came nearly giving up in despair. My idea was to build a monument for the five who were killed in and from that settlement, and to have it erected in the Lutheran church year there but the settlers did not approve of the idea, so I brought the matter up before the Old Settlers' Reunion of Lincoln county, and met with about the same reception there.

Some twelve years ago I began to talk 'pioneer monument,' especially in the Denmark settlement.

(complete text transcribed online by Joan Stevenson) Published: Lincoln, Kansas - by: The Lincoln Sentinel Print - in: 1910 Their memory in Lincoln Court House Square, by: C. Indian Raids in Lincoln County Kansas chapter three INDIAN RAIDSġ8 Story of those killed, with a history of the monument erected to

Indian Raids in Lincoln County, Kansas, 1864 and 1869 by Christian Frederik Bernhardt