The morning news., 1889-02-01
ON IHB PLAINS IN '48.
An Old CeIifornian's Story of Fight
With Indians
From the Ne,o York Times.

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 23.-Many Of the
old California pioneers can spin wonderful
tales of early life in the far west and Of
many thrilling and checlIered experiences
in crossing the plains I. D. Smith. an old
gentleman living in tie town Of Petaluma,
about 81 miles north of this place. often
muses. over his early life, but there is one
feature in it to dar;en the otherwise pleas
ant memories, q d this part is generally
skipped briefly over The story he relates
is, IN his own words, as follows:
II LETT my home in st. Louis in company
with my brother Charles in the wear 1873
to cross the plains. Oars was large train,
comprising several hundred persons and
we felt tol rably secure from the Indians,
the principal fear from that source being
{ a. band might surprise us in the night
d drive off our stock, but we kept good
lookout for this, having scouts in advance
of the train at all times Ny brother AMI
| had $4,000 worth Of dry-goods, clothing
and the like, and were going to S anta Pc,
New Mexico, TO lay the foundation for our
fortunes by selling these articles to the sol
diers there. We were under the guidance
of the celebrated Indian scout, Kit c irson.
and he took the train through i'll good
order.
"We were about five weeks on the wav
when an incident occurred which resulted
in the death OF one of the party. Nv
brother and five others, Messrs Morton,
Howard. Silsbee, Richardson and Wilson.
were in the scouting party and had gone
ahead of the train for several miles. Late
in the afternoon a band of Indians was
sighted. They at first exhibited signs of
friendliness. This was accepted as a guar
antee of good faith, and the scouting party
allowed them to approach. When within
iring di-tance the redskins suddenly
changed their tactics and opened fire with
their bows and arrow.
THE scouts discharged the contents of
their rifles at their enemies, and this checked
their advance. During the melee. however.
my brother fell from his saddle badly
wounded. The Others now wanted 70 turn
back for the tran ana a proposition was
made to carry the Won ded man On rude
litter between two of the scouts, but this he
absolutely refused t. agree to- knowing
that If he did SO it would delay them so that
all would be overtaken and killed. TIE
others were 10th to leave him, but he would
listen to nothing else, and they started off.
They first secreted him in a c'ump Of
bushes, and agreed to return for him with
relnfOrcemeuts unless he was captured and
killed. His last words were: ''If you hear
two pistol shots, you need never return for
me. You will then know that have been
discovered and that my scalp has been
taken, and you will also know that each of
my bullets has killed q redskin' While the
Others we riding rapid Y away they heard
terrific war whoop, aud, strainng their
ears, heard one, Ulen another pistol shot. II
was the lat act ever perfor ned by nv
brother
'When l arrived at Santa Fe | had
great deal of trouble about my goods. = he
freighting charges were upward of 80 900
and, as | could MT maet any such out
ra 1,fr
after months OF litigation, / no5 only LOST
the case, but nearly all the balance was
consumed in lawyers fees ani my own lir-
lug expe se5, which IN those days were
enormous.
1T was just about this time that tho
god fever was beginning to attract the at
teAtion of everybody in that section Of tho
country, and | joined the first pa rty that
came al ng bound for California. | raschal
Sacramento early in the sp.i Of 1879,
with exactly picayune in nay pocket, an
amount OF money equivalent TO G'( cents.
This wouldn't even buy slice Of broad or
a slnge potato in California in those days.
50 kept it merely as IA curiosity
- pcrseYered at mining for awhile. and
by hard work was able TO wash out fr r..
80 t. IS wor. Of gold pr day. It cost So
TO live, but | kept on for several months.
ana the results OF my 'abors finally dvi.-
died down until was ma sing actually less
than my board, so one morning ! started
cut for San Francis o. ! conceived the idea
Of soliciting orders for some big wholesale
house, and secured position. WORKING ON
commission. | succeeded in making about
81 per day, but all the whie it was c5stirp
mo 70 TO live This was far from profitable
50 when my reserve fund was about one.
third gone thought | would try farming.
Al TINS time potatoes We're selling FOR
fabulous prices, so | rented some la ii al n
nomlnrl price and inycste every dollar
nad IN seed 10 atoes. managed TO get
neighboring farmer let me use his a,ric,i-
tlril implements and yoke Of oxen. and.
though | had never done any farming be,
Tore, succeeded in getting tho crop in all