West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1882-03-03


Ing, Till it began 10 grow wearisome.
Wetzol. not liking the idea of remaining
there all day, determined u bring mat
tiers to an issue. He placed his bearskin
cap on the end of his ramrod, and with
slow, hesitsting nduncertain movements,
he poked 1t around the tree, as though
be were peeping with the extrem-
est caution. This fooled the Indian, apd
he elazed away at the cap, tearing a hole
IN II, but nothing more. His gun Was
now empty. Wetzel rushed forward.
b surprised and frightened Iudiau now
turned to run, but it was too late. The
ball from Wetzel's rife pierced him
through AID through, and spriuging high
Into the air, be stretched out lead and
Tell to the ground with a thud.
Wetz.l once accompanied John Madi-
son, brother TO President Madison, on n
exploring tour on the Little Kanswha.
They came to an IndIan camp, which be-
ing t~erGutleeo, each took a blsnket and
rode on. Shortly after, while recrossing
the Little Kanswha, they were fred upon
by a party of Indians. Madison was kill
ed, but Wetzel, as a matter of course, es-
capped.
In 1903 Lewis and Clarke were making
preparations for their famous expedition
across the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific
The fame Of Wetzel had reached there
and they were DESTROYS OF his
They sent a messenger 10 him, and after
much hesitating he consented to go. He
accompanied them three months, then de.
serting, he returned home. In this his
inferiority-or at least his dissimilitude-
to McClelland, with whom he has been
compared, Ia visible. However, he and
McClelland were not the same sort of men.
Wetzel wss a Pope and McClelland was a
Dryden. Wetzel was daring, but reserved.
McClelland was daring, but fery and i'm
.petuous. If Wc,zel went TO New Orleans
to take revenge on a Spaniard, McClelland
went far into the unknown wilds of Da-
kota to demand satisfaction OF an Indian
trader. BY a strange coincldence-not
very strange eithcr-McClellani was one
of ClIrke's and Lewis company. from
which Wetzel deserted. Ills man, like
.etzel, had been ia an hundred fierce
band TO hand encounters with I C Indians. |
and now, that ire Indian wats were over.
ike VIZ nc Tas out uf empls, ment |
But, uolike Wr,zel, be did not desert, bu
stood 10y bis friends in every PHI n of f5r-
tune, from the luXuries If summer IN m,
famine VI winter, wnen ia" csrcess of n
wolf was a feas'. In tsis McClel. |
is visible ss a more adventurous. |
more preserving and a more perfect man
than Wetzel.
What remains of Wetzel is easily told
He still yeaIned for the sunny South
a third time set out for that land and
never returOed. He made his homo
with a friend near Natchez during this
visit. McIntre saw hiih thcro i'm April.
lSOS, and Wetzel said then that il WAS h;s
Intention to return TO Wheeling tie fol
lowing summer. But, alas! his Journey
was to that mysterious realm from which
no traveller returns. AT the time of bis
death lie was about forty. eieht wears of
age.
Several able writers, eminent among
whom is DeHass, haN thoroughly ex>
plorcd and searchhd ont the incidents of
his life, and the result j. he now nppears
in a much more favorable light than was
formerly thrown round him. lie a
by no means a beast or savage. He pos
sessed many Of those higher and nobler
qualities which are too frequently want
ing in persons of ligh9r elevation in
o iety thar Lewis Wetzol.