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Ihmisen osa : Runoja

Väinö Kolkkala

"Ihmisen osa : Runoja by Väinö Kolkkala" is a collection of lyric poetry written in the early 20th century. The book contemplates the human lot through Finnish landscapes and seasons, weaving themes of love and loss, work and faith, home and exile, and the passing of time. The poems move from spring’s quickening hope to winter’s hush and resignation, following a solitary voice that weighs safety against striving, prays for deliverance, and dreams of slipping away before all hope is spent. The middle section turns to the countryside: an old homestead, the dignity and fatigue of labor, the ache of leaving and the pull of return, a tender reunion with a gray-haired mother, and hymns that bring quiet grace to grief. The final section enters the woods: austere autumn scenes, a poor hut at the marsh’s edge, meditative forest songs that end in storm and snow, and an elegy for a lost beloved and for every life that fades “from dust to dust.” Throughout, nature mirrors inner weather, and the voice blends yearning, humility, and a sober, consoling faith. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

A brief narrative of the life of Mrs. Adele M. Jewel (being deaf and dumb)

Adele M. Jewel

"A brief narrative of the life of Mrs. Adele M. Jewel (being deaf and dumb) by Jewel is an autobiographical memoir written in the late 19th century. It relates the lived experience of a deaf woman in America, combining personal history, travel notes, religious reflection, and a frank appeal for sympathy and support. The narrative follows the author from a deaf childhood in Cincinnati, Detroit, and rural Michigan—marked by close friendships, a near-fatal encounter with a pet bear, and accidentally burning the family home—to early grief over her father’s and a friend’s deaths and a hard-won Christian faith. Struggling to learn in common schools, she discovers sign language through another deaf woman, studies at the Flint school for the deaf, and must withdraw after losing sight in one eye. She recounts travels to Niagara and through New York State, marveling at nature, public feats, and institutions serving deaf and blind children, and visits scattered family. Interwoven are notes of practical help from kind strangers and her own efforts to publish the booklet to support herself and her ailing mother. Later pages describe an unhappy marriage that leaves her with three small children (the eldest also deaf), her membership in a Baptist church, and life in Ann Arbor. The book closes as a modest, dignified appeal for readers’ understanding and assistance. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Trial by water

Sewell Peaslee Wright

"Trial by water by Sewell Peaslee Wright" is a pulp adventure short story written in the late 1920s. The tale uses a hazardous river passage as a crucible to test love and loyalty, focusing on jealousy, courage, and betrayal. Jean Baptiste Chabrier, a quiet northern bushman, guides a canoe through the Assin-nebah rapids with his wife, Charlotte, and their guest, Les Walters, a charming sawyer who has won Charlotte’s attention. Sensing her wavering heart, Jean deliberately wrecks the canoe at the safer end of the rapids to force a revealing crisis. In the churning water Charlotte turns to Les, who panics, strikes her away, and scrambles for shore, leaving her to drown. Jean, having seen enough—especially the cut on her cheek from Les’s ring—rescues her and brings her to land. The “trial by water” leaves a scar as a lasting reminder and delivers its verdict: Les’s cowardice is exposed, Charlotte’s misplaced faith is corrected, and Jean’s stern test decides the triangle’s fate. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

No royal road : or, The thing that lies the nearest. A story for girls.

Florence E. Burch

"No royal road : or, The thing that lies the nearest. A story for girls." by Burch is a moral coming‑of‑age novel written in the late 19th century. The narrative centers on Lilla, an orphan living with her grandmother, and Margie, a sturdy village girl, as both discover that true greatness is found in humble duties, patience, and Christian kindness. With guidance from a kindly clergyman and a gentle governess, the tale contrasts ambition and class with everyday service. It suits readers who enjoy heartfelt Victorian domestic fiction with a clear ethical thread. The opening of the story introduces a picturesque lodge where Lilla is lovingly raised by Mrs. Eden, whose health is beginning to fail, and sets a reflective tone through scenes of spring, home routines, and a fleeting excitement over a runaway pony. A parallel thread presents Margie’s crowded, working‑class home, her Sunday solace in church, and a brief exchange with the clergyman about work, rest, and purpose. A stormy afternoon visit from Mr. Munro gives Lilla the book’s motto—“Do the work that lies the nearest”—spurring her to early rising, practical help, and renewed diligence, even as her grandmother decides to hire a maid. Lilla and Margie meet, grow shyly friendly, and their lives intertwine: Lilla studies intensely under Miss St. Ives while learning patience in twilight hours with her grandmother; Margie’s hopes to “get on” are tested by her brother’s illness and a cousin’s shallow advice. When Margie’s mother falls sick, Lilla quietly takes over the housework so Margie can care for her family and still receive her wages, deepening their bond. By year’s end, with Margie back, the theme sharpens as a sermon on greatness as service echoes the lesson both girls are learning through small, faithful acts. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

