The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-07-15
LETTERS FRoss OFFICIALS IN Tucsos.

INJURED his name, Leon MacNutt. ana
could not at all understand the merTimcnt
in the room when his Questioner turned
with grave, perpieKed. incredulous race u
the two gentlemen in uniform standing
by ana Wcnderingly announced. He says
his names Lay on MacDUn."
Ard that was how the first boy Of our
story came to be hailed thereafter by his
trooper friends as M5cDum instead Of the
patronymlc 70 winch he was enutiea: eVea
cheers, and LADIES seemed 70 ma the t!5ia
more whiTnsically attra cti e than tie Trett
Standardization name Of Leon, by winch
Mrs. Cullen. the captains wife and Ran
OF the soldiers once referred 10 him as thu
Wait Of Apache Canyon, but the big tesrs
that rose to the boys dark eyes at any
reference to the tragedy that left him
alone in the world crushed that would be
witticism in the bud. Without adoption,
either formal or informal, Leon had bs-
come an Innate of Captain Cullens house
hold from the moment Of his arrival IN
Sergeant kellys arms, and there he lived
playmate Tor sixteen months, by which
Tine ne had forgotten his sorrows and had
transferred TO his protectors about all
the measure Of love and gratitude he had
ever felt for his own parents.
And then came changes. For nearly
e year the boys had roamed together over
the .neighborhood hunting, and fishing.
riding their ponies, living 2. healthy, active
outdoor lie except WheE at their lessons
or asleep, and The bord between them
hsd grown stronger ana stronger as the
days went bg. But old Fort Retribution.
which was one of the relics of the great
war of the rebellion, and had been 10
Gated by the volunteers for temporary
occupancy only, was ordered moved from
the hats at the southern side of the range
over to plateau several miles 70 the
east. At the same time the regiment to
which Icons kind friends and protectors
belonged HSS ordered eastward after sew
eTal years of exile. and a new and strange
command was to take its place. Captain
and Mrs. Cullen had done what thew
could for their founding. They fed and
Clothed, taught and cared for. him as they
old tor their own. because Randy had
DeeD plnIng Tor G playmate, and this little
teAew came opportuney into his life
They had furthermore done ali that Law in
thelr power to secure for the orphan slfca
property IS might have been his
father s, nut this proved a difficult task
6 -MacNutt had had partner in his mining
ventures, pat The partner swore stoutly
that Mac hadn't cent in the Wori6 that
WASH swept away in the food of Apache
canyon: he even went so far as IN ls-la~a
that Mac owed him money. and more his
that once. appeared at ketribufion whsn
tlmes were hard at the mines saying he
thought the officers or somebody oiicI,t
70 pay II because they now had Macs bow
as security. he generally compromised
as ne called ii, however, with requests to
be supplied with bacon. -four coffee and
sugar st commissary prices. which v5sra
far less than those at the mines. The
soldiers found out that this man Milnce5r
Dy name. was in bad repute among his
teilow miners, and openly fouted him
when he came among them but fbe Of
Gers, unable TO prove anything conf f~lla9I
70 snow courtesy tc him even though they
Captain Culien's troop marched away
from Retribution in april. 1872 lust as
soon as Captain Raymond's Of the til
cavalry arrived. Mrs Cullen s1G Randy
IN the meantime having been sent await
by stage TO the Colorado and thence nv
steamer around to San Francisco. This
g 7as long before railways were known in
1rlzona. But weeks before the Departure
the troops there arrived Il the old
psf q swarthy little fellow from Tuscon.
fho announced himself as q brother of
te late Mrs. MacNutt and as Leop's
incle. ne had come, he said, to take
1eon back to his mothers people in So
5ora- He brought letters from officials
Ia Tucson which established his claim
MacNutts former partner. the malodor-
A2us Muncey, who came with him The
eficerS and men had no claim upon the
ey other than those of the friendship
1ld supporters-that was all-but Leon
fas by this time far more American
han Mexican, far more Yank than
ereaser," as the men expressed it-and
taken from thenL but he kicked and
scratched and fought like a young bear
cub when finally forced away.
Mrs. Cullen and Randy We're spared
that scene She had been ailiDg a little
as a result eff too long stay on the
flats of old Retribution and had been
taken UP to the mountain perch of Pres
colt for change of air while the packing
going with his mother, sorely aggrieved
because Leon was not included in the
invita- ton sent by the coloneI's wife.
Captain Cullen. probably, was party to
II .eeg Leon always, and the longer the
laf& the harder the parting. Less than
8nen after Icons friend and playmate
bered
80