Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1892-10-18
e,o JoG,s AToNrMeNY

DO joys ArokGMGNr.
dour know what allied Big Joe thai
afternoon the emigrsnt family came ints
camp. lie MAS s0metlmes given q
queer whlms and notions, and now and
then the devil In him would fash out In
= way 20 make ne keep ~ far away frou
him ~ possible, saysa writer In the New
York sun. lie never mentioned home
OF wife or Children, ~ other men did
aud when be heard them speak of suct
things he would 20 OF by himself and
sulk like o wounded animal. ] Away,
believed he had been married and had q
happy home, but that he had suffered
some great wrong aud Was broodlns
over &C..
The emlgrant family consisted Of hus.
band, Wife, and three small children
The horses we're faded aud poor. the wIis
aud children thoroughly worn out, and
the husband bitterly repented Of The en-
terprise. We were In hard luck at Rob.
lnson's Bend Just then, but We could
spare them little. They had . vel
come from all but big Joe. Tie had one
Of his hts on that day. and when asked
to contribute he cur-cd the emlgrant for
. fool aud hoped him all sorts Of hard
luck. Wife aud children we're frightened
by his violent speech, and the husband
though realizing that all the rest of az
made him welcome, hltched up his team
AMI drove on within an hour.
An hour before sundown q courier came
Into camp FROM washoe FLATS, To the east
aud reported smother raid by the Indians
They lad killed three prospeciors Out
from wa.hoc. aud he himself had barely
ESCAPED. iiig Joe heard his statement
along With the rest of us, but bee had
nothing Ia cay. Z remember that be sal
on rock. chin In his hand, and his eyes
on the ground, aud when the re.t of az
went Ia supper be- still held his plsce
Twilight Was coming down when III
aro.. aud walked To HE shanty, and fouI
or i've minute. later he rcapp~arcd Will
hl. rife In hand. lils face had lost muci
of its ugllness by this time. and We DARED
10 question him.
"whar am I goinf' he echoed, as b.
looked Ia zee 10 the ride werr In order
"l'm goin' down the trsil Ia hnd that
family and bring 'em back herr. Ib'
fool orter knowed better than Ia drive
on."
"But you abused him, joe"
II didn't mean II Tor abuse. Folk
hadn't orter be- too mighty sensitive oai
this way. You are = nice act of men q
let that family 90 dri,in' plump Into ih'
arm. of the Internal redskins VIII,
didn't yer smooth u over with the high
strung ienderfoot, Why didn't yer Ia
si.t on his stsyin'r''
"we'll go With you, Joe, dozen 81 u.
"No, I'll 60 alone. " ! dri,' 'eu
away I'll sl.o bring 'rm back. .; ! hur'
hi. fcelln's I'll ~ his pardon"
The enlgrsnts would BE- camped al
the spring thrvc miles away. and the,
would fall an easy PREY Ia ih. Indians u
attacked. We felt that Ne ought Ia 4,
along With Joe, but be insisted on golnI
alone. ! believ. he meant to humhl,
beg pardon for HI. rudenes.. aud ouI
company would have embarrassed him
The night came an dark and cloudy
aud 90 q matter of procsution We posie'
..niipels about the camp. Not one nj
"a. slept until past mIdnlghi, waiting Cot
Joe Ia r-turp With the family. II Was :
plain trail down "a the spring, and u
~ouldnt take him over thr~~luarter'
Of an hour Ia reach the camp. Allow
half an hour for hiiching up aud ful
hour Tor returning and they ought Il
have been Ia by u. We hnslly ccnclud
ei that they had decided Ia await day
light, aud those not detailed for guar
duty turned In.
Ia the gray ~ morning the camp va
aroused by the report that ride frins
had b-.n family heard In ID. direction
of the spring. ~ soon as " was lishI
enough Ia pick our Nay twenty met
started out. W. looked for signs ol
Joe ar the wagon all the way. down th'
Trail. but found nothing. W. hn,ll,
reached the spring Ia hni our wor.'
fear. realized. The emigrant. horse.
lay dead on tb. gass, their throsts cat
With Indian knives. Ia. wagon has
been fired and Was we'll burned up
On the grass near the smouldsring
campfire lay IN. cmigrani, hi. scilI
torn OF and half q dorm arrows brist
ling In his dead body. Thirty feet away
lay his wife, tomahiwkci aud scilped
lIeslie her WAS the Youngest child, ".
head crushed by blow from = war club
All th. bodlcs we're Yet warm. To tbs
south just at the -ig. IL ,hIcket. ani al
IA. foot 81 lone tree, ". found Zig Jos
aud the other two children. when ibs
attack came, or when he realized that
.uccc-sful resistance could not te made
the miner had tried Ia ave the little
ose.. lie had been sho, aud scalped
the poor children had been tomahawked
We gathered about the body ~ big
Joe, houor-.tricken at the swift and
bloody hatchery, when De suddenly
opened his eyes and We could gee hl.
chest bease. Water VAS brought aud
be- drank u, Ani a. his head ~sspropped
up be whispered;
"werv they all wiped outs''
EYES, every Que but you"
81 couldn't gii him To ~ bach" he
gssp~i With palnful Effort, "and 500
I staid Ia die With EN-"
More water WAS offered him, but as u
touched hl. lip. be- fell back dead.
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