THE AFFLICTED SWEET FAMILY

We started from our home in Oliver Hutchinson County of South Dakota about eleven o’clock on the morning of January 12, 1888 to my oldest brothers wedding, about four miles distance over the snow covered prairies. It was a bright clear morning, not a cloud in the sky and the sun was shining brightly.

There were seven of us in the party, my Father, Mother, and myself, aged 19, my three brothers Orlo, Herbert, Wesley, aged 17, 15, and 5 years respectively, Eugene, a nephew, aged 9. We were a sleigh full of people, well covered with robes and blankets. A lovelier winter morning never dawned on Dakota.
Just before Father got into the sleigh, after we were tucked in snugly he cast his eyes around the horizon, and said “If the wind changes when the sun went down we’d have a storm,” and it was well for us to have the stock at home well fed, also to have a lot of wraps along. A happier, merrier party never started for a journey. The horses sprang off at a ratting pace, snorting and jumping in their traces, while we laughed and made merry over the anticipated celebrating. The scene soon changed, light fleecy clouds began to appear on the horizon as if by magic. In the North the wind began to whistle shrilly over the prairies. The horses pricked up their ears and started in alarm, but the sun still shone bright in the mid-heavens, and while we drew the blankets closer around us, none anticipated their impending danger so closely upon us. The boys thought it more fun and warmer to run along by the side of the sleigh. So we were having all the enjoyment a sleigh ride produces.
When we were about half the distance to our distination, the wind blew from every direction at once and without a moments notice struck us square in the face. Rain, Hail, Sleet, Snow and wind all at once. The sun went out like the extinguishing of a lamp. The wind fairly howled and the cold became so intense, the snow blew in blinding pitifull fierceness into our faces and crept beneath every bit of covering that protected us.
We had just passed a school house, and finding it impossible for us and the horses to face the storm, Father then tried to turn them around and go back to the school house, but we soon found it was impossible for us as he could not find out which way to go. The wind seemed to come from every point of the compass, also from the heavens and the earth at the same time. In that terrible storm it was certain death to stop and possible death to go ahead, but then there was hope that before us there was shelter.
The track had long since been lost and the horses were going over fences and country no one knew. We kept on traveling as best we could until nearly midnight. The snow was so deep and there was such a hard crust on it that the horses found it almost impossible to go at all. Finally they stopped and could be urged no further. About 2 o’clock the storm abated, but one of the horses was dead and the other nearly so and we were unable to go on. From that time on until nearly morning Father walked around the sleigh keeping the robes tucked over us as best he could. As the wind blew so hard, At sunrise he left us in search for help. He went to the nearest home, or the only one he could see. When he arrived he found no one there but the lady of the house. She seen his condition so she asked him in to get warm.
When he got in by the fire to thaw his coat out he couldn’t get it unbuttoned because it was frozen from his chin down. While he sat thawing out his coat, his face began to swell, for it was badly frozen. His eyes were swollen shut for 48 hours. So of course he could not come back to us, and there was no one else to send for help.
About one hour after Father left us the teacher from the schoolhouse we had passed the day before, found us a short distance from his path as he was going home. He had stayed all night with his pupils. Being anxious to know who was unfortunate as to be in a storm like that, he investigated finding us so cold and frozen that we could not walk. He tucked the blankets more snugly about us and went home for his team and sleigh and some neighbors and was soon back after us. Tenderly lifting us from our sleigh into his. They took us to his home about 40 rds. distance. We were soon made as comfortable as possible by the neighbors. It was soon discovered that our limbs were frozen that a doctor was sent for. We were cared for at this house until Saturday morning, when they thought it best to take us to our own home which was much larger. About eleven o’clock the neighbors came with teams and sleighs and plenty of robes and we were taken home. The house was warm and ready and there was plenty of help to care for us.
Father was brought home on Sunday, he could see but his face was badly swollen and bruised. He had pounded his face on the sleigh box to keep the ice and snow from smothering him, he had long whiskers. His feet were frozen so he couldn’t walk, but after seeing us he thought he would be alright. However it was six months before he could even walk on crutches.
My hands were taken off February 2nd, and Orlo and Herbert had their feet taken off below the knees on February 2nd. On the fifth the two middle fingers were taken off Wesleys right hand leaving the other crippled. The same day my nephews fingers were all taken off of his left hand. Father lost part of three fingers on his right hand, his left hand was stiffened and he could not use it. He lost his heel on his left foot and his toes on his left foot. Mother was frozen inward but no limbs were lost. I don’t know how cold it was that night of the blizzard but the next day the thermometer registered 46 below zero.
My brother was married the 17th of January and came home with his wife to help take care of us, they stayed and cared for us until we were all well. We moved from South Dakota to Western Springs near Chicago, Ill. On October, 1888 it was a very unhealthy place for us. We were sick nearly all the time, at least that dreadfull disease, typhoid fever took from us our dear Father on Dec. 3rd 1894. We were left to earn our own living the best way we could with our afflictions. Altho it sometimes seems hard, still with the patience and perseverance God has given us we’ll try to do our best. With the help of God and our kind friends we will journey on through life until we are called to rest.

Bredena M. Sweet