The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1892-02-19
SQUIRE MACK'S ESCAPE.
a Story OF Adventure on the
Western Frontier.

In tho town in which live there is
an old frontiersman whom everyone
calls Squire Mack" In the early
days he went to California, and had
many curious adventures there which
he delights in rcaopnting. w. r.
At the breaisins out of the civil war
he was making shingles near some
mining town lin the Sierra Nevada.
The news from home filled him with
patriotic fire., and, with several COM
rades, he turned his face eastward,
and travelled as rapidly as possible to.
ward the Estates" 50
Arriving at Salt Lake City, he
learned that Indians had been raiding
the trail ahead, firing upon wagon
trains, and burning express and stage
stations This news disheartened his
companions, who resolved to stop at
Salt Lake City until the trouble was
over.
Not so with Mack. He was of the
sort of mes who are bound to go
through whsn they have begun a
thing. He pressed on, taking his
chances, on the Cherokee Trail"
Mack had been n wagon-master along
this trail. and knew the ground well.
lie had heard that the Indians were
raiding about Green river. but he
knew that at the crossing of the trail
over this stream he had good friend
in the person of Bat Lavigne, an old
Frc"ch-Canadian trader who lived here.
Lavigne had great deal of influence
among the surrounding tribes of Utes,
Uintahs, Cheyennes and Arapahoes
lie was married to an Arapaho woman,
and was reckoned a member of that
tribe. lie must be aware of the move.
ment of the Indians.
So Mack, riding an excellent cayuse
and leading = good-sized pack mule,
pushed boldly ON to Green River
Crossing, and brought up at Bat
Lavigne'S abode dwelling one evening
ut shutdown. Lavigne made him well
come heartily.
The trader told him that big war
party Of Arapahoes had mixed
medicine" at Green River two days be-
fore, and had set out from there upon
an expedition to the east He had
been with them during the powwow,
but did not know whether they had
excepted white blood" in mixing their
medicine or not If they had not, the
trail would be extremely dangerous
But there were no other Indians to
be feared at present, he said, If one
kept straight upon the old Cherokee
trail, which passed over n line of
neutral ground between the mountain
tribes. If the Arapahoes were again
to go plundering and killing whites, as
they had done few weeks before,
they would keep to this trail to avoid
other enemies
Mack's strong desire to get forward
upon the way home got the better of
his prudence. and he again took the
trail eastward.
At about noon on the third day he
came upon the smouldering ruins of an
old freight or way" station.
Mack knew very well, from certain
signs which he saw in the neighbor-
hood, that the building had been fred
be Indians. If people had been living
in it, they had probably been killed or
taken prisoners.
Whether the Indians had gone Mack
could not determine. The ground was
hard and baked, and no tracks of any
sort could be discovered; but the party
could not be far distant
Mack picketed his animals among
some sage bush near at hand, and ate his
noon lunch while considering whether
it was best to go back or go ahead. He
had now no doubt that the building
had been burned by the Arapahoes.
and that they had not excepted white
blood" in making up their protective
medicine.