The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-01-30

| wife and was ii love at first sight or
did your affection for each other grow
| by acquaintance" asked the reporter.
I'm 1876, 1 was a scout under Col
onel Davidson of the Sixth cayalery at
Fort Hays and a lot of men were en-
gagged in working on the Kansas Pa
| cific. One night they were surprised
| by a band of KioWas, ComDaanches
and Cheyenne Indians, and every mule
and horse was taken, as well as the
| scrapers. You see the Indians had
| come 10 the determination that they
would stop railroad building, and they
carried off the scrapers and drug many
| Of them clear through the state Of
Kansas TO their reserva ton.
Colonel Davidson gave me seven
men and told me to follow the Indians
and try and get the mules back. We
followed the trail and came upon the
! Indians on the Washita river. We
| found a lot of the mules still hitched
10 the scrapers and 1 was about 10
strike a trade with them for the re-
turn Of the mules. The government Of
ficers having promised TO pay them for
all the property they would return.
When We were surprised by a band Of
COmmanches coming into camp who
negro soldiers and that 1 had betrayed
the Indians by leading the soldiers
This settled the case and l was pTOunc-
ed upon and about 10 be killed. You
see was alone. l told them the story
was lie, but they We're hot and were
about to kill me, when Chief Stone
threw himself between the Indians and
myself and said he would die before
they should kill me-
This was a surprise and they were
keep off and a band of Indians sent
back on my trail TO see whether or
not L was followed. From that time
a friendship sprung up between me
and the chief and L always made his
tepee my headquarters when in their
camp.
There 1 met my wife, and soon we
began TO throw sleeps eyes at each
other, and finally / went TO KOho and
got her TO act as my godmother. My
wife's mother and her agreed upon
eight horses and gave them TO KohO.
She, tied them one night around Chief
Stones tepee. The next day L found
them in the chiefs herd and that night
1 had a new tepee of my own and there
found the best woman in the world,
according to my way of thinking and
she became my wife, and is so 10 this
day.
When the allotment was made my
wife and children each secured a deed
TO $50 acres of land. We have seven
children, all bright and intelligent and
I am having them thoroughly edu-
Gated.
"At the present time I have 1850
acres all under good fence, ten miles
from Taloga, in D county. 1 have
over 800 acres under the plow, a good
house and barn, 200 head of horses and
over a thousand head of cattle, and
more hogs than I can count. The
woods are full Of hogs and they keep
fat on the mast and if you will come
down and spend a week with me
will give you all the meat you want of
the finest in the land.
Il want you 10 come down with Mr.
Price in about month and let me
show you some of the relics l have in
my room there. I have been a govern
ment scout, interpreter and guide ever
since 1868. 1 want TO show you the
skin of the Indian who shot my leg
so badly that l had to have it ampu-
tated and over 200 mOmentoes that
were given me by different officers and
men who claimed they were indebted
TO me"
In this way the famous scout keeps
on relating circumstance after circum-
stance until the reporter had sufficient
to make a book, much of which was Of
local interest and correcting many err
roneOus impressions as to life upon the
frontier, but it will have to be aold at
another time.
Mr. Chapman is not only one of the
best known scouts in the west, but
he has a head on him similar, he says.
TO a tar bucket, i. e., when an idea
strikes him it stays. He says that
when he dies it will be by drowning.