The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1891-10-10
NJ. A. Y. Finds Practical Illustration
of How to Solve the Indian Question.

| HELENA, Montana, October l.
The tight little state of West Vir
ginia is irradiated now and then by {
ray Of reflected light. just at pres
ent the triumphal march of her gift
ed son and senator, Charles James
Faulkner through the West is focus
sing attention to her. He spoke il
Helena on the night of Sept. Dist
with great force and power and hal
made most favorable impression
wherever heard.
James Stuart, one of Montana
most heroic pioneers and the one
most deeply enshrined in the hearts
Fof her people was native of West
Virginia.
He was born at Clarksburg, Har
rison county, in 1882. While still
young his parents Robert and Nan
cy, removed first to Illinois and af
forwards to Iowa. There he occa
sionally had three months term o.
backwoods schooling and his educa
ton was completed by IL months
course in The Iowa city high schoo
of which ex Senator Harlan was Their
principal.
In 1852 James and his brother
Granville, also born at Clarksburg
accompanied their father overland
to California where they mined herd
ed, freighted and fought Indians with
varying degrees of success.
They narrowly escaped being kill
ed on the klamath river on the
breaking out of the Pogue River
war. On one occasion as James and
one companion were going to Shasta
for supplies they met small body
of Indians leading several stolen
horses, which they were fastening to
secrete in the Lava beds, where Gent
Candy was murdered many years
after.
James and his companion recap
tured the horses and disposed of the
Indians in very effectual manner.
In 1857 James and his brother
concluded to return to the States
but when they reached the head oil
Malad creek where the town of Cor
inne now stands James was stricken
down with mountain fever and by
the time he was again able to travel
the trouble with the Mormons had
begun and Brigham Young had all
the roads leading to California or the
States closely watched and ar
rested all persons travelling in either
direction.
The most of these were carried
into Salt Lake City and never heard
of again. 1t was about this time
the Mormon order of Destroying
Angels got in their work. They
were compelled TO give up their cher.
ished hope of once more seeing the
land of their birth and as measure
of safety joined band of mountain
GERS and spent the winter in what is
now Montana and Beaver Head val
ley. All supplies gave out before
the end of winter and they had moth
ing to eat except wild meat and
when that failed they ate some Of
their horses. They worked their way
over lofty mountains and through
swollen rivers till they reached q
point only three miles from what is
now Phillipsburg, town near some
of the richest mines in the world land
only short distance from Helena.
In the spring the Stuarts and com
panions returned to Fort Bridger af-
ter being reduced to the strait of eat.
ing young ravens for food on the way.
They went to where Gen'l Johnson s
army was encamped. He having
been sent out against the Mormons
There they engaged in horse trading
with the soldiers
With the lawlessness and bad
blood engendered by drink and gam.
ing the brothers had some hair rails
ing adventures but finally escaped
with their lives In 1860 the two
brothers located at Deer Lodge creek
and determined to develop the gold
mines they believed to be in that vi
entity.
There being no tools nor lumber to
be had, they hired two men to whip
saw some at ten cents per foot and
sent to Walla Walla hundreds OF
miles away for picks and shovels by
pack train. From this time on their
solitary life was ended as the dis
covery of gold in Montana in 81
and '62 brought many persons into
the mountains and the pioneer his,
tory of Montana had begun. In 1862
occurred the first election ever held
in the Rocky Mountains, north OF
Colorado and James Stuart was
elected sheriff of Missoula county.
In 1868 James organized compa-
ny of adventurous spirits to explore
and prospect the Yellowstone coun.
try which was entirely unsettled and
almost unknown, except to the In
dams.
The party consisted of Is persons
Six Others were to have joined but
failed to reach the rendezvous on
time and followed on behind, but
were met and robbed by band OF
Crows and ordered back. On theil
way home these six discovered the
famous Alden Gulch, the richest
find" in the annals of placer mining
any where in the known world
The party got under Roadway
April 9th, 1868, starting from Ban
mack City, Montana. With various
adventures with rattlesnakes. bears
deer, elk, buffaloes, and en- occasion
al hunt for stampeded horses, tho
party travelled on over mountains
and through trackless prairies loca-
ting future cities and prospecting fol
gold till they reached the Big Horn
Mountains. Here on the night o!
May 18th, they were attacked sud
denly by a large war party Of Grow
Indians, outnumberIng them two u
one. About midnight James Stuar,
struck match to look at his watch.
Almost instantly there was furious
fusilade Of guns and arrows. Foul
horses were killed and five wounded
making II more dangerous still foi
a ~ fs. s "A Is. ~ n 81.