Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1871-12-28
@istellaneons.
A THRILLING STORY.

Sedgwick He has probably suffered
greater hardships from and has gained
greater knowledge of the plain and 'front.'
ier Indians than any white man living in
this country. His thrilling adventures and
hand-to- hand conflicts with the Apaches
during the past quarter of century and
captivity of ten years among the Co.
manches, would afford splendid material
for o first-class romance. The exploits of
this individual utterly overshadow the
deeds of the renowned Kit Carson, with
whom he was intimately acquainted, and
completely surpass the doings of ''Buf-
falo Bill'' and California Joe," whose
names in connection with Indian fighting
have been before the epublic in various peri
odcals during the past seven years. Re-
Gently a Times representative enjoyed an
hours conversation with the grim old
veteran, and learned from his own lips
some particulars of an eventful career.
The Captain was found at the office of a
stenographer, who was busily employed in
taking notes to be used in connection with
forthcoming history of his life. He in
vted the reporter to be seated, and handed
him a pipe of unique pattern, with . stem
about four feet in length, which he first
| lighted and indulged in q few whiffs rs
starter. THAT pipe," said he. II cap
tured from Algalaumme, a Montezuma
Chief, thirteen years ago, and would not
part with it for thousand dollars" While
smoking, the reporter surveyed the border
man; he is fully six feet in height, sparse
| ly built, is as straight as an arrow, has
small, black, piercing eyes, long and
| coarse hair, as black as coal, swarthy
! countenance covered with scars, and a
complexion in general that has been so
tanned by exposure to the sun and wind
that it resembles strongly that of an In
dian. He wore border suit of buckskin,
Enthusiastically arranged, but his person was
devoid of jewelry. which is such charac-
teristic weakness of frontier men. On a
| bureau at the right rested huge white
sombrero, while in one corner of the room
near the stenographer's desk, were scalps
and tomahawks and other relics of the for
est, and of sanguinary conflicts with the
savages. AS he had been captive such
| a great length of time among the Indians,
| it seemed a matter of surprise to the re-
porter that he could converse so fuently
in his mother tongue. He explained this
by stating that he had as companion in
| captivity an American, and had frequent
intercourse with trappers and herdsmen
| whom he had assisted in capturing. BY
l
| English perfectly. His knowledge of
dates was also surprising when it is taken
into consideration that he was carried of
by the Comanches when but twenty years
of age, and previous to that event had
but little schooling.
| He was born in small frontier village
on the Big Blue river, in the northern
portion of Jackson county, in the State of
Missouri, in the year of 1929, but does not
remember the month. When but mere
lad he gained great reputation among
the hardy backwoodsmen and trappers of
that section as a wonderful shot, as he
| had been known to bring down deer at
four hundred yards. At eighteen he was
successful trapper, and knew every elk
path and otter pond tor miles through the
| wilderness. His shrewdness attracted
the attention OF Bent, the great St. Louis
fur trader, who secured his services when
nineteen. 1t is to this incident that his
subsequent misfortunes and ten years
captivity and sufferings among the Co
manches may be attributed. Shortly after
entering the services of the fur company,
as the captain related, he and compan-
! ion, Jean Battles, a French Canadian,
were sent to the Cimerone springs, near
the head waters of the Arkansas river.
At that date the whole country was almost
a bowling wilderness, with but few set
tiers scattered here and there, and was
swarming with hostile Apaches, Pawnees,
and the scourge of Northern Mexico, the
ood-thirsty Comanches. On the 18th Of
September. 1917, as their luck had been
bad, Battles proposed to Hobbs to start
further south, where game was supposed
to be in abundance. The latter acquiesced.
Il
Hobbs had trailed buffalo. His capture
is given in his own vernacular: "Putting
spurs to my mare said the captain, II
soon overhaued the varmint, which
proved to be COW, which killed. Bat
ties soon joined me, and after we cut of
all the meat we wanted, we built fire
and bunked in for the night. The follow
ing morning while we were preparing our
grub. a party OF twenty Comanch braves,
with eight or ten Pawnee scalps and
drove OF stolen ponies, appeared on the
scene. The leader of the band advanced
toward me with outstretched hands, and
growled out, 'How?' Ianswered him in
II friendly way still keeping my eye on
my shooting g-irons. All OF a sudden one
of the most demoniac yells that ever
greeted mortal's ear was given, and be-
fore we could move the whole pack of
hell-hounds were upon us two poor devils
They killed poor Battle before my eyes,
scalped him, took off his moccasins. Sc
cured his rifle and ammunition, and then
made for me. But the Chief somehow
took fancy to me and drawed off the pack
after they had almost finished me and had
the knife to my scalp. ''Look here, so say
ing the Captain parted the thick black hair
on the side of his head and long white
scar was revealed. That's the COM
mencin' place" he resumed. "and in two
minutes time longer l expect they would
have raised my top-knot, for certain. Do
you see this ?" Here he pointed to deep
scar just above his mustache, at the right
of the nose. That's another mark they
gave me with tomahawk on that occa-
sion. Well. to make a long story short.
they carried me with them up to the noun
tains. They danced around me, sung and
played on the tomtoms nearly all night.
CONCLUDED on FOURTH FACE.