The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-02-01
GIVES HIS VERSION
SCOTT CHAPMAN TTLLS STORY OF
RRANT'S DEATH.

he Saws the Noted Desperate Died of
Typhoid Fever Near Wichita and That
Deputy United States Marshals Removed
the Body From the Grave and Told
They had Killed Him in a Pitched Bat
4,a Tho Government Paid $1,000 Re
ward-How the Wrong Version Got Out
WHY He Did Not Claim the Reward.
Captafn Amos Chapman declares Inat
me government was beat out Of $5,Oo0
nv the United States depa1ty marshals
claiming they had killed Charles Bent
the noted desperadoe in q pitchedbattle'
nvb4r, If was a fact that the man died OF
tv-s1o&d fever in a camp near where
t31,,ff C,itv now stands. Continuing, he
said:
Every old Kansan viii renenper
Charles Bent, a half blood Indian, ana
. 5eenarado VINO was more renowned
Y,anr eyer Jesse James was for his dar-
Ire deeds. In 1867 / was acting as
scout for Colonel Yard at Fart Lar
nd when. one day an Indian came TO
me and handed me a note looked at
the writing and saw 1t was signed oy
the noted desperate. The note request
ed me to come to him and bring some
ouinira and whisky. Here was a cn2nce
that many a scout would have Iaieh
down on. [ knew where TO find the man
who was sought after so much. l couId
rake with me all the soldiers at the foEt
II necessary and have secured ms ar
rest as well as the reward, but 10 nave
done so would have rendered ne useless
for future use as scout. II l had met
Charley Brant on the prairie, and nave
killed him outright, 1t would nave Deeh
all right with the Indians, but 70 come
no his bedside and then to have betray-
ed hiw would have branded me with
every tribe on the plains.
II had hunted the man for months,
and now that I had found him L dare
not sneak. And for the resolution l
made that day while lightning up my
saddle girt owe my present prosperity
and usefulness.
81 went to Colonel Yard and request
ed him to let me off for two weeks as L
wished to take a trip down on the Dor
der and see how the land laid He
beg me not to go, saying II was almost
certain death to attempt to go there
while the Indians were so bad. l in
sisted and he gave his permission.
81 got me some whisky and quinine
and started for the camp where [ ar
rived in two days. When L got there
Charley was almost gone, but 1 gave
him a toddy and he revived and was
able to talk. He was very grateful to
me for coming and before he died he
gave me much valuable Information
and 1t was through information gained
here that l was able to save General
Sheridan's life.
''TThe next day Charley Brant died,
and we buried him in a grave on Bluff
creek His last request was that J
would not tell of his death, as he did
not want the deputy United States mar
f;hals dragging his body around.
kept that promise, but when 1 came re-
turned from the stake plains where I
came upon Sheridan just IN time to keep
him from going into a. prepared trap,
what was my surprise to find that the
marshals had dug UP his body and had
secured the reward, while the papers
were filed with praise of the brave men
who had killed the bravest desperate
end Indian guide IN the west. They
had only dug up his body, and 1 am
eoTy to say that even General Dodge
gives them credit for killing in a hard
Fought battle, the man who instead,
was dug from grave. General Dodge
WAS greatly mortified about the matter
when 1 told him the truth, but his IA
nous book had gone to press.
Charles Brant was the only white
man who was ever permitted to stay
with the Indians when they went on
the warpath. You read about white
men leading Indians, but is 1T all bosh.
have always been told to skip when
they started out, and know this TO DE
a fact
Il win tell you the next time my full
history from the time l began at IL
years of age with General Sheridan N
April, 1865, and tell you all about how
General Custer met his death. As you
know, l was there. but there is much
important unwritten history left IN
1old.'