The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1892-02-20
SQUIRE MACK'S ESCAPE.
a Story Of Adventure on the
Western Frontier.

In the town in which l 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 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 "states"
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 men who are bound. to- GO
through when they have begun a
thing. He pressed on, taking his
chances, on the Cherokee Trail"
Mack had been wagon-mastera along
this trail, and knew the ground well
He had heard that the Indians were
raiding about Green river, hut he
Ashew that at the crossing of the trail
over this strealn he had good friend
SnPthe person of Bat Lavigne, an old
'&reNch Canadian trader who lived here.
Lavigne had great deal of influence
among the surrounding tribes of ties,
Uintahs, Cheyenncs and Arapahoes.
He was married to an Arapaho woman,
and was reckoned member of that
tribe. He must be aware of the move.
ment of the Indians.
So Mack, riding an excellent cayuse
and leading a good-szed pack mule,
pushed boldly on to Green River
Crossing, and brought up at Bat
Lavigne's abode dwelling one evening
at Sundown. Lavigne made him wei.
come heartily
1he 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
Toe feared at present he said, if one
kept straight upon the old Cherokee
trail, which passed over line OF
neutral ground between the mountain
tribes. If the Arapahoes were again
10 go 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 freC
he Indians. If people had been living
in it, they had probably been killed OF
Gs1lIen prisoners.
Whether the Indians had gone Mack
could not determine. The ground was
bard and baked, and no tracks of any
s0rt could be discovered; but the party
could not be far distant
Mack piclseted his animals among
some sage bush near at hand, and ate his
noon lunch while considering whether
NJ was best 10 go back or go ahead. lie
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.
AS he sat in this meditative mood
Che traveller, happening to cast his eyes
back upon the trail over which he had
come, saw two horsemen leading pack
animals, and riding toward him ut q
eyallop.
They proved TO be young men who
were on their way home to Tennessee.
They had heard of Mack at Lavigne's
three days before, and had been trying
TO ovcrtAke him.
They, too, were on their way east
ward TO take part in the great strug
gle then going forward; but they in
tended to join the southern army,
while he was going 10 join the union
forces.