Herald of the times, and Rhode Islander. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1846-1849, 1848-02-17
The Hunter and the Robbers.

Il
The hunter (hough rarely) has been Sc
upon by robbers, for the sake Of the pack of fur
he was carrying on his back to some of the sea
port towns OH the coast, to dispose of but a
the fur hunters are generally on foot, and from
habit of watching about for either hostile In
dians or wild animals, they are always on thei
guard and as the robbers well know that the,
are, TO man, rillemen who seldom miss thei
mark, they avoid them. During my ramble
in the wilds and Businesses Of California, be
came acquainted with many of them, some fron
the back settlements ofthe United States, other
from Canada.
have hunted for months with them, and wit
nessed some conflicts between them aud wilt
animals, in which the utmost daring and reck
lessness was exhibited by the hunter These
are not the men that robbers like to encounter
but have said they sometimes take fancy tt
the valuable pack of furs, which, if they fine
any facility OF obtaining, they make the attempt
1t is the very climax of cruelty to rob these
poor fellows of packs which were procured only
by outlaying for months il the depths of the
forest and wilds of the country, and not unfre-
quently in the hunting ground of tribe of hos
tile Indians.
once hunted for three months in company
idea he was wild and imaginative in the extreme
but in acts of daring the most cool and philoso.
phic fellow | ever knew. A commensurate, ol
merchant, at San Francisco, on whose yeracity
/ know from experience; can depend, told me
the following story of this man--which will II
once illustrate his general character.
This hunter was, some months before had
fallen in with him, making the best of his way
~ al I a.
terror, with heavy pack of fiirs on his back
his never erring rifle in his hand and his two
dogs by his side lie was jolned at the north
ernmost end of,he valley by the merchant
have spoken Of, who was armed only with his
sword and pistols. They had scarcely cleared
the valley, when party of robbers galloped out
before them. There were four whites fully
armed, and two Indians, with the lassoes coiled
up in their right hands, all /" ready for throw"
The hunter told the merchant, who was on
horseback, to dlsmount Instantly, " and to
cover" Fortunately for them there was good
deal of thlckct, and trunks of large trees that
had fallen, were strewed about in very desi-
rable manner. Behind these logs the merchan,
and the hunter quietly took up their position
and as they were in the act of doing so, two OF
three shots were fired after them without effect
from his back, and laid them beside him. at,
my opinion merchant" said he )" that then
varmints there wants either your saddle-bags
or my pack but reckon they'll get neither.
So he took up his rifle, fired, and the fore
most Indian, lasso in hand, rolled off his horse
Another discharge from the rife, and the second
Indian fell whilst in the act of throwing hi.
lasso at the head and shoulders of the hunter
lao 4,
| fire.
Now" said the hunter, as he reloaded,
living on his back, to avoid tie shots of the
robbers, I" that $ what call the very best OF
the schrimmage, to get them brown thieves
with their lassoes out. Of the way first. See
them rcscally whites now, jumping over the
logs, To charge us in our cover"
They were fast advancing, when the rifle
again spoke out, and the foremost fell they
still came on to within about thirty yards
another fell, and the remaining two made a
desperate charge up close to the log. The
hunter from long practice, was dexterous in
fcloadlng his gun.
Now, merchant said he, 4" is the time
for your pop-guns," meaning the pistols
"and don't be at all nervous. Keep steady
hand, and drop either man or horse. A man
Ol tntln Slldn escape.
! The two remaining robbers were now up
with the log, and fired each pistol shot at the
hunter, which he escaped by dodgng behind a
tree close to, from which he fired with effect.
As only one robber was left, he wheeled round
his horse, with the intention of galloping of
when the pistol bullets Of the merchant shot
the horse from under him.
Well don't, merchant" said the hunter,
you've stopped that fellows gallop.'
As soon as the robber could disentange
himself from the fallen horse, he took to his
heels, and ran down shopping ground rs fast as
he could. The hunter drew his tomahawk
from his belt, and gave chase after him. As
he was more of an equestrian than pedestrian
the nimbeness of the hunter shorted the dis
tance between them, and the last Of the robbers
fell
Thus perished this dangerous gang of six
by the single hand of this brave hunter, and
as the merchant informed me, he acted as cool
" and deliberately as if he were shooting tame
bulocks for the market The affair was rather
advantageous to the hunter for on searching
the saddle-bags and pockets on the robbers n,
pulled forth some doubloons and few dollars
with other yaluables they had, no doubt a shor
time previously, taken from some traveller
the ad-dle-bags, arms and accoutremcnts Of
the four white men, were packed up and made
fast on the saddles of the two horses, the hun
ter mounted third, the merchant another, hi,
horse being shot, and thus they left the scene
of action, the bodies of the robbers to the
wolves who were bowling about them, and
entered st. Francisco in triumph. - Coulter,
A drenturcS.
RAPE.-An atrocious outrage was commit
ted in Fairfield on the 9th inst, on young
Irish girl, between ID and l6, by young fel-
low named Fox. 1t appears that the young
girl was returning home from school alone,
when, on passing through strip of woods, a
young fellow stepped out from behind clump
Of scrub hemlocks, pulled her hood over her
face, quickly snatching her shawl from her
shoulder and tied it over her head, and threat
ened TO murder her if she made the least noise.
in this manner he showed her before him to a
barn about forty rode from the road, and accom-
plished his bruta. purpose. He has been ar
rested and bound over for trial.--S. AHans
Republican,
THE Presidents WARs.-The Louisville
Journal is afraid that the Administration % get