The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1889-02-02
VOLUME XIII.
"REMINISCENCES
An Old Trapper in the West Fifty
Years Ago.
s. E. Ward Recounts His Early and
Eventful Experiences ips(he Forest
and on the Plains-Fighting In
dams and Trapping Beaver.


Fifty years ago, when Kansas City
consisted of warehouse and there
was not single private residence of
civilized man between the Missouri
liver and San Francisco. S. Z. Ward
landed from a steamer at Independ-
ence. Then he was penniless youth
of eighteen years, directly from the
paternal home in Virginia, filled with
eager desire to gain a fortune in the
far West. Now at sixty eight years,
Mr.. Ward is almost twice million
aire and one of the most respected
citizens of Western Missouri. He is
one of the few pioneers that are left
to speak of the struggles and tri-
umphs of early Western life.
1t required but few minutes, says
a correspondent to the st. Louis
Globe Democrat, to become acquaint-
ed and to breach the object of the
visit. Knocking the ashes from a
large pipe against the edge of a mar
BILE mantel-piece, after filling the
bowl and lighting it Mr.. Ward sank
into an easy chair.
eyes, have had some experiences
that do not fall to the ordinary lot of
man. Thrown by circumstances into
new country in my earlier life, l
have travelled thousands of miles
alone through the mountains and
across the prairies, and often spent
weeks without meeting single hu-
man being Exposed to snow, sleet
and rain with no shelter but buffalo
robe, and at times with starvation
staring me in the face, the chance
seemed slight, indeed, of ever coming
out alive. During my experience in
the West / met Fremont in his ex-
petitions through the mountains,
saw Brigham Young on the Platte
river, when he was on his way to
found the Mormon empire; passed
through the stormy period of the
Mexican War, the California gold
excitement, the civil war, and wit
messed the opening of the Pacific
railroad and the mighty influx of
population on the plains of the great
West.
'The first seven years of my life
on the frontier were passed largely in
intercourse with Indian tribes ex-
tending from the Red river on the
south to the upper waters ofthe Col
umbia and Yellowstone ON the north.
Hunting, trapping and trading were
the only occupations open to white
men west of the Missouri river in
those days. In little bands of from
two to twelve the hunters and trap
pers roamed throughout this vast re
gion with little fear of the red skins.
Indians had not contracted the vices
of civilization, and were different
race of people frem what they are to-
day. The cruelties we read of as
practiced by them in later years
were unknown. l never knew of q
prisoner being burned at the stake,
and ordinarily the hunter felt as safe
in an Indian country as in his own
settlement. The Indians were armed
with bows and arrows, not more than
one out of fifty being the possessor
of a gun. When an Indian did own
a gun it was usually light shot gun,
that proved ineffective at any great
distance.
can experienced frontiersman con.
sidersd himself proof against any
number of Indians. BY means OF
the sign language we were able to
talk with the Indians upon all sub
jects, and as they were great takers
and inveterate story-t ellers, many is
the hour l have passed seated by the
campfire, hearing their adventures
or the legends of their nation.
have often wondered why the sign
language, as recognized and perfect
ed by the Indians, was not adopted
among civilized people instead of the
deaf and dumb alphabet. The In
dams methods of communicating
his ideas is much more expressive
and natural. The Cheyennes and
Arapahoes were especially noted fol
their skill in sign language"
By the way of illustration Mr.
Ward gave many examples of the
ability of signs to express thoughts
on every imaginable subject. The
signs were all given with the hand
each movement representing an en-
tire phrase or sentence.
'Were the Indians good hunters?'
I'm some respects superior to the
whites. They knew nothing of trap
ping beaver until taught by the
whites, bua they could give no val
liable points on bagging the large
game on the plains. Forty or fifty
years ago the plains were swarmins
with buffalo. l have often seer
droves 80 large that no eye coult
compass them. Their numbers were
countless. The Indian hunter rid
ing bareback would guide his horse
headlong into the midst of the herd
single out the latest, and in an in
SAINT sending the deadly arrow clear
through his victim. In a single
days hunt they sometimes killed
from 5000 to 1000 buffalo. The
dead bodies would lie scattered ovel
tie prairie for miles. 1t required
the greatest diligence to save the
skins and dry the meat for use il
winter They made wholesale
slaughter Of antelope by forming 8
surround This required the pres
ence Of several hundred Indians tC
make it complete success. Early
in the morning the men and boys
would form a circle miles in diane
ter, riding round and round, making
the circle smaller at every revolution
and growing closer together. AL
the game within the ranks was grad
ually collected in body, which was
driven into an inclosure formed by
weeds piled high up at the sides, be
hind which where women and ole