On the face of the flood

Mary E. (Mary Emily) Ropes

"On the face of the flood by Mary E. Ropes" is a short Christian adventure novella for young readers, written in the late 19th to early 20th century. Set in the Russian forests and riverways at spring flood, it follows an orphan’s raft journey that brings him into contact with thieves and would‑be rescuers, with a clear emphasis on Providence, honesty, and courage. Sergey, mistreated by his drunken uncle Abram Kapoostin, finds a ruby ring engraved “Yevgen to Elena” and places it in safe hands before fleeing on a timber raft, the Swan, under the care of the kindly foreman Matvey’s friends. Kidnapped by Abram and taken to a forest band, he refuses to join them and is released on his promise not to betray them. The voyage brings dangers and rescues: rapids, fishing, and a night attack by a lynx that injures the skipper Ivan; a chance meeting with a lady who proves to be the ring’s owner; and the saving of Olga—Abram’s estranged wife—who is later reunited with her lost daughter. Warned of a timber thief, Issakoff, the crew are trapped by a ruse, but Sergey hides, frees his bound companions, and the Swan escapes. After delivering the raft, news comes that Abram has been arrested, and Olga’s brother Appolon, once among the bandits, repents and reforms. Returning home, Sergey is welcomed as a son by Matvey and Christina, and the story closes on its guiding thread: that duty can be done, and out of evil God brings good to those who trust Him. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Das Leben der Renée von Catte : Roman

Elsa von Bonin

"Das Leben der Renée von Catte : Roman" by Elsa von Bonin is a novel written in the early 20th century. Set in a Prussian aristocratic world from country estate to Berlin court society, it follows the sensitive Renée von Catte from a lonely, willful childhood into her social debut, tracing her search for friendship, love, and a self she can live with under rigid expectations. Family strain with her authoritative father, fierce loyalty to her brother, and the dazzling, disquieting charm of her American sister-in-law Sarah shape the book’s emotional core. The opening of the novel presents Renée as a child on a lakeside estate, mourning her dog Uncas, chafing at dull lessons, and longing for a true friend. She bonds with her cousin Felicitas (“Fly”), plays elaborate make-believe, rides with her father, and idolizes her brother Hannsbabo, whose secret love for a singer clashes with their father before he leaves for America. Growing older, Renée enters school, develops an intense, idealized attachment to the proud classmate Edel, then goes to a boarding pension where she wins the girls’ loyalty but meets the headmistress’s hostility while feeling Edel’s coolness. News arrives that Hannsbabo is engaged to the wealthy, alluring Sarah; Renée returns home, spars with her father over religious conformity, and is coached by her sister in social rules. In Berlin she is presented at court, dazzled by Sarah’s brilliance and freedom, and forms “good-friend” bonds with young officers like Schoenburg and Wachenhusen (and later Rodeck). At Sarah’s spectacular ball, amid royalty and glitter, Hannsbabo falters; in private he confesses to Renée a love that torments him, hinting at a hollow marriage beneath the shine. The section closes with social maneuvering at home, including the Landrat Horwitz’s evident courtship of Elisabeth. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Sämtliche Werke 20 : Aus dem Dunkel der Großstadt : Acht Novellen

Fyodor Dostoyevsky

"Sämtliche Werke 20 : Aus dem Dunkel der Großstadt : Acht Novellen" by Dostoyevsky is a collection of novellas written in the mid to late 19th century. The volume gathers eight Petersburg-centered tales of urban alienation and moral struggle, spotlighting clerks, students, and other castaways as they battle conscience, poverty, and the pressures of a rapidly modernizing city. The opening of the collection frames Dostoyevsky as the poet of the modern metropolis: an introductory essay contrasts the city’s feverish experimentation with the steadier life of the countryside and sets St. Petersburg as a tragic, artificial crucible of Russian destiny; a foreword then outlines the eight included works and explains the title choice. Immediately after, the first novella begins with the famous voice of an unnamed former civil servant in his “corner,” a self-lacerating, contradictory narrator who calls himself sick and spiteful. He recalls petty cruelties at his desk, admits that hyper-consciousness paralyzes action, and dissects the perverse “pleasure” found in humiliation, pain, and even toothache. He contrasts impulsive “men of action” with his own mouse-like inertia, invokes the “stone wall” of natural law, and launches a fierce attack on rational egoism and utopian schemes, insisting that humans will sometimes choose against their own interest simply to assert freedom. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Zu stark für dies Leben : Als Fortsetzungsroman im »Vorwärts« (1927)

