The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-06-04
THE FAT MAN SAVED THEM.
Story of Party of Pioneers who All But
Perished on the Plains.

Perished on the Plains.
Col Alexa ntler 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 grow from wilder
ness into the highly-developed and
thicklv-populatcd country it IS to-day.
In 1922 Col Majors. then a lad of ten
years. was living with his father in
Jackson county, Mo-. OF a farm which
is 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 49," said Col Ma
James Cockrell. an uncle of Senator
Cockreu, started out to cross the plains
for the Rocky mountains. where he
hoped to catch enough beaver in the
mountain streams TO bring in little
cash, which was extremely scarce in
those days. CoclIreu was not heard Of
for two years. At the end of that time
he returned with enough beaver skins
to bring him s1400 CockrelI also
brought back a weighty siIver-mine
secret. He had discovered what be
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 long, weary journey
the mountains were reached and few
days search discovered the mine.
''All the pack-horses We're 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 We're left on
guard to see that the Indians did not
get away with our horses.
''One night when they had Just ar
rived at the western border of Kansas,
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 tho
camp. Such whooping 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 We're left in 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. II was a terrible distance, but
they bravely 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. 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 Are, bnt had to eat it without
the luxury of salt or other seasoning.
But finally even the buffalo became
scarce and finally disappeared alto
gether 3Jeanwhile the fat man had
improved vastly. He had become Injured
to the hardship of all day trampiRg
and he could keep up with the process
sion. Scarcer grew the game and a
new fear grew daily on the unfortunate
men-:he 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
death proved the salvation OF the whole
party.
They were now fearfullv 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 10 go no far
Their. Davis took up his gun and said
he would never come back until ne had
caught something. In a few moments
two shots brought glad tidings Davis
had killed two deer and so ravenous
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 l heard them
recount the perils and hardships Of this
never-to-be-forgotten journey" - CHI
cago News.
Pictures i'm Stones.
Shakespeare could find tongues n
trees. books in the running brooks. ser