, 1885-10-09
THREE. FINGERED SMITH
A Noted Character in the Early
History of the West.
A Pen Portrait of a Man Who Had
Way of CiviIizing Indians.

ldent oil tine Ilatte valley. Inc pasttense
is used in this case for the reason that the
old man has gathered up his effects and
gone to Lower California. We say Lower
California, because he hasn't gone there.
and for another reason, which the old man
will readily understand should he ever
happen to see this sketch.
The old man is a Western character. one
of a type of men which is found nowhere
except in the solitude of the Rocky noun
tains, He stands about six feet three
inches in his socks, and weighs near 200
without a pound of superfuous flesh. In
fact, he appears lean and rawboned. He
is as Scared and weather beaten as some
old cedar that has weathered the blasts of
more than one century, us it stood, senti-
mel like, upon a mountafn-side or. on the
verge of some rocky canyon. On either
hand he has but three fingers remaining.
and on one he is minus a thumb. The
origin of his name is readily seen. In
various and diverse parts OF his an
atomy he carries chunks of lead which he
has received at odd times, mementoes of
little differences Of opinion with the noble
red man. At one time, in one of the ter
r%itories, during Indian hostilities, Old
Three Fingered Smith, with two com
panions, was sent on q secret expedition
of much importance TO the government.
They were ambushed, and Smiths two
companions and all the horses killed,
while Smith was badly wounded. With
one arm broken, a bullet wound in the
leg, and two other wounds in the
body, besides the loss of two or
three fingers, this brave old man,
eluding the Indians, dragged himself
through the dense pine forest, over an al
most impossible wilderness of fallen and
decayed timber, forty miles. to the near
est settlement. This occupied three days
without food or shelter, and with blood
thirsty savages searching the surrounding
hills, that they might complete their cruel
work.
After the old man. recovery he formed
a little company Of three or four intrepid
men, and proceeded in a quiet, systematic
manner to ciritze (as they term it) this
particular tribe that had mutilated him so
badly. So well did they carry u their
work of revenge, that many a redskin
went floating down the Lewis river and its
tr;k,tar,as ,r;,b crI,, d, g,,olI r,r,uI ,,or-
foration, sometimes in the head, but Of
tener in the heart to tell the manner Of
his death. Just how far this work ofciv-
ilizing, in tins peculiar manner, would
have been carried on but for the interpo-
sition of the strong arm of the govern
ment, no one can say. Suffice it, that
Smith, in referring nee to this particu-
lar part Of his western experience, said
why, we wuzzent hat satisfied, bu. we
had to let up and skip And skip
they did, fleeing every one in his own d.
section. Old Three-6ngered Smith wan
dcred around awhile in the mountain fast
ness, and finally found his way to Wyo-
ming and located temporarily up in the
Sierra Madre range, where his wild, rest
less spirit found some solace in hunting
deer and elk. He constructed, in the
edge OF the timber, a rough cabin. win
dowless and until far into the winter, door
less. Here, with his family of sons, va
rying from to - years old, and the in
eyitable dog, the old man lived %contentedly
for some time. During months when the
winter was severest, he rarely had a visitor.
Now aud then a hunter. who had braved
the almost continual storm that hangs
over the point of the mountain during
the winter, would drop in to spend the
night with him, and To such, and, indeed
to all, this old man always extended the
warmest hospitality. His voice was in
proportion to his size and strength-rough
and harsh and Of never varying tone.
One who heard it never forgot it. 1t was
one to be remembered and recognized
among thousands. lie was never known
to moderate it under any circumstances,
and its stentorian tones rang out on the
still night air like a fog horn 1t CHANGED
that the writer, who knew him intimately,
and valued the sterling qualities of the
man, spent a night in his cabin during
the spring Of so. The snow, which had
nearly all left the valley lelow. still lay
thick upon the ground in the foo. hills,
and piled up in huge drifts adjacent to
every obstruction offered to the wind. It
had drilied around Smiths cabin until il
was on a level with the curb of the roof
The ragged top Of the stick ond mud
chimney alone protrudcd sufficiently to be
visible. A large open cut through the
huge and lengthy drift, was the only APP
proach to the door. The barking of dogs
make known our approach, and Smiths
welcome came laundering down the way.
Cutting the boys and dogs out Of the way,
4 cordial invitation to enter was extended,
and all hands set about preparing supper.
The old man plunged his horny hands
into the bread pan and baked the COM
pound in a Dutch oven before the fire.
One of the larger boys made coffee, while
the other fired the meat-elk steak,
that sent up a sayory odor
No Vanderbilt or Rothschild, with all
their millions, ever dispensed their boun-
tiful hospitality with half the generous
liberality and good will as did this honest
hearted, single minded old giant of the
mountains. 1t was on this occasion that
we learned much OF the old man history.
Without the least establishment he re-
lated many stirring adventures that had
occurred during his eyentful life among