Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-08-04
DEATH OF A FAMOUS TRAPPED
lin Baker, One Of Little Band Who Tracked
The Western Wilderness.
The Hero Of Many stirring Adventures aud
Narrow Escapes Before Rocky Noun
tain Civilization Came.

nearly seventy yeara jim Baker had
been a noted figure ln the West, ana %
all the hardy men who aided IN peh-
Ing w the wilderness KIT Carson hpnc
was better known. Baker was n'iiiy
20 years Old at the time ~ ne uthtN.
lie came west from Illinois. which was
his birthplace. when only ~ years nlu'
He came a. an empoyo Of thg An. 90
can Fur Trading company 90 Laramie
Wyo.. about 1850. and from that uin,
until his death he lived 0n me plhlhs
and In the mountains. He was Scout
for several expeditions. notably for
John c. Fremont and for Gen. ADAMS
In tho war after the Mcokcr massacre
His comrades We're the mon WHO uIH.
went through this part OF the Nhl.i
States after the expedition % Lewis anu
Clark In 1903. 1891 ana 1905. one OF
them. Gabriel I.aicuncasc. always called
by the men Of the plains Gabriel La
Iepnresa. was. tradition says, the nero
or I1nrfrilnw'H "EvanTHllne." BASIL
Antoine aud Nicholas LaieunoHHe were
his Sons. others ~ Bakers contemplr-
aries were Peter ogden. who gave bis
name 10 the city N ogden, ltnh. XII
Carson. another man whose name hp.
pears IN the map " the country, ana
Maxwell " Maxwell land grant fame
Baker lived he more thrilling,
more adventurous. than even % cooper
has ever been able % picture. FOR
diana, hunted In the phthlcH8 forests
OF the North and West, wandered over
the endies stretches OF prairie, endured
countless haniships ana hflVcd the
greatest danWrra All this Wa before
the time ~ the pioneers VINO dAto
their arrival aH 1865 Four times he TOOK
n wife from among the lnhihnH' Aun
on~. came near paying fnr q aluhW
with his NE. For several years Doc Nta
hunted BY the rtoH and was marked
for torture and death the moment ne
foii Into their hands. a doson times ne
escaped their vengeance by mere
chance Several times h. was snow
lautnd IN the mountains IN the dead NJ
winter and nearly starved Much NJ
his time for many years was spent IN
ovading hostile Indians, ana the mum
her Of his personal encounters Win
bensts mud men and wars with Indians
was evidenced BY a mass OF scars on
his rrizzlod body.
The nrHt eight years of nakora me-
In the Weut were spent In trapping in
the north FOR tho fur company. but ln
1870 he left the employ ~ the company
and hunted ana trapped on hi own
account Tho UtoH were extremely !
hostile 90 the whites. but liaker sue
recdcd In getting ON very friendly tcrmH !
with Iguncia. then a young buck and |
and wnr chief llHkcr Induced % Hluaw |
sister OF lgnncio. Ia leave the tribe /
with him. iunnciu swuru NcnE nnce, |
and FOR a long time Baker was IN cone
slant fear lest some Ute should take |
him unhwhrpa Finally tn Hqunw r. /
turned tn her tribe and FOR his own |
safety Bnkor Joined the Sioux Indians |
and became q Sioux rqunw man AZ /
terwaid he LETT the Sioux for the Chry- /
enncs aud also lived Tor q time with /
the AupnhoeH. There are Incidents |
without number told ~ baker by old /
pioneer. In 1865 Baker acted nH /
scout for Captain Mnrccy'H expedition |
that went into Utah 10 drive out the /
MormonH. The MlrmOnH stole q mnrrh
on Marcy and drove on nil hiH horses
and mules. taking the greater share ~
desperate condition. Baker offered
% cross the main range aud go 20
Fort Garland fur relief II was early
IN December and the snow ON the range |
was from two a. forty foot deep Baker /
started to work his way straight across /
the range lie became worn out and |
nearly furnished. IT. descending tho /
range he became 30 exhausted that hs |
was forced a. give up and would have /
persisted had not band of Ute In |
dams found him and cared COR him. |
Had they recognized him h. would |
have been killed because tho TITS had /
mnrkd him Tor death. Tie aureordDd I
IN reaching tho fort In safety ana 90 /
curing the necessary frlicf
A. another time Baker was cnmped /
nlone In one end ~ canyon. and a /
party N white men were camped be ]
low him, About 2 o'clock IN tho morn ]
Ing Baker awukc. cnric down to tho /
camp, and warned thcm 10 hurry tn "a /
place where they could defend thrn- |
selves. lie said h. frlt that tho rod /
men were going tu attack them. Two /
hours nfterrnrd u war band descend.
I'd on tho camp, which by that time
had been vacated. In 1861 Rakor.
with Jim Heckwith, took un ranch
on what In now Capitol ilill Denver.
bcckwlth was % mulatto. and for
long time chief OF tho CROW Indians
tie was born NJ ~. charles. Mo. In
1893 ana went west In ISIS The Crows
had never seen a negro .nnd In Some
way conceived the idea that Hrckwith
WAS u Grow Indian who had been
stolen from their tribe when u child
They watched their opportunity and
kidnapped IcckWith nfterwnrd max
Ing him chief llU became great
warrior, aud was much feared hy the
Indians. Baker ana h. were great
friends, aud went into purturrHhlp
when Bockwlth loft hls tribe In 1860
Beckwith married q Culorod woman,
ana Ia 1864 murdered man named
Jim Payne, who Insisted on paying
attentions a. hlr vito. Beokwlth ana
Baker were fast friends when sober
hut quarrcod and fought like tigers
when drunk
In 1853 Baker had one side ~ his fac.
torn m by the explosion of a rifle
Many versions ~ the affair have been
Eiven. The correct one hlH rarely been
told, In Indian camp about twenty |
miles from Denver tn assent hid disc
trihutsd a lui NJ rifles ana cartridges.
Baker succeeded ola getting hold lf one.
A he tried % nfe 10 the cartridge ln
the stock exploded, ana blow 10 90
pieces. Ono-hulf nf Hnkrr'H face was
torn 90 pieces without "a complaint.
and all the time conscious, hc stood the
ride of twenty mllos 90 Denver whore
Dr. Strobe fixed up bic torn Jaw by
the use Of wooden pins ana Hrwrd u ~.
Three months aftrrwnrd Baker had en-
tirely recovered, but hr carried IA bad
scar 10 the end uf hIH days
Bakers love f0r free NO ana tho D.
Ultemout NJ hrhupE ana hunting was
on one occasion hH Killed
two fuil grown griazly cubs wtla hunt
Ina knife whom hIs rifle las unused on
the ground, ll0 and a. companion saw ]
the Two cuhs az they were passing up tho
side ~ a mountain. BAKER proposed
that each NJ them should ram one OF the
cubs with "a hunting knife alone "hc-
cause II would he "a great thing Co ten
about aftcrw1rd,' Putting aside their
guns the two hunters attacked, Baker
KILLED the cub ana went tu the rescue
OF his tranl, who was hard pressed