The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-10-13
J1srnEclswounrn's !, rs.
Rceolleetions OF n Fnmons Scout Who De.
~ cntno tho Chief Ut nm Indian Tribe. Y,

ff-S cntno tho chlof of nm Indian Tribe.
: In Plumas county, California, there i
fertile mountain valley in tho heart 0
the Northern osierras, where for somt
years Beckwourth, the famous trapper
guide, Indian chief, and irontersmar
lived. The annals Of Western adventure
contain no more interesting figure thar
swarthy Jim Bcckwourth, the discoverer
in 1851, Of this mountain pass. The writel
, has lnetmany persons, army officers nnG
civilians, who knew BeckwOurth, and In.
talked with gold hunters whom their lear
less guide led across the Slerras In 1851.
Deckwourth was born In Fredericks.
burg, Va, In l70S. Ills father had been
IN officer in tho revolution. About lS0j
the family removed to Missouri, and set.
tied twelve miles below 81. Charles, In n
region still called Bcckwourtl's Settle.
meat When only 10 years Old Jim Beck.
woursli became the hunter for Colonel II.
NJ. Johnson's expedition 10 treat with the
Sacs and Foxes, and work lead mines In
the Galcna region. TWAS not long before
l'cckwonrth joined General Ashley's
Rocky Mountain Fur Company. From
1917 until lie started for CALIFORNIAN lSl4,
his li!o was a succession OF hairbrcadth
escaEes, of fortunes made and lost, and
Indian battles. lie served under Bent
and Sublette in the West, and with Gem
eral Jessup during the Seminole war
in Florida. lie even became First
Councillor Of the Grow Nation, and finally
their head chief, leading them in count
less forays against the Sioux md Black
ieet. lie always protected tho persons
and property Of whites while he was the
ruler OF the Grows. Ills popularity with
the tribe, whom he ruled with rod OF
iron, was due to his wonderful knowledge
Of Indian nature and his unsurpassed
moss.trooper instincts. lle was newer so
happy as when in the saddle, leading q
wnr party by night marches 10 assault
Lpan or Conanclle encampments, or to
stas1pede their horses md dash away
again like whrlwind. Ono OF the dozen
or more Indian names he had meant, in
English, ENEMY OF Horses"
One OF Beckwourth's famous fcats was
accomplished about 1922, when hu WIS
near the Snake River, trapping beaver.
lie was pursued by over two hundred In
dlans, and ran all day without food or
water, covering 1t is believed, not less
than ninety-live miles before he reached
Sublette's camp. This feat ranks In tho
tales OF the West with Bent's famous ride
twenty years later. In 1896, while Beck
wourth was in st. Louis and was still chief
OF the Crows, a foolish trapper told that
tribe that lie had been killed. They at
once surrounded Fort Cass with thou.
sands OF warriors to take immediate ven
geance. After much parley truce OF
three months was agreed upon until word
could be sent to Beckwourth to come and
rescue the beleaeuered fort, which con.
tanned 100000 worth OF goods. 4 trapper
named Pappcn was paid 81 900 to deliver
HE message 10 Beckwourth, and the Crows
cncampel to await results. The fur com
pany paid Beckwourth 5000 and all ex-
penses to return at once, and he rode,
with two companions, the entire distance
in fifty days, ind saved the fort from de-
struction.
After this lie traded in New Mexico and
in 18Th led an expedition to California,
reaching Los Angeles in January, 1914,
lie was one Of the most active OF the rev.
olutionists OF 1915, under General Castro.
being leader Of the thirteen American
ritlemen who first joined Castro. tIe WINS
lieutenant OF the subsequent corps Of lCO
which captured the Pueblos OF Santa Bur-
oara and Monterey, defeating Suffers
forces. When, In ls47, war was declared
in Mexico, Beckwourth and his company
Of trappcrs, numbering less than dozen.
collected over ! 800 horses in the Los An.
geles region, and, starting eastward,
reached the Arkansas in safety. lie then
carried dispatches from Fort Leayenworth
to Santa lie and other points. On one oc.
casion he rode )l3 miles in fifteen duys.
In 1915 he returned to California.
Here he helped to bring 10 Justice the I
perpetrators OF the Reed murders near
San Miguel, where respected English |
fumily and their servants, eleven in ali |
were killed. The ranch was twentv.fiye
miles from the nearest house, and Beck
wouIth was the person who discovered
the deed not an hour after it was commit
ted: He rode seyenty.two miles that
night and collected band OF forty men,
to whom twenty more were added the |
next day. They separated, and Beck
wourth, with twenty men, overlook the
fourteen desperadoes who had killed the
family in order to get 81, 600 worth Of gold
dust, In the attack two or three of the
murderers were killed, and the others
were captured, tried by lynch law, and
shot. After this Deckwou1th became
familiar figure at the gold camps OF the
slerras, from Hangtown to Shasta.
Beckwourih WIS rather under medium |
size, but possessed Of great strength and
endurance. He WINS famous for his vivid
descriptive powers in telling Of his advcn.
lures. He died in hislonely cabin score
Of years ago, n vagraut OF the wilderness,
and uneducated, kind-hearted frontiers.
man, less noble than Boone md Carson,
yetnot unworthy OF their companionship.