Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1890-05-23
THEOLD INDIAN FIGHTER.
SOME EXPERIENCES OF KIT
CARSON, THE KENTUCKIAN.

HIS FIGURE OCCUPIES A LARGE
SPACE IN THE PICTURE OF BoR.
DER ROMANCE AND HISTORIC
VIRGINIAN BY DECENT.
Christopher Carson, or "Kit Car.
son," as better known to the read
ers of Western history, was q ns.
tive of Kentucky, and was born on
Tate's creek, in Madison county,
December "a, 1909. This fact is
not generally known, even among
those lovers of the romance of bor'
der history, and who worshipped
Kit rs their ideal hero and prince
of hunters, trappers, scouts, noun
taIneers, Indian fighters, etc. His
father was Lindsay Carson, and Is
believed 10 have come from Virginia
originally. About the CLOSE OF the
war of 1912, he removed to Howard
county, No, then the yer, confines
of civilization in the "Far West
There are those still living in Mad
ison county who remember the
family
When young Christopher was
seventeen years old he joined a
hunting expedition, which inltiat d
him into border excitement, and
gave him taste for the free, Wild
life he ever afterward lived. The
vast pains of the West had a fss-
cination for him beyond all things
else. Like Daniel Boone, he could
not stand the smoke of civilization.
and he despised It's restraints and
luxuries. For eight years he was
trapper, and for a similar period
he was chief hunter for the garrl'
son at BeDts' Fort. For almost
the remainder of his life he wsa
guide, scout and Indian fighter on
the Western frontier. He acted as
guide to General John g. Fremont
in his celebrated exploration be-
yond the Rocky mountains in l84z
and in 1843-4, considered at that
day one the grsndest achievements
of the time. Carson gives the fol
| loving account of d night attack o.
TIamath indians "Thls vast heOn
ly night in all our travels, except th'
one night on an island in the Sal
Lake, that we tailed to keep guard
AS the men were tired, and we ex
pected no attack, the Colonel dldn'
like to ask it Of them, but sat III
late himself. Owens and | wer
sleeping together, and we wer
walked at the same time by tn
licks or the axe that killed on
men. At first didn't know it wa
that. but | called to Basil, Th
was on that side! "Whats tn
matter there 7 What's that fns
about : he never answered, for b
was dead then, poor fellow, and b
never knew what killed him b
head had been cut in, IN his sleep
the other groaned little as /
died. The Delawsres we had iot
with us) were sleeping at that tim
: and they sprang up as the TIsmatt
charged them. One of them caugl
an a gun that was loaded, but, a
though he could not do execution
he kept them at bay, fighting Ill
a soldier, aud didn't give up uni
, he was shot full of arrows-thr'
entering his heart. He died orav
. ly. AS soon as bad called out,
- saw it was Indians in the cam
and | and Owens together crit
:, out, Iudlans.' There we're
orders given things went on Il
- fast. and the Colonels had m'
,, with them who didn't have to
- - told their duty. The Colonel al
= |, Maxwell, Ovens, Cooley al
!, stepp, jumped together-we six
- >, and ran to the assistance OF o
. Della wares, don't know who 6r
and who didn't, bat | think 1t W
. . Stepp's shot that killed the Tiama
, chief. for 1t was at the crack
" Strpp's z II that he fell. He h
- an English half ate strung to
:, wrist hy a corr, and there We
fort, ar, oNs left in his Quiver-t
most beautiful aud warlike AFRO
in ever saw. When the Tiamat
n. saw him tai they ran, but We Ii
p every man With Ills rifle cock,
et. until day hight, expecting ano'l
al attack. In tho u.orning We fOu
ce from the tracks, that IRON ute
be to twenty of he Tiamaths had
,Ie tack rs. They bad killed three
ve our men. and wounded one OF
ev Delawares (besides one killed. "
TO scalped The chef, whom We
,d where he tell. Our dead we carr
on OH mules, but after going about
,er miles, we found it impossible
u get them any further through
in thick tImber, snd hndiLg sec
place, we buried them nnder 1
and chunks, having no Nay to
n r,,av.