Kimball enterprise. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1883, 1883-04-20
A TEXAS RANGER.

49, sSSCAS AOoAAAS ~ M III lAOICs
And Janus rests within the doorl
A TEXAS RANGER.
The Story Told by an Old scout-A
Model Fr0ntiersman.
Texas Letter to Philadelphia Times.
The next day we reached the camp Of
the antelope hunters at Wards Wells,
which is q watering place one hundred
and fifty miles west ofthe Colorado river.
We were Hospitality received and "Mad
Milton" introduced me. On the morrow
they intended to start out on a hunt and
we were glad to accompany them. They
stalk the antelope on foot, and when one
is killed it is disembowled and thrown
into a light wagon which follows the
hunters. When the wagon is loaded
they drive to the nearest point on the
railroad and ship the product Of their
rifles to the northern markets.
The chief Of the hunting outfit was a
man in middle life, six feet three or
four inches tall, straight as an arrow
and 1.-the and wiry as a panther. He
had keen gray eyes, which were the
most expressive feature Of a ragged
though kindly face. He was dressed in
Z frontier style and superbly armed.
l admired a peculiar knife and pistol
scabbard which he wore and he informed
me that it was made out of the skirts OF
the saddle Of that famous desperate,
Sam Bass. He was at first very diff.
dent and spoke about himself with great
modesty. After we became better ac-
qualnted he grew more communicative
and around the campfire during that
two weeks he spun many yarn of from
tier adventure, rivaling in dramatic inter-
est the stories told by the dime-noyel
writer's. This frontiermau's proper
name Is N. T.. jenkins, but like most
border men, he has an alias, of which /
shall have something to say
further on. He was born in
Tennessee, but when he was thirteen
years old his parents moved West, set
Ting first in Missouri, afterwards wan
dering to Kansas and from there to Col
orado. Young Jenkins early learned
the use of the rifle; he became an ex-
pert marksman and at the age of Is
Killed his first Indian. He is q mag
nikcent horseman and is rather proud
Of this accomplishment. Continued out
door life on the plains and in the noun
tains developed his independence of
spirit and for years he lived among the
wilds of the then almost unknown West
hunting and fishing. He had many adj
capes from death. Like most boarder
men he cultivated an Intense and bitter
hatred for Lo, and many an Indian has
been sent to the Happy hunting grounds
through his agency. 1 asked him how
many Indians he had killed in his life.
time.
Right smart" was the answer; $50
many that l lost count Of them years
ago."
His fame as q brave and skilful Dor
der maj gave him a reputation all along
the frontier, and Just after the close OF
the late war he was employed by Briga-
der General Mckenzie, the famous In
dian fighter, as a scout and guide. The
general became strongly attached to
him, and the friendship continues to this
day. He participated in many fights
with the red men, and when Mckenzie
raided into Mexico Jenkins guided the
troops as far as the Rio Grande. For his
zie presented him with a fine horse,
which he still rides. The noted desper-
ado, Sam Bass, was at this time terror
izing Texas by a succession of bold and
brilliant robberies. Jenkins determined
to follow Bass and mounted on a mule
he took up the trail. The Rangers were
pressing Bass at this time and a party UNI
der command of Captain Peake, Of the
frontier battalion, overlook jenkins.
When the commander Of the Rangers
asked the scout where he was going he
made a characteristic reply. "I'm fol-
loving up Sam Bass" he said, "and in