Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-04-17
TRAILING INDIAN THIEVES.
Capture Of Red Hen, and Their Sub
Ssqusnt Escape
ma I,s,nu Huied-How Indian Ven.
geancs for Iti- Death was
Avtrted.
To the Editor;

and help was asked TO recover II, as
Fort Johnson was too weak to retake II
,lone and at the same time leave men
enough at home to protect the families
About dozen men went to their assist
apce from Parowan, the writer being |
among the number, and party oil some
fifteen men Immediately left Fort john
sen. following the trail OF tue Indians
Progress in pursuit was much retarded
at times by reason of losing the uaii'
the thieves, according 10 their custom.
endeavoring to conceal II, ana wneh iost
It was absolutely necessary TO recover u
IL would be waste OF time 10 try to iol-
low a marauding band ora war party ex-
cept as guided by their trail, as they en-
nloy all their stragy to elude pursuit.
To recover a lest trail it was necessary
TO scatter a little distance apart and
closely scan every inch Of ground be-
tween, watching for signs, which to an
impracticed eye would be without
significance, as for instance a twig lately
broken, a pebble lately displaced-a
spear Of grass trampled or bent. Some.
times for quite a distance the gro und
was so hard that an OK would leave no
visible track, In such case the only
thing 10 do was TO follow course which
we ourselves would pursue il we, and
not the Indians, were trying to escape,
until such time as the trail could be
found again. will here remark that
constant practice had rendered many oil
our young men very expert trailers, equal
TO those OF Cooper inbls "LeatherstoeS-
ing Tales"
After many miles we found that the
stolen stock, driven most OF the time on
the run, mad become tired, and the
indians had repeatedly shot arrows into
them, not so as to seriously injure them,
but to hasten their movements, and now
and then we found arrows BY the trail as
t7ey dropped from the skin OF poor
beasts.
AT length we saw some ravens clrcling
high above a small rocky hill, and sur
missed the stock had been killed near by
or was hidden there. Fastening to the
place we found we were right, for Il
careful search disclosed the meat Of the
stolen stock ounningly hidden in cavity
of the rocks and so well covered by fiat
stones, that if we had not been told by
the ravens we never would have sus-
pec,ed the fact.
AS the Indians had scattered the party
was divided, part 10 scout the county
north of the Iron Mountain and the rest
to scout south OF it. Each man took a
big piece Of beef and tied it 10 his sad
die as the only chance ior suppsr.
Our party secuted the south OF Iron
Mountain, and late at night campsd at
the Iron Spripg--the scene OF many a
bloody deed OF the without
having seen any sign OF Indians; and
next day we returned to Fort Johnson,
where we found the rest OF our party,
who had had a much more exciting ex-
perience.
They had suddenly come UPON some
Indians and boy of eight or nine years,
hidden in bunch OF willows-had cap.
tured them, taken away their bows and
and arrows and butcher knives, and then
started for Fort Johnson, driving two
men before them and carrying the boy
behind one OF the horsemen.
Coming to a small stream with steep
banks four or FIVE feet high and with a
soft miry bottom, impossible for horses,
the Indians saw their opportunity
cleared the stream and fed like fright.
ened deer. BY the time our boys had
found a crossing tile Indians were far
away. A hard chase brought their pur.
suers within gun shot, and a brisk fire
was opened, but without apparent effect,
though our men were all excellent
markSmen. AS soon as a gun was
ieveled the Indian would jump sideways
to the right and left, so that sure aim
was impossible; aud as soon as the gun
was fired away he dashed on a run SO
swift that horseman could hardly over.
take him. Several times the Indian
would turn upon the horseman when his
gun was empty and Try to pull him from
his horse, and it was all one could do to
get away from the savage and reload his
rifle-his only weapon.
AT length John Hamilton determined
to seize by main force the one he was
alter, but after lively scuffie was COM
PEELED to shoot the Indian to avoid being
himself pulled from his horse. During
the melee the other Indian ESCAPED
badly wounded. They brought the
boy to the Fort where he was adopted
into the family OF Joel II. Johnson, for
whom the settlement was named-a
veteran OF early Kirkland days. They
named the boy Sam, treated him as one
OF the family, and he finally grew 10
manhood.
Kanarra, the chief. said the killing of
the Indian was all right; he had often
told him to quit stealing or he would
get killed, and it had served him right.
But there was sequel to ali this
rive years later, as the tribe sat around
their camp ire the brother OF the slain
indian said the spirit OF his brother was
crying Tor revenge, and could not rest
until some white man or woman should
De Killed to pay the dept According 10
indian logic this was strictly correct.
and they were about to go down to
Parowan that night to kin some one,
But kansrra said ''No, II we 20 tonight
we may kill in the dark some one The
mormons love very much, and they will
be very mad; l will 20 down In The
morning and find out il there is anv one
they don't 1.-The much. We will XIII him
and then the people won't be SO mad
nor make war on u.s." This was an.
proved by ALL "1' "p
Next morning Kanarra came 10
PRESIDENT William H. Dame and asked
heie was any one in Parowsn whom
ne dld not love much. The question
seemed suspicious, and President Dame
answered sts No, love them all -
hut, SAID kanarra Isn't there some
on, you love only me.a.pootsp-.a yerv
hliie-measuring about haf an inch on
ms hnger. mo" sad Brother Dame y
Il love them ALL Shaunu Shauntln ",
mu'h AT last he found out The cause ~,
h"haIra visit as explained above and
mao 10 labor a long time with him before
he would Consent 10 to.,,-- -. NN'N,-