Omaha daily bee., 1883-06-27
A TR aPPER'S STORY.
The Adventures Of Reckless John"
Nelson. the "Squaw Man" of the
wild West" Relates a Few of
His Experiences.
Some of the Abuses Which Have Led
the Red Man to Treat the
Whites With Suspicion.
cincinnati Enquirer.

HULL viz HStIaS -
arc John Nelson and his Indian family.
Nelson is a representative of the best
class of ''sauaw men," and years ago he
married a daughter of Chief Lone Wolf
of the Ogallalla tribe. He is the father
of the twin papooses which were added
to the tribe at Bloomington, ILL.,, one
day last week, and that addition increased
his family of children to the respectable
number of seven. The death of n of
the twins was one of the sad incidents OF
the weeks sojourn here. Nelson has
lived most of his life in the western
vilds. He guided Brigham Young and
the Mormons across the then great desert
to their present location in Utah. He is
a tall fellow, not a bit bad Hooking, and
he is as proud of his squaw wife and
little papooses as the proudest husband
and father in the land. The tent
of the Nelson's is the first in
the Indian en%campment, and one day
during the past week the trapper gave a
recital of some of his experiences for the
benefit of an Enquirer emissary who was
a guest in his humble abode. There are
two classes of squaw men, ''gumbo
French" and ''half Mexican, half In
dian" Nelson calls the latter Sons of
guns" Nelson was born in 1882 in
Charleston, West Virginia, where his
grandfather was one of the early settlers,
He used to hear his father tell of early
fights with Indians, and he made up his
mind to become an Indian fighter. In
1849 he ran away from home and parents
and made his way to Missouri, where he
stayed until 1858, when he got in with a
party going to California. They trav-
eled the overland route, but at Cotton
wood Springs, in Nebraska, young Mel
son deserted them and hid himself in the
tepee of an Indian camp until they had
passed on. He learned their language
and acted as interpreter for them when
emigrants came along. His restless ma
ture would not allow him to remain in
one place long, so in the fall of 1854,
when they broke out and went on the
war-path, he left them and proceeded to
Fort Tarvine until they made peace
again. Their chief was "Spotted TAIL"
and he was badly whipped in tho cam
paign, but he welcomed Nelson back cor
daily"
IN A HOT PLACE.
1.-THE Cheyennes and Sioux were max
ing it lively for emigrants and every
body else when l engaged to the govern
ment az guide for the expedition" re-
marked Nelson in recalling one exciting
incident in his life. "We had n red.
headed Englishman for a commander by
the name OF Brown. He belonged to the
volunteer service, Twelfth Missouri cav
airy, and was a brevet colonel. The col
onel told me he would give 81 1000 ant
everything l asked for if I'd find the rec
skins. ! asked him for his horse and
got him. Three OF us started out to hun
up the reds, and we found EN-. My
horse broke away from me, and before
knew it / was going pell nell straight fol
three braves who were astonished at m,
fool hardness. / tried to stop the animal
and whacked him over the head with m
gun, but that only made him go the fas
or. | made up my mind that afo,
morning my scalp would be dangling q
the end of some lance-polls. When
got within fifty yards of the red devils
commenced jumping my old rifle an
raised the yell. BY the time ha'
sent out all the loads tn
reds were running the same way ! was
One of them fired his pistol at me so clos
that the powder burned me rs it whizze
by. On we went to the creek. Wit
one mighty leap the sole remaining BRAY
cleared the stream and IN. As / pre-
pared to follow suit | discovered anothe
red deliberately drawing IA bead on INT
l jerked out my revolver and firet
throwing myself on the other side of TIL
horse as / did SO. Two arrows were sci
auivering into my saddle. Continuir
his wild dash up the hill, my frightene
horse soon carried me into the midst
the reds, who scattered n if l were son
evil spirit. The fact that the lieutenaI
and his men were now following me mac
me feel safer of keeping my hair, but
looking at my rifle / discovered that
had dropped the stock. As / did not ca
about facing the whole Sioux nation wi,
a n-barrel l steered my now tractab
animal down q long slope and back whel
my friends were playing whoop and hit
with the Indians-the Indians doing ii
whooping and the soldiers the hidin
The old colonel got to see all the Indiai
he wanted, and / guess he's running yet
IN A o L
Nelson was captured by the Siou
but when they discovered that he W
their old friend, "Cha-sha-sha- nal
geo." they saved his life. In the fall
1864 he induced them to move in near
the road 80 that he could make his {
cape. They went into winter quartz
at the Republican river, and there t
old chiefs, "Whistler," ''Two Face
"Walk Under the Ground" "B
Wound" 'Spotted Tail, 1.-TWO Strike
Book Elk, I" held a council, in viii
$500 warriors participated. After I
council the chiefs gave orders that a
young man going ON the war path won
be shot. They lived in peace until ST
Face" rescued a woman-a Miss Roper
from the Cheyennes and returned her
the government. The chief thought
was doing a kindness by sending /
back to her people, but Col. Boomer, I
bull-headed commander, ordered 1T
Face" hung with a log chain, and IL
one fiendish act kindled the fire a
again sent the Sioux ON the war path.
Times were lively in 1866, 1867 a
1865, and Reckless John" as he v
known, was then at Fort McPhers
Part of the time he was employed as
scout in the government service.
lived in a log cabin ON Medicine ere
and had settled down to farming .
raising stock, but the whites focked in
all sides and got 30 thick that the bufft
deer, elk, and everything else a trap
depended on for s~ustenance, were dri'
out of the country, and Nelson said
had IN snack ND and take the old won