River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1893-05-18
THE FAT MAN SAVED THEM.
Story OF Party Of Pioneers Who All But
Peri-hed on the Plains.

THE FAT MAN SAVED THEM.
Story OF Party Of Pioneers Who All But
Perished ON the Plains.
Col. Alexander Majors, western
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 il grow from a wilder
Less into the highly-developed and
thicklv-populated country il i to-day.
In ls22 Col. Majors. then a lad Of ten
years. was living with his father in
jackson county. No. on farm which
il now the site of Kansas City Then
this country was the frontier. and there
were only few farmhouses where now
stands the great city. Twelve miles
away was Independence. the farthest
frontier town.
In the spring of ~ said Col. Ma
jOrs. a farmer living near MS named
James Cockrell. an uncle of Senator
Cockrell, started out To cross the plains
for the Rocky mountains, where ne
hoped 10 catch enough beaver in the
mountain streams 10 bring in little
cash. which was extremely scarce i'm
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 400 Cockrell also
brought back a weightv silver-mine
secret. lie had discovered what he
supposed to h. a wonderful silver mine.
lie 0,ganized a party To return. seek
ont 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 long. weary journey
the mountains were reached and a few
days search discovered the mine
"All the paclx-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.
''One night when they had lust ar
rived at the western border of Kansas.
four hundred miles from home. the In
dams sneaked upon them. \ lot of
them crawled along on the ground and
SO steathily did they steal between the
pickets that before anyone was awalI-
ened they were in the middle of the
camp. such whooping and yelling was
never heard. hut 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 il was four
hundred miles to coffee. sugar and
bread. 1t was "A terrible distance. but
they hravely set out There was one
man in the party named Clark Davis.
who weighed two hundred and seventy
FIVE pounds. His flesh was an awful
burden To carry. II 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 - swollen ne could scarcely walk
lie 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 il without
the luxury of salt or other seasoning.
But finally even the buffalo became
scarce and finally disappeared alto
gether. 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
new fear grew daily on the unfortunate
men-the fear of starvation increased
every day. Then il was that the fat
mans adipose tissue came to his res
cue. II 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
death proved the salvation of the whole
party.
They were now fcarfully reduced
and cmaciated. They lived on roots
and any little prairie animals they
could catch At last they reached tim
her again, but were able to 20 no far
Their Davis took up his gun and said
he would never come back until he had
caught something. In a few moments
two shots brought glad tidings. Davis
bad killed two deer and 50 ravcnous
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 day for years ] heard them
recount the perils and hardships of this
neyer-to- be-forgotten journey. - Chi.
ago News.