[251] There seems to have been some disagreement as to who had charge of the advance guard. For the view taken by the present writer see Smith’s _History of Dickinson County, Iowa_, p. 80. [252] _Frank R. Mason’s Recollections_ in the _Annals of Iowa_ (Third Series), Vol. III, pp. 532, 533; Carpenter’s _Spirit Lake Expedition_ in the _Annals of Iowa_ (Third Series), Vol. III, p. 484. [253] For an account of the discovery of the Springfield fugitives see that of _Frank R. Mason’s Recollections_ in _Annals of Iowa_ (Third Series), Vol. III, pp. 532, 533. [254] A quotation from Carpenter in Gue’s _History of Iowa_, Vol. I, p. 314. [255] _Frank R. Mason’s Recollections_ in the _Annals of Iowa_ (Third Series), Vol. III, p. 533; Smith’s _A History of Dickinson County, Iowa_, p. 82. [256] _A Paper by Charles Aldrich_ in the _Annals of Iowa_ (Third Series), Vol. III, p. 548. [257] _A Paper by Charles Aldrich_ in the _Annals of Iowa_ (Third Series), Vol. III, p. 548. [258] _Frank R. Mason’s Recollections_ in the _Annals of Iowa_ (Third Series), Vol. III, p. 533. [259] _Address of Capt. Charles B. Richards_ in the _Annals of Iowa_ (Third Series), Vol. III, p. 513; _Address of John N. Maxwell_ in the _Annals of Iowa_ (Third Series), Vol. III, p. 528; Duncombe’s _Spirit Lake Expedition_ in the _Annals of Iowa_ (Third Series), Vol. III, pp. 502-504. CHAPTER XXIV [260] _Roster and Record of Iowa Soldiers_, Vol. VI, pp. 922-937; Smith’s _History of Dickinson County, Iowa_, p. 84. [261] _Address of Captain Charles B. Richards_ in the _Annals of Iowa_ (Third Series), Vol. III, p. 515; Smith’s _History of Dickinson County, Iowa_, p. 84. [262] The reputed finding of the body of Joel Howe may well be questioned. The evidence presented tends to show that the headless skeleton found by Mr. Goodenough could not have been that of Howe. Of the party that took the trail route to the Mattock cabin from Howe’s, H. E. Dalley is the only one who in late years has survived, and in fact he was about the only one of the Johnson party who survived the fearful storm of the fourth and was able to give a coherent tale of what they had done. The leader of the party and its second most active member both were lost in the storm. Mr. Dalley in relating the facts of the burial of Howe has always maintained that Howe’s body, complete and not headless, was found but not buried at the same spot. Instead the party carried the body to the Mattock place where it was interred. He has ever sturdily maintained that this act of the party is the most vivid recollection of the whole experience. Lieutenant Maxwell has also maintained that the body was not headless when found. There is a discrepancy between the number of bodies disinterred in the vicinity of the Mattock cabin and the number of people reported to have been killed there.