Iwan Heilbut

"Zu stark für dies Leben : Als Fortsetzungsroman im »Vorwärts« (1927)" by Iwan Heilbut is a novel written in the early 20th century. It appears to be a socially critical office-and-labor drama following the aging clerk Jakob Grahl as he struggles against humiliating management, looming layoffs, and the machinery of a big department store’s bureaucracy while his family is shaken by his wife Anna’s criminal trial. Key figures include the sympathetic colleague Uri, the harsh superiors Winter and Karst, and Grahl’s family—Hermann and Gertrud—who bear the strain at home. The opening of the novel follows Grahl from a late evening at the office to a workers’ meeting resisting planned dismissals, then home to a tense household where his wife’s impending court case hangs over everything. The next morning he is late, publicly humiliated by the boss Winter, denied leave to attend Anna’s trial, and soon receives a dismissal note; that same day Anna is sentenced to prison. Grahl appeals to the staff council, which issues a protest; management retaliates by demoting him from accounts to revision, then to the package intake, while colleagues mock him and only Uri stands by him. At the labor court, testimony from former personnel chief Rottmann helps win a ruling that blocks his firing and insists the firm can reassign him instead. Karst then pressures him to resign and to give up his council seat; Grahl refuses. In response, management-aligned council members demand his resignation and finally resign en masse to force new elections, stripping him of protection and leaving him facing likely termination again as the section ends. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

The X Bar X boys at the round-up

James Cody Ferris

"The X Bar X boys at the round-up" by James Cody Ferris is a juvenile Western adventure novel written in the early 20th century. It follows teenage brothers Roy and Teddy Manley on the X Bar X ranch as they navigate round-up season, test their horsemanship, and face threats on the open range. Early signs point to trouble from suspicious “buyers” and possible rustling, alongside rodeo ambitions and classic Western hazards. The opening of the novel finds Roy and Teddy riding fence, worrying over a mysterious rider and the inquisitive Lefton brothers, when a wolf chase turns into a desperate flight from a ravenous pack—ended only by a timely rescue from the Leftons and their partner, Mob Jamisson. Invited to the trio’s camp, Roy later sneaks back under a pretext and overhears talk of “cars,” an “eight mile” run, and hundreds of head—hinting at a scheme. A comic interlude follows at the neighboring 8 X 8 ranch, where Bug Eye’s runaway homemade mower nearly destroys a flower bed. Back home, a curt buyer named Peter Peterson demands a forfeit and insists the Manleys deliver six hundred head to Red Rock instead of the usual Eagles, which raises the brothers’ suspicions. Scouting Red Rock, they spot Peterson conferring with the Leftons before the men board a train, reinforcing the sense of collusion. Returning to the ranch, the boys launch rodeo practice as Teddy mounts an unbroken mustang, setting the stage for both competition and looming cattle trouble. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

The seventh shot : A detective story

Herman Landon

"The seventh shot : A detective story" by Herman Landon is a detective novel written in the early 20th century. Set in Broadway’s backstage world, it follows volatile new star Alan Mortimer, producer Max Dukane, and ingénue Sybil Merivale as their show collides with the ousted leading lady Grace Templeton and the calculating Kitty Legaye. When anonymous threats and jealousies surface, detective Jim Barrison moves from a technical consultant on fingerprints to an uneasy guardian as danger seems to gather for opening night. The opening of the novel traces a sweltering rehearsal season on the Rialto: Kitty befriends job-hunting Sybil over lunch, Mortimer (already the object of multiple entanglements) impulsively anoints her his new leading woman after Grace Templeton is fired, and Dukane cautiously agrees to test her. Rehearsals reveal Mortimer’s intoxicating charm and predatory will—he forces an onstage kiss during the “tag,” rattling Sybil and stoking Norman Crane’s jealousy—while a superstitious stage manager frets and an anonymous letter warns Mortimer of doom “on the opening night.” Barrison, brought in to coach a fingerprint scene, quietly reads the room: Grace’s smoldering fury, Kitty’s designs, Sybil’s fearful fascination, and Mortimer’s enraged response to the note; Grace later tries (and fails) to hire him to shadow Mortimer, and Tony Clay reports she has bought a revolver. On opening night, with the theater stifling and security tightened, Barrison spots Grace in a box dressed in black, watches her sit strangely calm as Mortimer makes his entrance, and senses the fuse has been lit. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

