The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-10-25
CALAMITY JANE, BOOK AGENT.
She Is the Last of the Women Scouts
and Was Terror.
From the Baltimore American.


From the Baltimore American.
A woman who has killed more than five
score of Indians, who has met and con-
quered a dozen bad men and has been in
more deadly rows than falls to the lot of
a hundred average men, is now earning
living as a book agent. This is Calamity
Jane. Bret Harte made her famous in
'"The Luck of Roaring Camp" but the
woman pictured by the novelist and the
real Calamity Jane are quite different per-
sonages.
Many people have supposed that Calam-
ity Jane never existed, except in the imag-
ination of the writer. But she does exist
and at this particular time she is tramp
ing from house to house in Helena, Mont,
selling a book-a book she wrote herself
and about herself. AS a literary gem, it
will never create furore among posterity,
but this does not bother the authoress; all
she aspires to is a sale sufficient to clothe
and feed herself until something better
turns up. She freely acknowledges that
she delved into literature only as a final
resource. She was face to face with pow
erty so she wrote her book. Moreover, she
wants to educate her daughter, and if the
sales are numerous enough this will be
DONE
The real Calamity Jane is a woman of A
years, weighing less than 1875 pounds, and
about feet inches in hight. She has
gray eyes, brown hair, a wea ther- beaten
face and an ordinary raw-boned figure.
There is nothing remarkable about her,
as far as looks go, but, as she says, when
1t comes down to cold cases, l am there.
This vague remark may mean a great va
riety of things, but its literal meaning Is
that when danger comes her way she
won't funk
In private life she is Mrs. Clinton Burke,
having married a gentleman of that name
at Eel Paso, Texas, some ten years ago.
Her maiden name was Martha Canary.
She was born in Princeton, Mo-, in 1852.
and while baby her mother died. When
10 years of age her father took her to Vir-
ginia City New, where the widest spirits
of the west both red and white, congrega-
ted From the first she was thrown in
contact with men of the desperate type,
and shooting scrapes were ordinary events
in her life. Naturally, she learned to
shoot and to look out for her own welfare,
for in that reckless community 1t was
quite necessary that woman should be
able to take care of herself as well as
| man.
In one of the constant scrimmages with
the Indians her father was killed, and the
family was broken up. Martha had to
shift for herself, and, as all she could do
was to ride and shoot, she got position
as scout under Gen. Crook. This was not
a rare thing among frontier women in
| those days They knew the ways of the
Indians better than the trained soldiers
| from the east, and as they expected no
favors on account of their sex. they were
as efficient in the work as men.
Martha Canary soon worked up to a
| leadership among these women. She was
but 10 when she first became govern
ment scout, and had all the audacity OF
| youth. Besides she was absolutely fear
| less, and had nerves OF rock. Nothing
was too hazardous for her to undertake.
| and in a few years she had a reputation
| for reckless courage which made her con-
spicuous among people where that quality
was common.
To recount the number of ARRAYS in
| which she figured would be a long task
| She earned her title Of Calamity Jane by
| a bit of galantry deserving Of handsomer
| recognition. 1t was during Clusters Neg
| Perez campaign In 1S72-'7S. Wherever Gus
| ter was there was always plenty Of fight-
| ing, and as fighting was her hobby, Ca
| lamity Jane was there, too
One OF the small scrimmages OF this
| campaign Is called the Battle Of Goose
Creek Camp. A company of soldiers, COM
manded by young captain named Egan,
| were surprised and surrounded by In
| dams, and the soldiers were getting the
| worst or II. Calamity Jane was outside
| the circle Of Indians watching the fight
and when her experienced eye told her
that 1t was only n question of minutes
| when the soldiers would be wiped out.
| she managed to work her way safely
through the Indians to her comrades on
reaching that point she discovered that
| the captain was wounded and the SOL
diers demoralized. There was only one
good horse left and getting the captain
across the saddle, she got up behind him
and then cut loose. She knew the coun-
try better than the pursuing Indians, and
managed to reach a point of safety. The
diversion she created by the escape gave
a few Of the soldiers chance to get
away, but the bulk Of them were massa-
cred IL WAS Omit Enan who rnun hor