Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-10-12
A DARING MAN.

HIS Exploits on the Plains, and HIS Death
From a Bullet.
The st. Louis Republican of the 23d ult.,
contains an article from the Sacramento Re-
cord Union styled exit Carson's Nephew"
which, as writer thinks casts an unjust re-
Election upon an honorable name, of which
Missourians especially should be proud. The
article in question mentions the arrest of
one calling himself Charles Carson, and
claiming to be nephew of Kit Carson, for
grand larceny, in Winnemucca county, Cali
fornia. The writer of this was an early emf
grant to Eastern Idaho, now Montana, and
In the summer of 1864, while sojourning for
time at Fort Benton, became acquainted
with the veritable Charlie Carson, well
known among mountain men as nephew of
Kit Carson, and man worthy the name he
bore-cool, quiet, brave, an intelligent guide,
familiar with the mountains and prairie, and
known and respected by the Indians as
formidable fighter. The hatred of the
Bloods and North Piegan bands of the
Blackfeet toward him was intense, and they
had cause to fear him as we'll. In the. early
part of 1865 pioneer of the norl Invest by
the name of Burgess, with his party, at
tempted to build a trading post at the mouth
of the Marias, twelve miles below Fort Ben
ton. 1t was situated upon territory claimed
by the North Piegans, who were then located
far to the north, on Belly river. They de-
termined to extermlnate Burgess party. He
went across the Teton with two teams and
ten men for timber. On their return seven
ty-hve mounted Indians made rush, sur
rounded them in the prairie, and, after
desperate resistance, resulting in severe
loss to the Indians, slaughtered them to the
last man. Carson was then at Fort Benton
Shortly afterward one of the band who de-
stroyed the Burgess party came into the
fort in the guise Of friendly South Plegan.
who were then residing at the fort Carson
found this out, and shot him dead as he at
tempted to escape by swimming the Mis-
souri,. Soon afterward, in the fall of 1865
horses were stolen from the range near the
fort by party of the same band. Carson,
with two men, took their trail and came
upon them IN their camp at night in the
Bad Lands on the waters of Eagle Greek;
near the base of Bears Paw Mountains
lhelr camp was among the dwarf cedars,
well covered. The Indians were attacked at
close quarters, four out of five killed and
the horses recovered without loss to Carson's
party. The Indians obtained their final
revenge on Carson by strategy. He was
stopping the following winter of 1865 1866
with Paul Vermet who then had private
trailing post where the road from Benton to
Helena crosses the Dearborn river. 1t was
on the west bank. Behind it was an open
bottom, with scattering pines, behind this
bluff, up which ran narrow trail. One
evening Vernet saw Carson's horses, which
mad been grazing in the bottom, slowly
ascending this trail, the foremost horse sta
tlonary and visible over the hill. They
would not be safe from Indians beyond the
dill, out of sight; and Carson, snspecting
danger from the position and movements of
the horses, followed by Vermet, started, rifle
In hand, up the trail in pursuit. He was
looking over the crest of the hill for Indians
There was pile of crumbling granite on the
lrall between him and the summit, scarcely
large enough to hide man. He saw his
foremost horse stationary over the hill and
came opposite the pile of granite. He saw
an Indian lying behind it, but too late
While raising his rifle to fire he was shot
through the breast They had decoyed him
into trap. In falling he called to Vermet
to save himself. They were the last words
ne uttered. Vermet fled to the post and
closed the doors, and was released several
days afterwards by a party of whites. In the
mean time Carson's body had remained un-
buried. The Indians respected it, and took
nothing except his rifle, revolver and hat
The party who relieved Vermet buried the
body near where it fell. It rests there among
the pines overlooking the beautiful but lone
~ valley of tbs Dearborn. These facts are
familiar to the writer and mountain men OF
that day. The thief of Winnemucca simply
assumed the name and identity of respecta-
BILE frontiersman.