My life in Sarawak

Lady Brooke, Margaret

"My life in Sarawak" by Lady Margaret Brooke is a memoir and historical account written in the early 20th century. It chronicles the Ranee’s life beside the Brooke rulers, blending personal impressions with portraits of Sarawak’s peoples, landscapes, and the distinctive, native-inclusive governance her family pursued. Expect court ceremony, women’s society and crafts, river journeys, and encounters with piracy and headhunting reframed through everyday domestic and political life. The opening of the memoir sets the scene with Sir Frank Swettenham’s preface praising Brooke rule and urging just stewardship of Malay peoples, then an introduction recounting how James Brooke became Rajah, suppressed piracy, and built councils and forts that involved Malays and Dyaks in government. The narrative then shifts to the author’s arrival: seasick stops en route, first sights and smells of the Sarawak River, a formal reception at the Astana, and her wish to meet the women who had stayed away from public ceremony. She hosts a landmark reception for Malay ladies, adopts local dress, learns weaving and sumptuous gold-thread embroidery from a Seripa, and sketches the country’s rivers, tribes, and waterbound life. Early tension follows: a Dyak raid on Sibu under Lintong (Mua-ari), the Rajah’s expedition up the Rejang, the author’s guarded river travels and stay in the fort, vivid riverine descriptions, and a comically tense false alarm at dawn—all establishing the mix of danger, etiquette, and cross-cultural intimacy that defines the beginning. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Nuppu : Romaani

Neil Munro

"Nuppu : Romaani" by Neil Munro is a novel written in the early 20th century. It appears to be a warm, humorous tale of small‑town Scottish life centering on the Dyce family as they unexpectedly take in an American‑born orphan, Lennox (“Nuppu”), and navigate kinship, manners, and a gentle Scotland‑versus‑America culture clash. The beginning of the novel unfolds on a snow‑bright New Year’s morning in a lively Scottish town: the bell ringer Wully Oliver’s tipsy chimes set a festive tone as pipers, a booming drummer, and street sellers fill the streets. In the Dyce household, Bell Dyce and the spirited maid Kate bustle amid the holiday scents, while Daniel (“Hauska Dan”) jokes his way through the morning and leaves a mischievous slingshot gift for the American nephew they expect from Chicago; Alison (“Ailie”) arrives, and the siblings banter about the boy’s room and his future. A postcard from actor Molyneux announces the child is traveling north alone (“Pip, pip!”), prompting anxious, comic breakfast talk about American habits, Scottish schooling, and what to do with the newcomer. A hard knock interrupts: the child arrives early—and is a girl, not a boy. Calm and quick‑witted, she wins over the household dog at once, repeats the bell ringer’s catchphrases, and explains she helped ring the town bell and was seen off with sweets by “Jim” Molyneux. The opening closes with the family’s delighted astonishment as the poised young Lennox (“Nuppu”) begins telling how she got there. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

The Minute Boys of the Wyoming Valley

James Otis

The Minute Boys of the Wyoming Valley by James Otis is a historical adventure novel written in the early 20th century. Set on the Pennsylvania frontier during the American Revolution, it follows sixteen-year-old Jonathan Ogden and a band of teenage “Minute Boys” who defend their valley against Tories and Mohawk allies gathering at Wintermoot’s Fort. The story blends siege craft, scouting, and rescue with themes of loyalty, courage, and makeshift soldiering. The opening of the novel frames the real-world strife over Wyoming Valley’s land claims and fort-building before shifting to Jonathan’s first-person account. He organizes a twenty-two–boy company, mans Fort Jenkins with scant ammunition, and faces a tightening ring of Mohawk scouts while quelling a near-mutiny after a settler’s sister is seized. Elias Shendle scouts Wintermoot’s, Jonathan slips through the lines, and the veterans’ ally Simon Bartlett joins him; together they fight off a lone attacker and dash back under fire. A night assault follows: Indians feint at the river, scale the gate, and the boys beat them back in brutal hand-to-hand combat, suffering one death and several wounds. Taking advantage of the lull, Bartlett, Giles March, and the girl’s brother pull off a stealth rescue by river and snatch provisions from the lodges; refugees then reach the fort with supplies, and the defenders confer soberly, bracing for the larger Tory-Indian force rumored to be advancing. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

