Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-11-06
"TENDERFoOT" IN WYOMING.
He Levels Rifle at Shoshones, Much to
Their Disgust.

'One summer about eleven years ago
when | was out in WYOMING" said the
colonel to n. Y. Tribune man. my
younger brother, who was then 4
college boy, came out to spend his
summer vacation with us. VIII gave
the rough men out there a great deal
of amusement with the ideas of how
man should dress on the plains. But
he wasn't bad fellow for he had no
little spirit and was always willing to
do his share Of the work.
''lf you ever met Shoshone Indian
at that time you know what a perfect
type of a lazy peaceful whiskv-lovino.
harmless redskin he is We used to
consider that the Shoshones were born
to be kicked about, and | am afraid
many of us lived up to our beliefs.
A man would never hesitate if there
had been any petty thieving around
the camp to walk four or five miles, 90
into an Indian camp single-handed,
and kick things about or drag the
mighty braves from their blankets un-
til he had found his saddle. his bride,
his rifle, or whatever it was that had
been stolen. Having found it he
would sling it on his back and stride
off amid the disappointed grunts of the
dirty braves.
But Will, fresh from the east and
never having seen an Indian before,
could not understand this boldness.
When there were Indians in the camp,
begging for whisky or tobacco, he was
always suspicious of treachery. At
such times he kept an anxious eye on
the guns and watched every movement
OF the visitors closely. while we used
never to think Of such a thing.
I'VE left him in charge of the camp
one day and started for the mountains
after deer. Finding ourselves several
miles from camp thai night we s. arted
fire, broiled steak over the wood
GOALS, and gathering some leafy
branches for beds and pillows turned
III and slept the sleep of the Just.
LAS we drew near camp the next
evening we saw a sight which sent us
into roars of laughter. Will was en-
sconced behind barricade which he
had made of saddles. boxes, bedding
anything he could find. He was
standing there with pale look Of
agony on his face, all the spare guns
and slx-shooters carefully arranged
around him. Two hundred yards from
the breastw0ks sat half-dozen Shos-
homes, looking utterly nonplussed and
disguised. Coming up to the Indians
first we tried to find out what the
trouble was. From their grunts and
grimaces, gestures, and snatches of
broken English. we learned that they
had come to pay us a visit on the pre-
ceding afternoon. They had caught
the young tenderfoot mapping and he
had not noticed their approach until
they were within few feet of him. AS
soon as he saw them coming up silent
ly, as Indians always do, he seized his
rifle and frantically waved them back.
Nor would he rest until they had fallen
back to the position which they then
held.
When we failed to appear that
night, the boy Immediately decided
that we had been massacred and hastily
began to throw up big breastworks.
The Shoshones rolled themselves in
their blankets and went to sleep, but
Will stood guard all that night and
watched them with eagle eye until we
returned the next uay Even Inen, Wnen
we walked toward him, the Indians
following Us in solemn wonder, he was
for shooting, but we laughed at him so
immoderately that he threw down his
rifle sulkily. As for the braves. their
opinion of the boy was shown by the
action of one big, snlemn-faced buck,
who. going up to VIII, touched him
on the forehead and even then viii
started back. The buck looked at him
moment read to burst into roars
again-tapped his own forehead slow
ly, shook his head gravely, and turning
away said 'Ugh!' in tones of the deep
est disgust.
"In the opinion Of that Indian only
an insane man could believe that there
WAS any fight in Nintah county Sho-