Morning journal and courier., 1891-06-18
A Hero.
TFron, Romance \

1t was q scene that no man can fttingly
describe, that no man who witnessed it
can ever forget. Fifteen brave and we'll
armed men had started out from Bannack
City in the early days of April to search
for gold, and near the middle of Nay,
with their numbers sadly reduced by death
from the arrows and bullets of Indian
foes, they had only one thought-to fight
their way back to civilization or die as be-
fitted the high code of chivalry recognized
by the pioneers of the West. They might
have made dash for it and cut their way
| out by very boldness, but to have done
that would have been to abandon Henry
Bell, who was fearfully wounded, but for
| whom there yet remained q hope. So he
| was placed upon horse and the little cav
alcade moved upon its forlorn way. The
| Indians were all around them, waiting for
| a chance to rush in and give the finishing
blow with the least possible danger to
| themselves.
| They had moved twenty miles since day
break, slowly picking their way over the
| snow upon the mountains. At four in the
afternoon, weary and cold, they halted to
give Bell needed rest and to prepare sup
per. Pickets were thrown out and the
other men had begun to unpack, when one
named York gave the alarm that Indians
were approaching. Each man sprang for
| in their very midst A glance at Geery
told the story. With a deadly pallor upon
his face, but with head erect, he stood
leaning upon his gun. He said: "Boys,
/ have foolishly ended my lifs." In his
haste he had grasped his rifle by the muz-
zle, the hammer had caught in q blanket
and had been drawn back, and the ball
had struck him in the breast, shatterine
his shoulder and making q mortal wound.
His comrades helped him to q sitting
posture. He then calmly opened his shirt,
and pointing to the wound told them that
he could have only q few hours to live.
"But that is too long for you to remain
here" he added. 1.-The sun is going down
and the Indians will be upon you. 1,
would be impossible to defend yourselves
in this place. Then he turned his brave
eyes to Captain Stuart and said. "Jim,
tell the boys I'm fatally wounded"
His comrades saw what was in his mind
and begged him to take no thoughts oi
them, except to let them make him as com
Portable as they might during his fna
hours. But all the answer he made wa
to reach for his pistol, hold it firmly in hi,
hand and give them warning that any en-
deavor to take it from him would only
hasten the inevitable end.
No one made the attempt; but with
tears In his eyes and forgetting the danger,
hedging them in, his comrades attempted
to reason with him and to persuade hin
that with help he might pull through, a.
Bell was already doing. But he knew a.
well as they that the end was matter of ,
few hours at the most. Turning again t.
Stuart, he urged him to tell the boys how
desperate was his case and, Captain
Jim," with tears in his eyes and a chokin!
voice, could only say: "Neyer mind, Gee
/ ry, we will stay by you; all the Indians il
the world couldn't drive us away"
The decision of this plain frontiersmal
was made, and nobody could shake his he
roic resolve. 81 know you would all sta
by me, he said, "and die for me, and n