Sacramento daily record-union., 1890-04-19

plans, which he spread out on the ground
before him, and, taking dead coal from
the ashes of the campfire, he sketched a
rough outline map then pointing to GER
tain peak In the topography of the range
he had hurriediy made with his crude PEN
Gil, said
"There's where you fellows can cross
with your road, and nowhere else, without
a heap more cuttin' and diggin' than You'll
want to contract for"
That crude map-and it was crude-is,
| am told, preserved III the archives of the
great corporation, and its line crosses the
main spurs" of the Rockies" Just where
Bridger said it would have to.
OLD MAN BENT AND HIS PROGENY.
Old man Bent never became intimately
acquainted with, as he died only few
months after | first saw him, although [
had been ON the plains for years and knew
all the Others l have mentioned for long
period before happened to meet the pro-
prietor of the fort on the Upper Arkansas
whose name the low dilapidated old adobe
structure still bears.
He and John Smith were the only two
of all the great number of prominent from
tiersmen who married squaws The Others
were welded to either American, French
or Spanish women, and their families were
eminently respectable.
Uncle John Smith made no effort to ed
ucate his chlldren-they were savages from
their birth and remained so. One. son,
was killed by the troops in the "Chiyins-
ton massacre" on Sand creek, Colorado,
which was source OF grief from which the
old g stronna,iD ppyay
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 ent
them to ST. Louis when mere children.
surrounded them with all the culture and
refinement of civilization, never permit
| ing them to return to their home at "Bent's
Old Fort" and the savage conditions under
which they were born until they had at
tanned their majority.
They spoke no language but English,
| and their Indian mother died when they
were absent at school, The father con-
tinued to occupy the old place, but the
| children did not join him until 1865, when
both were full! grown.
Some one has said an Eastern "peaee
policy" indicates individual probability.
Civilization has very marked effects upon
an Indian. If he once learns to speak
English he will soon forget his native cum
ming and pride of race
THE FORCE OF HERED1TY.
Let US see how ii happened with Charley
| and Julia Bent.
She from choice married wild Chey-
enne, adopted the dress and methods of
that tribe, worked as other squaws were
| compelled to work, soon reached 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 camp fire, allied the
| native cunning of the Indian and pride OF
I race with the acquired abilities of the
| Caucasian"
He had no sooner "set footon his native
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
sort of semi-military organization, COM
posed of the most daring, blood-thirsty
young men of the tribe. Sometimes "squaw
men"-white men married to squaws and
living with the Indians-attached them
| selves to the band
VAT the head of this desperate command,
never numbering more than hundred at
any time, Charley Bent plundered ranches,
attacked freight caravans, the overland
mail' coaches, and stole, burned, tortured
and butchered regardless of sex or age. He
filled completely the picture Motley, the
historian, presented 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, the disease was
never better employed.