Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1890-07-18
He Was Fifteen Years a Soldier. and
was i'll Numberless Fierce
Engagements.
Now He is Eking Out an Existence
on a Farm on the Reser-
walton.
Is it Fame or What is it?

of a corn row through which the wife led
the pony attached to a cultivator guided by
the husband who had hold OF the handles,
the reader would carelessly lay aside the
morning TRIBUNE and say: swell, what of
it," The reading world looks for capti-
waiting headlines-"General with head
quarters in the saddle.w Commodore with
the evolution squadron "The president
has an outingw! "The king at a banquet!'
"The duke at a ballm attract the eye, and
the reader looks upon it as the f%orerunner
Of something truly heroic and Justly ia
nous, while "a wife leading a pony and
a husband holding the c%ultivator while
working III the corn would attract no at
tention OF give indications OF trough dia-
monds in the field"
Fifty-siX years ago a father and mother
living near Derry, in the county of Done
gal, Ireland, were made happy by the
birth of a son whom they, with due SOL
emnity, christened john Sixteen years
later the same father and mother wept as
they prayed for blessings and babe adieu
to their boy, who had caught a glimpse of
| IN otNlo NlIO lpCo N1lu lSau VI llCCuOIu
and opportunities for the brave and indus
trious in the United States of America.
So bidding the old folks at home good bye,
John, clad in his Sunday best, his lunch in
his handkerchief, left the old uncovered
cottage that had sheltered him, his parents
and their parents, and boarded a vessel
bound for New York to seek fortune or
fame, or both. No multitude gathered to
cheer him as he left. The only music that
reached his ear was the eloquent;jingle of
a dollar or two; his only equipment, a nat
ural light heart, hopeful disposition, strong
constitution and industrious training
what a complete outfit for life'S battle.
John was slowed away in an upper berth
in the steerage, with 800 others, bound for
"the land of the free and home of the
brave.' Life on the oceans wave, a home
on the rolling deep" was bracing to Johns
spirit but heavy on his stomach. To use
his W words, 'he lost his cud, the last
deep blue sea-" LAND ahoy!w rang out
from the lookout. New York is reached.
No firing of cannOn or playing of bands
greeted the Irish lad. The ticket scalper,
cabman, lodging house tiend, immigration
agent and burly policeman demonstrative-
ly reached for the boy wearing the heavy
brogans, corduroy breeches, red waistcoat,
nobby gray jacket and little hat
so %jauntily worn to cover his auburn hair,
"Stand back" said John TO the clamorous
crowd, PPM bound for the city of brother
ly love in the land of Penn" And once
on board the train John was speedily car
ried through the sweet potato state, over
the Delaware to the city of Philadelphia,
and there, meeting with a friend of his
father, John was escorted up Chestnut
street, past old Independence Hall, where
one OF his countrymen had written indeli-
bly, "Cbarles Carol of CarrOlton' on the
Declaration OF Independence.
And on a bright morling in May 1850
John shed his coat, rolled up his shirt
sleeves. and with his muscular arm and
hand lifted the Sledge hammer in a black.
smith shop, and began an apprenticeship to
learn a trade: and there forfour long years
John daily played the anvil chorus on the
red hot iron and laughed to see the sparks
fly.
In 1854 a gaily dressed soldier appeared
He was a recruiting sergeant for the United
States regular army. He told John of the
ease of army life; OF the apparels so fine and
so gay; of the glory and renown so easily
won; of the far west where the Indians
roam: OF silver in the mountains and gold
in the mines; OF forests On the hills and
buffalo on the plains; of fowls on the lakes
and fish in the StreamS-all waiting to bt
taken by the bold soldier boys. John had
seen the return of DR.. Kane from the
north pole and his grand welcome. He
had seen "Rough and Ready" Taylor ant
Of siree Fremont S5 'n and '''E kit ne car saa r sat
seen the nuggets of gold carried by re
turning Californians. So the sergeant
won his heart, captured his name, and Sc
cured his body with all its muscle, life ano
cold morning in December, 1854 Johr
answered to roll call of Company l, Secont
regiment u S. infantry. and unuer Cap
tain Davidson was started for st. Louis.
In 1856 six companies Of the Second regi
ment, commanded by Major Vessels, were
river John was carried by boat. No grea
Omaha then. No corn palace city at thu
city of the Sioux. No capital city of Yank
ton
Fort Pierre was in the center of the In
dian tribes-the PaWnees below, the Pom
cas- and all the six Sioux tribes around it
General Harvey, the great Indian tightel
of the century, had struck the Sioux
hard blow at cash Holler." Vessels com
mand was ordered out to meet Harvey
John went along. Yes. he was there or
foot. He had a gun, a heavily loaded car
fridge box, a heavier knapsack, and a wei
filled haversack and the soldiers deares
as far as where the states of Nebraska
Wyoming and Sonth Dakota corner-now
but not then known as a gold r%egion-tht
Black Hills. Here they were met by {
scout from Harvey and returned to Pierre
John returned alsO-that is to say HI
walked back over two hundred and fifty
miles of country that only a short time be
fore he had taken the greatest of pleasure
in walking over. But he did not regret it
He had seen the Indian, the buffalo, thu
bear, the deer n the elk, and thought hi
had captured the elephant. 1t would no
have been safe for that persuasive recruit
ing sergeant to have met John on those
hot summer days in the bad lands, where
water to John was dearer than gold Il
Shylock. John loved water then.
Once at Pierre and snugly quartered
Gen. Harney's forces came over and, join
ing Major Vessels, Harvey assumed com
mand and Wintered there. John also win
tered there and realized a part of his for
mer dream of fame-if not by anything hi
} did, by being under the command of the
most famous Indian fighter of the age
That winter John saw all the Indians II,
wanted to see. Harvey ordered all TIL,
Sioux in and the treaty of 1865 was made
Several thousand Sioux were gathered
there.
In 1866 General Sully appeared and pro
posed to John that he go on an expedition