Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1873-11-29

BY GEN. JAMES S. BRIsBIN.

1t is ten years ago(said Mr.. Belden),
and mt that time the country back from
the Missouri was not much settled The
fame of the Big Blue Lands had spread
far and wide, and, every week, scores of
farmers from Iowa, Illinois, and Missou-
ri came in and settled on the rich bot
toms, almost invariably writing back to
their friends in the States that the land
was one flowing with milk and honey,
and urging them to come and take up
farms. So the settlement prospered
amazingly, and Beatrice, Neb., which
had at first only been town con paper"
became a thriving village in reality.
Among the farmers who came to set
tie i'll this new country was a Mr.,
Thompson and his family. They had
formerly lived in Iowa, on the Big Sioux
river, six miles from Sioux City; but,
not prospering there, they sought to bet
ter their condition by moving to Ne
braska, and selected TIE Big Blue as the
place of their future home. Mr.. Thomp-
sons family consisted of his wife; his
daughter Mary, sweet girl of sixteen;
and an old man who had spent the best
part of his life in the service of the FAM
lily, and, now that he was old, was re-
tanned for the good he had done, and
that he might have home in his decli-
ming years. AT one time Mr.. Il. had
been well off in the world, but unfortu-
nate speculations in Western lands had
ruined him, and, at the time of which
speak, he had little left besides few
horses, wagon or two, and u dozen
head of cattle.
Near to where Mr.. Thompson had
settled on the Blue, lived wild young
man who had won for himself the name
of ''the Wild Trapper of the Blue" He
lived all alone on the head-waters of a
little creek, and was rarely seen except
when he came, once in every two or three
months, to the traders to exchange his
furs and skins for flour, tobacco, matches,
coffee, and such other articles as he
needed. On these occasions, after hav
ing made his purchases, he would lounge
about the traders for several days, drink
ing bad whiskey, and quarreling with ev-
cry one he could get to quarrel with him.
When under the influence of whiskey
he would mount his horse, and, with two
large navy revolvers in his belt, ride up
and down the village, defying every one
to come out and fight him. For the
slightest offense, either real or imagined,
he would fire at a man, and, if he had a
grudge against any one, that PERSONS
cattle or horses were sure soon after
wards to be missing. 1t was more than
limited that he was the principal or ac-
complice i'll many of the thcfts, and, if
he were so minded, could tell where
most of the valuable horses stolen from
time to time on the Salt Lake stage-road
had gone. Yet such was the reputation
of this young desperate for courage and
wlckedness that no one cared to meddle
with him, and, wherever he went, his So
ciety was tolerated rather than preferred.
No ten men could have been induced to
go to his rancho to search for stolen
stock, and so the matter was allowed to
rest--every one blaming him with all
sorts of crimes, but no one being able to
swear the suspicious were correct.
One evening, just as Mr.. Thompson
and his family were sitting down in theil
humble cabin, to supper of bread and
venison, a tall young man, mounted on
wiry pony, rode up. He was, scarce
ly 10 years of age, and wore the newt
able leggins, long frock of the west
ern hunters, fringed with buckskIn. His
face was brown as nut, and, when he
raised the broad brim of his hat, his
countenance betrayed unmistakable
signs of dissipation.
Mr.. Thompson politely invited the
stranger to dismount and partake OF
their frugal meal, and, springing from
his horse, he made haste to enter; but
when he saw Mary, he drew back, blush
ed, and would have mounted again hac
not Mr.. Thompson insisted upon his
stopping long enough to eat something
1t was not long before Mr.. Thompson
discovered from the conversation that hi
guest was none other than the famous
young desperate of the Blue, the discov
cry was attended with considerable anx
iety and alarm. The quick eye of thu
hunter detected in an instant the alarm
his presence had created, and, rising VI
from the table before he had finished
his supper, he said, with dignitie'
air:
81 am indeed the Wild Trapper of tn
Blue, and, lik every one else, you thinl
me bad; but | am not so bad as the,
say. OH" he added, after moment
! pause, eff some one in the world woul
only believe me good, might becom
like other men,"
, Then, fixing his piercing eyes on Ma
! ny, he gazed at her full minute, ani
turning on his heel left the cabin with