The Durham daily globe. (Durham, N.C.) 1889-1894, 1893-05-13
THE FAT MAN SAVED THEM.
Story Of a Party of Pioneers who All Eut
Perished on the Plains.

pioneer of fifty years experience. prob
ably knows more about the west and
its development than any other living
man. Having spent all his life in the
west he has seen it grow from a wilder
ness into the highly-developed and
thickly-populated country it is to-day.
In 1922 Col. Majors, then a lad of ten
years, was living with his father in
Jackson county, Mo, on a farm which
is now the site of Kansas City. Then
this country vas the frontier, and there
were only a few farmhOuses where now
stands the great city. Twelve miles
away was independence, the farthest
frontier own.
I'm the spring of '22." said Col. Ma
jors, "a farmer living near US named
James Cockrell. an uncle of Senator
COckrell, started out to cross the plains
for the Rocky mountains, where he
hoped to catch enough beaver in the
mountain streams to bring in a little
cash, which was extremely scarce in
those days. Cockrell was not heard of
for two years. At the end of that time
he returned with enough beaver skins
TO bring him Sl,4O0. COckrell also
brought back a weighty silver-mine
secret. He had discovered what he
supposed to be a wonderful silver mine.
He organized a party to return, seek
out the treasure and bring back loads
of untold wealth.
My father, benjamin Majors, was
among the twenty farmers who Joined
the expedition and set out for the
Rockies. After a long, weary journey
the mountains were reached and a few
days search discovered the mine.
"All the pack-horses were loaded
with the precious ore and the miners
started on the return journey. The
first two or three hundred miles of the
return trip lay through country swarm
ing with Indians and buffalo. Every
night several Of the party were left on
guard to see that the Indians did not
get away with our horses.
Zone night when they had Just ar
rived at the western border of Kansas.
four hundred miles from home, the In
dams sneaked upon them. A lot of
them crawled along on the ground and
so steathily did they steal between the
pickets that before anyone was awak-
ened they were in the middle of the
camp. Such w%hooping and yelling was
never heard, but before the campers
were wide awake the Indians were off.
having stampeded every horse, both
pack and saddle.
The travellers were left in a terrible
state. They were four hundred miles
from home, winter was fast coming on
their clothes and shoes were almost in
shreds from mountain usage, there was
nothing to eat and nothing to cook
with. All they possessed was their
guns, ammunition and blankets, under
which they were sleeping. They had
no provisions whatever, and it was four
hundred miles to coffee, sugar and
bread. 1t was a terrible distance, but
they bravely set out. There was one
mar in the party named Clark Davis,
who weighed two hundred and seventy
five pounds. His flesh was an awful
burden to carry. 1t seemed as though
they would have to leave him on the
plains to perish. His clothes rubbed
the skin from his flesh. and his feet be-
came so swollen he could scarcely walk.
He could not keep up in the march, and
someone would have to remain behind
and bring him as fast as he could travel.
And the two would trudge into camp
long after the others had stopped for
the night.
AT first they managed to live very
well. There was plenty of buffalo and
the pioneers shot enough to furnish
plenty of meat. They roasted the meat
in the fire. but had to eat it without
the luxury of salt or other seasoning.
But finally even the buffalo became
scarce and finally disappeared alto
gethde. Meanwhile the fat man had
improved vastly. He had become Injured
to the hardship of all day tramping
and he could keep up with the process
sion. Scarcer grew the game and a
new fear grew daily on the unfortunate
men-the fear of starvation increased
every day. Then it was that the fat
mans adipOSe tissue came to his res
cue. 1t was a reservoir of reserve
force, supporting him while the others
were starving. And the fat which the
rest had once believed would cause his
proved the salvation Of the whole
party.
They were nov fearfully reduced
and emaciated. They lived on roots
and any little prairie animals they
could catch. AT last they reached tim
Der again, but were able to go no Sar-
Their. Davis took up his gun and said
he would never come back until he had
something. In a few moments
two shots brought glad tidings. Davis
had killed two deer and so |
were the poor men that they devoured |
parts of the animals raw. From this
food supply they obtained enough
strength to finish their journey.
Many a day for years ! heard them
recount the perils and h~ardships of this
never-tO-be-forgotten Journey Chi
News.
Pictures in Stones.
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