The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1892-04-23
SQUIRE MACK'S ESCAPE.
A Story OF Adventure on the
Western Frontier.

In the town In which 1 live there Is
IN 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 recounting.
At the breaking out of the civil war
he was making shingles near some
mining town in 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"
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 80 with Mack. He was OF the
sort of men who are bound to 90
through when they have begun a
thing. He pressed on, taking his
SAA0oSSoS OA WIG NUClOkee lT8ll.
Mack had been wagon-master along
this trail and knew the ground well.
He 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 q good friend
In the person of Bat Lavigne, an old
Frecch-C Canadian trader who lived here.
Lavigne had = great deal of influence
among the surrounding tribes of Utes,
Uintahs, Cheyennes and Arapahoes.
He was married to an Arapaho woman,
and was reckoned q member of that
tribe. He must be aware of the move
ment of the Indians .
80 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
at shutdown. Lavigne made him wei
come heartily.
The trader told him that big war
party of Arapahoes had 'smixed
medicine" at Green River two days be-
fore, and had set out from there upon
nm 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 II they had not, the
trail would be extremely dangerous.
But there were no other Indians to
be feared at present, he said, il one
kept straight upon the old Cherokee
trail, which passed over O line of
neutral ground between the mountain
tribes II the Arapahoes were again
TO 20 plundering and killing whites, as
they had done a 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 60 back or go ahead He
had now NO doubt that the building
had been burned by the Arapahocs,
and that they had not excepted white
blood" IN making up their protective
Wed,cine