Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1882-01-25
How the Mormon Chief Was
Kidnapped by General
Harvey.
A Girl Who Didn't Marry
an Elder.
A Stirring Episode of the Noun
tain Meadow Massacre Times.
Harney as Compared TO Custer.


b the frontier" remarked the reporter
e inquiringly, as the scout lighted hi
pipe and seated himself opposite
ayes, | was with his command occa
sionally from the time he came to thu
plains to the time of his death.
worked for him very little as a scou
or guide, but hunted for him at vari
Gus times. | was at the Rosebud
agency at the time he was mastered.
He was a good Indian fighter, was
) he not2"
THAT depends on what you mean
by a good Indian fighter. lie was
very brave man. but rashly brave
man. | do not think the Indian was
ever born whom Custer was afraid Of
He appeared to take perfect delight
in exposing himself to danger, and
oftentimes there was no use or sense
in his SO doing. He used to halt his
command at sight of Indians, and
himself ride forward to reconnoiter.
He would ride up so near them that
they would fire on him, and then he
would turn in his saddle, swing his
hat for the troops to come on, and,
without waiting for them to come up
with him, put spurs to his horse and
dash down upon the Indians. with the
bullets fairly raining around him.
Now, such fghing as that wins for
an officer the name of being very brave,
but call it foolhardiness. When be
made such a charge as that he knew
absolutely nothing of what danger
menaced him. There might be fifty
Indians in ambush in front of him, or
there might be five hundred, and for
aught he knew he might be leading
his command to certain destruction.
1t is all very we'll for man to 60 out
and make target Of himself for Indi-
ans to shoot at, but it is sheer reck
lessness. Anybody who thinks the
Indians are not good markesmen are
mistaken. They are continually prac.
ticing, and they have the best of arms,
most of them having repeating rifles.
Custer seemed to think he bore a
charmed life. / have heard that he
said thst the Indian didn't live who
could hit him.
Now, my idea of brave man and
good Indian fighter, is one who first
ascertains the strength of the enemy,
and then, if he thinks he can win makes
the attack with GOODNESS and judg-
ment Then let him show his bravery
by fighting like mad. In my opinion il
is poor generalship for commanding
officer to needlessly put himself in
position to be shot at the very outset
OF an engagement, and thus take
chance Of leaving mis- command with
out a leader. If to be afraid of moth
ing is to be brave, Custer was the
bravest of the brave. Harvey was the
best military leader for the plains |
ever met. He was cool and deliberate
in his bravenesS. but was lion in
fight.
| When were you with him? Tell
me about it. !" 81 was with him at the
time of the Mountain Meadow massa-
ere. When he heard about it he sent
out scouts to find out who the murder
ers were, and when they reported to
him that they were Mormons, off he
went with his entire command for
Salt Lake City, swearing every rod of
the way that he would hang the muir
derers if he had to hang every Nor
man in Utah. He intended to give
Brigham Young twenty-four hours to
surrender the murderers, and, unless
that was done, Latter day Saints
would be mighty scarce around there.
Before we reached Salt Lake a mes
senger overlook us with orders from
the War Department for Harvey to
return to camp, that the
civil authorities would attend to the
massacre business.
He thought the matter over for a
| little while, and then declared that he
had started for Salt Lake City. and he
would go there if he was court mar
tailed and shot for it And he went.
too; and if the War Department ever
heard of it no action was taken. We
camped short distance out of the
city, and stayed a few days to give tie
animals rest, and they nceded it sadly,
for we had travelled fast. The morn
ing that We started back to Yuma A
young girl, about II or Is years old
came out to the camp and applied to
Brady, the train master, to help her
escape. Her parents were English.
who had joined the Mormons not long
before, and one ofthe elders wanted to
marry her. Her parents were trying
to force her to this polygamous mar
riage, and she could only avoid il by
running away. She had an uncle and
aunt in San Francisco, and to them
she wanted to go.
Brady wasn't the man to say no
under such circumstances, but he
slowed her away in the -four wagon by
piling the barrels around her in such
a way that she couldn't be seen from
either end. We hadn't gone far before
a dozen Mormons overlook us.the girls
father being along with tn I'm, and they
went through that train until they
found the girl. After they had got hei
d. out, she turned to Brady and babe him
t goodbye, at the same time thankinC
+, him for trying to help her. That, o.
t course, gave him dead away. and the
Mormons arrested him for kidnappin,
s the girl, and they all went TOW ard the
t city. Harvey saw that there wa
t something wrong with the train, anC
d back came a messenger to see wha
e was the matter. AS soon as Harne,
s was informed Of what had occurred
l. ne ordered the train to halt and sta,
there until he got back, and away h
and all the troops went for the Nor
2, mons. They had long start of him
II however, and reached the city first
e DO you suppose that Harvey stoppe
u when he reached the city? Not a bi
y of it. Right up the main street h
% went at gallop, and when he iumpe,