The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-08-03

! out early developed a cruel maleyclent
disposition that caused him to be great
~ disliked and feared by mis- compan-
ions. This led to his departure from
! home before he had reached the age Of
IS He had genius for cruelty. and
seemed to take an insane delight in
causing his associates pain. In Illus
traton of this trait in Bob'S character,
Mr. McHenry relates an instance in
| rant. 4 remember one day" he says,
i was on my way TO school, which
was at that time taught by a widow,
Mrs Jane Garden, and in going TO her
house passed along the road in front
of old man Crawford's. 1t was in the
summer and the old man only kent
school during the winter season. Bob
was sitting on the woodpile, busily en-
gagged making a cedar bow with his
jack-knife; he was an artist with a
knife even then, and / stopped and
eyed the bow enviously.
Il was about 9 years old at the time
and Bob was three years older. He
saw the longing look il my eyes and
finally said, George, how would you
like to have this bow am making2 It
is going to be beauty. 1 can tell you,
and if you would like to have it l can
tell you how you can earn it l know
my eyes must have danced and my
eagerneSs shown in my face, for of all
things in the world that l lOnged to
possess is was cedar, bow and arrow
Yes / said, / would like to have it.
What must I do to earn it?' Well he
said, I wouldn't take any amount of
money for it, but if you will do as I
tell you l will give it to you. 1t is fine
bow, and it is almost finished
Il agreed with him that il was a
magnificent bow and again asked him
what 1 must do to earn it. He kept
steadily cutting away at it putting on
the finishing touches. At one time
there had been a fence around the
Crawford place, but it had gone to ruin
and all that was left of it was the two
tall old gate posts that stood directly
in front of the house and, perhaps. 100
yards from it. They appeared to be
perfectly sound, but had been honey
combed at the base from the long years
in the soil. Finally he said:
a. Well, it's done. and there amt a
finer bow in east Tennessee. That's
cedar wood and the very best thing in
the world to make bow out Of and
he placed one end on the ground and
sprung it with his knee. He praised
the bow at great length and it seems
TO me now that he was merely work
ing upon my feelings TO be sure Of the
success of his plot. Now, George he
said at last, you see that tallest post
out there I said l did and was all
to do with my getting the bow. Well,
if you'll do just as I say and climb to
the top of that post and set straddle
of it till can run around the house I'll
give you this bow
Il was all eagerness to do as he said.
and started for the post. Wait, you
must take off your hat and roll up your
pants as high as you can You can
climb better if you do, and if you want
this bow you must do as 1 sayl' I rolled
up my pants and took off my hat and
was soon on top of the post. perhaps
II feet from the ground Just as 1 got
well seated straddle the top, Bob
struck the old post a blow with big
stick that shock it from top to bottom,
and then stuck the stick in a large
hole near the base. He had no sooner
done so that he started and ran off a
short distance, then turned and
watched me. I wondered for a second
why he had stopped instead Of going
on around the house as he said, and
then 1 found out. Yellow jackets had
made the old post their home and I
was in the midst of a swarm Of these
most vicious and vindictive insects. I
had been extremely eager to get to the
top of that post, but e2gerneSS doesn't
express the way I wanted to get down.
I just let loose and dropped. Mean
while Bob was laughing Historically at
the plight / was in. Did get the bow?
Why, of course not But I'll say now
that I never felt half as near deaths
door when federal bullets were whist
ling about me as 1 did in that nest Of
yellow jackets
With such a spirit it needs no astrol-
oyer to fortell that Bob would get in
many serious scrapes as ne grew older.
At one time he was appointed a cadet
at West Point and was admitted to
hot fr,-f Jfc -
brief, for he soon managed TO get him.
self into so many scrapes that he was
dishonorably dismissed and returned to
his old home. The records of the West
Point academy win give anyone who
cares to investigate the matter the full
particulars.
Shortly after he left home he was
arrested on a charge of highway rob-
berry, tried, convicted and sentenced to
the penitentiary for short term5
which he served. After he was re-
leased from the penitentiary he was in
many scrapes of a similar nature and
had two or three desperate shooting
and cutting affairs charged up to him,
but managed to get out of them some
way. For several years he was lost
sight of, but at the outbreak Of the
late war he would get a number Of
negroes TO enlist, run them north, and
then furnish substitutes TO those who
could afford to pay for them 1t was
reported that he received as high as
81, 900 apiece for them, but not q dollar
of this money did the negroes ever get.
He raised a company Of artillery a
little later on and enlisted them in the
regular army Of the United States, but
an opportunity presenting itself to get
hold of a large amount Of government
funds, he awaited himself of it and in
was dishonorably dis
missed from the service. The war de-
Dartment records verify this.
About the close Of the war Crawford
got together band of choice spirits OF
his ilk and started on a filtbustering
expedition to Mexico. 1t was reported
that they had crossed the Texas Dor
Ger and sacked a town on the Mexican
side. securing several hundred thou
sand in Mexican securities, and re-
turning TO the United States, where
they disbanded Crawford taking away
he lions share of the spells, which
ne afterwards realized on.
Re is next heard of as the owner OF
he Biddle estate near Philadelphia
He owned yacht, a number ~ fine
horses and lived in a style that 'vould
nave done credit to any Oriental prince
lust why or how he come to go to Tur-
sey is not known, but there are quite
!, number of the one time residents Of
who are firmly convinced
hat Robert Crawford is one and the
,srne with the man called Osman
pasha. who now commands the VIC
.orious armies of his imperial highness,
he sultan of Turkey.
A Candid Response.