Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-08-27
BIG JoE-s AroNEMENr.
He Couldn't save the Emixrnnt Family. bul
He Dtd the Rest RE Could.


He couidnt Saw. the Em,sr.nt Family. sus
He MA the Rest re conia.
Prom On. New yori sun.
don know what allied Big Joe that after
noon the emigrant family came into camp. lie
was sometimes given 10 queer ~hims aud no
tions, and now and then the devil in him would
fash out in way 90 make Us keep a. far away
from him rs possible. He never mentioned
home or wife or children rs other men did. and
when he heard them speak Of such thing. he
would so Of By himself aud sulk like wounded
animal I always believed he had been mar.
ried and hada happy home, but that he had
suffered some great wrong and broodins
over H.
The emigrant family consisted % husband.
wife and three small children. The horses we're
jaded and poor. the wife and children thor
oughly worn out and the husband bitterly re-
pented OF tie enterprise. We were In hard luct
a, Robinson's Bend ius. then. bu, Nc could
spare them little. They had a welcome from
! all but Big Joe He had one of his fts that
dsy and when asked 10 contribute he cursed the
emigrant for fool and hoped him all sorts ~
bad luck. Wife and children were frightenea
by his violent speech and the husband. though
realizing that al the rest of us made him well
| come. hitched MP his team and drove on within
an hour.
An hour before shutdown n courier came into
camp from Washoe Flats. 10 the east. and re
ported another raid BY the Indians. They had
killed three prospectors out from wa-hce. and
he himself had barely escaped Big Joe heard
his statement along with the rect If us. bnt lac
had nothing 20 say. remember that he sat ou
rock chm in HE hand and his eyes the
ground, and when the rest az ne vent 70 sup
| per he still held his place. Tpiight vas COM
| ing down when he arose and walked ~ his
| shanty, and four ar five minutes later he reap
| peared with hrs rife IN hand. His face had Loss
much Of its ugliness by this time. and we dared
TO question HIM.
| 10 see n the rife was in order. I'm goin'
down the trail 90 find that family and bring
EN- back here. The fool erter knowed more
than 20 drive on"
But Won abused him. Joe"
| II didn't mean IL for abuse. Folks hadn't
orter be too mighty sensitive out this wav
You are nice set of men 60 let that fam " 60
driNin' plump into the arms Of the internal red
| skins! Why didn't YOU smooth il over with the
high-strung tenderfootr Why didn't YOU insist
on his stayinggn
We'll go with YOU. Joe-a dozen Of us"
NO; III go alone. IL driv EN- away IN
also bring EN- back. II hurt his feclin's III
| az his pardon"
The emigrants would be camped at the
| spring. three miles away. and they would fall
an easy prey 20 the Indians II attacked We felt
| that We ought TO go along with Joe. but he IN
| sisted on going alone. I believe he meant 10
humbk beg pardon for his rudenes- aud our
| company would have embarrassed him The
night came on DARK and cloudy and ~ a mat
ter OF precautlon we posted sentincis about the
camp. Not one of us slept till past midnight
waiting for Joe 60 return with the family. 10
was plain trail down TO the spring and ID
wouldn't take him three-qusrters Of an
hour TO reach the camp. Allow half an hour
| for hitching up and a full hour for returning
| and they ought 90 have been in by II. We
finally concluded that they had decided TO await
daylight and those not detailed for guard duty
| turned in.
| In the gray Of morning the camp was aroused
by the report that rifle firing had been family
heard in the direction Of the spring. As soon
A. il was light enough TO pick our way twenty.
men started out. We looked for signs OF joe
| OF the wagon all the way down the trail, bus
found nothing. We finally reached the spring,
TO find our worst fears confirmed. The emil,
grants horses lay dead on the grass. their,
throats cut with Indian knives. The wagon.
had been fired and was now pretty well burned
| up. On the grass near the smouldering camp,
fire lay the emigrant. his scalp torn on and
half a dozen arrows brirtling in his dead body
Thirty feet away lay his wife, tomahawked anal
scalped Beside her was the youngest child, lis
head crushed by blow from a war club. An.
the bodies were vet warm. To the south. just,
at the edge OF a thicket and AZ the foot Of lone
| tree, we found Big Joe and the other two chill Z
| dren. When the attack came, or when he reals
| lied that successful Resistance could not be
made, the miner had tried 10 save the little
ones. He had been shot and scalped; the poor
| children had been tomahawked
We had gathered about the body Of Big Joe
horror-stricken at the swift and bloody butch--
cry, when he suddenly opened his eyes aud -s
| could see his chest heave. Water Was brought
up he whispered:
| Were they all wiped out?"
Yes, every one but you"
II couldn't get him TO so back" he sasreA
n. 81.