Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-09-19
A Famous Scent.
Sedalia (Mo.) BazOo.

The dispatches from Helena. Mon
tana, received last week, report that
among Gibbons wounded was the fa-
NOUS scout, Beidler-X, for short
known far and wide as the most daring
scout in the mountains It was he who
piloted Common III the freezing cold of q
Utah winter UP the Bear river valley
to the encampment of the Snakes, and
enabled him to gain his remarkable
victory over the savages. It was he
who tracked the Piegans into the Teton
mountains, and marked out the route
which Bakers column pursued when he
surprised Longhorse's band in the gray
dawn Of winters morning, and literally
swept them from the face of earth. He
followed Glbbon last year to the Yellow
stone, and tracked for him pathway
across the Big Horn mountains up to
the scene of the Custer massacre When
the battle-ground had been reached and
scattered around it lay the bodies of the
slain-when all the particulars Of the
dreadful slaughter had been gathered
$50 far, indeed, as they were to be OBJ
tanned from that savage waste Of desc
latlon and murder,) :; messenger was
sought to carry the news to Fort Ellis.
1t must be understood that this was q
terrible undertaking, The mountains
literally swarmed with hostile Sioux.
There were ninety-nine chances out of a
hundred that the messenger would new
er reach his destination. 1t was an
even chance that he would be killed
and scalped before he got out Of sight
of the command But still the neces-
sity of sending the message was impera-
tive. TO order any one to take it was
like signing his death warrant, and even
the brayAGibbon shrank from this. He
called up half dozen men and pro
posed to them the undertaking. g Boys
aid GlbbOn, " | can't order you on this
desperate hazard, for | believe in my
soul it is almost certain death, and vet
must do my duty and send the message.
If none of the scouts will go / Will send
my nephew" The person indicated
was a brave young officer Just from
West Point, and this was his first ex-
perience in warfare. What chance had
he? Sitting a few PAGES apart from the
group Of officers and men was Beidler,
cleaning his gun and polishing his equip
ments-a stout heavy-built man of for
ty years of age Hard service had
rendered rugged his set, determined
face, and exposure had grizzled his beard
and hair But there was a frank and
manly look in the full, black eyes, and
about the finely curved mouth a touch
of tenderness. His voice was sweet as
a woman's. Even the rugged nature OF
this desperate service had not DESTROYED
the symmetry of his hands, which were
clean and taper as q girls. But in the
slender fingers dwelt the strength of q
giant-a deadly hand for his foes, but
cordial and kind as charity for all upon
whom he looked for friendship. AS
Gibbon ceased speaking the frontiers
mans voice rose clear and distinct:
Never mind, general, III carry youl
message
Gibbon turned toward him in sur
prise.
What. you, Y? Why, man, ]
couldn't ask you to do such thing
Besides you are our pilot"
Yes, | know; but [ don't mind the
venture. Anyway, I'll carry the mes
sage"
You know better than | do, X
that it's a deadly venture, wouldn
have dared to ask you"
It's all right, general. Get your
letter ready and let me have it at dark )
Then rising to his feet he limped
away, for X Beidler was lame Al
Indian bulled in one Of the wild forays
of the border had shattered his hip, anC
although the wound had long since
healed it had left him lame for life
Two hours later, when the shadows Of {
mountain twilight were falling thick anC
dusky over the valley, he cautiously rode
down the canon of the Little Horn anC
disappeared from view. About the Incl
dents of that desperate ride of 400
miles-of his hairbreadth escapes-o
his desperate adventures, it would be-
impossible In the limits of an article
like this to give anything like an ade
quate description 1t will suffice tC
say that the message was carried, anC
when the writer, saw him two weeks
later preparing for his return trip dow1
the Yellowstone, he seemed as careless
and talked as u:1concernedly about it as
one might speak of q trip to Boonville
or st. Louis. And yet he had JUS
performed q deed which the bodies
frontiersman would have shrunk from
in dismay. When not on duty as
scout, he can generally be found around
Helena; at night invariably in news
paper offices reading the exchanges an(
listening eagerly to the news of the
great outside world, which he has no
seen for twenty years; always genial an(
kindly, and taking a faithful interest il
the pilgrims" as the newcomers are
called in the mountains.
The Biggest Farm i'm the World. .
DnrIDO tho DiUbt uo ,,ocooJ +bro,, 81