The daughter of Jorio : A pastoral tragedy

Gabriele D'Annunzio

The Daughter of Jorio: A Pastoral Tragedy by Gabriele D'Annunzio is a verse pastoral tragedy written in the early 20th century. Set among the archaic customs of the Abruzzi, it centers on the shepherd-artist Aligi and the persecuted Mila di Codra, whose encounter tests clan loyalties, religious rites, and the sanctity of the hearth. The work blends folk belief, ritual, and lyric speech to explore love, honor, and communal judgment within a harsh pastoral world. The opening of the play frames its world through an introduction that situates the action in the Abruzzi, explains the folk rites (marriage, mourning, sanctuary at the hearth), and highlights the drama’s flexible, musical verse. Act I unfolds during Aligi’s espousal rites: his mother Candia and sisters conduct the traditional ceremony when a hunted woman rushes in to claim sanctuary. The reapers outside name her as Mila di Codra, “the daughter of Jorio,” revile her as an outcast, and demand she be handed over; the women waver, and Aligi at first tries to expel her. When Mila invokes the sacred fireplace and Aligi envisions her guardian angel weeping, he repents, places a blessed cross on the threshold, and sends the reapers away in peace, just as his father Lazaro returns wounded. At the start of Act II the scene shifts to Aligi’s mountain cave, where he carves an angel in walnut wood while Mila sits nearby and other mountain folk doze, signaling a new, quieter phase after the village tumult. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

The patriarch of one hundred years : being reminiscences, historical and biographical, of Rev. Henry Boehm

Henry Boehm

"The patriarch of one hundred years : being reminiscences, historical and…." by Rev. J. B. Wakeley, D.D. is a historical and biographical memoir written in the late 19th century. It presents the life and ministry of Rev. Henry Boehm, using his extensive journals to portray early American Methodism, its pioneers, revivals, and circuits, culminating in his centennial celebrations. Readers can expect vivid portraits of figures like Bishop Francis Asbury and accounts of frontier evangelism, camp-meetings, and the growth of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The opening of the volume lays out the project’s origin: Boehm explains in a preface that, urged by church leaders and aided by Wakeley, he shaped a massive journal into a narrative meant to preserve the spirit and facts of “primitive Methodism.” A table of contents promises a life told through circuits, conferences, and key personalities. The first chapters recount Boehm’s Swiss Mennonite ancestry, his father Martin’s conversion and eventual role with the United Brethren and Methodists, and Henry’s own upbringing, schooldays under a Hessian teacher, conversion in a mill loft, and the misstep of delaying church membership. He then sketches early preachers (notably Robert Strawbridge and the fiery Benjamin Abbott) and describes the building and influence of Boehm’s Chapel, where a revival led him to join the Church and become a class leader. Subsequent chapters narrate the General Conference of 1800 in Baltimore and the Philadelphia Conference at Duck Creek, both marked by powerful revivals and the election of Richard Whatcoat; the history of Barratt’s Chapel and Boehm’s vow of consecration during a bout of illness; and his early itinerant work on Dorchester and Annamessex Circuits, where sweeping awakenings among white and Black worshipers are punctuated by striking anecdotes (a preacher lost in the Cypress Swamp, a hawk dropping a fish for dinner). The extract closes as he moves to Kent Circuit, honors early lights like William Gill and John Smith, and visits the dying father of Shadrach Bostwick, pausing even to exhort a gathered roadside crowd when a house meeting is canceled. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Pompei

