The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1877-09-15
A FAMOUS SCOUT.
The Man Who Led Gibbon Into the Hid
ing-Place of the Nez Perces-The
Model of Western Frontiersman.

The Man Who Led Gibbon Into the Hid
ing-Place of the Nez Perces-The
Model of Western Frontiersman.
From the Sedaa tMo) Bazoo.
The dispatches from Helena, Montana;
received recently, report that among
Gibbons wounded was the famous scout,
Beidler-X, for short-known far and
wide as the most daring scout in the
mountains. 1t was he who piloted Con-
ners in the freezing cold of a Utah win
ter up the Bear River Valley to the en-
campment of the Snakes, and enabled
him to gain his wonderful victory over
the saYages. 1t was he who traced the
Plegans to 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 the earth. He
followed Gibbon last year to the Yellow
stone, and tracked for him a 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
so far, indeed, as they were to be obtain
ed from that savage waste of desolation
and murder, a messenger was sought to
carry the news to Fort Ellis. 1t must
/ be understood that this was a terrible
undertaking. The mountains literally
swarmed with hostile Sioux There
were ninety-nine chances out of hun
/ dred that the messenger would never
reach his destination 1t was an even
chance that he would be killed and
ped before he got out of sight of the
command. But still, the necessity of
sending the message was imperative. To
order any one to take it was like signing
/ his death warrant, and even the brave
! GibbOn shrank from this He called up
half dozen men and proposed to them
/ the undertaking. The bravest of them
shrank from the trial. Boys" said
| Gibbon, can't order you on this des-
perate hazard, for | believe in my soul
it is almost certain death, and yet |
must do my duty and send the message,
If none of the scouts will go | will send
my nephew" The person indica ted was
brave young officer just from West
Point, and this was his first experience
in warfare What chance had he? Sit
ting few PAGES apart from the group of
officers and men was Beidler, cleaning
his gun and polishing his equipments
a stout, heavy-built man of forty years
of age. Hard service had rendered rug
ged his set, determined face, and expo
sure had grizzled his beard and hair.
But there was frank and manly look in
the full, black eyes, and about the finely
curved mouth touch of tenderness.
His voice was sweet as a WOman's. Even
the rugged nature of this desperate ser
vice had not destroyed the symmetry of
his hands, which were clean and taper as
girls. But in the slender fingers dwelt
the strength of giant-a deadly hand
for his foes, but cordial and kind as
charity for all upon whom he looked in
friendship. As Gibbon ceased speaking
the frontiersmau's voice rose clear and
distinct
"Never mind, General, I'll carry your
message"
Gibbon turned towards him in surprise.
What, you X-Why, man, Icouldn't
ask to do such a thing-besides, you are
our pilot"
g Yes, | know, but | don't mind the
venture. Anyway, I'll carry the mes
sage"
You know better than | do X, that
it's deadly venture. | wouldn't have
dared to ask you"
cts 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. An Indian
bullet in one of the wild forays of the
border had shattered his hip, and al
though the wound had long since healed,
it had left him lame for life. Two hours
later, when the shadows OF a mountain
twilight were falling thick and dusky
over the valley, he cautiously rode down
the canyon of the Little Horn and disap-
peared from view About the incidents
of that desperate ride of 400 miles-of
his hair-breadth escapes-of his desperate
adventures, it would be impossible in
the limits of an article like this to give
anything like an adequate description.
1t will suffice to SAL that the message was
carried. and when the writer saw him
two weeks later preparing for his return
"Trip down the Yellowstone, he seemed as
careless and talked as uncOncernedly
about it as one might speak of trip to
Boonville or st. Louis And vet he had
just performed deed which the boldcst
frontiersman would have shrunk from in
dismay. When not on duty as a scout,
he can generally be found around Helena,
at night invariably around newspaper
offices reading the exchanges and listen
ing eagerly to the news of the great out
side world, which he has not seen for
twenty years; always genial and kindly,
and taking a faithful interest in the
pilgrims as the newcomers are called
/ in the mountains.