The Irish standard., 1896-08-15

GUS threats the yellow flames roared and
crackled sat the mighty mem Of the
Ute nation, with Kit Carson, L. B. Max
well and other celebrated characters of
the border, cOnversfng in the strange,
silent sign language that is so perfect in
its symbolization. But OF those who were
there then all excepting myself are dead,
and the old fort is ruin. ~,
! exit Carson was the most reticent man
concerning his own adventures ever met.
1t required the greatest strategy to get
him to converse on the subject at all,
though he was splendid company except
ing when one wanted him to talk about
himself. / am reminded Of a characters
tic anecdote relating to his dislike to tell
ing anything of himself. It was in July,
1866. L. B. Maxwell then owner of the
immense ranch in New Mexico which still
plains to conquer New Mexico, Maxwell
bears his name, on the 4th Of that month
determined to celebrate the day at his
own fine home BY the premature ex-
plosion of an old cannon brought into Te-
quisition out of it's hiding place under a
group of elms, where it had lain since the
march of General Kearney across the
SC injured his thumb that the army sur
geon at Fort Union decided that the
wounded member must come Oft.
II invited him to make my quarters at
| the fort his, where he could have the
operation quietly done, and also asked
Carson to come with him to assist me in
caring for and entertaining him during
his stay One morning while Kit was
there one Of the officers went down to
the suffers store, which was as we'll the
postoffice, for our mail, the coach which
brought it from the Missouri river having
arrived few moments before. y&
! "While waiting for the letters to be as
sorted the officers eye chanced to rest on
a copy of one of the cheap illustrated
journals lying on the counter. He would
not ordinarily have noticed such a sheet,
but his attention was attracted to it by a
full-page wood cut adorning it's side, one
of those sensational and improbable
scenes for which journals of it's character
are notorious even today. 1t represented
an opening in the forest, in the fore
ground of which stood an immensely tall
man dressed In buckskin, one hand hold
| ing huge rifle, while the other grasped
the waist of woman who was elegantly
attired---the conventional woman of such
sheets-in lace and flounces.
t'In front Of this impossible woman, ly-
ing flat on the ground, were seven or
eight savages, presuma bly, killed by the
remarkab BILE hero in defense Of the more
remarkable woman. The legend at the
bottom of the crude sketch, in large type,
related how Kit Carson, at some time in
the remote days of his youth, had accom-
plished the mighty deed. 1t so amused
the officer that he bought a copy Of the
paper and brought it to my quarters,
showing it to all of us in turn. When
Kit got hold of it he looked at it intently
for few seconds, read the legend, then
handing,,i to Maxwell, smilingly re-
marked: y ~
"'well, gentlemen, that thar may be
true, but I. hain't got no recollection of
it,
t'The absurd illustration drew Kit out
and he reltaed severar amusing anecdotes
which had occurred during his eventful
career Of forty years on the plains and in
the mountains, one of which remember
we'll. He said that in the summer of 1915
he with one or two old trappers left
Bcnt's fort for Bald Buttes, thirty miles
north of there, where there was plenty of
buffalo and plenty of chances for bear or
otter. They had with them a thoroughly
green Irishman. It was his first season
on the plains, and, of course, he was very
anxious to become a good hunter, and
in little while he got his initial lesson.
"He was told by the men and Carson,
who was the leader, that every man who
went out after game was to bring some in.
ONeill, green one, said he was willing to
abide by the orders and would start out
that evening. He caught up his rifle and
made for small herd of mountain buffa-
10. in full view of all, few hundred yards
from where they stood watching him.
After O'Neil had gone and was beyond
their vision on account of a low divide"
which he had crossed, they heard the
discharge of rifle ip the distance and in
few minutes that gentleman came run
ming into camp, bareheaded, without his
gun and buffalo bull close after him.
Both were going at their level best,
O'Neil shouting like a madman:
"s Here we come, be jaber5. Stop us
for the love of God!'
"Just as they came in among the tents,
the bull not more than six feet behind the
Irishman, who was frightened out of his
wits. and blowing like locomotive, his
toe caught in rope and over he went
into a puddle of water, and in his fall
turned over Several kettles, one of which
con ntained the supper for the whole outfit.
But the buffalo did not get off so easily,
for sShawness jake and Carson snatched
their guns and t1lmbled the aimal over
before he had done any further mischief.
"The Irishman was heartily laughed at
after he got out of the water for lot of
mountain men will show no mercy to one
Of their number with misfortune of this
character. O'Neil stood there with wet
clothes and face covered with mud but his
mother wit came to him at once. He
said: BE jabers, yez may laugh, but yez
can't say I didn't carry out me orders.
For sure, haven't I fetched the mate into
camp, and there was no bargain whether
it be dead or alive at alp
Carson also told of a certain old trap
per called :Peg-leg Smith, who received
his sobriquet from the fact of his having
a wooden leg, having lost his limb in a
fight with the Crows many years before.
He was stoutly built man, with black
eyes and gray hair. He was a hard
drinker, and when under the influence OF:
liquor WAS liable to get into trouble.
When he found himself in a light corner
his wooden leg was very serViceable to
him, as he had a way of taking 1t. off
quickly, and when welded in his muscu-
lar hands IT was weapon to be dreaded.
His love Of whisky killed him. he died in
SEt, M -