Candido Augusto Vecchi

"Pompei" by Candido Augusto Vecchi is a work of historical fiction written in the late 19th century. It reconstructs everyday life, faith, and politics in ancient Pompeii through archaeological imagination and staged historical scenes. The narrative follows a range of Pompeians—priests, freedmen, magistrates, and farmers—moving from temples to forum to fields, blending vivid ritual detail with social critique and human drama. The opening of the book sets out the author’s method of reviving the past, then unfolds a night scene in which a freedman consults an Etruscan diviner, exposing the tricks of augury and sacrifice. A grand public rite at Jupiter’s temple during the Social War shows panic, pageantry, and doubt, culminating in a frank exchange between two priests about the limits of the gods and the need for human courage, while Sulla’s campaigns brush past Pompeii, Isis’s oracle buoys the crowd, and civic revels turn raw and earthy; the section closes with the intimate death of a young Pompeian brought home from the battlefield. The narrative then shifts to the countryside, where Vestorio Tucca and his son visit the veteran Coecilio Casella and tour vineyards, orchards, and olive groves, yielding a compact, practical portrait of Campanian agriculture and a humane contrast to Cato’s austerity. It ends with a simple meal, a visit to the library, and a touching manumission ceremony that affirms character and community. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Happy days; carolings of Colorado, etc.

Samuel R. Brown

"Happy days; carolings of Colorado, etc. by Samuel R. Brown is a collection of poetry and prose sketches written in the early 20th century. It is a regional, nature-centered book that celebrates Colorado’s landscapes and outdoor pastimes while offering homespun reflections on joy, morality, and everyday life. The pieces range from exuberant odes to “Colorado Skies,” wild-wood rambles, and lazy days “Angling in the Platte,” to lively town portraits of Denver, Littleton, Englewood, and Manitou. Hunting and fishing scenes (including a vivid antelope hunt) mingle exhilaration with flashes of remorse; playful love lyrics feature summer girls and a “motor‑cycle girl,” while addresses and elegies speak to sailors, Whitman, and a lost friend. Populist protests against “King Mammon” and social graft sit beside meditations on sorrow, immortality, and the choice to live merrily and kindly. The closing sketches recall the author’s pioneer boyhood, Indian neighbors, and the transformation of the Front Range, framing the whole as a sunny, conversational portrait of Colorado life and a tonic for the “sad-faced tourist.” (This is an automatically generated summary.)

The infant moralist

Lady Carnegie, Helena

"The infant moralist by Lady Helena Carnegie and Violet Jacob" is an illustrated collection of cautionary poems for children written in the early 20th century. The verses adopt a stern, didactic tone to teach manners, obedience, charity, and self-control, often through exaggerated consequences and darkly comic twists. It is essentially a book of moral instruction, using brief rhymed vignettes to contrast vice and virtue in domestic and village settings. Across a sequence of short poems, a severe adult narrator addresses children who misbehave and those who do well. Cruelty, gluttony, envy, profanity, pranks, and disobedience are met with swift, sometimes disastrous outcomes—boys fall from towers after mischief, a credulous child runs off with a caravan and is lost to his family, a grimace is fixed forever by a change of wind, a planted mouse shocks an aunt into silence, and a vicious act of revenge nearly causes a drowning. By contrast, charity, politeness, courage, and thoughtful regard for parents and elders are praised, as when a girl brings food to the poor or a boy calmly saves his sister from a wasp. The settings and incidents are everyday—school treats, parlors, gardens, lanes—yet the consequences are dramatically amplified to imprint the lesson: heed guidance, curb impulses, respect others, and avoid violence. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Thrilling incidents of the Indian war of 1862 : being a personal narrative of the outrages and horrors witnessed by Mrs. L. Eastlick in Minnesota

L. (Lavina) Eastlick

"Thrilling incidents of the Indian war of 1862 : being a personal narrative of…" by Mrs. L. Eastlick is a first-person historical account written in the mid-19th century. It recounts a Minnesota settler’s ordeal during the Dakota War, focusing on the Lake Shetek attacks, her desperate flight, and the devastation visited on her family and neighbors. The work aims both to bear witness to what she saw and to solicit sympathy and support as she struggles to rebuild after the catastrophe. The opening of the narrative sets out the author’s purpose and need, then follows her family’s westward move to Lake Shetek, early cordial contacts with nearby Dakota, and the sudden eruption of violence. As the settlers attempt to flee together, they are overtaken on the prairie; she is wounded, her husband is killed, and children and neighbors are slain or taken, while she hides and then wanders injured for days. She eventually reconnects with survivors, learns that her son Merton has carried the baby Johnny many miles, and, with the help of a passing mail carrier, reaches an abandoned farm where they hide until a small detachment rescues them and takes them to New Ulm. There she receives hospital care and aid from soldiers and townspeople. The excerpt closes with her efforts to obtain official passes and assistance from state authorities to continue eastward to friends. (This is an automatically generated summary.)