The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1871-12-01
a pesperateI Adrertnre-

a OCSPoAdL0i AQV6LBuI6-
Cooperative with the regular sol
diery of the frontier forts in the
West and Southwest, for the pursuit
and capture of Indian depredators.
half-breed outlaws, white horse
thieves, and other criminals of the
the plains, are a class of civil officers
known as Deputy Marshals of the
| United States, whose skill and dar-
ling in the arrest of desperate savages,
the recovery of stolen stock or the
lslaylng Of defiant desperados, are
often worthy Of the most heroic
song of a Joaquin Miller.
Not long ago one of these ennis
saries of justice, familirly known as
"Joe" Peavy, was glorifed in tele-
gram to the press for having cap
tured- single handed, and brought
into Fort Smith, Arkansas, no
less than seven laWless white ad-
venturers, who had been guilty OF
slaughtering and plundering the
friendly Osages. That was deemed
a brilliant exploit; but the Memphis
Appeal thinks it hardly equal to The
same officers less published prowess
with the Indians in times not long
past. Once, when a noted chief of
the fierce KioWas a staIwart and
bloodthirsty aboriginal called '.Leap-
ing Panther" had brutally MUIR
dered and scalped the whole family
of settler on Canadian River, a
strong military force from Fort
Smith secured the country for miles
around in futile search for the as
sassin, and it was resolved to try
what the individual tracking skill of
deputy marshal could accomplish.
Peavy, who knew "LeaPing Panther"
and was familiar with every rod of
the Indian country, volunteered to
work the case up; with the stipula-
tiOn, however, that he should be al
lowed to prosecute the adventure
alone. The projected feat was full
Of mortal peril; the red slayer was
with his warriors IL the heart of a
country murderously hostile to the
pale-faces, and the idea of attempt
ing to capture him single handed
seemed sheer madness; but the in
domitable prairie policeman conf
IDENTIFY undertook the achievement,
despite the misgivings of his own
usually dauntless professional breth-
rem. Armed with two ''navy-sixes''
and well worn bowie, clad in fox
skin cap, hickory shirt, and buck
skin pantaloOns, and mounted on
tough little mustang. Deputy United
States Marshal Joe Peavy started
forth upon his deed of high emprise,
as sure of his foeman as any knight
ly Orlando of the olden times. En-
tering the Indian nation on its north
ern verge, be made a circle of the
Kiowa country, so as to enter it from
the extreme vest and come into
'Leaping Panther's Woodland en-
campment as a wayworn refugee
from the fatigue of a hunt The
wary chief looked on him with sus
picion at first, bat by a skillful use
of his whisky flask, tobacco pouch,
and the gutteral Kiowa tongue, the
more astute intruder quickly lulled
the warriors distrust, and even per
suaded him into a confidence not
often exacted from red men. After
some days of tactical tarrying in
camp the tanned panther consented
to accompany his white guest on a |
visit to neighboring tribe, with no
more of a train than two favorite
squaws who clamored for the privi- |
lege. The possibility of this femi- |
nine complication did not enter in
to the calculations of the willy prairie |
detective, yet he accepted it stoically
and was even able to turn it to en-
inent advantage. In his curious IA
tuity the chief allowed himself to be
led by detour out of his own Kio
wa country into the neighborhood of
Fort Sill, where, without a moments
warning, he found himself halted in
mid road by one of the pistols of
his treacherous guest, while another
revolver held the astonished squaWs
at command. Thus at the mercy of
their suddenly unmasking enemy,
the terrified wives Of the Panther
were ruthlessly compelled to take
from the entrapped chieftain his now
useless arms, bind his hands behind
his back with buckskin thong, and
place him a helpless prisoner upon
one of their own ponies. This ae-
complished, the marshal turned the
horses head, and drove his captives
toward the east. The journey of
captivity extended over two hun
dred miles through the heart of a
wild and hostile Indian country, and
lasted nearly two weeks. From the
moment of his arrest the Kiowa pre-
served a sullen silence. At night, |
when they rested in the woods, the |
captor tied the squaws to separate
trees and bound the fettered chiefs /
right arm to his own left Every
hours march or halt was at peril of
discovery by rowing Indians and the
exemplary dispatch of the prairie po-
Iiceman: but on the twenty-eighth
dav after his departure from Fort
smith the deputy marshal reap I
peared there, bringing "Leaping
Panther" bound hand and foot, to
expiate the fearful crime with which I
he stood charged. He had praetised
for his purpose a craft which had
seemed both cowardly and cruel, but
for the consideration that it was his
only resource as one man against a /
nation of foemen.
Horace Greely was actually seen |
attired in ''swell" coat among the
frivolous throng at fashionable |
wedding last week.
The entire State of Florida con
sumes less butter and milk than the
city of Philadelphia, !