Grand Rapids morning telegram., 1885-01-28

An Interesting Tale OF Frontier
Life.
some Of the yiyssloas stories Which En-
phasizs the Career ofLiver- Eating John-
son, Whole Name is the fost Ter
ribie Ihing About Him.


out after the Nez Percss. IL was pretty
lively campaigning that summer, anu
what with Howard, Miles and Sturgi> IN
the field. all trying TO capture CHIEF
Joseph, good scouts were in demand; ior
every small party detached from eth er OF
the three columns operating against the
Indians must have guide; and he must
10 one who knew his business, able 10 de-
tect the faintest signs of Indians, and
quick and sure on the trail Johnson came
% US from the Crow Agency at saltwater,
where be spent most OF his time, when not
engaged ia trapping. He was what is
called squaw man: that is, one who has
one or more squaws to wife, and who prac-
tically lives with the Indians. A tall,
burly fellow, standing more than six feet
in his moccasins and weighing over two
hundred pounds, his strong, well-knit,
muscular frame and his face, framed In an
amplitude of flowing beard and curly
locks, would have made him conspicuous
in a crowd anywhere. He was first class
scout, bold and quick 20 scent danger.
You see he had lived SO long among the In-
diaus that he was up to all their tricks. But
Liver Eating's fQrte was telling stories
OF frontier life, and he had good stock OF
them at his tongues end. There was hard
ly night during that campaign that
group of officers did not gather at the
camp fire to listen to him. So admirable q
reconteur was he that the thought often
occurred to me-and, presume, To other,
that, with proper education, he might
have made his mark in the world. Ol
course, like many frontiersman, es
peclaliy when speaking OF his own ex
ploits, he was greatly given to exaggera.
tiOn-lying, we call 1t in Monrana-but his
stories, whether truthful or lying, were,
as | have said. always entertaining, and
never failed to draw a full house. Ii | re-
member rightly, he said he had spent the
summer OF 'I6 (the year of the Custer fight)
in Whoop-Up country. That's the coun-
try north of Benton and near the interna-
t.onal boundary line. 1t is the paradise of
smugglers and horse thieves, where the
traders have their houses built right on
the line, half on American and half on
British soil. They have revolving or re-
versible bars. so that when they see the
mounted police coming to hunt for contra
band whisky they transfer the stock to the
American side of the shanty and keep on
dealing out their villainous "rotgut."
TOOK CARE OF JOHNSON.
"But with all his keenness while scout
ing, / noticed johnson generally took
mighty few ch ances himself and ran no
risks that could be avoided. Coming
across some very fresh signs of bear while
hunting, [ asked him TO go in the brake
with me and see if we could find the game.
With perfectly sober lace, he said
We'll, Lieute nant, you and your man go
in and stir him up, and I'll shoot him when
he comes out on the other side.' One day,
while scouting near the Musselshell, he
pointed TO belt of "a timber near at hand
and remarked: There is where l got the
name of Liver-Eating. You see,' said he,
I there was a party of twenty of US hunters
and trappers camped here in '6S. The
/ country was just full of game and In
dians, and beaver was almost as thick as
buffalo. We was having splendid luck,
and our camp was just piled with peltry.
+ But one morning we was jumped by a
band of about fifty Sioux, who circled to-
wards US, whooping and yelling like dew
lis, and firing under the necks of their
/ ponies. We gave them Wiley, and the
Indians, thinking we were armed
with tho common rifle, rushed In.
But most of Us had repeating rifles
(t was the first season we had
/ them in the territory, and as they came
on we gave them another round which
fairly staggered them. but when we pulled
on them again a more surprised lot oi
bucks YOU never saw. They skinned out
quick. but we gave ii To them on the run
and dropped nearly every last one of them
| saw one buck tumble from his pony aud
crawl into the brush, 50 1 went in after
him. Putting my knife into him, gave il
a turn, and when pulled it out there was
piece of his liver sticking to the knife. Sc
held It up and yelled 20 the fellow next
to me. Say, Jim, won't you take biteY
That's all there is to the story. Some say
ate it, but t's-lie.'" "They do say
continued Captain -, "that johnson
really ate piece of the liver. as Indiana
sometimes do. believing they acquire tbs
brave qualities of the man they hav,
killed. | remember one day while scout.
ing with a detachment we came upon Jo-
sepb 5 trail. IL was near the foot of tn.
Heart mou ntains. and miles away from
the column OF Sturyis. The trail was very
fresh, ead at a little distance ahead of ul
could be seen the bodies Of two whit.
men. As soon Liver Eating. whs
was in the lead. strUck the trail, and saw
he bodies lying there, he came gallopins
back, and yelled out: There have beer
more than million Indians here inside o
zen minutes Well. sir, you could hav'
shocked M down with a feather, for wa
scared; and when I looked around ans
saw the white faces Of my men, more thar
half OF whom were green recruits. I wa.
afraid OF a stampede. But instantly CAV,
he word TO dismount, leaving every fourtl
man to hold the hors Of the others. This
IF course, prevented the men from STAN
pedinx; and then | ordered the scout {,
ascend the hill in 'front.' and look for In
iiaus. he refused At FIRST, but I told hin
ae was a dead man n he disobeyed sps
seeing I meant business land would hav'
shot him. sure. he rode on. Cautfousl,