The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-09-06
TRAGEDY AND ROMANCE.
A College-Bred Man on the Track o.
Indians,


81 have seen a great deal Of the indian
country and of the Indian race, but have
never seen anything to equal in both
tragedy and romance an incident that &C.
Cured near Topeka, Kan, in the very
early COS
This remark was made. the other day
by b. T. Metcalf. a southwestern eattie
man. VINO was visiting friends IN st,
Louis.
There was" he said. q great deal of
cattle driving through that section of the
country, and one of the favorite camping
places was on the south side of the Shu-
nunGanunga creek, about three miles
south of Topeka. was there few years
ago, and the Shununganunga had de-
generated into nothing more than hog
wailow. but at the. time of WHICH 1 SPEAK
there was originally plenty of water IN
the stream, plenty OF timber along its
| banks and the best of grazing-and p!enty
of it as it was used There was little
local demand upon it, and the herds that
night. Many emigrant trains passed
through there at the same time, and they
Also made that place their camping
ground whenever 1T could be made con-
venient A short way back from the
creek was the farmhouse of old man Gar
rison. And ne had the possession OF a
we'll that was known to everybody pass
ing through that part of the country.
But to come back to my first remark,
| about the tragedy and its romance. 1t Is
the most striking one in all or my history
1
have been in that business all Of my Afe,
and would scarcely know what to do
without connection with it. No; L don t
! wear high heeled boots when | come to
! civilization, but do in the land of boots
| and high heels. 1 have now just come
| from the east and this matter is recalled
| in Philadelphia. You often near it said
| that college bred boys know q great deal
| about athletics. get some learning, but
! that when 1T comes to real nerve tney
! do not possess the least bit of it. This
may be true in some cases but there are
! exceptions to all rules. This was the
case with one of my men on the trip or
| drive OF which | am speaking mad
with me on that occasion a man who
| could so into many OF the dead languages,
| but he was one of the most valuable OF
ali OF the men in my stan. do not care care
Jack" That is as good name as any
other, and you will see later why do
not want to give him his proper name;
were all looking forward TO the camp
on the banks of the Shununganunga- We
had taken turns at stopping off at old
man Garrison's well before crossing the
creek and going into camp Jack ard !
| were the first to reach the opposite side
of the crossing. as we had grown to be
as possible The sight that met US was
something l shall never forget.
There, just outside the timber, was
one OF the typical covered wagons of the
man. his skull split wide. open. On the
other side was the body of q boy. the top
of his skull almost cut Off There had
been no scaiping. and we were at a loss
to place the blame for the murder, for
murder there had plainly been All
| thought CT our herd of cattle had left
US, and just as we began looking over
the ground more closely a little mead
came out of the bushes or the edge of the
timber. He solved the mystery at once
The body, Of the man was that OF !, ms nj:
The slayerS were three Indians. who mad
come 20 the wagon to beg. They had
escaped to the bushes unseen and had
witnessed the killing of his father and
brother, the ransackng of the wagon an6
the carving off of his mother and ar
infant daughter.
I'VE consoled the boy as best we eouid
when Jack spoke ~:
those cut throats?
Jack L replied you do not have
any idea what you are doing There arc
three men against one-three Indians
who have already committed murder ano
w'ao ell IN stop ct nothing, /, n+orn,n+o,
Neither will I. All | want is your leave
Go. Jack replied. and as soon a.
the boys come up viii leave the boy anG
the cattle in their charge and follow YOU.
4 He was off like a fash. 1t was an houl
before L could get the rest OF my stuff To-
getner accuafnt them with the circun
stances, turn the boy over to them ant
follow Jack.
HE had ridden like the wind, apparent
". and it was with difficulty that fol
lowed his trail. He had followed thost
three Indians. had shot one. had WOUNDED
one of the others and was graphing will
the third and the wounded one when
reached him Together we made shor
work of them. But it was a chase @
about so miles.
THE widow and the babe we brough
back, and met the herd. The boys ha'
buried the father and the son, and hat
brought the boy with them. Jack say
the two bodies more respectfully interre1
and escorted the. widow and her tw,
children east. And on the trip east. from
which l have Just returned l met him
married to the widow and her two child
rem rearer to usefulness. and with
family of his own that is proving yer,
much to his credit. st. L outs Republic