The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1885-06-26
OLD MIrS4ELL's LAST VICTIMS
The Dangers That Environ Men Who MeddIe
with a swamp Angel.

~
The Dangers That Environ Men Who MeddIe
with a swamp Angel.
One of the worst men in the world,
SO far as reputation goes, is old Martin
Mitchell, who lives in the swamp just
back Of here. writes a Blacktish, Ark.
correspondent to The Neas York San. He
is a terror to the hard men for hundreds
Of miles around, and yer personally he is
one of the most affable old fellows that
eve lived. Not one person in a
thousand who tells with prodlgious
adjectives and expletiqes of the
swamp angels" terocity ever saw
him. His Repatriation has grown by
degrees. until the old colored people
have come to look upon ann a in
partnership with Satan, and many u
black mother and nurse scares her lit
tie ones by telling them that ''dat ole
debbil what swums aroun' in de mash
es IS arter vel"
Now, the fact is that old marMitch-
sll, according to his own story and the
common judgment of his fellow-men
in this vicinity, is Il harmless and law
abiding citizen. He has a hut of some
kind in the swamp, where he makes
his headquarters, but when the wealth
er is good he is just as likely to camp.
twenty or thirty miles away, wherever
nlghtfall may n HIM, as he Is to be
at nome. lie is q ana FISHER,
and it is probably true that if nobody
had ever bothered him he would not
have hurt anybody. He has been in
the swamp for thirty years or more.
killing a man now and then, as oc-
caslon seemed to warrant, and making
ho'iuss apout II. heretofore, when
THESE dliflcuitles have occurred, the
old man has not thought 1t worth
"hlle TO come IN II explain matters,
or even pay much 20 his VIC
inns. liz no II claimed them he has
buried them IN the bullrushes and
gone on about his business. The other
day, however, he found that he had to
Kill three men in a bunch. and as this
was something unusual, he came to
70 apologize. and eventually
went over to Memphis II communl-
Gated with the sheriff there on the
point. This was the first real glimpse
of CIVILIZATION ina the swamp angel
mas hau IN many years. and he enjoyed
1t much.
w men named Cummings and
bryson, living at Memphis, came over
nto the swamps a short time ago fish.
ng and hunting, and knowing old
Mitchell only by reputation they fired
several shots at him, n of them in
tllcting a painful wound. The old
man lay low for a while, then arming
himself he got a canoe and made pur-
suit. He found the trail aditficult one,
but being thoroughly acquainted with
every nook IN the great river, he knew
that unless they touk to land he would
eventually oyertake them. he follow
ed them seyeniy-iive miles down
stream and then lost them. He waited
there three or four days without find
ing a trace OF them, but at length he
was informed that they had gone
north, and he started after them. Dur
ing all this long chase he passed al
most his entire time III his dugout. and
only went ashore as he found it
necessary in order to- lay in, provis-
ions.
AT length he found them, near his
swamp. tie had gone ashore III
the brush IN order to COO a little cot
fee. and, hearing voices, peered out
On the river. There was a boaI, with
Cummings, Bryson,- aud an unknown
man N 1t. SEEING his rifles. the old
man made for a tree and opened fire,
the men in the BOAT standing up and
returning it with great spirit. At
Mitchells second shot Cummings
dropped n tell INTO the river. He
next brought down Bryson, who,aI>o
tell out OF the boat. The stranger
was then left standing alone, with a
revolver IN each hand, with which he
was making the bark on the old man S
tree fly. Mitchell took careful aim
and fired, and he stranger dropped in
The boat. which was drifting slowly
down stream. Satisfying himself that
The job had been well-done, the old
man got into his canoe n came up
10 his hut, where he rested a day or
Two, and then. with Il idea OF telling
now 1T happened, he came to town
md reported.
In conversation Mitchell is very
agreeable. tie sad to the sheriff here;
This acre last little difficulty OF mine
vas on a bigger scale than anything
hat I've ever been IN before aud
mats what uoi me a little. You
900 know a ybira mans riuhts ay,