The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1886-08-25
n OLD SCOUT.
Jim Baker Tells What He Elk
perienced Out West.

There is Just one man living now that
remember as being here when | frs!
came into this country said old Jim
Baker last evening: that is old Sorrel
a Frenchman, who lives with the Indians
down the Wind River. He is about my
own age. You see | came here when ]
was very young. Id be a young man
now if il wasn't for the fact that | was
bowed all to pieces by the bursting Of 8
gun at a Ute camp, about twenty-five
miles up Cherry Greek, in 1861. And
then I've lately had both shoulders frac-
tured trying to drive some Of my bron-
chos to wagon. But Tn getting better
all the time. Folks think ! ought to be
a hundred years old, I've been here 50
long. | didn't like TO go to school back
in Illinois when | was a boy, 50 / ran
away to st. Louis and joined Dripps's
party in the employ of the American fur
company. Ienlisted for eighteen months.
We were not enlisted as soldiers are, TO
go into battle regardless, but We agreed
to defend the company's property and
fight Indians if necessary, looking out for
number one first.
There were about eighty men in our
party, and We began hunting and trap
ping beaver over in the Teton basin.
This was in '3s, and all this country was
in Mexican territory then. | served my
time out and went back TO Illinois, and
came III again in II as a skin trapper'
for Frappe and Bridger. Ny outfit was
taken care of-horses, traps, etc-and |
was paid S6apiece for beaver skins. They
were worth about So a pound. II was a
very o mar then who couldn't make
$50 a day on an average. What did we
do with the money? Well, we got rid of
it, you bet. Alcohol was So a gallon,
but we put in a gallon of water and so
brought the price down TO SIG. Every
thing at the rendezvous-that is what
the headquarters were called-was sold
by the pint. Powder was So a pint, eof-
fee sl.50, sugar the same price, and so
on. But a mans grub then was in his
ammunition supply. When | started
out, no matter whether for three days or
three months, | never took any grub
along. l shot and trapped all ! wanted
to eat. Why, | came near staryings sever
al times when the game ran out. Well,
as | was saying, the boys would get rid
of their money drinking and gambling,
and then I've known some of them to
pay as high as $3.50 lor a squaw.
Shortly after ! came out here the sec
ond time W We're camped on the very
creek where | live now-Snake river we
called it then-and there we had a lively
fight with a party of about 500 Sioux,
Cheyennes and Arapahoes. The Arapa-
hoes didn't do much fighting, but they
urged the others on. There were twenty
three in our party, and | can give YOU
the names of every one of them. Old
Frappe was in command. The Indians
made about forty charges on US, coming
up to within ten or fifteen PAGES of us
every time. Their object was to draw
our fire, but Old Frappe kept shouting,
don't shoot till you're sure. One at a
time And so some of Us kept loaded
all the time. We made breastworks of
our horses and hid behind stumps. Old
Fnappe WAS killed, and he was the ugliest
leaking dead man | ever saw, and | have
seen a good many. His face was all COW
cred with blood, and he had rotten front
teeth and a horrible grin. When he
was killed he never fell, but sat braced
up against the stump, a sight TO behold.
Well, when the fight was over there was
about one hundred dead i%njuns. There
were three of our party killed"
Baker is one of the most modest men
in the world, and is constantly holding
himself in the background. 1t is said
that he was one of the %grittiest of the de-
Tenders Of the camp in the above battle,
and played no small part in the success
of the day. He admitted killing four
redskins that he was positive about.
Were there any other noted men
who participated in that battle?' inquir
ed the reporter.
Noted nothing" said the grim old
scout abruptly. II wasn't noted. | was
nothing but a greenhorn.'
After the reporter had made profuse
apologies the old man was induced to
continue. well, after that | went off
down to Arizona. There was lots of bea-
yer in Arizona in them days. For the
first fifteen or twenty years | was out
here / never stayed more than IA week
or so in a place. | never settled down
until 80, when | went to farming over
here on Clear Creek. / knew az much
about farming as the devil does about
running a saw-mill. lopened up a coal
bank and brought in the first coal that
WAS ever teamed into Denver. 1t sold
then for from SIS to $50 a ton. In 81 /
was chief scout with old General Harvey
in the first war the United States troops
had with the Sioux Indians. In '73 |
went upon Snake river, where | live
now. My shoulders are a little out of
shape so that | can't hold a gun Il my
shoulders, but I've got a greyhound that
is a pretty good hunter. He will 90 out
and run an antelope down every time |
give him the word.
The old mountaineer is stopping with
his friend ID. c. OAKS, Curtis street, for
whom he acted as Indian interpreter
when Mr.. Oaks was Ute Indian Agent.
The old man had participated in In
dian scrimmages innumerable, but was
never seriously wounded except by the
gun bursting as above referred to. He
got all ready 10 die then, and was pro-
ceeding 10 make his will, when some of
his friends eheered him up with the re-
mark that he shouldn't give up.
"Do you think I'd better live% he
asked.
Why, certainly" was the reply. You
are good for a long time yet"
We'll, then, III live" said the old
frontiersnan, and he did, though he still
has a deforned jaw, somewhat hidden
by his stubby gray beard.
The aid man is a type of the frontiers
man of the Leatherstockin order, a class
often read about but seldom seen in these
days-honest and modest, perfectly I'M
nu-.,.ninr LII. rnrA.rn nl.nnn.;... -.