Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1876-05-04

Runsier Ben.
lie Was up in a saloon on Wcss Nan
Dureu street He was gar,t young marl,
whose face hadnf been washed for two
months. and who xore his hair long be-
hind. lie wigs attired in SLOUGH hat,
buckskin breeches, red flannel shirt
open al The neck, and rough coat. He
had four revolyers and q big knife in his
belt When four dry goods clerks came
In In group and ordered some beer,
the frs, dry. goods clerks said 70 the bar
keeper.
"say, John, who's that cuss over yon-
dert'
That" said the saloon keeper, drop
ping bis voice 20 an awe-slruck whisper,
that III BUTLER Ben, the Wild Trapper
Of the Great Plains. Ask him 10 drink.
Perhaps be will"
The first dry goods clerk did 80, and The
Wild Trspper replied /.
Wall, stranger, seeiB' as it's you, !
sill iuss take some fire-water. As herd
Old Red Tail cay 10 Spotted Cloud, It's
mighty long fine between drinks
Here's 20 u.s." and be engplied dose 81
whisky
a. You are" said the first dry-goods
clerk. connected with the tfapper bush
nesst'
:" In the scalp and grizzly line" said
The second dryigoods clerk.
/" Your "reminiscences Of a personal
character, / doubt not, would be exciting
and interesting, :" said the third dry goods
clerk.
"Tnth is stranger than fiction. Take
sometbingy' said the fourth dry goods
clerk.
Wall, no." said the rapper, " ! never
drink when I'm of the war-irail. IL
kinder makes me ugly, yer see, and Pm
apt 10 dfor my cutlery. killed seven
mensup to st. 10. Mczzouri, onst, seven
men that was talking 10 as friendly as /
mou, Nc 10 you, bl. sOrter got riled ----
wall, gimme some more whisky"
aYotIr hand, /" said one 81 the dry goods
clerks, "has often been stained with hui
man bloodY'
Stranger, she hex The fust time you
come up and see me at my wickiup in
Montana second lodge on the right be-
You'd The Yellowstone River, and be sure
you turn 10 the left up by the big boulders
300 miles this sidc-ask any lnjin, and
tell him yer want to see BUTLER Ben, and
ef he don't scalp yer he'll show yer the
road plum straight I'll show yer old
BULBS. Eye, my rife She's old baintnck
stock likewise the barrcl) and il sixteen
feet long, and whenever | wipe out q
white man i make a notch on the barrel
and there's notches all the way up one
side and nine feet down, the other. ! went
up 10 see your graveyards AT Cavalry and
Greeceland They're a good deal like my
Tot
uies, and so on, though they amt SO spa
cious. Now, iist about three months ago
I turned loose in bar.rOom down 10
Lafayette, Arkansaw, end the Coroner was
kept busy for three days after attending TO
seven inqncsts And this was just because
durn skunk stood up at the bar and inn
proved his mind with my conversation,
and never asked me If | would lake,
tlicre one of the dry goods clerks caught
Bull'ler Ben's eye, and he stammered out
an invitation to fill her up again. Mr..
BUTLER Ben irrigated himself and in
reply 10 question concerning his solution
of the Indian question, said):
1niinsl Wall, no; ! never keep count
of the reds wipe out. used TO when
vas young and sort Of vain, but grew
out'n II. II looked too much like vanity,
suppose I've not taken the trouble 10 lift
tho har of the Inst 1850 or 200 Indians I've
killed. Before that was kinder particn-
lar that way, and took so many scalps that
| bust the Frisco chignon market. and
seventeen dealers in false hair went into
bankruptcy, Injins is poor trash. Gimme
whole tribe OF cm and III wipe EN- out
as fast as can load my revolver and put
| IL to my shoulder
(lere he paused again and was prompt
ly refreshed. Then he continued):
II tell You, boys, If you want to soc the
choicest country on the iootstooi, Jest you
go TO them az Black Hills. The only
thing agin the country Is the builaloes.
They hatch there, and when they take 10
flight it's awful To see them In clouds SO
thick you can't see the sun, and when
they light they chaw up garden sass and
sour apple.trees, and corn, and railro5d
ties, and potatoes, and telegraph poles.
But thar's gold id. the Black Hilh.. I've
seen it myself When, you get down TO
the bedrock you strike $50 and $50
pieces, and you wash out eagles and
dollars In tile streams, and up In the
roots of the grass you find small scrip and
nickels. No nuggets as j know on,
though did hear at Shyan of one worth
$4,000.
Thus, with anecdote and information,
Bnfl'ler Ben whiled away the time. When
the four arygoods clerks had settled for
the drinks. taeir bill amounting 10 fG.S5,
he badc them an afiectionate farewell, and
made them promise 10 call at his tcpee If
ever they were up in Montana. When
they had gone out. the bar keeper paid
him his twenty per cent. commission on
the drinks sold through his Instrumental
~, and told him 10 recollectnext time that
il was grasshoppers that dew, not
buifaloes. - Chicago Tribune.
JupGING from the reports in circula-
ton all over the country that the frui.
d1.aAr1a.tsaI ilanrl. La