The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1872-06-08
Grenins Stats gaarnat
SATURDAY EVENING, JUNE s, 1872.
KIT CARSON's RIDE.

panion of the celebrated Nit carson, sends
us the following eloquent and feeling testi-
mony to the virtues and character Of man
who, familiar as his name to every Ameri-
can, was very imperfectly known beyond
the circle Of daring Adventures with whom
he was brought into personal contact. The
substance Of this article was contributed
originally to the Delaware County Repu6-
Hcn,, and appeared in that paper on Au-
gust IS; but, as given here, has been con-
sderably revised and modified by the
author:
1t is rarely that the license allowed to
poets has been more thoroughly abused
than in a poem by Joaquin Miller, entitled
as above, which appeared in a recent num-
Der of Hnper's Weekly. AS rule in poe
try, when the fact has been departed from,
it has always been to eXaggerate the virtues
of a departed hero, but never to mSrepre-
sent him by rendering his picture ridicu-
lous, much less indecent; and as we recall
the modest, earnest, refined simplicity Of
Carson, and compare it with the frenzied
and licentious bullooD presented in the lines
referred to, we almost regret that the scalp
of Joaquin had not been counted among the
soups" Of that redoubted knight of the
prairies and mountains. How far the de-
scendants of that upright aud noble man
might be justified in sueing the author for
defamation of character in a city court, we
do not know, but are sure in the courts of
that generous and active Judge Lynch,
away off in the Rockies, where Kits fame
is vet cherished by many hardy pioneer,
we might count on exemplary damages
Carson was man clearly Of mind, body,
and speech, and by no manner Of means u
border ruilian. lie had no gift of swear
ing. The only oath ever heard him use
was that Of William the Conquer, which
had once read him out of stray volume of
CHRISTIAN Shandy." On this occasion he
drew long, singled barreled pistol (old
Constable's make, which Fremont had CIV
en- me, and to Kit, for we had no "gold-
mounted Colts true companions for years.
in those supplemented days. and with
slow, deadly speech, which carried the sense
of imminent mischief in it, said to one who
was in.the act of q cowardly wrong upon a
sick man, Sergeant, drop that knife, or
by the splendor of God,' I'll blow your
heart out"
He had not the advantages Of education,
but was wise as the beaver, and of great
dignity and simplicity of character, and not
given to the least vulgarity Of thought or
expression, nor would he tolerate it in those
about him.
tbs not enough that this poet has talked of
person whom he evidently could not have
known, and has misnamed and misplaced
all mountain craft, and the chronology and
geography, weapons and ranges OF tribes
of Indians, and the spirit of the times where
of he speaks. 1t is not enough that he
puts into the mouth of calm, dgnifed,
sweet nature, such words of bosh as would
make a love-sck and idiotic ape quite
ashamed of himself, but he carricatures
man as chivalrous as knight of romance,
by making him escape on his lady-love's
horse from a danger in which she is left to
perish.
Dear. old Kit Not such as this poet
painted you, do | recall the man | loved.
Looking back through the misty years. |
see man Tasso-if you had lived in an
earlier age-would have placed by the side
of Godfrey, and made the companion aof
Tancrede and Rinaldo. A. man pure, very
pure in his nature-not given to lustlul
ways, but calm, serious and sweet Of tenn
per man Of very moderate stature but
broad-lronted and elastic, yet by no means
robust of frame, though gifted with I'M
mense endurance and nerves of steel. A
head quite remarkable for its full size and
very noble forehead quiet, thoughtful
blue eyes and yellow hair, firm, strong
jaw and a face somewhat dished, like an
Arab borse, that made a man who had
never seen him before, look at him again
with the thought that he would ''do to tie
to-" Arms rather long, and thin strong
tanks, with slightly handy legs.
This was the outward shape which en-
closed spirit as high and daring, and as
noble, as ever tenanted the body of man.
No man this to take his woman's horse be-
cause it was faster than his own, and leave
her to prairie fire, while he galloped off
to twaddle in tumid bosh over 'her mar
velous eyes" Oh, Kit, my heart beats
quicker even now, old fellow, when
think of the time, twenty-five years ago,
when lay on the burning sands of the
Great Desert, under a mesquite bush,
where you had, tenderly as woman would
have put her first-born, laid me, sore from
wounds and fever, on your only blanket.
| see the dim lake of waterless mirage; |
see the moving sand ripple with the faint
hot breeze around us, and break upon our
scattered saddles; see the poor mules
furnishing of thirst, with their tucked
TANKS and dim eyes, and hear their sad and
plaintiye cry go up out Of the wilderness
for help; see the men, logged, resolute,
or Respondent, standing around, or seeking
such shelter as saddle blanket over gun,
stick, or withered sage bush would afford,
and then, under that sun of flame,
and on those burning sands, without a
thought Of ever seeing water again, you
poured upon my fevered lips the last drop
in camp from your canteen. Oh, Kit +
think again of afterwards on the bloody
ella, where we fought all night and
travelled all day with each man his bit of
mule meat, and no other food, and when,
| so worn from hurt could go no further,
begged you to leave me there and save
yourself, | see you leaning ON that old long
Hawkins gun Of yours (mine now, and
looking out of those clear blue eyes at me
with surprised reproach, as one who
takes an insult from friend. And | re-
member when we lay side by side Oh
bloody battlefield all night, when you
mourned like woman, and would not be
comforted not for those who had fallen,
but for the sad hearts of women at home
when the tale would be told. And re-
member another night we passed side by
side. in the midst of an enemy's camp,
where discovery was death, and where you
would not take mean advantage Of
sleeping foe.