The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-09-19

! them by signs that if they survived
they would be given their liberty. This
i was but an added cruelty, for to pro-
long the entertainment they were per-
mitted to make the running the first
! time with little harm, then were
brought back amid the laughter and
I jeers of the squaws to endure the or
deal again. One of the two prospectors
| said to his fellow prisoners that there
was no hope. and he would end it
! there. So when the signal was given
! for them to recomn1ence the run this
man savagely attacked one of the
/ bucks and fought so furiously that he
Was moi torn away from the In
I dian until his skull had been cleft with
! a Ratchet, and the quick death which
| he coveted was his
The rest of the story Benjamin does
not like to tell, and indeed it is not fit
to be told in its entirety. The other
! prospector was at once bound and
| turned over to the women and chill
dren. They did nothing to him that
would kill him at once, and when he
tainted from the awful agonies they
inflicted upon him., they would revive
him with cold water, only to commence
new and more ingenious tortures. FL
nally.it was evident that his mutilated,
quiveTing body would not retain life
much longer, so the younger members
of the band got about him, smoking
and laughing at his frightful shrieks,
and fed a slow fire that was kndled
on his stomach.
The next day and the one after that
Benjamin supplied the fun for the
camp. A comedy young sqraw came
to him and tried to make him open us
mouth. He saw her purpose was evil,
and refused, so she took a Ratchet, and
one by one knocked his teeth in,
smashing down his upper jaw. Then
she took a rough pair of wooden pinceTs
and grasping with them his tongue at
1 the roots, dragged him about the
place, conYulSed With mirth at his tor
ment and his attempts to scream.
Another pleasantly was to mass a
quantity of glowing charcoal on strip
of damp bark and bind it about his
head When he would SWoon the Goals
would be removed and fresh lot ap-
piled when he regained consciousness
They were somewhat tender with MN,
for he was the last prisoner they had,
and he made such sport for the women
and children that his death was to be
as long drawn out as possible.
The squaws had great fun breaking
his feet This they call bastinette,
which is presumably term they got
from the French Voyageurs- 10 DO TINS
he was staken down to the earth and
the Soles of his feet we're dubbed until
every one of the innumerable little
bones were broken and the flesh re-
duced to a jelly.
When this occupation palled he was
. stal1ed out on q. red amt h4ll. This ne
: describes as the most atrocious agony
! of all, for it WIS gradually being eaten
alive. He cannot tell how long he en-
dured it, but it seemed cycles until ne
tainted. He was removed before he
} was vitally injured, and the remainder
of the second day he was tortured IN all
ina ginable ways, his cries causing the
utmost joy to young and old. The next
day there were signs that the Indians
intended to break camp. Benjamin was
| shot full of arrows where they would
! not at once produce a mortal wound.
One big buck thrust a flint spear head
through his thigh, and thus firmly
pinned him more firmly to the ground,
because he squirmed at some of the
} Undesirable atrocities, and one OF the
squaWs, as a parting rernem eT,anee,
cleft his chin with q. hatchet. All this
time of agony, it must be remembered,
he was suffering from the bullet in his
head, and it is still there, forming a
great protuberance.
"Why do not you have it cut out?''
he was asked.
"THhe doctors would charge me S25. :
he answered, and l have never been
, able to spare the money"
= [
could desire for him was to put him
2 again ON the ant hill and leave him
there, to be deyoured in minute par
ticleS.
He lay there, shrieking, praying for
: death, when of a sudden there was the
wild whoop of cowboys, the crack OF
six-sflooters and Buffalo Bill, with his
{ band of scouts, rode yelling down on
> the Indians II was hand to hand fol-
! a few moments One plucky rider
plunged ia where Benjamin lay, cut The
| thongs that bound him, pulled MIN
, away from the ants and put six
shooter into his hand The poor Wretch
4 could not rise-in fact. hardly had the
mower to cock the weapon; but nav
ing done that, watched the ARRAY, in
: tending to kill himself if his rescuers
! were Worsted. But they won. and moi
= one of Standing Elk's band made thel1
! escape.
The mangled, suffering prospecbol
: was tenderqy cared for by the frontiers
6 men and as quickly as possible he was
q | seTlt to Cheyenne and given the beSl
of medical care. But the ordeal had
g been too much to endure; his nervous
: system was shattered his mind gave
9 way for a time and he was placed lr
+ a. retreat. His feet We're skillfully
y patced up, but the awful way in whlcf
: they were mangled can be judged by
| the accompanying photograph, Whlcf
n shows their condition u years after thf
6 torture.
= Manned and wrecked, with no re
sources. and wife and children to care
n for, his outlook was dreary. But Ben
4 ianin has faith in himself and IN tins
e country which gave him birth, and II
n his own words believes that IAN Amer
lean can never Ise downed as long as
4 he draws breath" He at once wen1
q to work, and since the recovery OF MS
d faculties he has not known an idle day
: In San Francisco he met Jim . BINen
}. and from him obtained employment for
: a. time. Then he lived in San Diego anC
: kept a little fruit store Some months
2 ago he came TO Los Angeles, where hF
now works as an expressmaT. he mas
V a wagon and stands on the southwes
n corner of Broadway and Fourth streets
a His boys help him and he works yer!
: hard, hobbling painfully about on nj:
: heels. for l1escannot put his weight OF
t the soles of his feet, and so he make!
t enough to keep the wolf, Which rs more
) cruel and relentless than the Sioux
Il from his door.
e He tried once to get a pension from
Il the government, but Uncle Sam was no
d feeling generous then and took refug'
L behind the technicality that he was no
d entitled TO relief because he was not al
s enlisted man.
ASSESSMENT NOTICE.
e ALPINE MINING COMPANY.-Isoca