Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-02-13

When told, with look of unmistakable
disgust, he asked for large piece of paper,
at the same time remarking:
'Why! | could a told you all that In
st. Louis, and saved you all this here ex-
pense!''
He was handed piece of MANILA, used
for drawing details of bridge and depot
plans, which he spread out on the ground
before him, and taking a dead coal from
the ashes of the camp fire he sketched a
rough outline map; then pointing to GER
tain'peak in the topography of the range
he had hurriedly made with his crude pen
Gil, said:
There's where you fellows can cross
with your road, and no where else, with
out heap more cuttin' and diggin' than
you'll want to contract for. .
That crude map-and it was crude-is,
/ am told, preserved In the archives of the
great corporation, and ITS line crosses the
main spurs" Of the Rockies" Just where
the Bridger said it would have to.
OLD MAN BENT AND HIS PROGENY.
Old man Bent | never became intimate
ly acquainted with, as he died only a few
months after | first saw him, although |
had been on the plains for years and knew
all the others | have mentioned for long
period before happened to meet the pro-
| prietor of the fort on the Upper Arkansas
whose name the now dilapidated old adobe
structure still bears.
He and John Smith were the only two
| of all the great number of prominent
! frontiersmen who married squaws. The
others were welded to either American,
French or Spanish women and their fami-
1Ia- xrvo,-a H.
| Uncle John Smith made no effort to
/ educate his children-they were savages
| from their birth and remained so. One, a
son, was killed by the troops in the "Chiv-
| ington massacre on Sand Creek, Col,
which was a source of grief from which
| the old .'trapper' never fully recovered.
Bent was determined that his son and
daughter, Charles and Julia, should have
the best education money could obtain-he
was sadly deficient himself-so he sent
them to st. Louis when mere children,
surrounding them with all the culture and
refinement of civilization, never permit
ting them to return to their home at
DENTS Old Fort and the savage condi-
ton under which they were born until
they had attained their majority.
| They spoke no language but English,
| and their Indian mother died while they
were at school. The father continued to
occupy the old place, but the children did
not join him until 1865, when both were
| fuIl-grown.
, Some one has said, an eastern ''peace
policy individual probably, Civilization
has very marked effects upon an Indian.
| If he once learns to speak English he will
soon forget all his native cunning and
pride of race.
THE FORCE OF HEREDITY.
Let us see how it happened with Charley
and Julia Bent.
Sire from choice married a wild Chey-
| enne, adopted the dress and methods of
their tribe, worked as other squaws were
compelled to work, soon reaching the level
of dirt and degradation from which her
mother had been rescued when her father
married her out of the buffalo skin
lodge.
Charley, as an old army friend once de-
scribed him when his character was being
/ discussed around the campfire, allied the
native cunning of the Indian and pride
OF race with the acquired abilities of the
| Caucasian.
| He had no sooner ''set foot on his ma
tive heath than he found enough restless
and ambitious young 'bucks" willing to
place themselves under his leadership.
These were known as dog soldiers so
called-a sort of semi-military organiza-
ton, composed of the most daring, blood
thirsty young men of the tribe. Sometimes
'squaw men" white men married to
squaws and living with the Indians-at-
tached themselves to the band.
At the head of this desperate COM
mand, never numbering more than a hun
dred at any time, Charley Bent plundered
ranches, attacked freight caravans, the
overland mail" coaches, and stole,
burned, tortured and butchered regard
less of sex or age. He filled completely
the picture Motley, the historian, pre-
sents of the Infamous Duke of Alva
His vices were colossal and he possessed
no virtues"
He died natural death from cholera,
and, as an army friend of mine remarked
when he heard the fact, 1.-The disease
was never better employed. New York
Herald.