Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1890-12-20
cRAwEoRp,s BIG SCOOP.
The Poet-Soout's Clever Diplomacy Ate
the Custer Massacre.

tno OusbCE uAhbhhCEOs
Captain Jack Crawford, the poet-scout,
is noticeable figure in the kaleido-
scopic life Of the capital this spring. 1t
is difficult TO realize that this handsome,
brown-haired, gentle-mannered young
man has faced death in every form for
twenty-five years; that those mild blue
eyes have not seldom looked calmly
into the muzzle Of loaded ''guns" in the
hands of furious enemies, white and In
dian, and that billiards. and short ra-
tions have been familiar companions
since boyhood.
jacks special hobby is, strange to say
OF frontiersman, temperance. He
never in his life tasted drop of liquor,
and, as he is ready and eloquent speak
or, he is naturally in great demand at
the meetings around town.
1t requires some diplomacy to get
Captain Jack to talk Of the exciting
events in which he has figured, but
when he does his vivid and picturesque
narrative Is treat.
When Crooks expedition was march
ing to Clusters relief in1ss7, there were
a number Of correspondents of Eastern
journals with the column. One night
when encamped near Deadwood, the
news OF the massacred reached them.
OF course the first thought of each was
to get his dispatches in ahead of his
brethren. The nearest telegraphic
station of which they knew was at Fort
Laramie, some four hundred miles
away, through wild country swarming
with hostile Indians.
The New York Herald representative
sought out Captain Crawford, then chief
of scouts for Crook, and offered him $500
If he would land his matter in New
York ahead of his rivals. Jack toox
his package, and at midnight started on
a fiery little broncho alone. He reached
Custer, eighty miles away, the next
evening, and led his WORKOUT horse into
the hotel stable, where it incontinently
lay down and died. This was pretty
serious matter, but his own wants had
to be attended to, and so he entered the
dining-room of the log hotel and order
ed his supper. While eating he was
rather disagreeably surprised by the en-
trance of his friend, Antelope Frank"
another noted scout, who was on SINH
lar errand to his own for another paper,
Frank" said Jack abruptly, 1--WE are
both dead tired, so let us agree to stay
here over night and make fair start
together in the morning"
"Pll go you," said Frank.
And so they retired to room togeth-
or. About midnight Jack awoke and
instantly looked for Frank. He found
him quietly sleeping. Still disturbed
and anxious, he went down to the bar
room, and by few leading questions to
/, the functionary in attendance he found
that Antelope Frank" while keeping
to the word of his agreement had sent
off a messenger hours before with a
I package for Laramie. Jack instantly
rushed to the stable, found there fam
GUS racing mare belonging to his friend
Davis, who kept the hotel, and in two
minutes was out on the Laramie trail
and away. But stern chase is long
chase, and he never headed Franks
J messenger.
Riding through the Red Canyon the
-. next day he discovered little ahead of
him small band of Indians. He had
scant time for ceremony, so, with wild
yell, he rode straight at them, firing
t both revolvers at the same time. The
astonished redskins took to the hills
and he rode on, reaching Rawhide that
,, evening. Here he found the terminus
Of the Government field telegraph Line,
} and in charge of some of his friends.
2 This was enough for Jack, and, taking
the boys to the suffers ranch, he in,
: formed them that they owned every
thing in 1.-THE would pay all bills. He
I then handed them the dispatches. They
S fixed it with the Laramie operator, and
8 in few minutes the first news of the
! Custer massacre was being clicked off tC
the New York Herald.
Franks messenger, meanwhile, was
y plodding along faithfully to Laramie, as
= he had been instructed When he ar
rived there he found the wire occupied
, and the matter he had carried had
q to wait until the Herald's spec
a ial and long string of incense
quential stuff, improvised by Jack tC
6 hold the wire, had been sent. The
scoop" was complete, and Bennett sem
him not only the $500 promised, but
$3.50 additional for his bold and intelli
U gent exploit -Washington Post
q Exactly Like the Building
9 'Dinguss," said Shadbolt, as the two
. met in front of hotel, "they say this
a building is settling. Can you see any
q indications of it?"
Il NO"
!. THAT reminds me, Dinguss, by tn,
=, way, that you haven't settled for tina
u last ten dollars you"
l. "Pm just like this building, Shad